The Toyota Crown, one of the manufacturer’s longest-standing nameplates, is scheduled for a South African introduction in the first quarter of 2023.
Despite being part of Toyota’s manufacturing catalogue for 15 generations starting in 1955, the Crown has yet to be made available locally.
However, for its 16th generation, the Crown was converted from being a sedan only to now be offered in over 40 regions around the globe in multiple body styles including crossover, SUV, and a sedan-SUV blend called Sport.
South Africa is getting the crossover variant, powered by a parallel-hybrid “E-Four” drivetrain.
This will mark Toyota’s fifth partially-electrified model to be sold domestically – joining the Corolla Sedan, Corolla Cross, Prius, and RAV4 – forming part of the subsidiary’s continued roll-out of new-energy vehicles (NEVs) in the local market.
What we know
Since the launch of the new Crown line-up is only penned for 2023, there is currently still little information available on these vehicles.
Thus far, we know the Crown Crossover coming to South Africa will be driven by a parallel-hybrid system specifically tuned to achieve the “high-quality and smooth driving performance distinctive of the Crown,” said Toyota.
In this type of electrified propulsion system, the internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric motor generally deliver power to the axles simultaneously to increase fuel economy, reduce emissions, improve performance, or achieve a combination thereof.
In Japan, this particular powertrain sees a 2.5-litre petrol engine producing 137kW and 221Nm working in unison with a front-mounted electric motor generating 88kW and 202Nm as well as a rear-mounted motor with 40kW and 121Nm.
This lets the 1.8-tonne, four-wheel-drive crossover sip fuel at an average rate of 4.5l/100km, however, its acceleration and top speed figures have not been made public.
Apart from what’s under the hood, Toyota has also confirmed that the next-generation Crown Crossover will get a raft of driver assistance systems through fitment of the Safety Sense and Teammate packages.
Safety Sense is currently available on many of the automaker’s new cars, but for the Crown, it has been improved by being able to respond to a wider range of accidents, said Toyota.
Among the abilities buyers can expect from this system are blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane-tracing assist, lane-departure alert, road-sign assist, proactive driving assist, and emergency steering intervention.
Teammate then takes it a step further by bringing the Advanced Drive, Advanced Park, and “other safety and convenient advanced functions,” said the company.
Advanced Drive is meant to support drivers during traffic congestion by detecting road conditions using an array of exterior cameras and ultrasonic sensors, and executing acceleration, braking, and steering commands at its own judgement thereby reducing driver fatigue.
Advanced Park works in much the same way but is dedicated to parking. This programme controls steering, acceleration, braking, and gear changes for the driver when parallel parking or reversing into a lot by using “360-degree sensing.”
Beyond this, the Japanese specification sheet of the Crown offers the best hints at what the new Toyota will offer when it lands in our showrooms.
On top of the new-age assistance systems, the crossover is also expected to bring fabric/synthetic leather upholstery, a 12.3-inch infotainment display with six speakers, keyless entry and start, manual air-conditioning with dual-zone adjustment, bi-beam automatic LED lights, and 19-inch wheels across the range.
A drive recorder, heads-up display, digital key, electric seats, adaptive lights, and a more premium sound system further become available on the pricier models.
Pricing and model line-up
The South African pricing and model line-up for the new Toyota Crown Crossover has not yet been revealed.
In Japan, the vehicle is sold in seven trim levels starting from 4,350,000 Yen, equating to R532,000 at today’s exchange rates, though the Crown will likely cost more than this when it lands locally due to import tariffs and the accompanying costs.
As such, the new crossover is expected to be positioned between the Corolla Cross Hybrid and RAV4 Hybrid in terms of price, these vehicles starting at R425,400 and R633,400, respectively.
However, there is a possibility that the Crown will replace the RAV4 in Toyota’s domestic vehicle stable as the two crossovers perform a similar purpose while both also boast 2.5-litre “E-Four” powerplants.
The bZ4X, the company’s first all-electric SUV with nearly the same dimensions as the RAV4, is also slated for a South African introduction in 2023 and it remains to be seen where it will slot into the line-up.
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