Toyota Crown Majesta

First-generation series S140

The first Toyota Crown Majesta was introduced in Japan as a 4-door sedan in October 1991. It looked very similar to its smaller sibling, the Toyota Crown. It also bore a resemblance to the larger Toyota Celsior, which was a sedan that appeared in 1989. At first, the Toyota Crown Majesta was a trim-level variant of the Toyota Crown series, called the Crown Royal Saloon G. The Majesta was an ultra-luxurious variant of the Toyota Crown and was slightly wider and heavier, necessitating two engine choices: the 3.0 L 2JZ-GE engine, which produced 226 bhp (169 kW; 229 PS); and the 4.0L 1UZ-FE, which produced 256 bhp (191 kW; 260 PS). The two engine choices gave Japanese buyers the option as to which annual road tax obligation they were willing to pay.

In 1992, four-wheel steering was offered in compliance with the four-wheel-drive system, called 4WDi-Four. This boosted handling capabilities and gave increased traction. Advanced for this time, the Crown Majesta had an optional GPS navigation system, electronic instrument cluster, electric power steering, heated front and rear electric seats, a head-up display that projected key information on the inside windshield surface above the instrument cluster, and an i-Four comprehensive vehicle control system. The Crown Majesta was the first Toyota to be equipped with vehicle stability control, in 1995. Prices for the Crown Majesta started at US$32,100 for the lowest spec 3.0A model and rose to US$51,000 for the V8 with four-wheel steering.

Second-generation series S150

The Crown Majesta underwent its first redesign in 1995. Notable enhancements were made to the tail lamps to distinguish the model from the lower-spec Toyota Crown. The redesign made the vehicle similar to the Celsior and Lexus LS 400 (UCF20), which debuted in 1994. Changes were also made to the engine lineup. The 3.0 L 2JZ-GE engine stayed the same, but the V8 received a power increase to 265 PS (195 kW; 261 bhp) . Due to cost-cutting efforts within Toyota, the list of optional equipment offered was simplified.

At its introduction in 1996, it won the Automotive Researchers' and Journalists' Conference Car of the Year award in Japan which it shared with the 1996 Crown.

In August 1997, the front grille was restyled and HID headlights were introduced. VVT-i technology was offered on the V8, improving the horsepower to 280 PS (206 kW; 276 bhp). A new 5-speed automatic transmission was also introduced. Four-wheel steering was no longer offered. In addition, a new two-tone paint scheme offered an upmarket image for the Crown Majesta.

Third-generation series S170

This version, released in September 1999, received a complete redesign, further incorporating styling elements of the popular Lexus LS. Wider vertical tail lamps were incorporated.

DVD-based GPS navigation was introduced, as well as a "Ottoman" foot rest for the rear passenger seats. This was achieved by enabling part of the seat cushion of the front passenger seat back to tilt rearward towards the rear seat passengers.

The 4000 cc 1UZ-FE DOHC V-8-cylinder engine remained, now rated at 280 hp. The trend among automakers towards large-diameter wheels with low-profile tires was ignored in favor of a good ride and better handling with smaller wheels.

The S170 Crown Majesta was made the official company car for senior-level Toyota management.

Fourth-generation series S180

The fourth-generation Crown Majesta received a complete redesign when it was introduced on July 6, 2004. In August 2006, the Toyota Celsior was no longer offered in Japan, due to the introduction of the Lexus brand in Japan. The Crown Majesta replaced the Celsior, despite objections from Japanese customers. It introduced the first Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) integrated vehicle handling and software control system and radar adaptive cruise control with low-speed tracking function. The engine was upgraded to the 3UZ-FE, shared with the USA-spec Lexus LS. The transmission was upgraded to a 6-speed, the four-wheel drive was improved, and air suspension was introduced. Intelligent adaptive front lighting and rear curtain airbags were added to improve safety. Enhancements were made to the interior of the vehicle, including a rear-view camera and parking assistance technology. A supercharger was also offered with the 6-speed transmission, allowing the engine to produce 340 bhp (254 kW; 345 PS). Prices were around US$69,400 for the Crown Majesta AWD.

For model year 2006, G-BOOK was added to the list of standard features, along with a rear-view camera. A departure from previous models, the two-tone paint scheme was removed to target a younger audience.

In July 2004 the Crown Majesta introduced both a Lane keeping assist and a Radar Pre-Collision System with a single camera to improve the accuracy of collision forecast and warning and control levels.

Rebadge

For more information, see Hongqi (marque).

In China, this generation of Toyota Crown Majesta was rebadged and has been sold as the Hongqi HQ3/HQ430 from 2006 to 2010.

Fifth-generation series S200

On March 26, 2009, the fifth generation was introduced. Design similarities between the Crown Majesta and the current Camry have been noted, especially in the grille. Although it was initially reported that the name "Crown" would be removed, establishing the Majesta as an independent car, this did not happen and the car remained the Crown Majesta. The body size expanded from the previous generation, now comparable to the Lexus LS.

As with the Lexus GS and LS, the 4.6 L 1UR-FSE engine is standard, however, the four-wheel-drive employed the 4.3 liter 3UZ-FE. The larger engine incurs a higher road tax liability than the smaller 4.3 L engine.

In China, FAW Toyota assembled a limited number of LHD Toyota Crown Majesta S200, which is called Toyota Crown RoyalSaloon VIP.

Interior

Standard interior features include a 20-speaker Toyota Premium Sound system, a 1 Terabyte Hard disk drive navigation system, XM NavTraffic, a real-time traffic monitoring system with dynamic rerouting; Keyless SmartAccess with push-button start, Optitron instrument panel, auxiliary MP3 and MP4 player inputs, and a 5-position tire pressure display. A 24-hour concierge/emergency aid service, with the analogous G-Link navigation system is offered in Japan. Japanese market Crown sedans also feature MiniDisc compatibility, television reception, on board security surveillance cameras, and remote cellphone access. The seats are fully electric, and have a massage feature.

Exterior

The design features body forms running the length of the car, with wheel arches, arrow-shaped chrome trim, a grille set slightly below the level of the headlamps, and a fastback rear decklid. Compared to the previous generation, the forward and aft coefficient of lift was reduced to 0.02 and 0.01, respectively, while aerodynamic drag remained the same. Exterior-wise, it has a profile similar to the Lexus LS, with identical overhangs in both front and rear; however, the rear passenger doors are noticeably longer in the stretched model.

Additional details of the design include adaptive headlamps housed in hand polished surrounds designed to look like Baccarat crystal tumblers and chrome exhaust vents integrated into the rear bumper. The fenders are produced using a 5200-ton press, which when introduced was the world's strongest stamping press. The model's paint finish is applied to bare-metal body panels which are first prepared by a six-axis buffing robot with 3D movements, the entire paint finish is wet-sanded twice by hand between layers of paint application. Front and rear window frames are each constructed from a single die-cast zinc piece, plated in chrome and then polished by hand.

Safety

World first Front-side Pre-crash Safety System: on this generation Crown Majesta, Toyota further advanced the Pre-Collision System (PCS), adding a front-side millimeter-wave radar to detect potential side collisions primarily at intersections or when another vehicle crosses the center line (Intersection assistant). The latest version tilts the rear seat upward, placing the passenger in a more ideal crash position if it detects a front or rear impact.

World first series production center airbag for the rear seats.

Sixth-generation series S210

Launched in Japan since September 9, 2013, the sixth-generation model replaced the outgoing model's V8 engine in favor of Toyota's 3.5-liter V6 hybrid powerplant inherited from the Lexus GS450h premium sedan, plus an additional 2.5-liter hybrid inline-four engine for the four-wheel drive version. The elimination of the V8 engines reduced the annual road tax liability for large engine displacement. The Crown Majesta was given an all-new appearance after the reintroduction of the Nissan Cima in April 2012. Fuel economy is now greatly improved to 18.2 km/L (51 mpg_‑imp; 43 mpg_‑US) under the JC08 test cycle. The wheelbase is 75 mm longer than the corresponding Crown Royal and Athlete and incorporates advanced safety and convenience equipment such as blind spot monitoring and a collision avoidance system. The Majesta is priced at ¥12,900,000 (including consumption tax) and the monthly sales target for Japan is 500 units.