Friends who often read our monthly sales ranking articles should have an understanding of the dominance of buick GL8 in the field of business MPV, and the perennial hegemony has more than doubled sales than the second Trumpchi M8. And like many people who thought that they could divide the GL8 cake with brand faith, Like those challengers in the past, they could not escape the fate of breaking the sand and only survived with less than one-tenth of gl8 sales.
But in fact, in the field of business MPV, there has always been another unknown sales champion, which is Toyota Xena, which can occupy the top spot of parallel imported MPV for many years at a high price of 500,000. Nowadays, Xena has finally ushered in domestic production, so is its product strength enough to play?
As a model built by Toyota for the U.S. market, The Sai Na looks as fat as many Americans. In particular, the 1995mm body width has been significantly different from the 1878mm wide Buick GL8 and the 1850mm wide Alpha in terms of visual solidity. Perhaps in order to make Xena stand out in the business field other than home, the front grille of the top model adopts a matte chrome-plated style, which has more business temperament than other models with dark gray grilles.
The upturned waistline that runs through the whole vehicle, with the external visual effect of the rear wheel arch, makes Sai Na look not as dull as other MPVs, weakens the length of the 5165mm body, and avoids the big brother Alpha who is in line with the modeling board. In addition, Xena's sliding door tracks are also hidden in the lower window line of the rear window like the Buick GL8, which is more elaborate than the Honda Odyssey's design that directly exposes the black strip track to the body.
Toyota Syna's taillights boldly adopt the same "tear eye" design idea as the new Supra, and the black decorative strips at the bottom of the taillights and the corners of the fenders and the deep profile turns around them not only meet the individual needs of MPV owners in the new era, but also increase the visual width of the body, making the rear look extremely majestic.
With a design that is both personal and imposing, Xena creates a more robust visual effect with a body length that is 73mm shorter than the Buick GL8. And the fat body also made me think about its interior space...
Inside the Sena's compartment, the 1995mm extra-large width of the car gives it the width of the center console comparable to the full-size pickup truck in the United States, and also makes the 12.3-inch narrow central control screen no longer stand out. Somewhat regrettably, the towering, enclosed central aisle area deprives XENA of the convenience of a traditional Japanese MPV that can span the first row and go directly from the first row to the back row.
In terms of materials, Toyota is like learning from Mercedes-Benz, in the case of the central control basically does not use soft leather wrapping, only rely on plastic parts with a sewing look to create an atmospheric look.
The 12.3-inch LCD instrument cluster with the same size as the central control screen has a total of 3 display interfaces, and the overall display function is relatively complete, but because the three modes use the same blue and black background, it looks a little monotonous, and it has not been able to create a richer visual effect than the pointer instrument through the LCD screen.
In fact, for an MPV positioned at the home level, the above "deficiencies" will not lead to a "one-vote veto" by consumers. Because those who are determined to buy an MPV model care more about the space they use more calmly than suVs. And at this point, Xena did make it to the top. First of all, let's talk about the space, when I adjusted my sitting position at 174cm, the head space in the front row was one punch and four fingers. For a model that has the power battery under the seat, it can also achieve the same head space as the GL8, which is enough to see Toyota's space optimization power.
The space in the second row was even more exaggerated, and when the third row of seats was put away and the second row of seats was pushed to the end, Xena's legroom allowance could not touch the front seat after I fully straightened my legs. Such a large legroom also allows the second row of electric leg rests to support the calves to maximize the use of the seat, and there is no need to worry about staining the back of the chair in the front row. In addition, the wide enough seat backrest can also be a good way to spread the pressure of my 17 pounds of weight through the back. At this time, coupled with the seat ventilation and heating functions, the second Xena excludes no massage function, and it is basically easy to use.
However, the excellent first two rows of four people use the scene does not fully reflect the strength of Xena, because its third row of space performance is the real killer. When moving the second row of seats to a position away from the two fists in the front row of legroom, I sat in the third row and had a punch in the head and leg allowance, which was actually decent enough for a long ride in the third row. In addition, the oversized backrest tilt angle adjustment in the third row also gives passengers the right to take a nap in the third row.
The fly in the ointment is that because the new Syna will move the spare tire located at the bottom of the car to the side area of the third row on the main driving side (as shown in the red box above), it will cause a certain encroachment on the left arm space of the left passenger in the third row, so the stretch of the left passenger in the third row will inevitably move to the right side, which will have a certain impact on the middle passenger of the original three-person seat in the third row. So when you're traveling for 7 people, it's more comfortable to sit on the right side of the third row without a spare tire drum bag.
For an American MPV with a width of 1995mm, the central aisle width of the Xena is also significantly better than that of many competitors, and passengers can enter and exit the third row very calmly.
In addition to the ride space, Xena's trunk space is also very large. When the third row of seats is erected, the sunken trunk is designed to accommodate a living person, greatly improving the usability of the trunk in the 7-person state.
And if the third row is packed under the platform, the flat floor and the extra vertical height of the Xena, it is easy to carry all the luggage of a full 4 people in a few days, as well as emergency equipment such as full-size spare tires.
In terms of storage space, Xena has also achieved the ultimate. One of the things that surprised me the most was the number of normal-size cup holders. Among them, there are two on each side of the front door, one on each side of the sliding door, four on the center console, two at the center foot of the second row, four aisle brackets in the second and third rows, three on the third row or so, and a total of 19 water cup holders in the whole car... That is, if you buy a box of 24 bottles of mineral water and put one bottle in each cup holder, you will only have 5 bottles left in your hand...
In addition to the number of cup holders, Xena is also quite well placed in terms of storage space. Such as the huge cutout under the first row of center consoles, the platform in front of the co-pilot that can hold the mobile phone, and the depth of the central armrest box that can "eat" a small arm, all provide sufficient convenience for daily use.
For humans in 2021, mobile phones have become a part of the body, and the pleasure of brushing mobile phones even exceeds DIY. Perhaps to prolong happiness, Xena once again refreshed my perception in terms of the number of charging interfaces. Among them, there is a USB TypeA and wireless charging base at the center console, and in the handrail box, the rear of the handrail box, two or three rows of aisle brackets, and the right side of the third row provide 2 each, a total of 8 Type-C charging ports, and all support PD fast charging protocol. That said, even when traveling long distances, Xena can bring lasting happiness to passengers.
However, the almost full Sai Na in terms of practicality is not without shortcomings, compared to the Odyssey only to the height of my calf 2/3 height, the Sai Na platform is high to my knee position, directly losing the biggest advantage of the 7-seat MPV over the 7-seat SUV - the convenience of getting on and off. In addition, the opening range of the side sliding door of Xena is not large enough, and the convenience of passengers getting on and off the bus is once again discounted.
The main reason I've talked so much about the Xena's static experience above is because for most MPV consumers, dynamic performance never seems to be the focus of attention. But I have to admit that Xena also has a deep knowledge of driving. Although Xena's chassis, like highlander and Camry, is a product of the TNGA-K platform, the driving texture of these three cars is completely different, and the new Syna is undoubtedly the best of the three.
First of all, on Xena's body, you can't feel the rear axle fluttering like the new Highlander when passing through the speed bumps, and the chassis will convey a more complete and advanced texture. And the filtration of the fine bumps on the road surface is also stronger than the Highlander, some of the crushing shocks that will give the members of the car a sense of bumps on the Highlander, to the Sai Na, this can almost be smoothed, a few of the bumps passed to the carriage, because of the careful treatment of the shock absorber and the bushing, so it is more like a vehicle deliberately retaining the sense of the road, and finally give the members of the car a kind: I know that the road is not flat, but this car is really comfortable.
And when passing through the undulating long-wave vibrations of the road, Xena will also show a chassis texture that is significantly softer than that of Highlander, and the feeling of flickering and flickering, which is very similar to the Buick GL8. Eventually, the long-wave vibration will also be inadvertently dissolved in the slow stretching and rebound of the suspension. In fact, I am not at all surprised that Sena can have such a performance, after all, it is an "American car" with a Toyota logo in its bones.
When Xena was listed, many people on the Internet felt that the size of the wheels with a low-17-inch and a high-end 18-inch rim was too stingy. But in fact, in addition to Volkswagen Weiran, the current maximum wheel size of the domestic MPV is basically limited to 18 inches by the manufacturer. After all, the thicker the tires, the stronger the ability to resolve road bumps, which is crucial for MPV models that are based on passenger riding experience, especially on the "surprise" road in China, and it is wise to use only 235/60 R18 tires at the maximum like Sai na.
In addition to the excellent texture of the suspension, Xena also does an excellent job in terms of sound insulation. Especially the top matching saina with ANC active noise reduction function that I test-drove, compared to the Highlander that does not have this configuration in the whole series, has obvious advantages in tire noise and road noise, and the passengers in the car are almost unaware of the existence of road noise, and the tranquility of the whole vehicle is definitely the first echelon of the same price. But perhaps because the carriage is too quiet, when the driver is accelerating and overtaking, the dry sound line of the saina engine will look very annoying.
For an MPV, I advise everyone not to have too many expectations for its driving, after all, the flat floor with two huge sliding doors, this natural lack of rigidity is not used for intense driving. Perhaps to make the driver aware of this, as soon as I start pushing the car through corners at a higher speed, its steering will increase the positive moment as if it were correcting, and the ethereal directivity will also bring me a strong sense of uneasiness. This was superimposed on the exclamations of the co-pilot and the passengers in the second row, and the sound of the tail luggage swaying from side to side, so after trying it once, I dismissed the idea of continuing to test its limits.
But if you return to normal driving, in fact, this steering system can not fault anything. A steering wheel with more laps will remind you to some extent that this is a big car. A good sense of steering center at high speed can also alleviate the impact of crosswind on MPV models with large side impact areas.
In addition, the 2.5L hybrid system on Xena also continues Toyota's consistent silky power experience of Thermo Hybrid. You just step on the throttle, and this THS hybrid system will automatically help you distribute the power ratio between the engine and the motor, and the whole process is so smooth and heeled, there will be no lag and setbacks related to gear shifting. In terms of power, since there is no high-speed road condition on the test drive route, I can only tell you at present that the power of the new Sai Na is very sufficient within 80km/h in the state of riding 4 people. And because the motor has been working with the engine, and the power output of the motor at low and medium speeds accounts for a relatively large proportion, so driving in the city, Xena's response to the change in the depth of the accelerator pedal is significantly faster than the traditional fuel MPV, and the overall driving light pleasure is between electric vehicles and gasoline vehicles.
The exact same powertrain as the Highlander, and the exact same 249 horsepower, made me curious about Xena's extreme power. After actual measurement, the acceleration time of 0-100km/h in Xena is 9.86 seconds. However, it should be noted that due to conditions, the acceleration time of 0-100km/h this time was measured at an altitude of 2000 meters, the weight of 4 people and the downhill of 2% slope, so it is not absolute standard data. For a comparative reference, the 2.0T GL8 with 237 hp has an acceleration time of about 9-9.6 seconds at 0-100 km/h in a plain and uncarried state.
In addition to the excellent practicality and driving texture, thanks to the power of the fourth generation of the THS II hybrid system, the new Syna has an advantage that can crush the Buick GL8, that is, fuel consumption! In the case of the main urban smooth road, plus a small number of winding roads, and pulled 4 people, Xena ran out of 5.8L/100km of the 95.5km test driving mileage. You know, the game of the physique is one smaller, and light about 200kg Honda hybrid odyssey, the usual fuel consumption is this level, which is enough to see Toyota's engine and motor can be double-adjusted hybrid system in the 2 tons or so on the fuel consumption advantage is still very large.
Speaking of Xena's most direct competitor, the Buick GL8, the average fuel consumption of the owners of the GL8, which is currently equipped with a 2.0T LXH engine and matched with a 48V light hybrid, is about 10-11L/100km. If we calculate based on the mileage of 20,000 kilometers a year, the fuel cost of gl8 in a year is between 15180-16698 yuan, while the fuel cost of Xena under the same mileage is 8271 yuan, which is only half of GL8... The reason why the two have such a large fuel consumption cost gap, in addition to the Toyota hybrid system is enough to save fuel, but also has a lot to do with their fuel filling label requirements, of which the hybrid race is to add No. 92 gasoline, and the GL8 must add No. 95 gasoline.
Unconventional appearance, excellent space, practical performance, sound insulation, driving quality, and low fuel consumption without any pressure on the cost of use... You only need to spend a short time with this car to find that it is not the Toyota that once sold "no shortcomings". Because each board of the Sai Na is very long this time, even to the extent that consumers have reached a consensus with the manufacturer, this directly leads to its original guidance price of 30.98-40.58, which really becomes the "guide price". Do you want to pick up your car early next year? Markup 50,000-80,000. Do you want to resist markups? No problem, 4S store sales welcome you to pick up the car in 2023. So back to the question given by the title, can the 400,000 Toyota Sai na close its eyes and buy? My answer is that if you spend 400,000 yuan to increase the model, you can buy it with your eyes closed. But if it is a price increase to 400,000 low-end models, then whether you can buy it depends on whether you will cross two lines of bitter tears on your cheeks when you close your eyes and swipe your card...