The Toyota Century SUV is a budget Rolls-Royce Cullinan with sliding rear doors

The Toyota Century has been one of Japan’s most popular luxury sedans for decades. Now, Toyota has her sights set on her Rolls Royce Cullinanwith the new Century SUV, which seats just four, has a spacious interior and is even available with trick sliding doors.

Based on Toyota’s TNGA modular platform, the Century SUV looks uncannily similar to the Cullinan. Its boxy shape, upright front end and chunky C-pillar are reminiscent of Rolls’ only SUV. If you just showed me the silhouette of the Century SUV, I would immediately assume it was a Cullinan.

There are two model variants on offer Century SUV comes on the market: a standard version and a sporty looking version with GR badge. Both are only equipped with four seats, there is no option with five seats. If you don’t like captain seats in the back, the Century SUV isn’t for you. However, since both rear seats slide and recline like first-class airline seats, and feature massive armrests with dual Windows-based tablets and entertainment screens, no one inside will complain.

The passengers will be happy too. The Century SUV gets Toyota’s nicest non-Lexus cabin yet, with a tiered dashboard, snazzy-looking trim elements, and a large touchscreen infotainment system. The driver will be happier than the passenger, however, as he has a 406-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 plug-in hybrid powertrain at his disposal. Toyota states that it can also drive 33 miles purely electrically.

The nicest thing about the Century SUV, however, isn’t the premium rear seat layout or the powerful hybrid V6. Instead, the most interesting thing about Toyota’s Cullinan fighter is the optional sliding rear doors. If you opt for the sportier GR model, it has doors that slide back and out, like a CEO minivan. If Rolls-Royce thought its hinged rear doors were luxurious, wait until it gets a bunch of those sliders.

There’s a reason minivans have sliding doors — they make it easier to get people inside than any other design. On the standard model, the rear doors open normally, but up to 75 degrees, allowing rear passengers to climb in and out without ruffling their perfectly tailored suit jackets.

To provide additional comfort for rear passengers, the Century SUV features a laminated glass bulkhead separating the rear cabin from the cargo area, similar to the Cullinan. That way, the rear passengers aren’t exposed to the elements when the chauffeur is pulling bags out of the trunk in inclement weather. There’s even a “Rear Comfort” drive mode that the driver can select, which tailors throttle, braking and suspension responses specifically for the comfort of rear passengers.

The Century SUV does not replace the sedan, but is sold alongside it. Only certain Toyota dealerships will sell the SUV, and customers should be able to personalize it like its UK rivals. When it goes on sale, it will retail for around $170,000 in Japan. (US sales aren’t on the horizon, at least not yet.) That makes it less than half the price of a Cullinan to start with, but offers comparable luxury in the rear seats – and, of course, much cooler rear doors.

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