Toyota Crown

Toyota Crown at a glance

The original Toyopet Crown of 1955 was a compact car by today's standards and was designed with taxi use in mind. With each new generation it became larger and more luxurious, and Japanese buyers came to associate it with reliability and with features and electronics that other models did not yet offer. The fifth generation (1974–1979) was among the models that reached many export markets.

The fifteenth generation first appeared as a near-production concept at the 45th Tokyo Motor Show in October 2017, and sales began in Japan in June 2018. It brought a more modern and stylish exterior, an improved cabin, better technology and richer equipment. A minor update in November 2020 introduced a single 12.3-inch touchscreen and physical climate controls. In 2022 Toyota unveiled the sixteenth generation, which reinvented the Crown as a family of four models: Crossover, Sport, Sedan and Estate. More models are in our Toyota catalogue; for a related front-drive flagship, see the Toyota Camry.

Exterior of the S220

The designers paid particular attention to the exterior, which combines the aggressive notes of a sports car with the solidity of a premium sedan. The front end changed most: it is longer and carries more decorative detail than before. The bonnet slopes gently and has subtle ridges at the sides. In the centre is a large trapezoidal grille with a fine mesh and the Crown emblem, flanked by slim, slightly angled headlights set into recesses. Every version has LED headlights. The bumper has large triangular openings with small round fog lights, separated from each other and from the main intake by thin body-coloured strips, and its sculpting helps both aerodynamics and looks.

For the first time, according to published figures, the Crown received an extra window in the rear roof pillar — a six-light design that makes the side view look more substantial. The flanks are otherwise smooth apart from flared wheel arches and a slightly prominent sill. Large windows with gloss trim, oval mirrors with indicator repeaters and chrome door handles complete the profile. New 17-inch wheels have a distinctive design, and ground clearance is a modest 135 mm.

At the rear, the short boot lid ends in a pronounced lip. Large tail lights of unusual shape use LEDs, and the bumper has a black diffuser with four exhaust outlets and discreet fog lights.

Interior and practicality

The cabin looks pleasant and elegant and wraps around its occupants almost like a cocoon. The driver has a comfortable three-spoke multifunction steering wheel with controls for the infotainment system and cruise control. The richly detailed instrument cluster combines an analogue rev counter with the temperature gauge and a speedometer with the fuel gauge, with a trip-computer screen between them that shows service icons and the lane-keeping display.

Before the 2020 update, the centre console had two 8-inch screens. The upper touchscreen, without physical buttons, handles audio, navigation and other services; the lower one, framed by tall vertical air vents, controls the seats and climate. Below are rotary controls and shortcut buttons, an ashtray that can serve as a storage tray, and on the tunnel cupholders, the gear selector and seat buttons.

Leather upholstery is standard on most versions, with cloth available on basic ones, and the trim includes polished aluminium, fine wood and carbon fibre. The centre armrest is 30 mm lower than before, which suits the driver better. Three adults can sit in the rear, though the shaped seats are clearly designed for two, and the rear armrest contains controls for the car's comfort functions — a reminder that many Crowns are chauffeur-driven. The boot is not the largest, at 431 litres.

Engines and transmissions (S220)

The base 2.0-litre turbo four uses about 8.1 l/100 km. The 2.5-litre hybrid pairs the petrol engine with a powerful electric motor and uses about 5 l/100 km; it was the only Crown available with all-wheel drive. The flagship 3.5-litre V6 works with the Multi Stage Hybrid System shared with the Lexus LC 500h and LS 500h: an electric motor of 132 kW (180 PS) and a four-speed automatic stage behind the hybrid unit combine to give the feel of a ten-speed transmission. It uses about 6.3 l/100 km.

Chassis

The S220 uses a narrow version of the TNGA-L platform, also used by Lexus and luxury Toyota models. Suspension is by coil springs, with double wishbones at the front and a multi-link rear. Drive modes include Normal, Sport and Sport+. Steering has electric assistance, and all four brakes are ventilated discs. The engineers lowered the centre of gravity by 15 mm and achieved near-ideal weight distribution.

Safety and connectivity

Toyota's pride in this generation was the Data Communication Module, which keeps the car permanently online. It monitors the car's technical condition, recommends how to deal with possible faults and automatically calls the emergency services if the airbags deploy. Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 adds Lane Tracing Assist, radar cruise control, a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, automatic high beam and road-sign assist. Other equipment includes keyless entry, ABS and EBD, stability and traction control, hill-start assist, parking assistance, adaptive front lighting, blind-spot monitoring, a surround-view camera, a head-up display and eight airbags.

Strengths and weaknesses

Owners praise the stylish design, high comfort, good reliability and build quality, the soft but composed chassis and the availability of all-wheel drive and hybrid powertrains. The ground clearance is modest, the boot is not large, and the 2.0-litre engine can feel underpowered in such a heavy car. The Crown was built for right-hand-drive markets and sold new mainly in Japan. Its rivals in spirit are the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series, Audi A6 and Volvo S90.