Toyota Crown Estate Debuts in Japan as an SUV-Wagon Hybrid

The all-new Toyota Crown Estate debuts in Japan as the fourth model under Toyota’s revamped Crown lineup.

Another day, another JDM special unveiled by Toyota, this time being the new Toyota Crown Estate. This sleek wagon is the fourth model launched by Toyota under its recently revamped ‘Crown’ lineup after the Sport, Crossover, and Sedan, featuring both self-charging (HEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain options.

Also known as the Crown Signia in the US, the Crown Estate gets a not-so-conventional long-roofed wagon bodystyle, featuring a slightly jacked-up look, thus making it look more like an SUV crossover rather than an estate. Similar to other Crown models, the Crown Estate gets the same hammerhead front face featuring C-shaped LED headlights and hexagonal inserts for the front grille, to name a few.

Besides the SUV-ish bodystyle, the Crown Estate gets a pretty straightforward rear-end design, featuring full-width LED taillights and a roof-mounted spoiler. Dimension-wise, the Crown Estate is also the larger of its coupe SUV twin, measuring 4,930 MM long, 1,880 MM wide, 1,625 MM tall, and a wheelbase of 2,850 MM.

Just like any other Crown variants, the Crown Estate gets a pretty upmarket cabin space primed with tons of premium materials and equipment, all laid out in a conventional manner. Some key highlights include a leather-wrapped multifunctional steering wheel with a fully digital metre cluster hiding behind it, a large 12.3-inch infotainment screen, genuine leather upholstery in both black and tan hues, and many more.

Space is also quite decent in the Estate, as its two-row five-seater layout allows for a spacious rear cabin space. Not to forget, its cargo space also measures decently at 470 litres as standard and can be expanded to 1,470 litres once the rear seats are folded down, where it provides an almost flat surface of up to two metres in length.

Underpinning the same TNGA platform as the rest of its siblings, the new Crown Estate comes in either HEV or PHEV powertrain flavours, both using the same 2.5-litre 4-cyl nat-asp A25A-FXS Dynamic Force petrol engine as their core. The petrol lump outputs 190 PS and 236 NM in the HEV form, while the PHEV version gets a de-tuned version rated at 177 PS and 219 NM.

For both variants, the electrification assist comes in the form of Toyota’s proprietary E-Four dual-motor AWD driveline, featuring a 5NM electric motor producing 182 PS and 270 NM to the front wheels, while the rear axle gets a less peppy 4NM motor rated at 54 PS and 121 NM.

Naturally, the Crown Estate PHEV gets a larger lithium-ion battery pack that promises to grant it up to 89 KM of pure EV range. Like any other modern PHEVs, the Crown Estate also supports fast charging capabilities, with Toyota claiming a fast charge to 80% only takes about 38 minutes.

The all-new Toyota Crown Estate currently retails from JPY 6.350 million (RM190,068) for the Z Hybrid variant, while the top-spec RS PHEV version is tagged higher at JPY 8.1 million (RM242,449) a pop. Given its JDM-exclusive status, we’re certain that this model won’t be making its way into our market, with the only viable option being the grey market route.