OK boys and girls, here’s a history question for you.
What was the first Japanese car manufactured for the U.S. market? If you answered the Toyota Crown, move to the front of the class.
Introduced in 1958 and discontinued in America in 1972, Toyota’s Crown is back! Although in reality, it was never gone. Crown has undergone five decades of refinement in Japan, serving as everything from a first-class luxury cruiser to Tokyo’s police car of choice.
My 2023 Toyota Crown Platinum tester was a breath of fresh air. Powered by a hybrid MAX 2.4-liter, four-cylinder, turbocharged engine with front and rear electric motors, Crown delivers a combined 340 horsepower, 400 lb-ft of torque, and 32 miles per gallon fuel economy.
Better yet, Crown comes with five drive modes and standard, full-time, electronic all-wheel drive.
Available in XLE, Limited and Platinum trims, Crown seats five adults with room to spare, and comes with the largest trunk I’ve seen in a four-door sedan in quite some time.
The hybrid MAX equipped Platinum grade receives a more comprehensive drive mode selection – which not only includes NORMAL, ECO and SPORT but adds three drive modes: SPORT+ mode that provides an emphasis on steering response, flat cornering and a sense of stability, COMFORT mode that provides a more supple drive that emphasizes passenger comfort and a CUSTOM mode that enables drivers to adjust system settings individually, creating a safe profile that suits their driving habits.
Crown’s powertrain is completed with a direct-shift, six-speed, automatic transmission and a standard adaptive variable suspension. The combination delivers an impressively quiet, responsive ride reminiscent of a driver’s car.
Platinum grade includes a unique, bi-tone paint scheme (mine was a combination of heavy metal and black), and 21-inch wheels. With massive wheels, a flowing silhouette and unique paint options, it is a ride that is ready to stand out from the crowd.
The Crown’s cabin has a premium feel that offers unique color combinations and available leather seating. Other features include a full digital display, piano key controls, vertical wireless charging port and the new Toyota audio multimedia system with available 11-speaker JBL premium audio system pack in tech and entertainment.
Favored creature comforts included a panoramic, fixed-glass roof, heated and ventilated leather front seats, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and wireless smartphone charger.
All Toyota Crown grades come standard with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, which includes enhancements made possible by system sensors with improved detection capability. The pre-collision system with pedestrian detection is capable of detecting motorcyclists and guardrails in certain conditions. When making a turn or approaching an intersection, the system is designed to detect certain forward or laterally approaching vehicles and provides audio/visual alerts and automatic braking in certain conditions.
Toyota Crown is equipped with full-speed range dynamic radar cruise control. Improved lane recognition delivers refined performance of lane departure alert with steering assist and lane tracing assist. Lane departure alert with steering assist is designed to notify the driver via audible and visual alerts and slight steering force if it senses the vehicle is leaving the lane without engaging a turn signal. When engaged, lane tracing assist uses visible lane markers or a preceding vehicle to help keep the vehicle centered in its lane.
The Crown has come a long ways since 1972. Had I not know otherwise, I would have thought I was driving a Lexus. It had that look and feel, although at a slightly lower price tag.
Base Price: $53,402
Price As Driven: $55,052
Destination charge is included in base price. Vehicles are provided by the manufacturer. List price may vary at local dealerships.
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