Although it’s likely to be an unfamiliar nameplate to most Australians under the age of 40, the Toyota Crown has a long-standing local connection as previous generations of Japan’s most popular taxi were sold here for over two decades – from 1964 until 1988. The iconic Toyota sedan was even assembled locally by Australian Motor Industries (AMI) for several of these years.
Despite being impeccably built and well kitted out, past generations of the Crown were synonymous with frumpy styling, stodgy dynamics and leisurely performance; and as a result were the butt of jokes about being the vehicle of choice for lawn bowls hat-wearing senior citizens.
But now all those old cliches can be tossed out the window, because the latest 16th-generation Crown (designated S230) is a totally reimagined take on the theme, embracing a youth-oriented recipe that ditches all the ingredients (barring the badge) employed by its predecessors.
Underpinned by a version of Toyota’s TNGA-K platform – also used by the likes of the RAV4 and Kluger – this is the first Crown to adopt a front-wheel drive format as its basis, with a dedicated electric motor powering the rear wheels to make it all-wheel drive.
The new Crown is clothed in mould-breaking bodywork that bridges the gap between sedan and crossover, and our test car – resplendent in two-tone gold-and-black paintwork – turned many heads during our time with the vehicle.
Now the bad news: the official line for now from Toyota Australia is that there are no plans to add the Crown to its local lineup as it would tread on the toes of the Lexus ES, with which the vehicle shares its core platform.
Even so, a handful of low-mileage grey-import Crowns can be found for sale online, with pricing in the $80-90k range – so there are clearly at least a few takers for the model locally.
That said, the Lexus ES range is priced between $62-80k in Australia (excluding on-road costs), so Toyota Australia’s concern that the Crown could cannibalise the former’s sales aren’t unfounded.
We took the opportunity to test the latest Toyota Crown in Dubai, where the vehicle has been on sale since 2023, and our first impressions were overwhelmingly positive.
We drove the flagship Crown Platinum, which is propelled by a ‘Hybrid Max’ powertrain that pairs a transverse-mounted 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with a rear eAxle (electrically powered axle).
The turbo-petrol engine ekes out 197kW and 460Nm, with the rear electric motor chiming in an additional 60kW and 292Nm, resulting in combined outputs of 254kW and 550Nm.
Even though the Crown tips the scales at a hefty 1971kg, acceleration is still sprightly as it sprints from standstill to 100km/h in comfortably under 6.0 seconds.
In keeping with the norm for Toyota hybrids, the Crown is equipped with a nickel-metal hydride battery pack (230V) that charges itself on the go (no plug-in hybrid tech here).
As mentioned earlier, the Crown is underpinned by the Toyota New Global Architecture K (TNGA-K) platform, which, in this application, provides the sedan with crossover-like ride height (about 10cm higher than a Camry).
The elevated passenger cell gives occupants a more commanding view of the road and easier ingress/egress for those with less mobility.
Toyota says it has also worked hard to minimise noise intrusion to provide a cocoon-like cabin, while Adaptive Variable Suspension (adaptive dampers) in the Crown Platinum provides almost magic-carpet ride quality without reducing the car to a dynamic marshmallow.
There’s also torque-vectoring by brake (Active Cornering Assist in Toyota-speak), which helps to quell understeer.
How much does the Toyota Crown cost?
In the UAE, the Toyota Crown is available in two trim levels – XLE and Platinum.
Pricing in that market starts at AED199,900 (~A$83,250) before on-road costs for the XLE, and extends to AED229,900 (~A$95,800) before on-roads for the Platinum.
Let us know in the comments if you’d be willing to stump up $80,000-$90,000 for a Crown if it was officially sold in Australia.
What is the Toyota Crown like on the inside?
The Toyota Crown has a level of opulence inside that’s worthy of a Lexus. So, once again, we can understand Toyota Australia’s reluctance to offer the car here as it could cannibalise sales of the Lexus ES.
In the UAE, even the base Crown XLE comes loaded with features, as the standard kit list includes heated/cooled leather seats (eight-way adjustable up front), an 8.0-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and an eight-speaker sound system.
You also get 21-inch alloys, an electric boot opener with kick sensor, panoramic sunroof, soft-close doors, LED headlights and plenty more.
The Crown Platinum gets some notable extra features, including two-tone paintwork, wireless smartphone charging, a head-up display, 12.3-inch infotainment screen, 11-speaker JBL premium sound system, dynamic levelling headlights and a powered rear sunshade.
The cockpit layout is neat and modern – a clear departure from the staid living quarters of past Crowns – and soft-touch materials are used throughout the cabin.
The digital instrument cluster presents key information in an easy-to-read format, and the 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen is also generally easy to scroll through, although the navigation was occasionally slow to calculate a route when prompted for guidance.
We like the fact there are physical buttons for all the climate functions, so there’s no need to scroll through several screens just to alter the fan or temperature settings.
Although most controls fall easily to hand and are nicely tactile, I found the transmission lever a bit fiddly to operate, so you need to make sure you’ve engaged the desired gear as it’s easily possible to end up in ‘N’ when you wanted ‘D’ or ‘R’.
Long trips are no hardship whatsoever in the Crown as the seats are nicely sculpted to support the torso. That said, the seating position is set fairly high, although this does at least make for good visibility in all directions.
The Crown measures a whisker under 5.0 metres in length and its transverse engine format ensures there’s ample legroom in the rear, although the tapered roofline makes headroom tight for anyone above 1.8m tall.
Boot capacity of 450 litres is small for a car of this size, but there’s still enough space to throw in a couple of full-size golf bags or suitcases.
What’s under the bonnet?
The Toyota Crown Platinum on test here is powered by a 2.4-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder hybrid powertrain called Hybrid Max.
It produces total system outputs 257kW of power and 550Nm of torque, which is sent to all four wheels. A six-speed automatic transmission is standard.
Versions of this drivetrain are being spread across an increasing number of models in the Toyota and Lexus stable depending on the market, though in Australia it’s solely offered with a higher 270kW system output in the Lexus RX500h F Sport Performance.
How does the Toyota Crown drive?
Our preconceived notion was that the Toyota Crown is a refined cruiser with a pillowy ride, but not much to offer in the way of dynamism.
We were half right, as the Crown Platinum certainly isn’t lacking in terms of its effortless cruising capability.
However, what we didn’t expect is that the big Toyota also shows a lively turn of speed, not only in a straight line, but also through corners – thanks in no small part to the adaptive dampers that are standard in the Platinum.
The suspension soaks up most road imperfections in its stride, although sharp corrugations are transmitted through to the interior.
There’s almost total silence in the cabin at steady cruising speeds, with only a trace of wind noise from around the A-pillars disturbing the serenity.
The steering is accurate, pleasantly weighted and offers a decent level of feedback; so you don’t feel disconnected from the car, as was the case with past Crowns.
The Crown Platinum doesn’t mind being hurled at corners, although you will ultimately encounter understeer and body roll if you really push it. At the end of the day, this is a luxo-lined 2.0-tonne chariot that stands almost 1.6m tall, so physics take over at a certain point.
One of the few gripes in real-world driving conditions is that the lane assist feature is overeager to keep you centred in your lane.
As alluded to earlier, the turbo hybrid powertrain ekes out combined outputs of 254kW/550Nm, and there’s a fat dollop of instant grunt that’s accessible right from the get-go.
The 292Nm torque quota kicked in by the rear-axle electric motor means even half-throttle getaways from traffic lights will see you surge ahead of other vehicles.
The 2.4-litre turbo-petrol engine is no slouch as it pumps out 197kW and 460Nm on its own. More impressive still is its smoothness across the rev range, and it doesn’t get raucous even when you cane it.
The four-pot turbo motor is capably backed up by an intuitive and smooth-shifting six-speed auto, so there are no notable deficiencies in the drivetrain.
Overall, it’s fair to say the Crown Platinum serves up more pace and panache than its Lexus ES stablemate, and it’s undoubtedly a more rewarding car to pedal.
What do you get?
On test here is the flagship Crown Platinum.
Toyota Crown XLE highlights:
- 21-inch alloy wheels
- Electric boot opener with kick sensor
- Panoramic sunroof
- Soft-close doors
- LED headlights
- Rear-view camera
- Parking sensors
- Front, side, curtain and knee airbags
- Lane change assist
- Lane departure assist
- Pre-collision system
- Hill-start assist
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Radar cruise control
- Heated/cooled leather seats
- 8-way power adjustable front seats
- 8.0-inch infotainment screen
- Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
- 8-speaker sound system
Platinum adds:
- Two-tone paintwork
- Dynamic headlight levelling
- Reclining rear seats
- Powered sunshade
- Surround view camera
- Head-up display
- 11-speaker JBL stereo
- 12.3-inch infotainment screen
- Wireless phone charging
Is the Toyota Crown safe?
Given the Toyota Crown isn’t sold in Australia or Europe, it hasn’t been crash tested by ANCAP or Euro NCAP.
In the US, however, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the Crown a Top Safety Pick+ award in 2023.
How much does the Toyota Crown cost to run?
Because Toyota doesn’t sell the Crown in Australia, there’s no local warranty details or logbook servicing prices, but the dominant Japanese brand offers a five-year, unlimited-kilometre new vehicle warranty across its local range.
In the UAE, customers can purchase a pre-paid servicing plan that covers four years or 80,000km for AED 3999 (~A$1665).
CarExpert’s Take on the Toyota Crown
There’s plenty to like about Toyota’s comprehensively rebooted Crown, so more’s the pity that it isn’t officially available in our market.
The only way you can get your hands on one is by trawling through online classifieds and settling on one of the grey imports on offer from various independent used-car dealerships.
In this case, you’d need to establish clearly what aftersales service and warranty coverage would be provided with the car.
There is, of course, a remote possibility that Toyota Australia could backtrack on its decision not to offer the Crown as part of its local lineup, although that doesn’t seem very likely at this stage.
Based on our test of the Crown Platinum, it stands up as a worthy alternative to the likes of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series and Audi A6, among others, matching the Germans in many areas and even eclipsing them in a few.
The Crown is certainly an oddball from a visual perspective, especially in the two-tone paintwork that adorns the Platinum spec, but its unconventional packaging is a welcome departure from its frumpy ancestors. It’s no longer a car that would appeal only to the senior-citizen brigade.
Regardless of whether or not the Toyota Crown is ever officially sold here, it’s another sign the Japanese car giant is on a positive trajectory after many years of serving up bland offerings lacking any real sense of pizzazz.
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