Sixth-generation Toyota Crown Majesta (GWS214)

The Majesta is the flagship of the Toyota Crown lineup and by the word flagship, it was notable for putting up a big engine, mainly the big, thirsty V8 engine on it used by over five generations. For the brand new, sixth-generation model, which is now the long-wheelbase version of the 14th generation Crown, launched last year, the brand new Majesta is now breaking the Majesta tradition while retaining the status of being the flagship saloon that was commonly the chauffeur's choice.

2014 Toyota Crown Majesta

The oddity starts at the exterior because there goes the rather controversial front face as seen on the current-generation Crown, which was launched since Christmas Day 2012, because past Crowns are subtle, more classier, and more sophisticated but right now, I'm sensing the loss of sophistication here because I don't think the new front face will be worth the taking of being a flagship saloon car for the executives. However, while the new front face is rather controversial rather than being classy, it's all part of the way it handles its aerodynamics because there's the lower-front grille shutter which opens and shuts based on the car's speed and engine water temperature. With this, the new shutter under the grille reduces air resistance and improves engine warm-up efficiency. Clever though, and now to the real part why there was a thing that the Majesta tradition was broken.

2014 Toyota Crown Majesta

For the brand new Majesta, the old V8's of yesteryear's Majesta generations is no longer offered, thrown away, and yes, I am shocked to say that the previous Majesta, the 2009-era Majesta, really is the final V8-powered Toyota sedan ever made and since it's gone, it's gone for good and the new Majesta is equipped with the 3.5L V6 hybrid powerplant inherited from the latest generation Lexus GS450h. Although, it has the same hybrid powerplant as the GS450h, the new Majesta's 3.5L V6 engine produces about 292PS of power alone and for the sake of science, the new Majesta has an electric motor which produces 147kW of power so when both of the V6 engine and the electric motor kicks in, I'd expect that it has the same combined output as the GS450h's...and it wasn't. 343PS of combined power output, less than the GS450h produced and less than the previous model's 4.6L V8. On the plus side, it packs more power than the previous model's 4.3L V8, so positively, the 18.2km/L of fuel consumption really shows that a little downsizing really placed the whole "less is more" philosophy, the new Majesta with its hybrid powerplant has the power of a V8 with the fuel economy of a compact car. Yeah, they can do science, them.

The gearbox is now a CVT but based on the instruction manual I read, when I shift this to its S-MODE, it behaves like an 8-speed gearbox with a little help of eight simulated gears. That seems fine but as a concept, it feels a bit old-fashioned for me. If you're in a middle of a "Don't Hurry" situation, the CVT gearbox is your only friend but if you're in a rush hour, expect a strong hating for this gearbox.

On the suspension side, the new Majesta comes with front double wishbone and rear multilink suspension, made to keep this flagship saloon as comfortable as...hmmm...walking on a pool of custard? Yep, I was gonna say that but I haven't got to the other part about loads of tech done in the name of stability and yes, I am now because for the new model, it has Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM), Variable Gear Ratio Steering (VGRS) and Electric Power Steering (EPS). It also has this Navigation/Artificial Intelligence-Adaptive Variable Suspension System (NAVI/AI-AVS) which provide integrated control of vehicle behavior in tandem with the four wheels to create a flat ride and comfortable handling. Yep, this is quite a treat if you don't want to wake your boss sleeping at the rear seat but be warned though, although the new Majesta was more focused on comfort, I'm afraid that it's not quite exciting to drive either because with all of those tech loaded as well as being governed by some sort of electronic nanny, this car is a bit of a gentleman's manner rather than a car made for chase scenes in case of unsuspecting Yakuzas chasing you from behind. Even when set to SPORT MODE, it feels a bit of a same in here.

2014 Toyota Crown Majesta interior

2014 Toyota Crown Majesta interior

As for the pricing, the new model now costs less than the previous model because it now costs 6.1 million Yen, about 20,000 less than the old one and the top-of-the-line F-Version costs 6.7 million Yen and for that version, you can have a Pre-Crash Safety System, Intelligence Clearance Sonar, and Radar Cruise Control. I know, the new model may have cut its costs to make it more valuable than the previous model but I'm afraid that it is a bit costly for a long-wheelbase version of the Crown Royal with the Lexus GS450h powerplant on it.

Like any other luxury saloons, the new Majesta does have a comfortable interior and thanks to its long wheel-base, the new Majesta does focused on having space at the back more than anything else, like what the Chinese had for their long-wheelbase versions of German saloons, it also has a bigger boot which accommodates up to four golf bags, and as a limousine, it really does make you feel LIKE A BOSS. Summing up this car then is hard because let's be honest, what I like about the new Majesta is its long wheelbase, space at the back, the pursuit of being a comfortable car, and the hybrid powerplant which produces V8 power with compact-like fuel economy, while what I don't like about the new Majesta is the CVT gearbox with eight simulated gears, not quite exciting to drive (quite an irony from Toyota's FUN TO DRIVE AGAIN slogan), and the design that is a bit controversial.

Colors: White Pearl Crystal Shine,  Silver Metallic, Precious Silver, Black, Dark Red Mica Metallic, and Dark Blue Mica.

Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation