2024 Toyota Crown Sport Hybrid SUV launched in Japan – 2.5L hybrid and PHEV with E-Four, RM187k
Toyota has launched the Crown Sport Hybrid in Japan and will begin accepting orders today, with deliveries starting next month. A plug-in hybrid version of the Sport – which is the SUV of the new four-bodystyle Crown range – will join in December.
To recap, the four bodystyles that were revealed in July 2022 are the Crossover (like a raised sedan, already launched), Sport (SUV), Sedan and Estate. The latter isn’t a longroof in the traditional sense, but a car that appears to be bigger than the Sport, described as a ‘functional SUV with a mature atmosphere’.
Following the Sport’s debut, the Crown Sedan will surface in November while the Crown Estate will complete the high-end quartet before the end of Toyota’s FY2024 fiscal year. For the longest time, the historic Crown badge was attached to a sedan, nothing more, but these four models ‘herald the opening of the second chapter for the Crown brand,’ as Toyota puts it.
The Crown Sport’s design concept ‘balances power and grace’ and Toyota is touting a package that’s easy to enter, exit and drive, with an agile and sporty driving experience.
The ‘Crown SUV’ is very expressive and the overall package looks good. Check out the rear fenders that extend dramatically outward from the D pillars to the rear tyres. The sculpted sides are merged with the hammerhead shark-like face with slim lights, as seen on the latest Prius. And Ferrari?
Those wheels, which look just about right, are 21-inch items with 235/45 tyres. By the way, at 4,720 mm long and 1,880 mm wide, the Crown Sport’s footprint is around that of a BMW X3, although it’s much lower.
The Crown’s dashboard is a lot more conventional, which is a good thing. There’s a wide 12.3-inch screen and Toyota highlights the ‘island architecture’ design, where the driver and passenger are asymmetrically coordinated – the driver’s side is in black (for him/her to concentrate on driving), while the passenger side features a special material and colour scheme to create a relaxing atmosphere. I didn’t really notice it from the pics till they mentioned, but once you see it…
This is the new Sand Brown and black interior theme, but one can have it fully in black, of course. For the exterior, there are six monotone body colours and five two-tone combinations to choose from.
Comfort and ease of use is very important, as Japan is an ageing society. We are too, and the Crown’s price and positioning means buyers won’t be that young. Ingress and egress is something Toyota has paid close attention to, and the Crown Sport’s high hip point enabled by large wheels help the cause. The height of the rocker panels, differences in levels, and the shape of rear door trims were all designed to aid leg movement.
The Crown Sport also features Toyota’s first sound-regulating ceiling, which reflects sounds within the cabin to create a space ‘where occupants can communicate directly with each other to make conversations easier’.
Back to driving. The Sport features a specially configured suspension system to provide the grounding and damping force that enables the driver to ‘accurately understand the car’s intention and reactions,’ Toyota says. There’s also Dynamic Rear Steering (DRS) that delivers agility at low speeds with more stability at high speeds.
Behind that shark nose is a familiar 2.5 litre series parallel hybrid system with E-Four, a Toyota staple. The A25A-FXS delivers 21.3 km/l in the WLTC mode. Meanwhile, the 2.5L PHEV option gets a ‘high-output density drive motor’ that also enables front/rear load shifting and ‘car speed control with subtle gas pedal footwork’ – sounds like a hot hatch! The PHEV will have a new lithium-ion battery. No figures were given, but it might be similar to the RAV4 PHEV.
Of course, the latest Toyota Safety Sense is standard, and the pack includes Proactive Driving Assist, which supports the deceleration and steering in response to a preceding vehicle or curve. Also on are Toyota Teammate Advanced Drive (support during traffic jams) and Advanced Park (with remote function).
Made in TMC’s Tsutsumi plant, Toyota’s target is to sell 700 units of the Crown Sport per month. The sole Sport Z trim level retails for 5,900,000 yen, which is equivalent to RM187,123. In our context, this is a lot of luxury SUV for below RM200k, but of course, before Malaysian taxes. Like what you see? It’s a pretty and pretty unique-looking SUV, and grey imports are sure to get plenty of looks on our roads.
GALLERY: 2024 Toyota Crown Sport, Japan spec
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