Toyota has been busy expanding its Crown lineup to include everything from a sport focused crossover to the weird but strangely attractive lifted sedan we get here in the U.S. While a rumored Crown crossover is expected to make its debut for the U.S. soon, we aren’t getting every variant as evidenced by Toyota’s announcement of a new Crown sedan for Japan.
This new Crown is being referred to as the “sedan type” and it’s a looker. With styling reminiscent of the Mirai it’s a big sedan. Toyota took advantage of the sedan’s rear drive architecture to emphasize its size, calling the proportions “new formal.” In the rear, a thin led tail light strip across the back emphasizes how wide this Crown is.
This emphasis extends inside, with a large wood grain panel that runs from door to door across the dash. The roomy interior is stuffed full with all of the tech and luxury features you’d expect, like a 64-color ambient lighting system with lighting in e the sides of the rear door trims and under the front dash. Toyota says the lighting system incorporates the “spirit of omotenashi, or hospitality.” Cool I guess.
There’s also the usual luxury features in the rear since being driven around is so popular in many Asian countries. There’s a lot of rear legroom, power rear sunshades, other unmentioned relaxation features and an Adaptive Vehicle Suspension for a smooth ride.
The most interesting part of this new Crown however are the engine choices. While Toyota has continued to stand firm with hybrid tech, the automaker has also continued to push hydrogen fuel cell technology as well, and this Crown gets the choice of both. The Crown’s standard engine is a hybrid setup consisting of a 2.5-liter gas engine paired with two electric motors. The fuel cell setup is similar to one that powers the Mirai just with a longer driving range; Toyota is claiming the equivalent of 509 miles for the hydrogen Crown.
Sales will start for the Crown in Japan soon, where it’ll start at $48,000 for the hybrid and $55,000 for the fuel cell. Weirdly, Toyota is offering the Crown through a subscription based service for the equivalent of just over $700 a month. Like this Crown sedan, don’t expect to see any of that here in the U.S.