The Toyota Alphard has now become a "phenomenal" model in the Chinese market. Stars and bosses from all walks of life are pursuing the Alphard like a treasure. Two years ago, the Alphard was At one time, even with a price increase of hundreds of thousands, demand exceeded supply, making other car companies the envy of them. Perhaps because Alfa was too successful, Buick and Volkswagen were greatly inspired. Buick GL8 added four-seat and six-seat Avenir models this year, and Volkswagen also launched the Avenir business MPV in China. In fact, for ordinary people, these MPVs often cost more than 20, or even 30,000 or 400,000, which is not close enough to the people. Today we will talk about Esquire, known as Toyota's "Little Alpha".
As a family MPV model, Toyota Esquire entered the Japanese market in 2014. In 2018, Toyota registered the "Esquire" trademark in China. Obviously, Toyota had plans to launch it at some point in the future. Introducing this extremely practical MPV. Among them, there has been news that the Esquire is expected to be introduced into the country in 2022 and will be produced domestically by FAW Toyota. As of now, there is no further information. So will the Toyota Esquire be produced in China? What are its selling points?
In fact, GAC Toyota has introduced a family MPV model Yizhi, equipped with 1.6L, 1.8L, and 2.0L naturally aspirated engines. The guide price is 149,800-239,800 yuan. It has five seats and seven seats. A seat version was available, but at that time, the demand for domestic MPV models for home use was not large, and the price was not cheap. Not many people bought it, and it ended up being discontinued. This means that among the current Toyota domestic models, the layout of the MPV model is missing. Looking at its competitors, Honda has the Odyssey/Elixen, Volkswagen has the Touran and Viran, Buick has the GL6/GL8, etc. It can be seen that Toyota has reasons to introduce Esquire, whether as a forward-looking layout or to compete with its opponents.
Esquire is known as the "small Alpha", and it is not for nothing. There are indeed many similarities between the two in terms of design, such as extremely exaggerated oversized air intake grilles, but The interior of the Esquire grille uses a straight waterfall-style chrome strip. In addition, the new sword-and-shield-shaped LOGO also gives it a distinctive identity. The headlight designs of the two cars are also quite similar.
Esquire's body naturally follows the style of its elder brother Alfa. The suspended roof is fashionable and classy, ??and the waistline is more prominent, creating a rich curved surface and looking more elegant. To make it more dynamic, the car is also equipped with side sliding doors. The rear part of the car is not much different from that of Alfa. The difference between the two is that Esquire's taillights are arranged in vertical strips on both sides, while Alpha's taillights are arranged horizontally.
In terms of size, the length, width and height of the Esquire are 4695/1695/1825mm respectively, and the wheelbase is 2850mm. Compared with the Touran’s length, width and height of 4527/1829/1659mm and the wheelbase of 2791mm, you will find two models The styles of the cars are completely different. The Esquire is obviously more like an MPV. It is tall, the body width is much smaller, and the height is significantly ahead of the Touran. This means that the riding experience inside the Esquire will be very close to that of the Alfa. After all, it is big enough. Sitting at a high longitudinal height in the car will not feel at all oppressive. The wheelbase of 2850mm is even only 50mm smaller than the Odyssey. Esquire offers seven-seat and eight-seat models to choose from, using 2 2 3 and 2 3 3 layouts respectively. Obviously, even if Esquire is introduced to China in the future, the eight-seat version will most likely not be available to us.
As an MPV model, Esquire’s interior adopts a classic layout. The gear handle is designed with a high-position central control, and an embedded central control screen is used. The combination of burgundy leather and black is used. Keep the interior from looking too dull.
In terms of power information, it is equipped with a 2.0L naturally aspirated engine with a maximum output of 110kW/192Nm, equipped with a CVT continuously variable transmission, and there is also a 1.8L dual-engine hybrid version. Please refer to the domestic Corolla dual-engine hybrid version. version, the maximum output of the engine is 72kW/142Nm, and the maximum output of the motor is 53kW/163Nm. The Corolla's comprehensive fuel consumption per 100 kilometers is only 4L. Due to the greater wind resistance of the Esquire body, the size is also slightly larger. The Japanese official website shows that the comprehensive fuel consumption of the hybrid version is 5L. , which means the fuel consumption per kilometer is only 2.7 cents.
The starting price of Esquire in Japan is 2.9634 million yen (tax included), which is about RMB 194,700. The current price of the domestic Odyssey is 229,800. Since the Esquire is positioned slightly lower than the Odyssey, if it is introduced in the future Domestically, we estimate that the starting price is expected to be around 200,000-220,000.
Obviously, most of the current home MPV models of joint venture brands are biased towards the hatchback sedan style. For example, Buick GL6 and Touran are not equipped with side sliding doors. So, as a "regular" home MPV model , if Esquire is introduced, its advantages will still be quite large. The body height is sufficient, and the interior ride experience will be more comfortable and comfortable than its competitors such as the Touran. It is a good choice as a dad's car. Since Toyota has registered the "Esquire" trademark in China two years ago, it means that it is possible for it to be produced domestically, but it is still waiting for the time to mature. At present, as the number of second-child families gradually increases, independent brands have launched new MPV cars on a large scale, proving that more and more manufacturers are optimistic about the market prospects of household MPVs. So, if Esquire is introduced in China in the future and the price is over 200,000, will you consider it? Welcome to leave a message for discussion.
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.