In most markets, the best Toyota sedan you could buy would be a Camry or Avalon but in Japan (and a few other select markets) you could step into one of several luxury flagship saloons based around Toyota’s Crown platform. The Crown is sold in a variety of models including a hybrid version and the top-end Century and Majesta, and in its home market it’s held in a similar league to cars like the Mercedes Benz S-Class and BMW 7-series – at least in terms of technology.

Toyota has launched a redesigned Majesta today, the first iteration of the car and the safest and most comfortable yet. The new Majesta is powered by a 4.6L V8 engine, which sends drive to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. An AWD version is also available but is only offered with a six-speed auto.

Key changes to the outgoing model is an additional 75mm in the wheelbase, as well as a bevy of safety features including Toyota’s latest Front-side Pre-crash safety system, Pre-crash seatbacks and a rear-seat center airbag. Electronically controlled air suspension has also been added as standard, and now works in conjunction with Toyota’s Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) stability system. Finally, Toyota has added a pedestrian detection system with infrared night view mode.

Inside, the car comes with wood trim on the steering wheel, shift knob and ornament panel, as well as multiple LCD display panels in the front dash and a hard-drive satnav system. Rear-seat passengers are treated with a 9in LCD panel mounted to the roof and the entire cabin benefits from a stereo system with a 19-channel amplifier and 20 speakers.