Last night, Toyota debuted its new hybrid flagship sedan, the 2023 Toyota Crown, with a new 340-horsepower turbocharged Hybrid Max powertrain. But while we were getting just the one genre-bending tall sedan, Toyota was busy debuting an entire series of four different Crown vehicles spanning multiple classes.
The new Crown lineup kicks off with the same vehicle that we’ll also be getting here in the States. However, where Toyota USA will market the Crown as a tall sedan with a slight SUV twist, the Japanese mothership calls it what it is: the Crown Crossover. The Crossover is showcased in a new hue, Precious Bronze, with a two-tone scheme similar to the Supersonic Red example I kicked the tires on this week.
Next in the lineup is the Crown Sedan, which is similar in style to the Crossover, but with traditional sedan proportions and ride height. Seeing the two side by side highlights the extra height of the crossover and almost makes the sedan look like a low-slung sports car.
The Crown Sport is a compact crossover with a hatchback silhouette and shape similar to the Lexus UX and NX. Not much detail is given about this variant, only that “the Sport offers a sporty driving experience with an enticing atmosphere and an easy-to-drive package.”
The Crown Estate maps the series’ design language onto traditional SUV proportions.
Noriaki Mitsuhashi/N-RAK PHOTO AGENCY
Finally, there’s the Crown Estate with its traditional SUV stance and silhouette. The Estate also features a two-tone paint scheme with a contrasting black top that helps to visually lower the roofline for a sleek, sportwagon look. Toyota calls this a “functional SUV with a mature atmosphere and ample driving space.”
For now, the Crown Crossover is the only of the quartet that we have confirmed specs for and, no surprise, they’re identical to the hybrid and Hybrid Max models we’re getting on this side of the Pacific. The rest of the new Crown series will be rolled out in “about 40 countries and regions” in the near future.
