Confirmed: Toyota Crown SUV Debuting in North America Next Week!
Direct from Toyota’s PR department: ‘Toyota Crown SUV Makes its Debut November 14.’ We also expect to see a new Camry (that’s not an SUV).
After a busy week at SEMA 2023, Toyota is back to building hype for its latest new vehicle debut. But instead of another mysterious teaser, the company has officially confirmed that a Crown SUV is coming to the North American market —
Come with us to new heights. A bold new adventure with Toyota Crown starts on November 14th at 10 p.m. ET.
Long missing from Toyota’s U.S. lineup, the current-generation four-model Crown family debuted in Japan last year. Much like the Avalon before it, the Crown brand is more upmarket than traditional Toyota models, with an interior design that’s more reminiscent of mid-range Lexus models. The first U.S. variant debuted here as the “2023 Toyota Crown.” Known as the Crown Crossover back in Japan, our Crown is a “lifted sedan” with two all-wheel-drive hybrid powertrains.
The XLE and Limited feature a 236-horsepower 2.5-liter 4-cylinder Hybrid ECVT AWD system. It earns an estimated EPA rating of 41 mpg. The Platinum boasts a 340 horsepower HYBRID MAX 2.4-liter Turbo Performance AWD system. This one runs to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds and gets 30 mpg combined. Pricing starts at $41,145 for the XLE and heads into the mid-$50s for the Platinum. But the question has always been…
In a world where fewer and fewer Americans buy sedans, is there really a market “lifted sedan” that lacks the added volume of a traditional crossover or SUV?
Enter the Toyota Crown SUV
Ah, now THIS makes a lot more sense for Americans.
Known as the Crown Estate in Japan where it’s set to go into production next year, the Crown SUV is, well, the SUV version of the Crown. Same face with a boxier body for added volume. Given the vagueness of today’s teaser, it’s unclear if the name Crown SUV is the full model name or the description of a model that happens to be an SUV. Especially when Toyota has typically decided to use the name Cross for its Corolla SUV. But it feels more like, in this case, Toyota is going for clarity. It’s a Crown. And it’s an SUV.
Crown SUV Powertrains
Based on what we’ve seen from Toyota in Japan, the Crown SUV will likely offer both a hybrid (see above) as well as plug-in hybrid configurations. Best guess for the plug-in? We’ll probably see the 2.5L 4-cylinder hybrid system from the RAV 4 Prime, Lexus NX 450h+, and RX 450h+. That system makes a little over 300 horsepower and gets 36 to 41 miles of all-electric range depending on the weight of the specific model. However, it’s possible that Toyota would take the Crown SUV more upmarket and include the newer 3.5L V6 plug-in hybrid system from the Lexus TX and Toyota Century. That one makes 404 horsepower while delivering, in the TX, 33 miles of all-electric range. But the 3.5L system is much less likely.
The other question we have is, how does this new model fit into the lineup? For the 2024 model year, Toyota plans to sell eight SUV models — Venza, Corolla Cross, RAV 4, Highlander, Grand Highlander, 4Runner, Land Cruiser, and Sequoia. A Crown SUV, for 2025 it appears, makes nine with it maybe slotting in between Highlander and the Lexus RX? We’ve also heard that Highlander is getting its own PRIME variant, possibly.
Regardless, ClubLexus will be at next week’s debut to cover everything (plus the launch of a new Camry?).
What do you think of the Crown SUV? Let us know HERE in the forums. For me, personally, I would argue the Crown SUV is one of the best-looking SUVs Toyota’s designed lately. It’s certainly more elegant and interesting than the Highlander, RX, and TX.
