New Toyota Crown: Hydrogen or hybrid drive and more space

One of four models in the Crown line, it’s a sleek sedan that Toyota says has enough space to function as a chauffeured car. Japanese customers can choose between the hybrid drivetrain and the hydrogen fuel cell that comes from the Mirai.

Since the 1950s, when Toyota began with the Crown model series, these cars have taken on many forms. Currently, in the sixteenth generation, this includes three crossovers and one sedan. And this one has now been revealed, strongly resembling the Mirai hydrogen model.

It’s no accident, of course. The hydrogen powertrain from the second-generation mirai is one of the two variants that Japanese customers can get for the Crown sedan. We did not learn too many details, except that a three-minute refueling of hydrogen will supply energy for up to 820 km of driving. However, we know from the mirai that the electric motor that drives the rear wheels of the car produces 134 kW (182 hp) and 300 Nm, which is enough to accelerate to 100 km/h in 9 seconds and a top speed of 175 km/h.

The second option is the new full hybrid, which consists of a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine and two electric motors. Toyota calls it the Multi-Stage Hybrid System and the advantage is that the full system performance is available from a driving speed of 43 km/h, which is lower than before. Also, even at high speeds, the internal combustion engine revs are kept low, which should help quieter and more economical driving. However, we do not know what the total performance or consumption is.

In both variants, the new Crown sedan is a really big car with a length of 503 cm, a width of 189 cm and a height of 147 cm. The almost exactly three meter wheelbase also promises plenty of space in the cabin; Toyota says the crown can also function as a self-driving car thanks to this. The rear seats are also adapted to this with unspecified “relaxation options” and blinds on the windows.

Toyota Crown

The car also offers an adaptive suspension that “ensures that road surface irregularities are not transmitted to the crew.” The chassis also minimizes vibration and lean when cornering; we don’t know what technology specifically.

Toyota wants to sell 600 units a month in Japan at prices starting from 8.3 million yen (1.28 million crowns) for the hydrogen version and 7.3 million yen (1.12 million crowns). As tempting as the Crown sedan might be for many European customers, let’s not count on imports.

But it might make it to the US – other models of the Crown series are available there – which would mean that it would also exist with the steering wheel on the right side and it would be easier to drive it on Czech roads. Many companies deal with individual imports from the USA, but in such a case, let’s definitely not count on the fact that the final price will be as interesting as in Japan.