Here’s Why The Toyota Century Is Referred To As A Japanese Rolls-Royce

When luxury cars are mentioned, the brands that come to mind are Mercedes, Bentley, and Rolls-Royce. These brands are recognized for building the most comfortable and luxurious vehicles in the world. When Toyota is mentioned in this case, you think of the Lexus luxury division but the most Luxurious Japanese vehicle still comes from Toyota.

The Toyota Century is a bespoke model in Toyota’s lineup built to be the most luxurious and exclusive Japanese vehicle. This is no halfhearted attempt at a Toyota Luxury car but a complete Luxury barge built with the best and most comfortable materials. This car is so luxurious and exclusive that most who know about it refer to it as the Japanese Rolls-Royce.

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The Century Is Built By Japan’s Best Engineers and Artisans

When Toyota set out the build the century almost 3 decades ago the brief was simple. They wanted to build the most luxurious and functional vehicle in Japan. So they employed the best people for the job and used the best processes to make sure they achieved the desired result. The Century is even built in its own factory which is separate from other Toyota Products.

The Century is built by hand by a few expert craftspeople with the best traditional methods. There are no assembly lines or machines used to assemble this car, so they are carefully put together. These traditional methods also allow the Century to be built to the highest standards without any compromise. These methods include:

• Kichomen: A chamfering process by hand to highlight body details, only three people are qualified for this job.
• Kan-Kotsu: A method of assembly involving intuition and skills.
• Wajima Lacquerware making: A traditional Japanese process of lacquerware production, this process is essential for an excellent paint finish. Only four people are allowed to paint a Toyota Century.

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The Century Looks Like A Very Sophisticated Vehicle.

Most vehicles care about style, beauty, and innovative design but not the Century. It was built and designed to convey the status of whoever it transported. Every Century has maintained the same big, boxy, stately, and imposing design from the beginning with the character line flowing from front to back.

2018 Toyota Century Vs 2022 S-class dimensions

Every exterior part of this vehicle is shaped like a brick with rounded edges and some subtle round styling. But the headlight and taillights have had the same design but with updated looks and LED lights. There are chrome trims everywhere which is normal for a luxury vehicle with what looks like brushed steel parts running the bottom length of the vehicle. The 20-inch multi-spoke wheels are also very simple in design and look timeless on the car.

There are no Toyota badges on this car, they are all replaced by the hand-crafted gold Phoenix badge found on the front grille and rear of the car. A bespoke Toyota Century (TC) logo is also found on panel just behind the rear doors. But the Century logo is written boldly across the rear of the car. A special Eternal Black paint is also the most popular color for this car which highlights every exterior feature.

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A Bespoke Engine V-12 Engine Just Like A Rolls-Royce

The Century is a vehicle that was built for effortless movement, so it didn’t have a standard engine. The original Century had A V-8 as its only engine which started as a three-liter unit and eventually grew to four liters for later production cars. But the Second generation Toyota Century had the biggest engine change of any Japanese vehicle.

The second-gen had a five-liter V-12 engine to further improve the smoothness of its power delivery. This engine choice is similar to what Rolls-Royce does as their cars are known for their smooth V-12 engines. The Century remains the first and only Japanese car to be offered with a V-12 engine.

For the third-gen, the Century went back to a five-liter V-8 but with hybrid assist. Toyota calls this Hybrid Synergy Drive and is the same setup found in the Lexus LS600h. It may not be a V-12, but the car will still feel effortless with Toyota’s smooth V-8 delivery and hybrid torque.

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The Century Is Built For Ultimate Comfort

In most Luxury cars, you expect to find beautiful materials finished in wood or leather. While the Century has these and can be optioned with leather, soft wool/cloth is mainly used instead. This material feels much softer and lasts much longer than leather materials which can become brittle and crack over time. Wool also doesn’t make squeaky noises like leather does which adds to the quiet ambiance in the interior.

Ultimate Comfort and luxury have been the goal of every Toyota Century. These cars are mainly driven by chauffeurs with the owners riding in the backseat. So a Toyota Century is made to be as quiet and comfortable as possible with proper soundproofing, air suspension, and dynamic engine mounts. The Century is longer than a 2022 extended wheelbase S-class and similar in size to a Rolls-Royce Ghost, this gives owners more legroom to relax at the rear. All these make sure the occupants are cocooned inside from the rest of the world.

It also features the latest technologies which aren’t even available for most Toyota models. There are features like massage seats, a 20-inch rear infotainment system, 20 speaker premium sound system, and much more which can be controlled on an LCD screen available to rear occupants. But Toyota has also kept essential buttons where needed and implemented some simpler solutions.

The front passenger can be slid forward with a pass-through center for rear occupants to fully stretch their legs. This medium ensures this feature although automated, works every time. Even the privacy glasses aren’t tinted like other luxury cars, the windows have curtains that can be drawn. This may seem old-fashioned but has been a very traditional Japanese way of privacy.

There is a mix of modern technology features with simple but very effective Japanese solutions. Even the driver’s setup is similar to the simplicity and functionality of a Rolls-Royce but incorporates every modern comfort and safety feature available. Even the first-generation models had some of these features like soft suspension and power-operated functions which almost no car had at the time.

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The Toyota Century Is Built For The Japanese Elite

This is where the Toyota Century may be even more exclusive than any other Luxury vehicle. Other Luxury brands may be expensive but can still be bought by anyone with enough money. Anyone who wanted a Century had to be invited by invited and approved by Toyota before they can get one.

Many Century owners were Top officials, Royalty, or highly respected individuals in Japanese society. You had to be someone of importance and have VIP status for Toyota to consider selling you a Century. Just being a successful business person or having a lot of money does not give you access to buy a new Century.

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It Is Produced In Limited Numbers With A Hefty Price Tag

Toyota sells the hand-built Century exclusively in Japan to the elite, so not many of these cars are produced. In the beginning, only 200 cars were planned for production each year. But during the Japanese Bubble Era, the Century experienced a surge in sales with 2,117 cars sold from 1985-1989 which was the peak of Century sales.

The second generation with the V-12 was the only model which was considered for export to Europe, Asia, China, and the Middle East. It was still only available to high-ranking members of society. About 100 left-hand drive cars were built for this purpose, but this did not work as the reception was poor, so Toyota stopped further export plans. About 9,573 vehicles were produced in its 20-year run.

The third generation has ramped up production a bit more with plans of 600 cars a year with a starting price of $180,000. This is closer to the starting prices of luxury Marques like Maybach and Bentley. It is still a long way off from Rolls-Royce prices but its simplistic design, comfort features, and excellent build quality evoke the feeling of any Rolls-Royce.