Discontinued in the US of A due to poor sales, the Avalon was replaced by a crossover-like sedan. Toyota calls it Crossover-type Crown, and Toyota will soon roll out three more variants of the Crown between the fall of 2023 and 2024 for the 2024 through 2025 model years.
The Sport-type Crown will be the first to join the Crossover-type Crown in the fall of 2023 as a hybrid. A plug-in hybrid is due this winter. Confirmed with seating for five, the newcomer is 4,710 millimeters (185.4 inches) long and 1,560 millimeters (61.4 inches) high, making it shorter and higher than the upcoming sedan.
Due this fall, the Sedan-type Crown will receive hybrid and fuel-cell powertrains. It stretches 5,030 millimeters (198.0 inches) from the front bumper to the rear bumper, making it the longest member of the family. By comparison, the Crossover-type Crown currently on sale in Japan and North America is rocking an overall length of 4,980 millimeters (196.1 inches).
The final entry is the Estate-type Crown, which is a little curious because Toyota used the British word for station wagon despite Japan's much closer ties to the United States of America. Due in 2024, the longroof is coming as a hybrid and plug-in hybrid as a shorter and slimmer car than the sedan. It also takes the cake in terms of height, at 1,620 millimeters (63.7 inches), compared to 1,560 (61.4) for the Sport type.
Moving on, the first video below offers a look inside the sedan. Luxurious by Toyota standards, the sedan features three rear seats. The center seat incorporates a center armrest that appears to integrate a tablet of sorts. Rear occupants are further presented with their own vents and two USB Type-C charging ports.
The second video shows an extremely roomy cargo area for the wagon, as well as 60/40 split-folding rear seats. The final video reveals a five-door liftback configuration for the Sport-type Crown, complete with red seat belts, red leather on the front center console, red contrast stitching, and a reassuringly round steering wheel as opposed to the overrated flat-bottom design.
Based on a December 2022 report from Japan, the yet-unconfirmed GR Crown will crank out 380 metric ponies. That means 375 horsepower in old money, which is kind of disappointing. Lest we forget, Mercedes downsized the C 63 to a four-cylinder turbo, but added a plug-in hybrid system for a total of 671 horsepower.
Codenamed S235, the Crossover-type Crown is manufactured exclusively in Japan. The US variant is $39,950 sans destination charge for the XLE and $45,550 for the Limited trim level. Both combine a 2.5-liter engine with an eCVT, two electric motors, and a Ni-MH battery for a combined output of 236 horsepower.
Priced at $52,350 at press time, the range-topping Platinum trim level gets a 2.4-liter turbo and a six-speed automatic. Toyota calls this setup Hybrid Max, and in this application, the system's peak output is 340 horsepower and 400 pound-feet (542 Nm) of torque.
Editor's note:
The Crowns in the photo gallery are split as follows: yellow and black for the crossover, red for the Sport, blue for the Sedan, and brown for the Estate.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News