Exploring the Toyota Crown Crossover: A Review of the American-Style Luxury RV

2023-06-12 03:14:10

Before the test drive, I had all kinds of wonderful fantasies about the Crown…

Written by: Vincent Wong

Photography: Huang Shihong Vincent, Chen Ruimin Ray

Perhaps the concept and outline of the crosscover sedan are too avant-garde? Or maybe it is the crown, the Toyota JDM flagship signboard with a long history, which can be called the leader of Japanese-style large luxury RVs, which deepens my expectations for her? I think that such a subversive car style will definitely bring us a refreshing and extraordinary feeling under the blessing of its deeply rooted, traditional and delicate “sense of high-end”.

Well, at least that’s what I really thought before touching the car…

First of all, if you think this is a very Japanese-style car, please put away such thoughts first. Although the towering body is thinner and thinner than the American-style Camry at first glance, the 16th generation Crown has long been abandoned for many years. Insisting on the so-called 1.8-meter vehicle width that is most suitable for Japanese street use, even the proud rear-drive chassis is no longer seen, and it is replaced by the TNGA-K transverse front-drive platform that is widely used on Camry and Lexus ES.

To put it bluntly, she really doesn’t have much connection with the previous Crown. Even if the Crown 15 generations ago is placed next to the long-axis LEXUS LS, it is not leaking, and there is even a sense of rivalry. As for the Crown Crossover… not only is it completely “front-seat orientation”, let alone the LS, even if compared with the next-level ES, it is slightly inferior.

I am surprised that Crown Crossover is so reserved in the interpretation of materials and textures, even though the simple technique, bright light-colored interior and the original 12.3-inch car engine really interpret the sense of technology well, such as the four-way electric adjustment steering wheel , Inductive electric tailgate, electronic shock absorbers, dual front seat heating and ventilation, rear seat heating and other equipment that highlight the “high-end sense” are also readily available.

But to put it bluntly, it is more advanced than the current Camry, with a stronger sense of design, and the plastic feel is actually even worse (especially the sandblasted plastic trim that is easy to leave scratches on the gear seat) ). Then there is her rear seat. Although the knee space will not disappoint, it is difficult to describe the pressure brought by the low-sloping C-pillar to the head with spaciousness; Officially released, it is very likely that the Crown Sedan is exclusive to the Japanese market, leaving a foreshadowing…?

???? [Four-wheel decryption]What new tire technologies may there be in the future? The present progressive tense of the arrow on the string!

Calmness is the first impression she gave me. At least in terms of road feel, she is very “Crown”, which is in line with the tone that a traditional, stable and large RV should have. It is close to the weight of a two-ton car. In addition, she is not flexible, even if E-Four does push TNGA-K’s tracking tolerance in corners to a new height, turning as soon as it is said, and deliberately speeding up the steering rhythm, it will not be powerless to parry, but The long-travel and soft suspension will transfer the load to the outside faithfully and slowly.

The strong centrifugal force will tell you that this is not her strong point, and there is no other way than to maintain the driving mode at the most sporty and the most damped Sport S+, which often happens when there are ups and downs in the corner and the spring cannot be pulled. bounce?

This is an out-and-out cruise car. It’s not that she has no controls at all, but Toyota did deliberately set her up to be very comfortable. In every way, she reminds me of Mercedes- Characters like Benz S-Class, BMW 7 Series.

The cruising posture is also good, absorbing shocks, soft cushioning, even through the expansion joints, the feeling of swinging the front and rear axles, and the quiet, smooth and hard-to-find 2.4T gasoline-electric power linear and full The strength in the middle and rear sections, even the vibration when the 6AT shifts gears is tuned so that it is difficult to detect. I dare not say that it is at the same level, but in terms of tonality, driving quality, and running quality, it has the same effect. The shock absorption of 45 21-inch tires is really not very good…

In all fairness, she is really not Japanese, at least not as delicate as the pure Japanese high-end cars in the impression, just like Toyota’s Sienna and Alphard, both of which are close to 3 million and are often used as seven-seater MPVs. But it’s a completely different thing.

Therefore, rather than saying that she is the crown of the world, I think this is obviously a product tailored for the North American market to fill the gap after Avalon stopped production. But if you understand the crown and know that what this time-honored Toyota gold-lettered signboard sticks to is the pursuit of absolute and impeccable quality and riding comfort, and you happen to be a fan of traditional large RVs…

Crown, perhaps in the era of the decline of sedan, is the most romantic and most loyal to the original flavor.