Toyota Veloz

The cabin layout of the Toyota Veloz is not as bold as the exterior of the MPV, though the layout feels nicely laid out with all the controls and elements in their right place. The only variant of the Velox on sale in the UAE – GX – has a dual-tone black and greige upholstery, which is a combination of leather and fabric.

The three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel of the Toyota Veloz has a comprehensive instrument console, which includes a 7-inch TFT screen for the display of crucial data on the go. The centre console of the dashboard here has a standout 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, with its lower part housing sleek trapezoidal AC vents, buttons for audio and climate control and a tray for the wireless charger – all in the same vertical order. The AC vents, sides of the centre console and door panels come with silver accents, which add more premium appeal to the cabin.

The other features offered in this three-row, seven-seater vehicle include ambient lighting, LED reading lamps, push start-stop button, front and rear centre armrests, a 6-speaker audio system and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Taking inspiration from the larger and more luxurious SUVs from Toyota’s global lineup, the Veloz has a bolder appearance when viewed from the outside. For an MPV, the Toyota Veloz looks aggressive, especially at the front, while being a sleek-looking vehicle when viewed sideways.

At the front, the Toyota Veloz welcomes one with its aggressive-looking hexagonal grille, which has a chrome bar over its upper edge. The corners of this chrome slab at the top of the grille are flanked by horizontally-stretched all-LED headlamps, which have curved outer edges and come integrated with sleek daytime running LEDs in their lower edges. The front bumper also has an aggressive design with T-shaped chrome garnish over the vertical housings for the fog lamps. The lower air dam in the front bumper has silver garnish at its bottom.

From the side, the Toyota Veloz has a sleek and busy design, which is a mix of several elements. These include the sharp crease running between the edges of the headlamp and tail lamp, smoothly carved squared wheel arches, and the chrome garnish flowing over the headlamps and going to the edge of the rear quarter glass panels. Adding more visual drama to the side profile of the Veloz are 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels and a sharply-raked rear quarter glass panel.

At the back, the Toyota Veloz follows the recent trend of having the LED connecting bar between the LED combination tail lamps. The boot lid here has a trapezoidal license plate housing, with the Toyota logo in the middle of the LED connecting bar. 

The Toyota Veloz is a comfortable vehicle with all three rows of seats offering good under-thigh support and ample room for seven people. The ride quality is comfortable too, courtesy of the soft setup offered by the Macpherson struts at the front and the torsion beam at the rear.

The Toyota Veloz comes with the same tried-and-tested 1.5-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol engine, which powers a range of global offerings from Toyota, including the Yaris. This engine is available with a CVT gearbox and churns out 105 PS of maximum power and 138 Nm of maximum torque. There are three drive modes on offer in the Veloz – Eco, Normal and Sport, with the MPV claiming to offer a maximum fuel efficiency of 19.3 kmpl in the Eco mode.

The Toyota Veloz in the UAE misses out on the ADAS suite of features offered in the MPV in the South-East Asian markets. However, it still gets a range of basics, including dual front, side and curtain airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic parking brake, reverse parking camera and sensors, tyre pressure warning system, front and rear fog lamps, vehicle stability control and hill start assist.

With its bold exterior look and spacious and comfortable cabin, the Toyota Veloz stays true to the modern MPV philosophy – offering an upmarket drive experience. While it misses out on many of the features offered in the version sold overseas, it still is good enough for the price it commands.