Last year, Toyota announced its new Crown in four body-styles, these being a Crossover, Sport, Sedan and Estate. The Sport is the SUV version in the family, and its hybrid form made its debut earlier this month. The electrified Crown Sport is on display at the ongoing Japan Mobility Show 2023, in its plug-in hybrid form. The version isn’t on sale domestically yet, but is set to enter the market in December.
Under the hood, the hybrid wears a 2.5 litre series parallel hybrid system with E-Four, and the automaker says that the A25A-FXS is good for 21.3 km of travel per litre, measured under a WLTC cycle. The PHEV seen here also has a 2.5 litre mill, but gets a high-output density drive motor that also enables front/rear load shifting and, as the company puts it, ‘car speed control with subtle gas pedal footwork’.
The PHEV will feature a newly-developed, large capacity lithium-ion battery. Although no figures were presented during its initial announcement, the company says it will provide the car with an extended EV-mode cruising range and be good enough for operation purely on EV mode for most daily drives.
Measuring in at 4,720 mm long, 1,880 mm wide and 1,565 mm tall, the Crown SUV has a pretty bold-looking exterior, with sculpted sides merged with a hammerhead shark-like face with slim lights, as seen on the latest Prius, and rear fenders that extend dramatically outward from the D pillars to the rear wheels.
Speaking of wheels, the SUV rides on 21-inch units, and aside from a specially-configured suspension system to provide a sportier drive, the Crown SUV also features a dynamic rear steering (DRS) to deliver improved agility at low speeds and added stability at higher speeds.
Inside, you’ll find a dashboard styled along ‘island architecture’ design lines, with plenty of colour contrast elements to be found, as can be seen in the red highlights on the show example. Buyers will have five two-tone interior colour combinations to choose from.
As it goes these days, digital screens are to be found, with two panels making up the display complement. Novelties include the implementation of Toyota’s first sound-regulating ceiling, which reflects sounds within the cabin to create a space where occupants can converse in easier fashion.
The Crown Sport will be joined by the Sedan, which is set to surface in November, with the Crown Estate due to appear before the end of the company’s FY2024 fiscal year, completing the quartet.
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