{"id":37732,"date":"2019-11-22T06:00:03","date_gmt":"2019-11-21T21:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/?p=37732"},"modified":"2021-06-08T09:21:12","modified_gmt":"2021-06-08T00:21:12","slug":"toyota-crown-athlete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/en\/entry\/toyota-crown-athlete\/","title":{"rendered":"Driving a Toyota Crown Athlete as a Porsche Boxster Loaner"},"content":{"rendered":"

Toyota Crown Athlete<\/h3>\n

The other day, when I took my Boxster GTS in for its annual service, the loaner car was a Toyota Crown Athlete<\/strong>. My husband dropped off the Boxster at the dealership that morning, picked up the Crown, then returned it later that day before driving home in the Boxster, so I didn\u2019t get a chance to drive it myself. I decided to ask him what he thought once he got home.<\/p>\n

For reference, the Crown loaner was a previous-generation, 210-series Crown Athlete Hybrid G<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

But when my husband got home that evening, he didn\u2019t say a word about the Crown. So I finally asked, \u201cWell, how was the Crown?<\/strong>\u201d This was his response.<\/p>\n

Oh, the Crown\u2026 It was better than I expected. Around town, it\u2019s a really relaxed car to drive. Totally stress-free. For getting around on Japanese roads or crawling along on congested highways, I think it\u2019s a great car.<\/p>\n

I see. \u201cBut with \u2018Athlete\u2019 in the name, I guess it\u2019s sportier than a regular Crown?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

Yeah, probably. The suspension was firmer than I\u2019d expect from a Crown<\/strong>, but I thought it was very well judged. Even as an Athlete, it was perfectly comfortable around town.
\nThat said, changing lanes on the highway felt a little scary<\/strong>. It was fine going straight, but when I moved over briskly at a pace fast enough to lead the passing lane, it honestly felt unsettling. The nose would turn, then the rear would follow a beat or two later, with a lot of body movement afterward.
\nIt just doesn\u2019t feel as planted as a European car.<\/p>\n

That was his take.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about the engine? It\u2019s a hybrid, right?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

The engine and hybrid system have a decent amount of power. But the car feels less powerful than the numbers suggest<\/strong>. Part of that is the CVT: there\u2019s a real sense of the engine revving without the car responding. The engine and motor speed up, but the car\u2019s speed doesn\u2019t rise in proportion<\/strong>, which feels pretty odd to me.
\nOn top of that, the power meter on the left side of the instrument cluster jumps around a lot. If it were a tachometer, the needle would often be near the redline. But its movements don\u2019t match the acceleration or road speed at all.
\nI know it\u2019s something you could get used to, but the mismatch between what I saw and the speed or G-forces I felt remained uncomfortable right to the end<\/strong>. It made the car feel underpowered, so I found myself pressing the accelerator harder than I needed to.<\/p>\n

\"
\nI could see what he meant just from hearing him describe it. That mismatch really would feel strange.<\/p>\n

Next page \u2192 My husband\u2019s verdict on the Crown Athlete<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

My Parents and the Crown<\/h3>\n

On a slightly different note, when I was a child, my parents replaced their car with a Crown. My mother often said, \u201cIt\u2019s bigger than our last car, so I have to be careful when I drive it<\/strong>.\u201d Looking back, though, the Crown\u2019s body was less than 1,800 mm wide at the time.<\/p>\n

Even now, when my mother sees me driving the Panamera, she says, \u201cI really worry about you driving such a big car!<\/strong>\u201d I can understand why. (lol)<\/p>\n

My father has never been interested in cars, but for some reason he\u2019s always loved Toyota and stuck with the brand. Before the Crown, he drove a Vista. As he moved up the ranks at work, the cars he drove moved upmarket too, until he finally got a Crown.<\/strong> For my parents\u2019 generation, the Crown must have had a special significance.<\/p>\n

Not long after the Crown was delivered, my mother drove it to a get-together with friends. When she got home, she told us, beaming:<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone said, \u2018Wow, it\u2019s a Crown! That\u2019s amazing!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

I still remember how pleased she was, even though I was just a kid.<\/p>\n

\"\u30af\u30e9\u30a6\u30f3\u30a8\u30f3\u30d6\u30ec\u30e0\"<\/p>\n

At Its Best Below 100 km\/h<\/h3>\n

Back to the Crown: here\u2019s my husband\u2019s overall verdict on the Toyota Crown Athlete.<\/p>\n

If I had to sum it up in one phrase, I\u2019d call it \u201cfantastic up to 100 km\/h.\u201d<\/strong> It\u2019s an exceptional car at low speeds, with a wonderfully calm, composed feel. Press the accelerator a little too enthusiastically and, naturally, it picks up speed, but the G-forces still feel gentle. It\u2019s quiet, and the cabin feels peaceful.<\/strong> The steering is light, and you can get around without any stress\u2014whether you\u2019re stopping at traffic lights or stuck in a jam.
\nGlance over at the dashboard and you\u2019ll see the air-conditioning vents gently swing from side to side, sending out a breeze at just the right temperature and humidity. The armrest is at a comfortable height, the seats are soft, and even the window sills sit at just the right level\u2014as if to say, \u201cGo ahead, rest your arm here while you drive.<\/strong>\u201d
\nYou can tell the car was designed with one priority in mind: making sure you never get tired of driving around town.<\/strong> I can easily imagine that a car like this is the least stressful choice for a daily commute.<\/strong>
\nOn Japanese roads, where speeds are generally modest, it\u2019s in a class of its own for comfort. It\u2019s easy to see why it sells so well, and there\u2019s a lot to admire.
\nOn the other hand, if you love driving, it can feel a little underwhelming.<\/strong> Maybe I wouldn\u2019t feel that way if I\u2019d only driven Crowns and other Japanese sedans, but the confidence, stability, and agility at higher speeds are on a completely different level compared with European cars.<\/strong> Every time a new model comes out, reviews say it\u2019s getting closer to European cars. But honestly, when it comes to driving dynamics, I\u2019m still surprised by how much of a gap remains.<\/strong>
\nI understand that comparing them may not be entirely fair. So rather than trying to imitate European cars, I hope the Crown continues to be the ideal car for getting around Japan.<\/strong>
\nBy the way, the current Toyota Century, which you often see at official Imperial Household events, has a clean, elegant look that feels unmistakably its own. I really like it. Perhaps the Crown could become an even more distinctive and appealing car by following a similar direction. If Toyota made a Crown that was something like a \u201cmini Century,\u201d I\u2019d be very tempted.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

That was his verdict. Interesting! I\u2019d love to try one myself sometime. And a big thank-you to Mr. H at the dealership for always looking after us and offering such a great range of loaner cars.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u30dc\u30af\u30b9\u30bf\u30fc\u70b9\u691c\u306e\u4ee3\u8eca\u3067\u304a\u501f\u308a\u3057\u305f\u3001\u30c8\u30e8\u30bf\u30af\u30e9\u30a6\u30f3\u30a2\u30b9\u30ea\u30fc\u30c8\u3002\u30dd\u30eb\u30b7\u30a7\u4e57\u308a\u306e\u592b\u306e\u8a55\u4fa1\u306f\u3044\u304b\u306b\u2026\uff01\uff1f","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":15675,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/?p=15648","footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-testdrive","en-US"],"yoast_head":"Driving a Toyota Crown Athlete as a Porsche Boxster Loaner - Porsche Owner's Blog from Japan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What\u2019s a Toyota Crown Athlete like as a Porsche Boxster GTS loaner? 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