Letter From Europe - The Crown, Sequoia, CX-70 Love and Like
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By Andrew Frankl
European Bureau Chief
The Auto Channel
Is this a Lamborghini asked the man as he was walking out of the Belvedere Tennis Club ? It looks gorgeous.
Actually it is a Toyota. Oh, come on, you’ve got to be kidding me! When he finally calmed down I showed him the various badges on the back and then he believed me.
In a way I can’t blame because the grill was very avant, the color simply out of this World. Even people who realized that it wasn’t a Lambo commented on the stunning color
So a big well-done whoever approved it at Toyota City!
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The Crown Signia is a tall wagon with standard all-wheel drive. The 240 hp 2.5 liter engine is all right, the Signia could cope with more power. It is a funny thing. I”ve been testing cars and trucks for something like fifty years and sometimes you just feel comfortable. It is airy, and the interior is tasteful.
Obviously much more of a cruiser than a sporty SUV such as an Audi but then think of the price! You can get one for just over 40 thousand dollars-incredible value.
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Astonishingly enough it isn’t selling well even though it has just about everything going for it. One of the reasons has to be the name.
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Think about it-would you go to the bar and when inevitably the conversation turns to what do you drive you would probably say oh, a Toyota. You mean a Camry? Something like that changing the subject rapidly.
Wonderful Toyota friends, it is never too late to rename, rebadge something as good as the Crown. 10,263 sold in 2024 is crazy. Based on what it delivers 50 thousand would be the minimum I would expect.
Honestly. With a fuel economy of just under 40 miles per gallon and all mod cons plus supreme comfort it is a near to steal as an automobile will ever get.
Now this might sound a little bit naughty but it isn’t unheard of. Mercedes owners always had a hang-up about status often they could not afford a V8 or an AMG or anything that looked remotely sexy...in Europe folks often drive the least expensive Mercedes with a 6.9 badge on the back.
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Buyers of the Crown Signia think about it. The quickest way to do it-go the the dealer and get a couple of Lexus badges. With a car this good and this good looking a lot of people will fall for it and most importantly nobody gets hurt, it is good clean fun!
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Some cars and SUVs I love, others I don’t. Or at least I am not sorry when something else arrives. The Mazda CX-70 is a case in point. It had so many warning bells that it was driving me insane.
There is something called the nanny state and that it what the CX-70 was.
Mollycoddling and overdoing it in a big way. Reversing out of a garage, bells, going within two feet of some bushes -jingle all the way, the correct speed limit on the windscreen along side the actual one along the lines of who is a naughty boy now? Doing 68 instead of 65 and up it came on the screen.
But the infuriating thing is that with all the blabla about how safe the CX-70 is the one of the most important features the side mirror warning triangles are a massive embarrassment. I worked in the car industry and know a bit about engineering-how long to redesign, how long to get approval and so on. This virtual invisible triangle could be changed for pennies.
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I have said this my friends at Mazda before-please go to a Volvo dealership and see how they do. A red, unmissable line. I took some pictures of a car passing me, see if you can see the warning triangle.
Mind you, the steering wheel was covered in plastic or leather but whatever it was the result was something shiny and slippery. Which is not to say that the CX-70 is all bad. Just the little infuriating things.
First of all it looks good even though the khaki color was definitely not flattering. The range well in excess of 25 mpg is excellent. The plug in hybrid will give you 26 silent miles, always a bonus for the neighbors if you are leaving for work early. The 3.3 liter inline six is ok although it is a bit hesitant at first. The ride is fine which is fine with me.
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Having removed two seats from the virtually identical CX-90 gives extra room in the back which is very comfortable indeed.
Interestingly enough there was a huge article on the Miata celebrating 40 years, I agreed with every word. It is an instant classic, every schoolboy’s dream from 8 to 80 and beyond.
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The Toyota Sequoia may not be the latest, bestest all singing dancing SUV in the World but do I love it or what!?
Readers in Marin County-just North of San Francisco will share my experiences with weather alerts arriving on our computers several times a day.
Road closures, floods, you name it. But at a time like this the Sequoia stands tall!
The 437 horsepower 3.4 liter V6 stormed through under the most impossible circumstances. The 10 speed automatic worked like a charm. With the size and weight of the Sequoia it wasn’t easy to get 20 miles per gallon but I managed by simply cruising at the speed limits and not accelerating like the guys at Le Mans.
Normally I would get all upset about the lack of independent rear suspension but under the test condition I was one off few people who managed to their destination independent rear suspension or not. Because of the size handling has to be ok rather than brilliant, once more you can’t expect miracles from an SUV weighing 6100 pounds.
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Having done some market research I have discovered that the SUV I had was 1794 “cowboy” edition It is a lot more expensive than the base edition which comes in at 64 thousand as opposed to 82 for the 1794 and I am not sure extra 18 thousand dollars is worth it, but certainly the leather seats and all mod cons are welcome.
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The sound system is excellent as is the touch screen with large legible letters.
Would I buy one? In all honesty no. My all time favorite is the Highlander which is quite exceptional.
All I know is that I had a number of very important meetings to attend during the storms and I don’t think I would have made them in 90 percent in what else there was-actually wasn’t on the road. Well that's it from a welcome imitation of Noah's Ark California.