The Toyota Alphard Has Officially Entered Gran Turismo 7

It was teased prior, and now it’s official: the Toyota Alphard has landed into the famed Gran Turismo 7 driving and racing sim game. The first MPV inducted into the Sony Playstation-exclusive title is now available through its latest Update 1.31 patch that releases today.

As expected, developers Polyphony Digital have chosen to feature the peppiest form of the popular luxury MPV. More specifically, it’s the 2018MY Alphard Executive Lounge variant that packs a 3.5-litre V6 heart with 296HP plus all-wheel-drive (AWD).

Whilst no specific reason was given as to what prompted the Alphard’s induction, we suspect the model’s immense popularity across key Asian markets - ours especially - has something to do with it. Speaking of which, do check out the various choices for it we have listed right here at CariCarz.com by clicking here.

Suffice to say, runs through the ‘Green Hell’ that is the Nürburgring Nordschleife with the Alphard will be comical to say the least. Speaking of said famed German circuit, Update 1.31 also sees the addition of both the Endurance and Sprint layouts for which added.

The "Endurance" layout combines the "Nordschleife" and the "Grand Prix" courses to produce a track that measures 23,864 Metres in length. This challenging technical course is used for races like the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS).

As for the “Sprint” layout, this is a shortened 3,629-Metre version of the Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit. The tight nature of this layout makes it ideal for exciting races for lower speed road cars.

Back to the new cars and, besides the Alphard, Update 1.31 also sees the arrival of four other cars. Amongst them are iconic classic Porsche models in the form of the 1987 Porsche 959 S and 1964 Porsche Carrera GTS (904).

Next to that comes the 2019 Audi RS5 Turbo DTM race car, as well as the 2019 Mazda3 X Burgundy Selection hatchback. Notably for the latter, it marks the first appearance of the current fourth-gen (chassis code: BP) Mazda 3 (or Axela) in the famed title.

Besides new cars and updated track layouts, Update 1.31 also sees developers Polyphony Digital adding a new ‘Cherry Blossoms’ backdrop into the game’s Scapes photography mode. The new backdrop features scenes captured from Japan’s picturesque Minami-Izu locale.