Alongside the appearance of the Toyota Crown at the Japan Mobility Show 2023, Toyota is also showcasing the Toyota Crown Sport which was launched in October this year. Together with the Sedan, the Sport is among four of the body styles of this new generation of the Toyota Crown.
Toyota says that the Crown SUV is the most creative form of the Crown and was built as an evolution from the Crown Crossover which is a lifted version of the sedan. As creative as it may be, it appears that the Crown Sport also somewhat resembles an ultra-luxury performance SUV from Maranello.
Similar looks aside, the Crown does have its own merits in terms of good-looking design. The rear fenders, for example, are extremely wide in relation to the D-pillar position. This gives the Crown Sport a domineering stance and suggests high-performance handling regardless of how true that is. The front end of the Crown Sport sports a hammerhead shark-like face that keeps the narrow-lens daytime running lamps within the black area. Toyota says that this creates a “sharp, fearless expression”.
The Toyota Crown Sport SUV sits on a set of 21-inch wheels. Other exterior highlights on the Crown Sport include the gloss black claddings, side decals, gloss black roof, and RX-7-ish taillights. The combination of elements on the Crown Sport’s exterior suggests a sporty driving experience.
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Inside, things get quite interesting as the Crown Sport sports an “Island Architecture” cabin design. What this translates to is a separate theme for the driver and the front passenger. While the driver gets black surroundings mostly to enable better focus, the front passenger’s side features special materials and a special colour scheme to create a relaxing ambiance. See it for yourself in our pictures, and perhaps tell us what you think about it. As for screens, there is a floating twin-screen setup for the head unit and the digital instrument cluster.
Toyota highlights that the Crown Sport allows easy ingress and egress for all occupants. This is thanks to the high hip point due that is enabled by the large tires. Toyota has also paid attention to the height of the rocker panels, the difference in surface levels, and the shape of the rear door trims to aid leg movement.
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You get two powertrain options for the Toyota Crown Sport – the first being a 2.5-litre PHEV variant and the second being a 2.5-litre HEV variant. The HEV variant outputs 234 hp (metric) while specifications of the PHEV variant will be released later this year.
As for safety, the Toyota Crown Sport is equipped with the latest suite of Toyota Safety Sense systems as standard. It includes Proactive Driving Assist (PDA), which supports the driver’s deceleration and steering in response to a preceding vehicle or curve. Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) and Panoramic View Monitor (PVM) are also standard to expand safety performance. The Sport is also equipped with Safe Exit Assist (SEA), which uses the BSM sensors, plus rear vehicle proximity notification and rear-end-collision avoidance.
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