By Otsile Kadiege

One of Toyota’s longest running nameplates is the Crown, which debuted back in 1955. The Japanese automaker has reimagined the Crown for the modern era and evolving customer needs. The Crown is now available in four new models in four distinct body styles. It also boasts a raft of technological advancements, advanced, high-efficiency hybrid powertrains, and a new TNGA platform.

Exterior design

The Crossover type new Toyota Crown has a stylish, futuristic design and a coupe-like silhouette. The Crown’s headlights and taillights are slim and connected from left to right in a single straight line. The front-end has boasts a large radiator grille and the side view that expresses sophistication through surface variation without relying on character lines, combine to create a simple yet refined and majestic design. It also has contrasting wheel arches which house large-diameter tyres.

The new Crown Crossover is available in a total of 12 body colours like the newly developed “Precious Bronze” and “Precious Ray” and 4 interior colour combinations.

Interior design

Inside, the new Crown adopts the modern trend of dual displays for the driver information and infotainment. Toyota is yet to share the exact size of the displays. The interior design of the Crown has a wrap-around form from the instrument panel to the doors. The two-tone interior also has understated Warm Steel decorations.

Safety and driver assistance systems

The new Crown is equipped with Toyota’s Safety Sense suite with the latest active safety package with advanced and improved functions, is standard on all Crown grades. It’s also equipped with Toyota Teammate, a suite of driver-assistance technologies. Advanced Drive (support during traffic congestion), which supports safe driving in traffic congestion, Advanced Park (with remote function), which automatically parks and exits from a parking space in a variety of parking situations and can be operated remotely as well, and other safety and convenient advanced functions are included.

Hybrid powertrains

Powering the Crown is a 2.5-liter Series Parallel Hybrid System. According to Toyota, the optimized, high-efficiency hybrid system and the newly-developed bi-polar nickel-hydrogen battery will achieve class-leading fuel economy and quietness and further advancing the high-quality and smooth driving performance of the Crown.

Local availability

The all-new Toyota Crown (in Crossover guise) will make its debut in the South African market in the first quarter of 2023, forming part of Toyota South Africa Motors’ continued New Energy Vehicle (NEV) product rollout. More details will be shared closer to launch timing.