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Just for info: The Toyota/Lexus HSD driveline is not a CVT in the traditional sense (metal belts running on variable diameter pullies) but it uses planetary gear sets (ring gear + planet gears + sungear, like we know from an oldskool automatic gbox and the Sturmey-Archer 3sp bicycle hubs ;-) They are not combined with a torque convertor but rather with a beefy e-motor and e-generator. fully computer controlled. No clutch because it is not needed. It's a bloody brilliant design. Extremely reliable. i like this Crown! I expect it to be bullit proof reliable.

14:22 Those grab handles mentioned, these have been a tradition for most cars of this class in Japan, they are there to ease the getting in and out rather than when the car is being driven. The sort of person who gets to sit in the back on these cars tend to be older or even elderly so these features were appreciated. Started to appear from mid 1980s.

I own a 2013 GS 450H with essentially the same drive train. In normal everyday driving, nothing beats it for smoothness. The eCVT combined with this bigger engine and e-motor have enough torque to keep the revs down and make it feel like a regular auto before lockup. The v6 sound is not unpleasant so when you do mash the throttle it's actually enjoyable. And deceptively fast, as you have a different orientation of acceleration as opposed to climbing through gears. I absolutely adore every minute of being in it. I'm currently on 16 months of ownership and have added 50K kilometers, it now sits at 272K km. No oil consumption, no fault codes stored in any module other than an intermittent tpms sensor that probably has a low battery. Interior still looks fresh. In other words: if you want it, you'll have to pry it out of my cold dead hands.

10:37 I had a 2006 gs450h for five years and it was the best car I ever had! Whisper quiet, smooth, reliable and a proper wolf in sheeps clothing, plus the dealerships treat you like royalty!

Any toyota hybrid is good even new

Reliable, somehow fast and luxurious Hybrid is the way to go.

Modern cars seem to be totally undesirable eveything from 15 + years ago seemed so much better.

Completely agree James, i also feel similar with my 2009 LS600hL - the EV side helps improve economy and useful in residential/city environments with no engine running, yet the ICE V8 gives you that long range ability too when needed. 34mpg often achieved on long roadtrips. The future of motoring is obviously 15 years ago! Rear fridge is a plus too 🤣

I've driven the GS450h, the interior is great, only downside is the CVT, otherwise it's very reliable, especially compared to the e klass and the 5 series

Even though Ni-MH batteries is slowly replaced by the more popular Li-Ion ones, Ni-MH has proven itself to be a very durable battery hence why you can still see it being used for Toyota's regular hybrid cars, while their Plug-In variants are the ones using Li-Ion battery.

Jay, i implore you to do a little bit more research on normal CVTs Vs the Toyota Planetary CVT style transmission that is in this and lexus models. Very very different transmission mechanically and very robust, it also makes sense in these vehicles as they just sit slightly off idle at Hwy speeds, and are silky smooth.

If you absolutely must do the hybrid thing, and you want a reliable system; Toyota is the only game in town.

I've had a 2013 GS450h for a couple of years. The powertrain was slightly detuned from the previous generation for the sake of fuel efficiency. Lose a couple tenths from 0-60 (still under 6 seconds), but I understand quite a bit better economy. It's averaged 39MPG in the 18k miles I've had it, with my daily commute very short at under 4 miles. Longer trips can see mid to high 40s, I got 47 on a single tank from Inverness to Taunton. Any minor niggles I had when I bought it were quickly resolved by a great dealer thanks to the Lexus relax 10 year warranty. They've been fantastic every time I've been back for servicing too. Yes, the CVT can be odd above 70mph, where it's in the second output gear and it'll just pin the revs at redline at full throttle. Cruising at those speeds the engine is at ~1100RPM. Unlike the smaller engined hybrids, the engine doesn't have to work hard. Most of the time it'll be gently humming away under 2000RPM to get up to speed effortlessly and quickly. Even full acceleration up to 60 gently builds the revs up, it doesn't just pin at redline. Although the electric motor is rated at 200HP, the tiny battery (about 1.8kwh) limits the system output. I do wonder what they'd have been like with a better battery, although the 15 year unlimited mileage warranty isn't to be sniffed at I guess.

This Crown has a full digital lcd speedometer all the way back 2008. Mercedes first put a full digital speedometer in 2013 in the S-Class (W222) and BMW first put a full digital speedometer in 2015 in the 7 Series (G11).

I own one of these. Probably the best car I've ever owned. Mine has night vision which is pretty amazing for its time.

I've got the GS450H that you mention, i think a hybrid with a big engine suits a luxury saloon really well. On my car the steering is quite heavy so i think thats different on the Crown. I like that on older hybrids there is no pedestrian warning noises at slow speeds. Mine is on 130k miles and its fantastic. Make no mistake, there is maintenance involved, its no corolla but it is very reliable.

In the USA, Lexus is ALWAYS A Great Choice!!! Hybrids Make SO MUCH MORE SENSE Than EV’s!!!

Many of these are used as a Taxi here in Japan and the handlebars on the back of the front seats are for helping people (I believe mostly elder) to get in and out.

This is incredibly popular in Jamaica especially with scammers. It's so popular that there are several songs about it

Honestly, from the review , the car sounds amazing. It seems powerful, economic and luxurious enough. Apart from that it has that jdm cool factor and honestly doesnt even look that bad. Maybe its just the way James presents cars but i want one after watching this...

I was lucky enough to obtained one 3 years ago with literally every options: night vision, rear facing radar, lane keeping assit, extra air box to cool rear seat passangers.

9:24 Funny you should mention that. This, and it's Lexus counterpart, have the best in class turning circle. The Japanese seem to be the only ones that cared to properly engineer for this kinda stuff. Comes in pretty handy here in the tight streets of Asia.

Sold my 2022 Camry hybrid SL for a 2010 Crown Hybrid (JDM import) and it was the best thing I ever did. Faster, smoother, more comfortable, looks better inside and out I could go on and on. Still gets 9-10l per 100kms driven sensibly too around town.

I have a 2.0 Corolla hybrid estate. I find it more than entertaining enough, quiet and comfortable. It'll do mid 50s pretty easily too.

Modern E-CVT 'yota hybrids are solid, rode a modern Corolla sedan and a C-HR not long ago and the are amazing.

Glad I got myself one of these before every big KZfaq channel started talking about them. Best car I've ever owned.

The only bad CVT is those with the belt/chain while those with only a pair of electric motors and a small planetary set are phenomenal for reliability unlike the belt driven trash that needs the fluid changed every twenty to forty thousand miles.

The CVT is not belt driven like the Jaco garbarge and others use. It operates with planetary gears...and it's hugely reliable. As the owner of a Ford Fusion Hybrid , while it's no luxo sedan, fortunately Ford bought the Toyota hybrid technology and for the most part, especially late run models its trouble free and operates pretty well, But I do agree, the Crown aka modified Lexus is a great car.

You should have a go in Lexsus ES300 they still have it right. I am not a massive fan of CVT but in lexus it just makes sense- ES is the smoothest car I ever drove.

ayo this has nothing on a modern hybrid 5 series yet is 16 years old. didnt realise toyota was this ahead of the game. thanks for the vid, cheers!

I just realized that I watch almost all of James' videos while working out. I don't know, these are just perfect for that.

It's so strange. You have an actual JDM car video and nobody in the comments says JDM. You have something that isn't a JDM car (like a Supra, RX7, Basic Skyline, etc) and people are saying JDM all the time.

Thank you Jay for this video. It's actually perfect timing because I am contemplating importing either a hybrid Crown, or a naturally aspirated 60th anniversary G package Crown Athlete 2GRFSE. I was leaning more for the naturally aspirated but I found your video very informing.

Coup d'etat? Ha! That gave me a chuckle. Great video. Love your Japanese ephemera vids

You cant just add motor and ICE power together due to when each of these items produces their peak values in operation. Theyre often not operating at their peak points at the same points because they're doing different jobs. Also NiMH batteries are again one of these things that people seem to misunderstand. Its not that its not old technology and that is all they had at the time. Its that NiMh battery technology is well suited to the task at hand: very very durable and able to withstand the constant cycling of a small pack size, able to take large current input/output, able to handle extremes of temperature very well and hence only need air cooling, able to hold their SoC for long periods, more ecological due to materials used, and provide enough energy density for the pack size limitation required and also provide a cost advantage over lithium for the application. Yes lithium makes more sense for bigger packs as you need even better energy density. But the NiMh pack technology is perfectly suited to the task of hybrid powertrain. Ultimately its the most reliable, long lived and economic choice. This is a toyota remember.

It seems the Poms don’t get the Camry, even though the Irish do. The ES300 and the Camry share the same platform. They are both truly impressive cars. The e-CVT is vastly superior to the Variator Belt CVT used in non-Hybrids.

Obviously, it was mentioned that we got it in GS450h form, but I think there were several things that contemporaneously were issues with those cars. I just happened to own GS300 at the moment, because for £1,000 that it a lot of car and I just didn't want to spend much at all considering I drive it maybe once month at best and 2000 miles years is all it gets. As such fuel economy does not matter for me, that said £400 road tax hurts a little bit. Considering it replaced RC-F with £700 road tax it is not as much of an issue and secondly I just didn't want to keep the car that is depreciating... and there is no way GS300 depreciates more than it already has, Anyway, back to 450h. The problem was really the price, it was going almost for M5 money - £52k when new in UK, and M5 if memory serves started at jus £5 shy of £60k.Yet for the crowd that buys performance saloons it had no handling, no sound and was just all around weird choice. It really needed to be maybe £10k cheaper to combat 530d, but even then it would have been quite a bit more expensive. The second, and I would argue, main reason - UK taxation simply killed it, it just favoured diesels at the time and didn't care much about "real" life pollution, so people were incentivised to buy diesels not hybrids. Third reason would be CVT, it really kills the buzz when driving. Lexus actually resolved that with next generation so called eCVT, but the battle was already long lost, overall 4th gen GS was great car GS450h in particular, but again due to high price and no incentives it never caught on. Final nail was delayed introduction of PHEV, that is how BMW successfully produced very attractive cars for company cars schemes with low taxation (530e), if Lexus had switched to lithium, with maybe 20 miles of EV only range and plug-in option, it may just had a chance, but Lexus never did that in car market, only now they have extremely well selling PHEV SUVs. In short - they just trageted wrong market segment, car was too expensive and they missed tax incentives by not offering PHEV, they fixed the CVT in next generation, but the time was over for entire saloon market as SUVs just took over. That said you can still get same smooth experience in modern Lexus hybrids RX450h before 2022, LC500h, LS500h. Sadly, Lexus now going downsizing way - 2L turbo hybrid just doesn't feel right. P.S. for £8,200 it is a little bit pricey, especially considering GS450h could be had probably closer to £6,000. What is worse, you can also get 4th gen GS450h for probably £11k and that is upgrade in every imaginable way. So comparable 3rd gen is much cheaper, although the looks may be slightly controversial... not that Crown is particularly pretty, just JDM. But I genuinely like how 4th Gen looks, it is rare, modern, could be upgraded to latest mod-cons (like AA/CP). so it would be thoug to buy this one over newer GS.

James, thanks for another great video.

Informative; thank you!🎩

Great review. You see plenty of these here in New Zealand (we get a lot of ex-Japan cars) as well as "normal" Crowns of various generations. I test drove a previous generation Crown Royal and it was fantastic. Incredibly comfortable and refined with just enough power. Regret not buying it as I recall not being able to get the dealer to throw in a second aftermarket key in the purchase price (this was before used car prices went crazy). Now I'd give my left arm to have the same opportunity at the same price.

Great review of an amazing and interesting car. Thanks very much.

Love how you're into these JDMs, James!

James what about that link to the Toyota website?..can't seem to find it here.

1:44 my friend has one of those.. such a nice car.. especially for it's age.. loved driving it for a few days when she dropped it to me for sound/rs/alarm.. so smooth and comfy, nice 1jz.. hate auto but didn't dread it like almost any other auto car I ever get stuck driving..

Some modern hybrids may suck but the ones I've driven recently - Toyota Corolla 2.0, BMW 330e, Volvo XC40 and Renault - have all had very good powertrains

6:09 In fact, Toyota still uses that battery technology in many of its current hybrids. Hence, no, it is not old. It is heavier, but cheaper and does not require so much control (namely, temperature, humidity, or SOC). What these old cars miss is a design not around the hybrid. Instead, the hybrid was placed inside an already developed design - which is not ideal, namely ending up losing much cargo space.

The question mark in the bit about the massive handles for the rear passengers puzzles me. When I visited Japan 3 months ago I noticed that 90% of the taxis were Toyota Crown, mostly the late 80s/early 90s model. I shouldn't wonder this model catered to taxi drivers.

Had my Audi for almost a year before I realised it was a hybrid 😅

I would love to have a drive of the Lexus LS 600hl. 5 litre v8 with 327kw electric motor. I believe it was sold here in Australia in 07 to 08. There are three for sale currently in Australia.$29000 for 08 model with 290000 km on the clock. $36500 for 07 model with 116000 km. Don’t think I want to pay that much for a 4 seater and that old but would love a drive.😂

All Toyotas latest hybrids are good nice to drive efficient smooth plenty of power there not race cars tho just like nearly every other car on the road your average car doesn't sound good anyway why not get a hybrid if you're not racing around everywhere i get 70 mpg out of mine easy i get alot more than that driving in urban environments

The Toyota SynergyDrive is a genius bit of kit. It's a little bit outdated compared to Honda's, but it's very efficient, unbreakable and smooth. If you don't mind the CVT effect (and I must admit, it's unsettling wten you put your foot down), it's the best by a mile. If you want something that (appears) more conventional, Honda is better, it's also easier to use for optimizing mpg, whereas Toyotas require you drive in a particular way, or you will get mediocre mpg.

The Infiniti M35h/Q70 hybrid is overshadowed by the Lexus/Crown in popularity, but still a great alternative for those who prefer the engagement of a torque converter automatic over the seamlessness of the eCVT.

Ohh boy I still have the 1982 Toyota crown super salon, I really love that car more than my new car.

@JayEmmOnCars The 4th gen (2013+) Lexus GS450h F Sport is the ultimate version of this hybrid platform - it was called the New N Platform. RWD, rear wheel steering, adjustable variable suspension, adjustable steering feel, bigger boot, same reliable engine and transmission, and a dedicated water pump. Those were sold in the UK if I recall. The ultimate version was the GWS224 series crown, because it was the last hybrid V6, but built on the TNGA-L (current Lexus LS) platform.

I keep looking at the lexus GS cars from the 2000s and thinking that if I didn't have so.many kids, I would almost certainly have one of those. They just look so understated and cool. On a slight side note, have you done a review, or plan to do one in the the lexus ES? I have seen a few of them driving around my local town and they are so beautiful they make my knees ache! Would love to know more about them.

Sport mode, a bit of fun, crawls around the corner :D I just like this guy.

I don't see a link to the website you show

This car’s amenities are very similar to a 2003 LS430 with ultra luxury package that I once owned. It wasn’t a hybrid of course. Nowadays I have a 2021 Highlander Hybrid Platinum. The hybrid system is fantastic and regularly get 32+ mpg…and its a 3 row SUV! And I have the safer NiMh battery as well.

I'm driving a Hyundai Tuscan 2024 Hybrid and I have to say it's an excellent drive. It's smooth and quiet most of the time. The only thing I don't like is a random acceleration hitch that I can't predict. It's not all the time though.

Just my two cents: I have a 2019 Honda Accord Hybrid, and I would rank it amongst the best cars that I've ever owned. On average I get 45mpg but on a straight highway drive in the heat of summer (with the AC running the whole time) I've gotten better than 50mpg. I hardly ever check to see how much gas I've got when I embark on routine trips, because I know that I can generally get almost anywhere within 15 miles even on fumes. ZERO maintenance issues in 4+ years. I can't say that about either of the Toyota SUVs I've owned.

We had a 2nd generation We had a 2nd generation Crown Custom in 1964. In those days the only airbags installed were the ones inside the tyres!

13:05 about how to brake smoothly in a Toyota with hybrid system.. I think in hybrid system, when the brake pedal is pressed, the regenerative / energy recovery also kicks in, so in this Toyota it felt like, we pressed the brake pedal a bit too much.. (which is not) I found out in the website of Toyota brake system supplier of the hybrid models, that in some higher end Toyota models (the website mention Toyota Alphard) there are additional hardware sensors (& maybe software algorithm) to help drivers brake the hybrid cars smoothly just like non-hybrid cars.. But to engange this "Smoooth Braking mode" you have to press the "ECO mode" button first. So..Please try this tips, if you happen to drive expensive model of Toyota hybrid cars

I’d be curious is JayEmm knows about the Toyota Sai. It’s a Japanese market compact saloon that is basically a Lexus H250H, but it’s an interesting car if you look at the facelift model 2014 onwards.

I have owned my 2008 GS 460 for 4 years and it is without a doubt a brilliant machine. My only real gripe is the lack of steering feel, which I understand is related to the electric power steering. I do not like hybrid vehicles, I cannot believe two complex drive trains in one vehicle is a good thing and I do not drink the EV green kool-aid currently in vogue either. My biggest concern is the ageing of rubber seals and such although I've not had a problem so far. I am sure it is capable of good fuel economy, but the acceleration is addictive, (spec'd at 5.4 seconds 0 to 60) but I cannot verify that it still has all it's ponies. I love your content, although many of the cars you review are not available here (Canada). Regards Mac.

Can you link that toyota history page?

Hey Jay, thanks for not putting the link to the Toyota website in the description.

The Toyota hybrids have recently been upgraded and are apparently much better. I had a 1.8 2017 C-HR hybrid and that was a good car & nice to drive except when you wanted to get a move on as it became rather noisy. I now have a 2020 model 2.0 Corolla excel sport touring hybrid. This is a much better car in every way. The ecvt gearbox works really well with this engine, much quieter and very smooth. I currently own 2 Toyotas, an MR2 mk3 & the Corolla. Both brilliant cars and completely different in every way 😂

I do watch on your informative motor articles from Kenya , could you do one for Nissan Fuga /Infiniti Though you had done one on a G35 which I believe share alot of DNA with the fuga I would appreciate your views on this car that I drive

I used to live in Asia and several of my friends had Crowns, though not the hybrids. These things are indestructible; they all told me the cars never had any problems. One even was lamenting that his car is getting old so he would love to get a new one but it still drove and looked like new without a hint of a problem so he couldn't justify replacing it :)

leather isn't suited for anything you sit on, unfortunately many brands decide you can't have non-leather in premium models or premium configs

A lot like my Lexus IS300h, which I really enjoy. It’s incredibly smooth, great on fuel, and decently quick. The eCVT is a cut above the rest.

I had this car not the hybrid though. My most favorite car to date. My friend bought the hybrid a few years later. He loved his too. Mine was a 2008 i miss it so much. If you know you know

the backseat handles are to assist ingress and egress of the cabin.

Currently in a Lexus CT200h for commuting and it is a fantastic car for that task, just lacking some top end and fun power. So I’m thinking maybe an IS300h to replace, though, an Infiniti Q50 Hybrid has me very tempted as well. They do call the Q50 a Skyline in Japan after all!

As an owner of one of the latest Corolla Hybrids, I disagree that they suck. It's brilliant.

I lived in Japan for a good part of my life and moving back to the United States one of the things I was underwhelmed by the vehicles that are offered here in the United States. JDM cars seem to have so much more features in 2008 in even a family car like the Ipsum than a 2014 USDM car and built well. I’m driving a 24’ RAV4 and while it’s Definitely an upgrade from the big three there’s something about these older Japanese cars that feel right. I think this review Definetly hits that on the head. The JDM has created some phenomenal vehicles over the years that just are packed with features and designs that work.

I have the same car (Toyota Crown) but the NONE hybrid Athlete with the 3.5 Litre V6 2GR-FSE. I chose this car because it featured in Best Motoring and beat the RX8, S2000 and Subaru racing round Tsukuba. Its superb ! Mine has same interior and its in White. Standard 6sp Auto Box not CVT

We have modern Toyota and Lexus hybrids and they are excellent

Nah, the hybrid system in my 2023 CR-V Hybrid Touring is very good. 40 mpg on average in almost a year of driving; the whole hybrid system is very smooth and seemless (no tells in between switches); transmission is very good too; etc.

The problem with hybrids, isn’t that they’re hybrid- it’s that without a manual transmission (THREE PEDALS!) there has NEVER been one I’d ever choose to drive, or give a shit if I did.

11:43 This excact system is now a go to for lots of easyern car makers, and is literally a pain in the backside (first thing i turn off every drive) and resets to on when the car is turned off.

Peak hybrid was the original MANUAL insight

My neighbors 2008 hybrid Camry still works great for them after all these years!

TY J! 🙏🙏

I have one of these too, in the silver spec you see in the Toyota manual. Among its other comparable German rivals I would say this generation of crown is superior, and way ahead of its time. I’ve come to really enjoy its understated luxury and smooth power, with its only downside being that I can’t hear the V6 sing due to the e-CVT gearbox. Have surprised many eager hot hatches/german saloons from the traffic light races, and love seeing the realisation that they’ve just been gapped by a super-taxi with hybrid badges 😂

Anyone have any idea how he got the car past the IVA test with the speedo only showing km/h? I've read through some online manuals and it seems like it can only show km/h, but it needs to show both kmph and mph to pass (as far as I know).

13:19 the odd brake feel will be due to the brake by wire. Toyota hybrids of that era at least used an electro-hydraulic control unit with no direct hydraulic connection from master cylinder to calipers, except as a failsafe.

You could always get a Lexus LS600H or even LS460 if you're not bothered about the electric bit. Much easier to get your hands on in the UK and glorious.

What does it mean exactly when James says the brakes are "heavily servo'd"? Does that cause them to be to sensitive, do you lack response through the pedal, or what is it?

For its age it looks much, much newer than 2008. Even the gauge cluster is fully digital. For an 2008 car, that's insane.

If it's based on the GS it might have an additional two-speed gearbox added to the eCVT. Recently I switched from a Toyota 2011 Auris hybrid to a 2019 Lexus ES300h Luxury, probably a direct successor to this Crown lineage. And being a Luxury sedan it does everything well what the cheap Auris didn't: more torque (2.5l 4-cylinder + electric), way better noise insulation (double glazed), more comfort and still not even 1l/100km more consumption on the highway.

NiMH batteries are more suitable for frequent charge and discharge in a standard hybrid car (non plugin). It can withstand more discharge cycles than li-ion. Toyota still use them in select models.

As I've been looking at the Lexus GS 450h it's basically a Lexus,and that probably why it wasn't sold in that form by Toyota

Lovely drivetrain!

I noticed the video did not include a shot of the boot interior, it's very small due to the hybrid battery sitting behind the rear seat, which does not fold down. Not a practical car for people who need to haul anything more than a few carry-on bags or some groceries.

Brits finally finding out about cars we in Vladivostok Russia driving for past 30 years😂😂😂

would love a review from you on the lexus is300h

Just ordered a new C-HR Excel plug in and was thinking I hope all the new tech would be reliable and it is reassuring to hear that a lot of this “New Tech” is not new at all. Moving away from full EV as my current I Pace has lost a lot of money and selling whilst it still has 3 years left on the battery warranty. The plug in won’t be as economical but over the long term, it will be competitive as cheaper to insure, no need for £800 extended warrantee and depreciation will be a lot lower though servicing more expensive as every year as opposed to every 2 year. Moving forward with a mixture of trepidation and excitement

Living in Australia and currently have a Toyota Aurion (basically a slightly up market 3.5 v6 Camry) and I REALLY want a Crown as my next car. The Toyota v6 is one of the most reliable engines ever made (same engine as my Aurion). Why can’t so many other manufacturers make a car as reliable as a Toyota?