Tuesday, June 26, 2018

15th Generation Toyota Crown (S220)

The Crown is not just the oldest-running Toyota nameplate in history but it's also the embodiment of the Japanese industry because while it was essentially a Japan-only luxury saloon, the components are world-class in every single way, making it a world-class luxury car without the world-class luxury price. With the advent of the 15th generation Crown, the legend is going beyond the bounds of being the living legend in Toyota's history.

2019 Toyota Crown
2019 Toyota Crown

Under the slogan of "Crown Beyond", this new 15th-generation Crown brings the oldest-running Toyota nameplate to new heights by delivering the future of drivability with the Japanese public in mind. First previewed in concept from last year's Tokyo Motor Show, the new Crown finally managed to whisk away from the ghastly face of the old model and instead, it dons the look of the Lupinrangers' helmets, in case you are wondering, while the back looks like the Mercedes CLS. Although being a mixed nuts luxury saloon, the Crown is ready for the future and because this is an all-new model, it's been given a new Crown emblem to match the latest regeneration and for the first time, the new Crown won't be donning the Royal, Athlete, and Majesta sub-monikers because the new model wants to be all one, truly a one-for-all masterpiece delivering a one-for-all commitment for its clients.


2019 Toyota Crown interior
2019 Toyota Crown interior

Step inside and looks like the new Crown is now donning the dual monitor approach as seen from modern Hondas, Subarus, and mostly the Nissan Skyline it's tackling head-on. The top screen is mostly for display purposes while the bottom screen is where you'll be taking control of such as radio, MP3, navigation, airconditioning, T-Connect, and many others. Apart from the twin monitors, the new Crown dons a new instrumental paneling, wireless charging dock, and heads-up display to make it more cutting edge, which is very fitting for a luxury saloon, and on the rear passenger side, it's now surprisingly roomier, even Boss Madam can get in and out without worrying. While the boot space can accommodate up to four golf bags, there are different ways to store your belongings depending on the variant. The one with the 3.5L V6 hybrid, for instance, has a luggage box compartment big enough to place top-secret objects on it, which is pretty suspicious for a car like this but still, you get the point.

I know this is sudden but the new Toyota Crown is the only Toyota that benefited from its new Connected Service. From the operator service, e-care, My Car Security, and ITS Connect, the new Crown is all about staying connected on the road ahead, no matter the circumstances.

2019 Toyota Crown

The new Crown comes with a choice of three powertrains ranging from the 2.0L 8AR-FTS turbocharged engine, the 2.5L A25A-FXS Dynamic Force petrol engine mated to an 88kW electric motor, and a Li-ion battery sourced from the Camry, and for a first from Toyota, the Multi-Stage Hybrid 8GR-FXS 3.5L V6 engine with two electric motors and lithium-ion battery, which is the same powertrain used on the Lexus LC500h and LS500h. The turbo model is mated to an 8-speed Super ECT while it produces 245PS of power 350Nm of torque and 12.4km/L of fuel economy based on WLTC Mode standards. The Camry-derived 2.5L A25A-FXS Dynamic Force petrol engine with Hybrid System, meanwhile, churns out a combined power output of 211PS of power and with the CVT (with the 6-speed manual mode on it) set, fuel economy is around 20.0km/L. Now, onto the 8GR-FXS 3.5L V6 engine with the Multi-Stage Hybrid system on it, let's have a refresher first.

This setup you're familiar with keeps in the bay with its planetary-type continuously variable transmission with the addition of a unique four-speed automatic transmission and with a manual mode set, the two gearsets act together to provide the effect of 10 gears, which sounds juicy but not fruity as such. Anyway, the Multi-Stage Hybrid system promises this variant to deliver a combined power output of 359PS and 16.0km/L of fuel efficiency, which is rather good for a range-topper and considering how many trips you can get through from chauffeuring Boss Madam from her workday to the trips to the Michelin starred restaurant at bay.

As you may know, the new Crown is the first Toyota to don the GA-L platform from the Lexus LC and LS and with this new platform as well as its reworked suspension and chassis setup, the new Crown is starting to become un-Japanese to drive and it's starting to match the handling capabilities its Euro rivals possess. Not perfect but it's relatively superior enough to leave a breeze on the open road like an electric fan in the roomy bedroom. I know this is sudden but little did you know that the new Crown was developed at the Nurburgring to deliver a driving experience unlike any other and that was the trivia for the night.

Lively and quiet the new Crown maybe but because this is the most technologically-advanced Crown ever built, it dons the second-generation Toyota Safety Sense featuring Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Full-Speed DRCC, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Automatic High Beam, and Lane Tracing Assist, and more. Little did you know that the new Crown is the first Toyota to have a Parking Support Brake and Rear Camera Detection.

The new Crown starts at 4,606,200 Yen (around $46,100/Php2,300,000 + tax) and while this is competitively priced against expensive European imports, it's considered to be more costly to own than the Camry but still, even though the new Crown is not as enjoyable to drive compared against the best from Europe, the new platform, tech, powertrain, and the interior is worth a revelation to salivate with and in the case of men aged 35 and above, the new Crown is starting to become the feel-good luxury saloon for their very good years. It may be made only for the Japanese public but the rate of near-perfection is worthy of being a world-class luxury car without the world-class price.

Available colors: White Pearl Crystal Shine, Silver Metallic, Precious Silver, Precious Galena, Black, Precious Black Pearl, Dark Blue Mica, Yogasumi Dark Red Mica Metallic, Kurenai Rich Red Crystal Shine Glass Flake, Akaneiro Orange Metallic, Hisui Armina Jade Metallic, Hekirui Dark Blue Mica Metallic, and Sora Pure Blue Metallic.

Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation

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