TOYOTA CROWN UNDERGOES FULL-MODEL CHANGE

In styling, Toyota designers closely respected the traditional elegance of the Crown as a high-class passenger car, and provided it with a sophisticated contemporary feeling and superior functional beauty.

The design philosophy behind the 4-door hardtop was to create a luxury-class car for discriminating owners with sophisticated taste. Its "crystal pillars" in the rear quarters and wrap-around windows give the cabin a bright, uniquely open feeling. Its wedge-shaped profile and beautiful silhouette further enhance the feeling of luxury.

For the sedan, the basic theme is pride and dignity befitting a modern executive. This was achieved through its low beltline, an expansive, bright greenhouse, a luxurious front grille and modern-looking rear. The overall result is distinction.

"True high class" was the theme for the station wagon. Its skylight window gives it a spacious feeling, and the two-step roof adds to its interior comfort. The station wagon combines, in short, versatile practicality and superior styling.

The full-frame, four-wheel independent suspension used in the new Crown series is a Toyota exclusive, available on no other mass-produced FR configuration passenger car. A double wishbone is used for the front suspension, and a semi-trailing arm for the rear suspension. In combination with the newly designed full-frame, these features add up to superior maneuverability and good riding stability with added comfort and quietness.

An Electronic Skid Control (ESC) has also been added, the first time ever in Japan on a car of this class. Thanks to ESC the new Crown offers greatly improved stability and handling during emergency braking on wet or slippery roads.

The new Crown series has also been equipped with an auto-leveller, a device that maintains a vehicle's height at a constant level by adjusting automatically to the total weight the car is carrying. A vehicle thus always maintains the optimum height, which results in a pleasant ride and outstanding driving stability.

Electronically controlled progressive power steering adjusts automatically to vehicle speed, for better maneuverability.

A lengthened wheelbase and a dashboard pushed closer to the front have made the interior of the car longer. Also, the floor has been lowered and widened. The result: one of the roomiest cars in this class.

The instrument panel in the 4-door hardtop has been made more individualized and functional, and that in the sedan offers high utility and sophisticated design. Both panels contribute to making the vehicle interior more pleasant and more functional.

The cabin, meanwhile, has a flush outside surface, the triple door sealing has cut wind noise, and the full-frame and newly designed body mount provide superior anti-vibration characteristics―all contributing to enhanced quietness, although the Crown was already one of the quietest cars in its class worldwide.

Besides a wide choice of body types, the new Crown also offers eleven different high-performance, fuel-efficient engines. Besides the 5M-GEU type twin cam engine (six cylinders, DOHC, 2,759cc), the 1G Twin Cam 24 engine (1G-GEU type, six cylinders, DOHC, 1,988cc) has been added to make the twin cam series more complete. Both are available in the Royal Saloon.

The principal engine features are as follows.

• The 5M-GEU type twin cam engine is already world renowned for its high output and superior quietness. Now, its fuel efficiency, driveability and other performance features have been greatly improved through adoption for the first time in Japan of an electronically controlled transmission (ECT), with a microcomputer controlling both engine and the transmission.
• The 1G-Twin Cam 24 is a lightweight, compact engine newly mounted on the Crown. This high-performance, six-cylinder, 24-valve twin cam engine has achieved fuel efficiency of 10.2 km/liter in the 10-mode test with a 5-speed manual transmission (Ministry of Transport values), giving it one of the world's best fuel economy values for six-cylinder cars in this class.
• The 1G-EU type, six-cylinder, OHC, 1,988cc engine is fitted with a new electronically controlled fuel injection system (EFI-D), thus helping it to achieve both good fuel economy and high performance.
• The M-type turbo engine (M-TEU type, six-cylinder, OHC, 1,988cc) has been fitted with the world's first electronically controlled 4-speed automatic transmission with two-way overdrive, which has raised power output and fuel efficiency.
• Other new engines with outstanding fuel efficiency and quietness include the 2L diesel (2L type, four-cylinder, 2,446cc) and the 3Y-LPG (3Y-PU type, four-cylinder, 1,988cc) engines.

1. Four-wheel ESC

   This microcomputer-controlled device prevents all four wheels from locking, greatly improving stability and maneuverability during emergency braking on slippery roads.

2. Auto-leveller

   The new Crown series incorporates a microcomputer-controlled auto-leveller with a photo sensor that enables the vehicle to maintain a constant height automatically regardless of the number of passengers or the weight of load in the trunk. The result: outstanding riding comfort, maneuverability and riding stability.

3. Progressive power steering

   This innovative power steering system incorporates a computer that continuously matches steering effort with vehicle speed, reducing the effort needed at low speeds and providing an appropriate steering resistance at medium and high speeds, and especially, straightaway driving at high speeds.

4. New microcomputer-controlled air-conditioner

   This improved version of Toyota's existing, highly regarded microcomputer-controlled auto air-conditioner incorporates the world's first 10-cylinder variable capacity compressor to further enhance fuel efficiency. Additional features include a swing grille (automatic swinging central air outlet), front/rear air volume control heater (another world first), and a number of other innovative mechanisms to improve cabin comfort.

5. Royal Sound System

   The Royal Sound System, standard equipment on the Royal Saloon G, includes the unique Position Selector (note 1) that delivers optimum sounds for each seating position at the touch of a control button, the "one-touch" Sound Flavor (note 2) tonal adjustment system, the FM dual glass antenna (another world first) and other equipment to assure listening pleasure.

   Note 1

   Position Selector
   By selecting any one of the four select buttons for DRIVER, ASSIST, REAR and ALL, the system provides optimum sounds for each seating position chosen.

   Note 2

   Sound Flavor System
   This system includes five buttons for classical music, rock, pop, jazz and vocals, for "one-touch" selection of optimum sound mix for every type of music.

6. Comfortable seats incorporating new mechanisms

   The new Crown has power seats in both front and rear. The driver's seat is a multi-adjustable, microcomputer-controlled power seat. A vibration device is internalized in the rear seat backs of sedan versions, to offer passengers the option of a massage while riding in the Crown. The station wagons have "all-flat seats." All seats―from the front cushion to the rear seat backs―can be folded down completely to provide a spacious flat floor.

7. Other new mechanisms and equipment

   Besides the foregoing, the new series offers the world's first tilt-and-telescopic steering column with a built-in memory for a greater range of driving position adjustments and added convenience for entry and exit. A "one-touch" autodrive switch on the steering wheel and new mechanisms further enhance maneuverability and comfort.

   These new mechanisms and equipment are standard or optional depending on the vehicle grade in the series. The Royal Saloon G 4-door hardtop is equipped with a total of nine microcomputer controls, reflecting Toyota's determination to employ to the full the latest advances in electronics.