Toyota recently turned the long-running Crown nameplate into a full four-car lineup in Japan: there’s the traditional Crown Sedan (now a twin of the Mirai), the Crown Crossover (which we get in the U.S. as just the Crown), the Crown Estate (now offered in the U.S. as the Crown Signia), and the Crown Sport (a compact SUV). Toyota has now released more details about the plug-in-hybrid version of the Crown Sport that will be available in Japan, and it makes me wish we got it in America even more.
The Crown Sport was first launched with a traditional hybrid setup that uses a 2.5-liter line-4 engine. The new PHEV option combines that engine with a larger electric motor and a larger battery pack under the floor — no sizes or specs were given — resulting in a total of 302 horsepower being sent to all four wheels. (It’s likely the same powertrain as what’s found in the RAV4 Prime PHEV.) Toyota says the Crown Sport PHEV has an electric-only range of 56 miles, and plugging into a 50-kW charger can replenish the battery to 80 percent in 38 minutes.
Other upgrades for the PHEV model include adaptive dampers, bigger brakes, greater chassis rigidity and paddle shifters. A “My Room” mode can run all of the interior functions, including climate control, without the combustion engine turning on. The Crown Sport PHEV also supports bidirectional charging, so it can power all kinds of accessories or even your home.
You’ll be able to spot a Crown Sport PHEV thanks to its unique 21-inch wheel design and black accents for the roof, mirrors and door handles. The interior features a lot of red trim on the dashboard, center console and door panels, and the seatbelts are red as well. The Crown Sport is a really good looking SUV overall, with prominent haunches, an imposing face and a fairly sleek roofline. At 185.8 inches long and 61.6 inches tall, the Crown Sport is 4.9 inches longer and 5.4 inches lower than a RAV4 Prime PHEV, and the Crown’s 109.1-inch wheelbase is 3.2 inches longer as well.
Toyota currently has no plans to bring the Crown Sport to the U.S., which is a shame but not a surprise. It’s a cool car, but given it would likely have to carry a more premium pricetag and enter an already crowded crossover lineup at Toyota, it doesn’t make a ton of sense to bring overseas. Still, we can dream, and maybe Toyota will stick the PHEV setup in the Crowns we do get.
