For nearly 20 years, the Toyota Alphard and its (soon to be deceased) twin, the Vellfire have been ferrying VIPs all around Malaysia. But did you know there’s a bigger and more opulent Toyota breadbox on wheels called the Toyota Majesty?

The Majesty, as its name suggests, is a majestic van that can seat up to 11 people and comes with rear-wheel drive (RWD). Tengku Zafrul, the RWD Alphard of your dreams is here, but it’s not sold in Malaysia. The Toyota Majesty is currently available in Thailand but there are no plans by UMW Toyota Motor to launch it here, at least none that we know.

For those of you who are interested in what’s great about the Majesty, please allow us to give you this grand tour of the bigger brother to the Alphard. Measuring in at 5,300 mm long, 1,970 mm wide, and 1,990 mm tall, it’s grander than the Alphard in size.

Good thing that this behemoth comes with RWD so turning around this loaf of automobile bread could be a cinch. Or maybe it’s something you’ll let your driver worry about.

Also read: Why is RWD life to some, while others prefer a FWD car?

Powering the Toyota Majesty is the same 2.8-litre turbodiesel that is found on the Toyota Hilux Rouge. The oil burner makes 163 PS and 420 Nm and is paired to a 6-speed automatic transmission. Of note, the Thai-spec Majesty’s output is lower than the GranAce which is what it’s called in Japan (177 PS/450 Nm).

Speaking of the GranAce, the model is available via grey importers with a choice of either 6 or 8 seats. Still, they are priced quite lavishly with the units that were listed online starting from under RM 400k.

Also read: More expensive than the Alphard, here's all you need to know about the Toyota GranAce

In Thailand, the Majesty comes in 3 variants with prices starting from THB 1,709,000 (~RM 215k) and features include:

• Electric power sliding doors
• Middle-row captain seats
• 7 USB ports
• 12 speakers

On the safety front, the Majesty was given a 5-star ASEAN NCAP rating and comes with 9 airbags as standard as well as blind-spot monitors (BSM), rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA), and an auto limited-slip differential.

Also read: Top Rank: What are the safest cars according to ASEAN NCAP?

The Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) ADAS suite consists of Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC), pre-collision system (PCS), lane departure alert (LDA), and automatic high beam (AHB) are only available on the highest variant, the Grande.

That said, could the Toyota Majesty be offered in Malaysia? Well, the only way Malaysians can experience one is through recon dealers which offer the Japanese-spec GranAce. It’s pricier than the Toyota Vellfire which is listed at RM 367,881 on UMW Toyota Motor’s website but for now we are not aware of the Majesty’s local arrival.

Still, if you’re more interested in the original luxury Toyota breadboxes, used Alphards can go from as low as RM 40k and around RM 150k for the current AH30 generation. Alternatively, you might want to check out our review on the Kia Carnival, the Majesty’s true rival, at least in the number of seats.

Also read: Review: 2022 Kia Carnival – So much metal for RM 196k but can you handle its size