Everything has changed except for the name, Toyota 16th Generation Crown
The Toyota Crown is a luxury sedan representing Japan. In particular, it was sold only in a few markets such as Japan and China, raising many questions among consumers.
However, there were also concerns that Crown could not even talk about. Toyota ambitiously challenged the US market with the 1st and 2nd generation crowns, but has a history of failure without a presence. As time passed, it was recognized as a luxury car in Japan, but in the US, the main market, the Avalon lost its place.
As the Toyota Century and Lexus LS took their place on top, it also remained as a sedan for the Japanese market that was more expensive than the Avalon. Here, as consumers prefer SUV and crossover models, the Crown has gradually remained unpopular. A total of 21,411 Crowns were sold in Japan in 2021. This is the worst performance in the past 30 years.
Such Toyota is once again challenging the US market with the Crown. The method Toyota chose is to discontinue the Avalon and fill the void with a crown. Instead, it is subdivided into four types of crowns, including sedans, crossovers, wagon-type models, and high-performance models.
Among the new crowns that have been changed to the 16th generation, the first model unveiled is a crossover-shaped crown.
In fact, only the name was kept and everything changed. The design features introduced through Toyota's first electric vehicle, the bZ4X, are reflected. Crown's unique design features can no longer be found.
The front part has applied the headlamp and grill design introduced through the bZ4X. There is a huge air intake design on the bumper, but the actual air intake area is small.
The crossover design is emphasized at the side. The roofline reminiscent of a fastback has a high ground clearance and the front and rear are raised. A curve was added to the belt line reminiscent of waves, and the rocker panel part was decorated in two-tone color. Wheels are available from 19 inches to 21 inches.
The rear is also completely new. With a straight lamp as the center, vertical lines are placed around the Toyota emblem to express a futuristic image. The bumper emphasized the diffuser design instead of hiding the muffler.
The length x width x height is 4930 x 1840 x 1540 mm, respectively, and the wheelbase is 2850 mm. In particular, compared to the Camry, which has a height of 1450mm, it has a 90mm higher ratio.
The interior was simplified. The horizontal layout centering on the 12.3-inch display instrument panel and the center fascia display attracts attention. It also supports over-the-air updates, including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The air conditioning unit is made of physical buttons, and a smartphone wireless charging system, USB C-type charging port, and cup holder are arranged around the small gear lever. The design of the steering wheel has also been simplified, and it is equipped with a sensor that recognizes the driver's face and determines whether or not driving is drowsy.
The three-tier heating function is standard for the seat, and a ventilation function is also added to the upper model. Most of the interior is finished in leather, starting with the upper-middle trim. Wireless charging and 2-zone air conditioning are also standard.
In addition to the advanced trim, a 360-degree omnidirectional camera is also installed. Parallel and perpendicular automatic parking functions that control the steering wheel and accelerator brake are also installed.
A new technology called HYBLID MAX has been added. The front wheels are mated to a 4-cylinder 2.4-liter gasoline turbo engine and a 6-speed automatic transmission. An electric motor is added between the engine and transmission. When the motor is placed between the engine and the transmission, the torque converter disappears, resulting in slow shift response and shift shock. Through this, a better direct connection and smooth power transmission are possible.
The system has been tuned for maximum torque between 2000 and 3000 rpm. A water-cooled electric motor additionally transmits power to the rear wheels.
The Toyota Hybrid System (THS), which is Toyota's existing hybrid system, is also installed. It is a 4th-generation hybrid system in which a 4-cylinder 2.5-liter gasoline naturally aspirated engine and two motors harmonize, improving both power transmission and fuel efficiency.
The driving modes of the general hybrid model are divided into Normal, Eco, and Sport. In the case of the Hybrid Max model, in addition to Normal, Eco, and Sport, a total of six driving modes are supported: Comfort, Sport +, and Custom.
The THS specification can add an E-Four AWD system with front-wheel drive and a motor added to the rear wheels. This is a specification with enhanced performance compared to the existing E-Four, which only provided some power to the rear wheel. The front/rear drive distribution is available from 100:0 to 20:80.
Hybrid Max models are equipped with E-Four Advanced, which further enhances performance. Because the rear-wheel motor is a structure that operates all the time, the distribution of front/rear drive is made from 70:30 to 20:80. In addition to simple drive distribution, it provides various advantages such as improved straight-line stability, sharper cornering performance, and quick acceleration response.
It uses a MacPherson front wheel and a multi-link rear wheel suspension. The dual multi-link suspension was developed to have higher rigidity than before. The Platinum grade equipped with the Hybrid Max system has a variable suspension and is tuned to receive high output.
Active Cornering Assist (ACA) has been added to reduce understeer when turning corners. This is a torque vectoring technology through brake control, which helps to create agile movements while driving.
Improvements were also made for quietness. Vibration is suppressed through the high rigidity TNGA-K platform and double sound insulation glass is also added. Sound-absorbing and insulating materials have been added to a wide range of areas such as carpets and headliners. In particular, we tried to catch frequencies that were annoying when we were having a conversation.
The ADAS function is equipped with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 (TSS 3.0). The forward collision warning and emergency braking functions recognize vehicles and pedestrians, bicycles and motorcycles, and the range has been expanded to recognize even guard rails depending on the situation. It also detects vehicles approaching from the opposite direction of the intersection.
It is equipped with various functions such as Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) that supports stopping and restarting, lane departure warning, lane centering and forward vehicle tracking, auto high beam, rear seat alert, blind spot and rear blind warning, etc. .
The Toyota Crown, which has undergone the biggest change in the 16th generation, is scheduled to release all models such as sedans and wagons by early 2024, starting with a crossover version. According to Toyota, the new Crown will be sold in more than 40 countries around the world, starting with the North American market, and it aims to sell about 200,000 units annually by 2024.