Toyota has long been a methodical giant making intelligent but slow moves to set a tone in the automotive market that’s afforded them the status they have today. In an effort to try something different, Toyota brings us their all-new Toyota Crown in a form that we weren’t exactly expecting.
The Toyota Crown in Japan was known as a family of sedans but for bringing the name stateside the Crown embodies a new approach for somewhat of an SUV-like sedan similar to that of what we saw in vehicles like the Subaru Outback or Honda Crosstour.
The new 2023 Toyota Crown essentially replaces the discontinued Toyota Avalon, which was a vehicle that appealed to somewhat of an older crowd but held strong as a respected alternative to the Camry only in a bigger and Buick-like form in some instances.
Call it what you want, a SUS (Sport Utility Sedan), CUV (Crossover Utility Vehicle), or sedan-UV, the Crown is certainly unique in its own right and Toyota is banking on that uniqueness to win over a large audience.
The new Toyota Crown in its base and mid-level XLE and Limited trims is powered by the latest hybrid system incorporating a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, similar to what is in the current Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. The system is good for 236 horsepower and will get about 38 mpg combined. Move up to the Crown Platinum top-level trim and you get a more robust hybrid powertrain using a 2.4-liter turbo four-cylinder engine, six-speed automatic transmission, an electric motor in place of a torque converter, and another electric motor on the rear axle. The system is like what is found in the new Lexus RX 500h F Sport but gets slightly less power to deliver 340 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. The fuel economy for the Crown Platinum is 28 mpg combined.
The new Toyota Crown touts rather large dimensions with a wheelbase of 112.2-inches, length of 194-inches, 72.4-inches wide, and 60.6-inches tall. There are 19-inch wheels on the XLE trim and the Platinum gets large 21-inch wheels. The platform for the Crown is actually derived from the new Lexus RX furthering its SUV-ness instead of being just a jacked-up sedan with sloping rear roofline.
The interior has plenty of nice touches on the premium side of things starting with its 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen running the latest Toyota Audio Multimedia software that we’ve seen in vehicles like the new Tundra.
Toyota has kept the dashboard simplistic and easy to use and has included the welcomed features of heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats in the Limited and Platinum trims along with leather seats throughout, an 11-speaker JBL audio system, and a full array of expected active safety features through the latest Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 (TSS) with adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, etc. The Limited and Platinum trims get LED headlights, rain-sensing wipers, and parking sensors. The Platinum also gets an adaptive suspension setup that can be firmed up through the Sport S+ or properly-set Custom drive modes.
The new 2023 Toyota Crown will arrive at dealerships this fall.
