Sport utility vehicles come in all shapes and sizes. You have tiny ones and full-sized giants, as well as three-door models and even ‘coupes’. Some have even dabbled in making convertible SUVs.
Ground clearance is a selling point these days, so automakers are willing to experiment to see what does and doesn’t work in the busy SUV market. One genre that has been on and off again is the high-riding sedan.
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The idea isn’t entirely new. Defunct American automaker AMC sold one in the ‘80s, while Subaru sold two generations of the Outback sedan. Even Volvo tried it out with the S60 Cross Country. Now, it’s Toyota’s turn for its take on the sport utility sedan.
The Toyota Crown was first shown as a high-riding sedan a few years ago, but the latest version takes that to another level. Dubbed the Toyota Crown Landscape, it gives this four-door a little more off-road credentials.
For starters, the Crown Landscape gets 25mm more ground clearance over the standard version, bumping it up to 172mm. It’s no Land Cruiser, but it should be enough to clear more obstacles. To give it more campsite cred, fender extensions are bolted on to the body, along a chunky set of all-terrain tires.
Its wheels are unique to this model, and it also gets stubby mudflaps thrown in the mix. Also included is a trailer hitch for those who plan on towing a caravan or, well, other things for outdoor recreation activities. Toyota also offers a variety of roof rack options for the Crown Landscape. The only thing missing here is the roof-mounted awning.
There’s only one powertrain option available for the high(er) riding Crown, but it’s a solid one. It’s the 2.4-liter turbo hybrid arrangement. It makes 349hp and 534Nm of torque with power sent to all four wheels.
For now, the Toyota Crown Landscape is a Japan-only model, but it will be interesting to see if variations of its kind will be offered in other markets.
