TOYOTA SHOWS OFF ITS FINE-COMFORT RIDE CONCEPT
This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Fine-Comfort Ride concept by Toyota, and it acts as a showcase of the Japanese brand’s latest fuel-cell technology.
Despite adopting a hatchback-cum-MPV shape, Toyota bills as a “new form of premium saloon” thanks to its configurable interior layout (with seating for six). The exterior of the 4 830 mm-long Toyota Fine-Comfort Ride features some pretty angular styling, along with a lengthy 3 450 mm wheelbase (that’s more than even a long-wheelbase Mercedes-Benz S-Class) and short overhangs.
Vast interior space is possible thanks to the adoption of in-wheel motors, with the wheels themselves positioned at the very corners of the vehicle. Toyota also says the underside of the concept features a special cover, which should improve both NVH and stability.
The cabin, meanwhile, adopts a diamond-shaped layout that narrows towards the rear, maximising width for the first and second rows of seats. The four seats that make up these first two rows (the third row appears to be a bench) can be reclined and swivelled.
The unique infotainment system appears to be projected onto the passenger-side windows themselves, while the steering wheel adopts what looks like an LCD screen displaying driving information (and the dashboard uses a larger display for navigation).
The hydrogen fuel-cell powertrain boasts a claimed range of 1 000 km and a refuelling time of just three minutes. It’s not yet clear how closely this system is related to that of the production Toyota Mirai, if at all.
The Toyota Fine-Comfort Ride will be on display at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show alongside the GR HV Sports and TJ Cruiser concepts.
