You may have heard of the Toyota Crown – at least in some capacity. It’s Toyota’s oldest mass-produced vehicle, dating back to 1955. The likelihood of ever seeing one on South Africa’s roads is pretty low. The Crown was sold primarily in Japan. It never really made it to the rest of the world.
Until now, anyway. Toyota has unveiled four redesigned Crown models; the Crossover, Sport, Sedan and Estate. All four are making their way across the globe, to 40 countries. The Crossover is confirmed for South Africa. The others… not so much. Not yet, anyway.
The range is Toyota’s way of offering a solution to everyone, regardless of what they’re after. First up is the Crossover, a cross between SUV and sedan styles. The Sport is exactly what it sounds like – a Crown model redesigned to look a little speedier. Next, the Sedan offers a more formal look, but with a few extras thrown in. Lastly, the Estate is a straight-up SUV, with enough room for dogs or camping gear.
My precious?
So far, Toyota has only released local information on its upcoming Crossover. It’s a mash-up of traditional styles; an SUV and a sedan. Toyota certainly got it right, because this thing is just plain gorgeous. The Crossover will feature two new colours, ‘Precious Bronze’ and ‘Precious Ray’, but won’t be limited to them. The company will offer ten more standard shades, along with a choice of four different interiors.
Besides the new colours, Toyota has redesigned the interior and exterior, to match the standards of the modern world. Exterior styling has hints of more recent Crown design, but it’s a thoroughly updated take. It’s also a far cry from the 1955 original. 
The Toyota Crown Crossover in Precious Bronze
Crowning glory
But enough about the looks. How will the Crossover type drive? Toyota has announced two new hybrid powertrains; a 2.4-litre Turbo Hybrid System and a 2.5-litre Series Parallel Hybrid System. These will probably feature in many more Toyotas in the coming years.
Read More: Suzuki and Toyota teaming up to build a new hybrid vehicle for Africa (and other places)
The 2.4-litre Turbo Hybrid System is the more powerful of the two. It combines an inline four-cylinder turbo engine, with Toyota’s latest e-Axle electric powertrain. It also includes a newly-developed bipolar nickel-hydrogen battery.
The 2.5-litre Series Parallel Hybrid System is the less powerful and (obviously) the cheaper of the two. It features a 2.5 litre normally-aspirated engine, with two electric motors powering the front and back axles.
Toyota will reveal more about these two engines a little further down the line, but does have more to say about the interior.
The new Crown Crossover features Toyota Teammate, a full system of driver-assistance tech. Toyota Teammate covers Advanced Drive – which helps drivers through traffic congestion. Then there’s Advanced Park – which can help automatically park and pull out. If you still manage to crash while reversing, that’s probably on you. At least, that’s what your insurance company is bound to say. How well these features work here in SA remains to be seen.
Coronation day?
If the new Toyota Crown Crossover is something you’re keen on, you’ll be pleased to note that it will make its way to South Africa in Q1 2023. That’s not far away, giving you a little time to sort out finance and other headaches. Of course, if Toyota confirms the other three Crowns for SA, the choice might become a little more difficult.
Hopefully, before launch, we will have more detail on the other three Crown model. And, if we’re being honest, more info on the Crossover would be appreciated too. Come on, Toyota. Give us more than one option here.