Toyota Crown - "Is it coming to Malaysia" and 7 other questions answered
CY Foong · Dec 21, 2023 09:30 AM
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With the Toyota Alphard and Harrier bearing the corporate Toyota logo, only 3 models in Japan hold their unique model badge on the front grille. These are the Toyota Corolla, Toyota Crown, and the Toyota Century.
Everyone knows about the Corolla while the Century is a name that is exclusive to Japan and it is also the flagship Toyota model used by corporate, political, and underworld leaders. The Crown, meanwhile, is making a return to overseas markets after a long hiatus and for Malaysians, it is a name that was once held with respect.
So, without further ado, here are 8 burning questions that curious Malaysians might be wondering about Toyota’s literal crown-badged nameplate.
1. Has the Toyota Crown ever been sold in Malaysia?
Introduced in 1955, the Toyota Crown is among the longest-running Toyota nameplates with the current generation being the sixteenth. It was exported globally as Toyota’s flagship model until the late 1980s when the Lexus brand was introduced.
In Malaysia, the Toyota Crown was sold officially until the early 1980s when it was replaced by the Toyota Cressida. In some ways, the Crown was the predecessor of the Toyota Camry as it was the flagship Toyota sedan model at the time.
In small towns, you can still see old Crowns being used as taxis
Despite being the flagship Toyota model in Malaysia, the Crown is more recognisable as a form of public-hired transport. Even as the Cressida replaced the Crown, the seventh generation S120 was brought into the country albeit with a diesel engine for taxi operators.
In 1995, Toyota launched the Crown Comfort which was meant for fleet buyers and was widely used as taxis in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan. Despite the Crown name, it is more closely related to the X80 Mark II and is shorter than the regular Crown.
3. What makes the Crown significant in Japan?
Hierarchy is embedded in the Japanese culture and this is seen with Toyota’s main sedan lineup. The owners of the Century, Crown, and Corolla reflect their position on the corporate ladder.
The Century is aimed at the ones in charge since being seen in a non-domestic car is considered too unpatriotic and the foreign brands were more expensive. The Crown is placed in the middle as a status symbol for the C-suite executives while the Corolla is essentially the everyday salaryman’s ride.
These days though, that hierarchical perception has largely disappeared with most of the executives now preferring to be in an Alphard or Harrier instead. Hence, the expansive radicalization of the Crown brand with the introduction of an SUV.
For the current 16th-gen Crown, Toyota expanded its line-up to offer a total of 4 bodystyles which are:
Crown Sedan
Crown Crossover
Crown Sport SUV
Crown Estate SUV
While this is the first time the Crown name is used in the SUV segment, it wasn't exclusively offered as a sedan.
The Crown was offered as a station wagon between the first to the eleventh generations. In the seventies, the sporty-looking 2-door Crown Coupe was offered across 3 generations which would subsequently be discontinued and replaced with the pillarless 4-door hardtop version for 4 generations in the eighties and nineties.
There is one more body variant of the Crown, a pick-up truck version mainly aimed at the Australian ute market in the 1970s. It’s probably the most forgotten bodystyle of the entire Crown nameplate.
Throughout its nearly 70 years of existence across 16 generations, the Crown sedan has always been utilising a rear-wheel drive (RWD) layout. This also applies to the Crown Comfort taxicab and the Crown Majesta, a more upmarket version of the Crown.
A 1980 Toyota Crown ad showing off its body-on-frame architecture
The tenth-gen S150 was the first Crown to introduce all-wheel drive (AWD) as well as being the first to be built on a unibody platform. Prior generations were built with body-on-frame construction which shows how traditional the Crown name truly was.
The RWD layout continues on the current generation of the Crown albeit on the sedan only which is underpinned by the TNGA-L platform shared with the Lexus LS. The non-sedan versions of the Crown are built on the front-wheel drive (FWD) TNGA-K platform that is also used on numerous other current Toyota models like the Harrier, Camry, and Alphard.
6. Does the current Crown come with a V6 engine?
Being a luxury car, the Crown was offered with a V6 engine as well as the venerable 2JZ inline-six throughout the 1990s. However, Toyota has dropped the 6-cylinder engine from the current Crown line-up in favour of a 4-cylinder hybrid unit.
Crown FCEV shown
We’ll begin with the traditional Crown sedan which is available with a 2.5-litre petrol-hybrid engine or a hydrogen fuel cell system (FCEV). The hybrid version combines a 4-cylinder 2.5-litre A25A-FXS (185 PS/225 Nm) with two electric motors (180 PS/300 Nm). The FCEV version is powered by an electric motor (182 PS/300 Nm) with a range of 800 km.
Next is the Crown Crossover which is so far the only variant that is offered overseas outside of Japan. Two hybrid powertrains are offered a 2.5-litre A25A-FXS powerplant that makes a combined output of 234 PS and a turbocharged 2.4-litre T24A-FTS that produces a combined output of 349 PS.
The Crown Sport SUV is offered with the same 2.5-litre hybrid engine as the previous two Crown derivatives along with a 2.5-litre plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain that has a maximum combined output of 306 PS. Both the Crown Crossover and Crown Sport are only offered with the E-Four four-wheel drive (4WD) system.
The final Crown variant is the Crown Estate and the SUV is planned to be launched in Japan in 2024. It is announced to be sold in America as the Crown Signia where only a 2.5-litre hybrid unit is revealed.
The Crown brand has its own dedicated showroom with the first being opened in Yokohama
As mentioned before, of the four Crown derivatives, only 3 are currently available in Japan as the Crown Estate will be launched in 2024. The expansion of the Crown also saw the introduction of a dedicated separate Crown sales channel in Japan.
These are the prices of the Crown line-up in Japan:
Crown sedan: JPY 7.3 million-8.3 million (~RM 237k-269k)
Crown Crossover: JPY 4.35 million-6.4 million (~RM 141k-207k)
Crown Sport: JPY 5.9 million-7.65 million (~RM 191K-248k)
Looking at the online classifieds, prices for a recond previous-gen Crown range between RM 240k to RM 270k which brings us to the final and hottest query.
8. Will the Crown make its way into Malaysia?
North American-spec Crown shown. Note the Toyota corporate badge on the front
Even though the sixteenth generation of the Crown is making its return to the overseas market after a 20-year hiatus, outside of Japan, the confirmed markets thus far have been left-hand drive (LHD) countries like the Middle East, North America, and China.
As such, it might still be too early to tell if UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) will be bringing the Crown into Malaysia officially. The name has not struck a significant chord with Malaysians besides the few classic car connoisseurs.
For now, though, the only possible way to get the all-new Crown into the country is through grey importers. The previous generations all have an air of prestige whenever one shows up at a car meet or is spotted on the road so maybe this new one will also attract the same attention.
Traded advertising for a career that fits his passion for cars. Enjoys spotting cars during his free time and has a soft spot for Japanese Kei cars but drives a thirsty manual sedan.
