Yahoo Autos 2023 Toyota Crown revealed — an old name in a new body
This is your 2023 Toyota Crown, returning unrecognizable after a long hiatus from our shores. The Crown debuted in Japan in 1955, making it Toyota’s oldest passenger car name. Akin to a Japanese E-Class, over the Crown’s 15 continuous generations in its homeland it’s known for launching new technology to Toyota's range, as a chauffeured ride for potentates, and for being a taxi. Toyota sold it in the U.S. from 1958 to 1972. The closest we’ve been to it since then was the Lexus GS, which used Crown platforms and powertrains.
This 16th generation of the Crown continues the model’s penchant for novelties, first among them being three new bodystyles in Japan: A wagon, an SUV, and a high-riding sedan that join the latest version of the standard sedan. We will get one of them, the elevated sedan.
A few years ago, a wave of new vehicles came with the disclaimer, “It looks better in person.” The 2023 Crown tips its hat to that era. Standing next to it in the studio, it looks like a crossover. In fact, its form would hit the bullseye as an electric crossover, another of the shapely, lifted lozenges balancing the dictates of aerodynamics, packaging, and market tastes. The Crown even has a flat underfloor, the grubby bits from the front bumper to the rear suspension hidden behind aero panels.
But it’s not electric. And when we asked Toyota if it’s conceivable that there could be an electric Crown, we were told the automaker has no plans to combine electric drivetrains with the Crown’s TNGA-K platform in the U.S.
Beyond Avalon
Before we dive under the hood, let’s get some comparisons out of the way. First, since this is effectively the replacement for the Toyota Avalon, Toyota sized it like the Avalon. The Crown’s about two inches shorter than the soon-to-retire sedan, width and wheelbase less than an inch apart between the two cars. Roof height and the all-important hip point — for that commanding seating position that sells cars in the U.S. — are all four inches higher than the Avalon.
Second, some might wonder how this isn't a cross-town reboot of the Honda Accord Crosstour. This a full-sized sedan billed as premium, the Crosstour was a mass-market midsized sedan. The Crosstour started at about $29,000, the Crown will be appreciably more expensive. And although the Toyota looks like a liftback, it has a trunk, unlike the Honda. Substantive differences in experience, yes. Superficially, we wouldn’t fault anyone for summarizing, “So it’s a larger, nicer Crosstour with a trunk.”
There will be three trims, XLE, Limited, and Platinum. The XLE and Limited ride on 19-inch wheels, the Platinum comes on an exclusive set of 21-inchers. An Advanced Technology package for the Limited can get that middle trim on its own 21-inch rims. The Platinum is also the only trim that offers a bi-tone paint job, combining black down the middle and one of five colors on the sides.
Every Crown here will be an all-wheel-drive hybrid. The XLE and Limited will come with Toyota’s Hybrid System, the same we’re familiar with from several other Toyota models but with upgrades like a high-output nickel-metal-hydride battery. A naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder gets help from two electric motors, sending its power to the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission. The E-Four AWD system is on-demand, using an electric motor to drive the rear axle. Torque split ranges from 100% in front to 20:80 front-to-rear.
Combined system output is 236 horsepower, 17 more than the RAV4 Hybrid. Combined fuel economy is 38 miles per gallon, two less than the RAV4 Hybrid. This one can drive on battery power alone, but only at low speeds and for short distances — think parking lots and pulling into the gated community after a night out. Otherwise, it’s Normal, Sport, and Eco.
