Toyota reveals new ace of space: Granace luxury wagon

Toyota Motor Corporation has revealed the Granace full-size wagon in Japan, which will go on sale at Toyota vehicle dealers nationwide on December 16. The new Granace comes in two grades: Premium grade, a three-row, six-seater priced at 6,500,000 yen (Rs 42.25 lakh) and G grade, a four-row, eight-seater priced at 6,200,000 yen (Rs 40 lakh). Toyota is targeting annual sales of 600 units in Japan.

The new Granace is a full-size wagon^, all of 5.30 metres long and 1.97 metres wide, offering capacious width that facilitates a high-quality and comfortable interior space. Shod with 17-inch tyres the new Granace has a minimum turning radius of 5.6 metres. Optimal steering angles and gear ratios enable smooth tyre movement to achieve maneuverability ideal for urban driving, says Toyota. The new Granace comes in four exterior colours, including the arresting White Pearl Crystal Shine option, and a sophisticated and luxurious Black.

Ace of space
The new Granace's spacious cabin measures 3,290 millimetres in length and 1,735 millimetres in width. Available both in three-row six-seater and four-row eight-seater variants, it caters to a wide range of user needs.

The four seats comprising the second and third rows of the three-row Premium grade feature executive power seating are designed "for complete relaxation". In addition, the car is equipped with a long-slide mechanism, power-reclining function, power ottoman, heated seats, a stowable table, and other amenities that enhance convenience and comfort.

The four-row G grade features executive power seats in the second row, lever-operated adjustable and relaxing captain seats in the third-row, and six-to-four ratio tip-up seats that lift up at the touch of a button in the fourth row. The G grade thus aims to cater to varying passenger numbers and luggage volumes in a flexible manner.

The new Granace is equipped with a 1GD 2.8-litre clean diesel engine and six-speed automatic transmission. The powertrain provides the smoothness, quietness, and low-speed torque demanded of a luxury vehicle, while realizing fuel efficiency of 10.0 kilometres per liter according to the WLTC test cycle^. The use of DPR and a urea SCR system achieves significant reductions in nitrogen oxide emissions, and enables the car to conform to the Post New Long-term Regulations exhaust gas standards.

The new Granace uses a rear-wheel drive layout. Based on fundamental principles, the underbody utilises a straight-ladder structure; this enables the side members to pass straight through and preserves the torsional rigidity of the floor surface. Each pillar is also joined to the underbody in a ring-shaped frame, giving rise to a high-rigidity body. The front of the car uses MacPherson strut-type independent suspension, while the rear employs a trailing-link rigid-axle suspension. Despite its high-rigidity body, optimization of the suspension geometry and stroke preservation mean that the car delivers superb ground feel, luxurious ride comfort, and outstanding driving stability.

Toyota says vibration-control and soundproofing materials have been effectively distributed throughout the vehicle, and include sandwich steel plates in the dash panels that separate the engine room and the cabin. These materials help realize a serene quietness suitable for luxury wagons in various road environments.

High on safety
The Granace comes standard with the latest version of Toyota Safety Sense, featuring improved sensing functions that make use of the pre-collision safety system that detects pedestrians during the day and at night, as well as cyclists during the day.

The new Granace is equipped with a full range of safety equipment : Intelligent Clearance Sonar with Parking Support Brakes (Stationary Objects) helps mitigate damage from collisions while driving in parking lots and similar environments by detecting stationary objects; when reversing in parking lots, Rear Cross Traffic Auto Brake with Parking Support Brakes (rear approaching vehicle) detects vehicles approaching from left-rear and right-rear directions, and engages the brakes when it senses the possibility of a collision; and Digital Inner Mirror projects images from the rear-facing camera onto the in-mirror display at the flick of a switch.