Toyota’s oldest model name will return to the United States this fall in a 2023 vehicle.
As a full-size sedan with a standard all-wheel-drive hybrid drivetrain and somewhat SUV-like styling, the 2023 Crown should be Toyota’s best car, filling the void that Avalon vacated.
The crown is a revered name in Toyota. Called the Toyopet Crown, it was the company’s first mass-produced car in 1955 and the first Japanese car sold in the United States since 1958.
The last time Toyota sold a vehicle. named Crown here in 1972, but the nameplate remains on the product line. in Japan and elsewhere. Toyota will build the Crown in Japan. He produced Avalon in Georgetown, Kentucky.
Smaller, but taller than the Avalon
The new car is the 15th generation Crown.
Toyota seems to be trying to combine that legacy with contemporary SUV styling by creating new Crown wheels and large wheel arches and tall styling.
Crown prices will be announced closer to when they go on sale.
The five-passenger sedan is 194 inches long, 1.9 inches shorter than the Avalon, which has just been produced. It’s slightly narrower than the Avalon, but its 60.6-inch-high roof makes the Crown 4.1 inches taller than the Avalon.
The Crown’s 112.2-inch wheelbase, an important dimension that affects passenger space and handling, is 0.8 inches shorter than the Avalon.
Toyota is betting on the credibility of its oldest model name on the theory that buyers’ preference for SUVs can be met by a bulky sedan with up to 21-inch wheels and tires.
Two hybrid systems
Lower trim levels – XLE and Limited – will have a 2.5L engine and a hybrid system with a continuously variable automatic transmission. Toyota doesn’t reveal how powerful this transmission is, but predicts it will hit 38 mpg in combined city and highway driving.
The top Platinum trim has a more powerful system that Toyota calls Hybrid Max. It makes 340 horsepower and has a 2.4-liter engine, a six-speed automatic transmission, and a rear-wheel drive.
Toyota predicts it will hit 38 mpg in combined city and highway driving. 2023 Toyota Crown
Interior features include Toyota’s cloud-based infotainment system; heated and ventilated front seats; heated rear seats; 12.3-inch horizontal touchscreen display and 11-speaker JBL audio.
Safety and driver assistance features include:
- Hands-free parking
- Pedestrian and motorcycle detection
- Intersection assist
- Adaptive cruise control
- Automatic high beams
- Lane departure alert and assist
- Lane centering
- Road sign recognition
- Rear-seat reminder
- Blind spot and cross traffic alerts
