Of course I, and I’m sure at least four other people, were absolutely shocked and appalled by the new Toyota Century that was shown to the world this week. On a planet that seems absolutely intent on somehow destroying everything we hold dear. So here I am, confused and upset about a car they’ll only sell in a country I don’t live in and that I have little to no chance of ever seeing, let alone purchasing. But then again, perhaps the idea of that Century SUV is not as braindead as I thought.
The idea of the Century, in as much as I can tell, is that it is the ultimate car for the wealthy Japanese that won’t drive their own cars and feel very strongly against being driven about in a foreign vehicle. To that end, the Japanese built the ultimate vehicle to reflect that and perfectly suit their culture. As it has been oft-repeated over the internet, the literature about the Century states “the Century is acquired through persistent work, the kind that is done in a plain but formal suit.”.
Over on this continent, we have taken that to mean that the Century is a discreet vehicle for the traditional Japanese uberwealthy. With its wool seats to save the owners from the unsavory creaks of leather to the interior that is a homage to what the 1980s considered high tech.
But here’s the thing. even back in the 80s a Century looked like this.
While the Average Japanese person that owned car had one like this.
Or this, if they were really posh.
So classic and understated it may be but the Century is very much still a baller vehicle. And once you see it in that context and add it with the fact that Sedans have generally fallen out of favor for the average consumer, and this gigantic SUV actually doesn’t seem all that bad. Especially when you compare it against the other alternatives of Luxury SUV’s. A Urus or a DBX all of a sudden look positively tacky. And they’d certainly be worse for being a passenger.
That leaves the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Which is going to be just as opulent, considerably more expensive and it doesn’t have the advantage of being driven around in the flag for the sober-minded, reflective, and very stereotypical Japanese business owner that would buy one of these.
Toyota also unveiled a GR version, which is hilariously not unprecedented as far as the Century is concerned, but with a party trick of sliding doors. In case the 75-degree opening angle of the traditional ones seems extravagant for some reason. All the bets are off. And the best part, all of it is Japan-only, so we have yet another thing to point at just in case we think that we’re even close to match Japan for sheer insanity.
Okay but the convertible really does seem like a bridge too far. Maybe just make the one for the Emperor.
