Toyota Crown is well known to people as the eighth generation model. At that time, it had an imported identity, coupled with high prices, it became a luxury car in people’s mouth, and it was also a dream car for many people. Now, the sixteenth generation Toyota Crown is once again meeting Chinese consumers as an imported identity. Can it continue to be brilliant with feelings? This issue of "Quality Selection" will reveal the answer for you.
First, basic information and product highlights
The above manufacturer’s guide price only represents the price on May 23, 2024. If there is any change, please refer to the official website.
The 2024 Toyota Crown was officially launched on April 24, 2024. The new car was launched in two models, both of which were equipped with a 2.5L naturally aspirated engine + a gasoline-electric hybrid system composed of a single motor.
The appearance of the new Toyota Crown looks very solemn. The large-size straight waterfall front grille on the front face is matched with chrome decoration, which looks very imposing. At the same time, the slender through-type headlight group echoes the taillights, effectively stretching the visual width. The design of the diversion grooves on both sides of the front surround, coupled with the shape of the slippery back body and a lot of black decoration, strengthens the sporty atmosphere, which in turn makes the whole vehicle exude a combination of solemnity and dynamics.
In terms of power system, the new Toyota Crown comes standard with a 2.5L in-line four-cylinder naturally aspirated engine codenamed A25B-FXS + a gasoline-electric hybrid system composed of a single motor in front. The engine adopts a longitudinal layout, which brings a better weight ratio. The maximum power of the engine is 136kW, the peak torque is 225N · m, the total power of the motor is 131.9kW, and the total torque is 300N · m. The matching transmission system is E-CVT electronic continuously variable transmission, the acceleration time of 0-100km/h is 8.6s, and the fuel consumption of WLTC comprehensive working conditions is 6.21L/100km.
Second, product competitiveness analysis
The above manufacturer’s guide price only represents the price on May 23, 2024. If there is any change, please refer to the official website.
This time, we selected the 2024 FAW Hongqi H9 (hereinafter referred to as Hongqi H9), which is similar in price and luxurious positioning to the 2024 Toyota Crown (hereinafter referred to as Toyota Crown), and the 2023 SAIC-GM Cadillac CT6 (hereinafter referred to as Cadillac CT6) for comparison. From the price range, the price of Toyota Crown entry-level models is already lower than 300,000 yuan, which is very advantageous. From the design point of view, Hongqi H9 has a unique "national style" element, and provides two appearance styles to choose from. Toyota Crown and Cadillac CT6 are more international, with a typical family style and rich business sports design.
In terms of power system, the Hongqi H9 is equipped with a 2.0T engine + 48V light hybrid system, and the parameter performance is the most eye-catching among the three cars. The Cadillac CT6 is a pure fuel 2.0T engine, and the power reserve is not weak. In contrast, the gasoline-electric hybrid system carried by Toyota Crown, although the power is not dominant, the WLTC comprehensive fuel consumption performance is the lowest among the three cars, which is also in line with the consistent positioning of Toyota brand hybrid cars.
Specific to the vehicle configuration level, it is not difficult to see from the comparison of the configuration table that the new Toyota Crown has absolute advantages. For example, high-end functions such as suspension soft and hard adjustment, rear electric suction doors, induction trunk, and streaming media rearview mirrors are exclusive, and even if there is an import status, the official guide price is the lowest among the three cars, and the cost performance is high.
III. Product quality and service trend analysis
As a replacement model, will the new Toyota Crown have any hidden dangers of quality problems? In this regard, we will start with the faulty problems of FAW Toyota Crown Land in the past year, because both use a hybrid system composed of a 2.5L engine + a single motor. Through the comparison of fault problems, we can preliminarily predict the development trend of future new car quality problems.
After screening the complaint data of FAW Toyota Crown Land Display models for nearly a year, it can be found that the failure problems are mainly concentrated in "audio and video system failure". Further analysis shows that the new Toyota Crown is equipped with a new Toyota Space intelligent cockpit, which is one generation ahead of FAW Toyota Crown Land Display and has been optimized in the UI interface and functions. Therefore, it can be considered that the new car does not have the above problems for the time being. But the actual situation will not be determined until it is put into use for a period of time.
With the continuous development of the automobile market in our country, the level of brand pre-sales/after-sales services and the quality of the purchase experience have gradually become important factors affecting consumers’ final purchase. Therefore, based on the big data of the car quality network, we will provide consumers with a more objective reference for purchasing models by analyzing the common service problems of brands or car series in the past year.
Because the new Toyota Crown was introduced and sold by FAW Toyota, we analyzed the service problem complaints of the FAW Toyota brand in the past year. From the perspective of service complaint problems, "system upgrade problems" and "other" became relatively more service problems complained by car owners. Through further analysis, it can be seen that most of these two types of service problems come from RAV4 Rongfang and Crown Land-based models.
In terms of measuring the word-of-mouth of new car after-sales services, we will analyze the company’s response to the owner’s complaint, and objectively anticipate the word-of-mouth of the new car’s future after-sales services. According to the car quality network data, FAW Toyota’s response rate to its model complaints in the past year was 99.5%, higher than the average level of joint venture brands in the same period. It can be seen that the manufacturer has a more positive attitude towards the owner’s appeal.
Four, after-sales services policy and network distribution
In terms of after-sales services policy, the purchase of 2024 Toyota Crown models can enjoy three years or 100,000 kilometers of vehicle quality assurance (please consult your local dealer for details).
After the vehicle is purchased, it is necessary to involve the daily maintenance of the vehicle. At this time, the number and distribution of brand dealer stores are very important, and it will even have a certain impact on whether consumers buy the brand model. The 2024 Toyota Crown is sold by FAW Toyota channels. According to the statistics of Car Quality Network, FAW Toyota brand currently has 873 dealer stores in China, covering 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, of which Guangdong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang have relatively large numbers of dealers.
Summarize:
FAW Toyota introduced the 12th to 14th generation Crown models for domestic production. Due to the lack of competitiveness of the 14th generation Crown at the end of the life cycle, it was eventually discontinued, which also directly made the 15th generation models miss the Chinese market. Over time, the 16th generation models have returned to the domestic market as imports again, and the cost performance has been significantly improved. Such a mid-to-large sedan with a typical Japanese luxury style is very attractive to consumers with feelings. If you like Japanese luxury cars, have a budget of about 300,000 yuan, and don’t want to deal with the weak Lexus ES200, then the new Toyota Crown is definitely the best choice.
