The LX is $20k more than a Land Cruiser. Thats why there are both. People shopping for a Land Cruiser typically aren't going, "well the Lexus GS costs less than a Land Cruiser, so lets just get that."

People cross shop with vehicles of the same size.

 

Seeing as you're Japanese you of all people should know .

But to answer your question the Crown Hybrid for the past few years was only a "mild" hybrid. That means it could not run on electric-power alone, and all the car had really was a start-stop system which stopped the engine at idle and started it when you press the gas pedal.

This new Crown Hybrid is now a full hybrid system so the mileage and performance gains are more significant.

 

You misunderstood what I meant. I was not comparing GS to Land Cruiser, I was refering to the post I was replying to that Land Cruiser is wearing a Toyota badge but costing well above $35,000 that he or she claimed should be the maximum price limit a Toyota could have in order to survive. Land Cruiser starts at $63,200, when LX570 starts at $73,800. They should be classified as same class of vehicle. And this price difference could be made for Crown Hybrid and GS450h as well.

 

Bring that thing over here!! I'd buy one. I love Crown.

 

but thats because the LX has much more "luxury" in the eyes of the american family. I brought the GS into the picture because that means that both the GS and the Crown are similar in being a mid size sedan and also being a hybrid. both are around 50K-60K and both have like the same luxury. the crown looks so much better than anything we have offered by toyota in the US. its o nthe borderline of lexus.

 

pretty good looking car

 

Some more info: this Crown is a complete redesign. I forgot that the 12th gen Crown debuted in 2003, so it was time for a redesign. The exterior styling is evolutionary but looks good, and so is the interior but the interior looks quite amazing:








Part of the dash is leather-wrapped, and check out those gauges, they look stunning . I hope we get gauges like that soon here in North America. Those gauges are displayed on a TFT LCD system.

New features include night-vision and pedestrian detection/collision avoidance similar to the new LS. Also new is that driver monitoring system seen in the pic, again a feature found on the new LS.

I really love that new interior, and I hope the next-gen GS gets an interior at least as good as that.

The seats feature an mite allergen-reducing fabric which prevents mite allergens and dust mites from being active in the interior.

Then there is the ridiculous sound system, 19 channel amp and 18 speakers. It's seems almost as good as the ML Reference system in the LS, but it's not the same system.

Other features include Sport-Mode VDIM, active headrests, 10 airbags, redesigned electronic system and ECU.

Then there is the ridiculous NAV system:

"it enhances maneuverability, cruising stability and driving comfort by optimally controlling the dampening force of the shock absorbers based on road information from the navigation system and accumulated road surface grade difference information".

So based on nav information and road conditions the shocks are adjusted, all I can say is WOW.

 

lol wow. this is better than the GS features wise.

that entire guage area is a computer screen like the S Class. and they stole night vision from mercedes too!

it is almost a cheaper version of the LS. this is why they cant bring the car over

p.s. headlights look like they were taken from the S class too!

 

So I guess the new Majesta will be out in a year.

 

Yes, they can't bring it here because it would be a direct competitor to the GS. Also it's a Toyota model and it would not fit the North American Toyota/Lexus lineup. North Americans would not pay for an expensive Toyota-badged vehicle like this. The Crown is mainly for Japan where it's a legendary model with a long history.

Expect some of these features and more to show up on the next-gen GS. GS already has some of these features. Also the car has only a 6 speed auto, the 8 speed auto looks like will be Lexus-exclusive. Also no V8 is offered. This makes sense as to not compete too much with the GS in Japan.

 

What are you talking about? The Crown (and Lexus LX) has had the night vision feature since 2003 so it's Mercedes stealing it from Toyota (actually more like from Cadillac since they came up with it since 2000).The Crown has long been the Aristo's upscale twin. That's why.Huh? I fail to see the resemblance to the S-Class. I agree to those who say it's lifted from the Nissan Fuga however.

 

Yes, I would assume so. So far only the Royal Saloon and Athlete models are out. The Majesta model should be out soon and it should be even more luxurious than these two.

They look similar, but the new headlights are also an evolution of the previous gen ones. One can also say the Fuga's headlights had a strong Toyota style to them in the first place.

 

I would get one if I were in Asia

 

I like the fact that there are different bumper and grill designs, and that interior with the wood trim looks classy. It also looks like conventional non-LCD gauges are offered on some trims.

More pics (check out that Crown logo on the engine cover ):