Forget what you’ve heard; the isn’t a “Japanese Rolls-Royce.” The Century is very much its own thing. It’s Japan’s interpretation on the ultimate luxury automobile and unlike any other car, luxury or otherwise, ever made.

It sits at the very top of Toyota’s lineup, above even the Lexus LS flagship. After driving the and , I’ve finally leveled up to drive Toyota’s premium Japanese domestic lineup with the Century.

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( Toyota of Japan loaned us a Century to drive for a few days with a full tank of gas.)

Yet there’s nothing groundbreaking about the Century. It’s a sedan with four doors, a boot, an engine, and four wheels. But it’s the details and the history behind the Century that makes it the special automobile it is.

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Honed over decades, the Century is made with unmistakable craftsmanship. Toyota limits production of the Century to just 50 a month, partly to keep exclusivity but also because that’s as many as even a corporate megalith can make.

The “phoenix” badge, inspired by the golden phoenix that adorns the Kinkaku-ji temple in Kyoto, sits on the intricate grille. It takes six weeks to finish, and each layer of the seven-layer paint taking four and a half hours to wet-sand. Only four workers are qualified to work on the Century’s paint, which is required to have a mirror finish. Centuries are painstakingly inspected thoroughly to make sure there aren’t any imperfections such as orange peel or panel gaps.

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The third-generation looks unmistakably like the Centuries before it, with a modern touch, taken from the Japanese royal family’s Century Royal which was shown in 2006.

This latest generation carries on from there, with sharp and simple lines, never diverting from the status quo. Each crease and body line is stamped and smoothed out to the point of obsession at Toyota’s Higashi-Fuji plant. Each panel gap is identical on every car. There aren’t any irregularities in the Century’s bodywork. It has to be perfect because the people who buy these cars demand only the best.

My dad, whom I thank for passing on his love of Toyota sedans to me, once said “you can’t be in middle management and buy a Century. You have to CEO, chairman, or president of something.”

That’s exactly the type of people who buy a Century in Japan; royal family members, top government officials, masters of the universe. Basically, if your name isn’t on a building in downtown Tokyo you needn’t apply.

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This latest-generation Century goes back to a V8 (as it had in its first generation). Some will be saddened by the loss of the V12 engine of the previous-generation, unique to the Century, but the new engine doesn’t lose anything in terms of smoothness or performance. The new powertrain isn’t actually that new - it comes from the previous generation Lexus LS600h.

That means under the heavily padded bonnet, and under all the plastic cladding, is a 5.0-liter V8 engine which produces 381 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque mated to an electric motor developing 224 HP and 221 lb-ft of torque. Due to some weird mathematic equation the combined figure is 431 HP and a many torques.

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The Century is about the same size as other full-size luxury sedans at 210 inches long, 76 inches wide, and 59.3 inches tall. It’s no lightweight either at a hefty 5,525 pounds. But something as over-engineered and luxurious as this was never going to lightweight.

It drives just as you’d expect a car like this to drive. It’s very wafty. The Century isn’t about the driving experience, it’s not even about the front seat. The whole point is being driven while enjoying the massage seats in the back.

You notice it straight away as soon as you set off, the steering is phenomenally light. It’s lighter than both the Alphard and Crown, which weren’t exactly rough agricultural products.

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I was surprised by how normal and docile it was. Sure, it’s a big car but it wasn’t obnoxiously large like a Rolls-Royce. You could still squeeze your way down neon-lit Tokyo alleyways after-hours with ease.

What it’s all about is giving the rear passengers, particularly the one in the rear-left seat, the most opulent, isolated, and comfortable ride possible. There were two stand out in the Century for me; the isolated silence and the seats. First, the quietness.

All the problems have to do with up front, which is irrelevant to the sort of people who buy these. Infotainment will get outdated quickly, the rear parking camera already is. There’s no front camera or 360-surround camera like Crown. No heads up display.

There’s good reason for this, though: a Century must never break down. That’s why Toyota only uses tried and tested technology. The V8 hybrid proved to be reliable for over a decade in its Lexus LS application. The infotainment, while starting to get dated and shared with other Toyota models, will never malfunction. It’ll stand the test of time and hopefully last as long as the car’s namesake.

It’s hard to justify $180,000 for a Toyota to people outside Japan who don’t understand the cache that comes with the Century name. Stealth wealth. Ironic how the Century is meant to be understated, an expensive car that’s meant to go under the radar. But the reputation of these in Japan means people outside are curious who’s inside. That’s why it’s worth forking out ¥162,000 ($1,495) for the optional curtains.

If you know, you know. The Century is truly a car fit for royalty. It doesn’t need to explain itself, it is what it is. It might be a hard sell to overseas markets but that’s fine because since 1967 Toyota has only sold 100 Centuries outside its home market. That’s why the Century has remained so purely Japanese (read: old school) in its function and execution.

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Much like Japanese culture, the Century is old school wrapped up in a modern (enough) looking It most certainly isn’t a Japanese Rolls-Royce, but it’s as close as you can get to Rolls-Royce level of comfort and opulence for the same money as a S-Class.

Century

Century

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Parked next to "Opulence" in the dictionary

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A canyon carver this is not

TL;DR

Century folk don’t drive, they get driven. This is the best way to get to and from meetings on world domination

Power

381HP • 376LB-FT + 224HP • 221LB-FT

Weight

5,225 LBS

Price

¥19,600,000 (~$182,470) List • ¥20,348,980 (~$189,440) As Tested

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