Toyota launches redesigned Crown flagship saloon

Toyota gave us a preview of Japanese domestic market Crown flagship at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show when it rolled out the Crown Luxury Hybrid concept car. The carmaker has now taken the wraps off the final production version of the regular petrol models as well as a new hybrid range topper. The lineup includes two new V6 engines displacing 2.5 and 3.5L and a hybrid version with an electric motor connected to the same 3.5l V6.

The Crown Royal Saloon series features a V6 3.0-liter and a V6 2.5-liter engine, while the Crown Athlete series offers a V6 3.5-liter and a V6 2.5-liter engine. All engines are combined with a six-speed auto transmission and employ variable valve timing to optimize intake and exhaust valve timing according to driving conditions.

This hybrid version is said to produce similar output to a naturally aspirated 4.5L V8 but has the fuel consumption of a 2.0L four-banger. The car achieves a fuel efficiency of 32mpg and it is one of the first vehicles to meet the new 2015 Japanese fuel efficiency standards1. The vehicle also achieves the equivalent of 166g/km of CO2 emissions.

The Crown has been on sale in Japan since 1955 and this latest model is the 13th generation of the longstanding nameplate. All three models also get Toyota’s latest Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management as well as a new pre-crash safety system, which can detect if a driver's eyes are properly open.