Toyota’s prestigious Century line has now evolved into the company’s newly established ultra-luxury sub-brand, positioned above Lexus and serving as the pinnacle of the entire Toyota Group. Although the modern Century family has expanded to include an SUV—and a coupe is expected to join soon—the brand has maintained its loyalty to the elegant sedan that has carried the Century name since its debut in 1967. The current G60-generation sedan, which entered production in 2018, has remained largely untouched for several years. Now, seven years into its lifecycle, Toyota has introduced a set of subtle but meaningful upgrades to Japan’s equivalent to the Rolls-Royce Phantom. These updates concentrate primarily on enhancing safety technology, though they also come with a significant increase in price.
With a commanding length of 5,335 mm (210 inches), the refreshed Century sedan now incorporates the latest version of Toyota Safety Sense, the advanced driver-assistance package already introduced across much of Toyota’s global lineup. The enhanced system brings an improved Pre-Collision Safety feature with a broader detection range that now identifies not only vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians but also motorcycles. Importantly, these capabilities extend to intersections, where complex traffic conditions typically demand more sophisticated sensing. Alongside this, Toyota includes Proactive Driving Assist, which can subtly adjust braking or steering inputs when pedestrians or cyclists suddenly enter the vehicle’s path, and can also apply gentle deceleration when following slower traffic or approaching bends.
Inside the sedan, an 8-inch infotainment display becomes standard equipment. While this screen now offers connected navigation, its rather conservative size stands out in an era where ultra-luxury vehicles often feature enormous, high-resolution digital interfaces. It contributes to a somewhat nostalgic feel, aligning with the Century’s traditional and understated cabin philosophy.
Other than the new safety technology and the updated infotainment screen, the car’s design remains essentially frozen. Toyota has not introduced any additional cabin materials, new color schemes, or revised exterior treatments. The sedan also misses the dimmable rear-window technology that debuted on the Century SUV, maintaining its more classic configuration.
Beneath the long, imposing hood sits a familiar self-charging hybrid system borrowed from the prior-generation Lexus LS 600h. This setup pairs a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 with an electric motor to deliver a combined output of 425 horsepower to the rear wheels through an eCVT transmission. As expected from Japan’s most prestigious limousine, the Century sedan rides on an electronically controlled air suspension and employs active noise-cancellation systems to ensure a serene driving experience.
Although Toyota has ambitions to elevate the Century brand internationally, the sedan remains a Japan-only offering. The mildly updated model now starts at ¥23 million (about $149,000), representing a substantial price jump of ¥2,920,000 (roughly $19,000) over the previous version. Even with this increase, it still undercuts the Century SUV, which begins at ¥27 million (approximately $174,000).