The ever-present Toyota Crown has been given a new update in Japan as the nameplate turned 60. The 2016 Toyota Crown facelift brings enhancements to both the Crown Athlete and Crown Royal, the most major of which is the introduction of a new 2.0 litre turbocharged engine.
A broad new colour palette (not that it was lacking before), a world-first ITS safety package and a mild visual update keep the Crown looking as fresh as ever. The Athlete, for one, gains an even sportier look with reshaped headlights and sharper lower intakes, while the rear gets more striking ring-shaped lights.
The Crown Royal line-up sees an even bigger change. The big front grille is more shapely, and now extends into slim lower valances to connect to the fog lamps. It’s meant to convey a lower centre of gravity compared to the pre-facelift model’s simpler design.
Other than the wider colour option, the paint itself sees an improvement too. Experienced pros have been called in to adjust the colours by a manual spray painting technique to achieve a better finish, while a self-restoring clear coat that self-repairs small scratches is utilised.
The aforementioned 2.0 litre direct-injection turbocharged engine is only available for the Crown Athlete. Codenamed 8AR-FTS, it’s essentially the same engine fitted to the Lexus IS and NX 200t, matched to Toyota’s eight-speed Super ECT automatic transmission. It’s claimed to average 13.4 km per litre on the Japanese JC08 test cycle.
Other engine options offered include a 2.5 litre petrol with a six-speed auto’box and a 3.5 litre V6 petrol unit with a newer eight-speeder. A THS II 3.5 litre V6 petrol hybrid system is also available, with the range-topping Crown Majesta line-up being hybrid-only models now.
Toyota also claims to have improved the Crown’s driving comfort and steering response, through a revamped manufacturing process that now includes structural adhesives and more spot welding points. The shock absorbers, bushings, optional adaptive suspension setup and the electric power steering system have all been tweaked too.
On the safety front, the Crown facelift is the world’s first mass market car to offer driving assist functions over a dedicated frequency. Named ITS Connect, it uses Japan’s standardised ITS frequency to receive and share data between externam infrastructure and other vehicles.
Uses include vehicle-to-infrastructute (V2I) communication (Right-turn Collision Caution, Red Light Caution, Signal Change Advisory) and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication (Communicating Radar Cruise Control, Emergency Vehicle Notification). A blind spot monitor and auto parking assist are also available.
Toyota Crown Athlete
Toyota Crown Royal
Toyota Crown Majesta
There it comes
You won’t go wrong with sushi cars.
Ppl who can’t afford it, usually will BS talkok nonsense bashing it. Those who do know cars, will wish the model to be launched here desperately.
Takata airbags included?
You think Toyota is so stupid?Takata is going bankrupt soon.So many car manufacturers kena kaw kaw.
Maybe the next one will be TAKATO.
Thats like saying the impeccable Germans wont falsify test data to cheat America, isnt it? kan? kan? kan?
i remembered power rangers..
Fuel hunger, dun want buy
2.0L turbo 13.4km/L.
wow, better than Iriz 1.3 and 1.6.
Since when?
Eeeek! That face can scare little children.
wow look at the front end…as if lexus front not bad enuf, this is worst…
looks like thunder motive…
Looks cool, very yakuza-esque
I’d buy one….in black or red…
And to add icing on the yakuza feel, you should get a girl driver dressed in a white drivers uniform and with long straight hair.
Cant help but to think of those old taxy when seing the word Toyota Crown.
This is the taxi of the yesteryears.
I still remember sitting in one during my children days going long distance.
the front looks like a photoshop job gone wrong
until now, the world has yet to see a Mercedez S class with 2.0 litre engine.
or a BMW 7 series, also with a 2.0.
But Jaguar had done it with the XJL for couple of years now. of course not so much of a surprised since the unit is turbocharged producing 240bhp matched to 8 speed auto tranny.
but such a big size car with a small capacity engine? the secret lies in lightweight. by using as much aluminium for body panels, engine and suspension parts, Jaguar managed to reduce XJL dry weight to about 1600kg only – which is just amazing.
now we see Toyota putting a 4 pot 2000cc engine in the Crown (which is just as large a size) and i think toyota is using the same formula.
W222 S300 Bluetec Hybrid uses a 2.1 litre four-cylinder diesel.
slam it hella flush style
Probably won’t sell many of these outside of Japan. Even in Japan, also limited to Chairmans of big Japanese companies who cannot use foreign cars due to patriotism
remember the last time toyota says turbo charged engine is not their tradition bla bla…now that their competitor are all going to the turbo charging way…lets see if toyota can hold up their word “TRADITION”