The new Toyota Crown that’ll arrive in the US has a bold design that blurs the line between saloon and crossover. A new video from TheSketchMonkey YouTube channel takes the lifted design and turns it into a proper off-road crossover, which requires few modifications to achieve. The Crown’s already lifted ride height makes it easy to turn into an off-road-oriented model.

The big focus is redesigning the Crown’s rear-end styling, which features a two-tone look available on certain trims. This is what TheSketchMonkey ultimately tweaks in his unofficial rendering. The black insert that surrounds the taillights and boot gets a new body-colour frame surrounding the design elements. This cleans up the clashing design lines at the rear.

Gallery: 2023 Toyota Crown

The redesign also adds beefier rims, chunkier tyres, and a roof-mounted tent. The Crown’s funky design that situates it between sedan and crossover could allow for some unique customisation. Every Crown comes with all-wheel-drive, with the Platinum trims Hybrid Max powertrain receiving Toyota’s E-Four Advanced AWD system that can transfer up to 80 percent of the power to the rear wheels.

The Hybrid Max powertrain pairs a turbocharged 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with two electric motors to produce 340 bhp (250 kilowatts) combined. The XLE and Limited trims receive Toyota’s 2.4-litre four-cylinder paired with the company’s fourth-gen hybrid tech. This powertrain pairs with a continuously variable transmission. Toyota pairs the Max with a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters.

Toyota has already announced aftermarket upgrades for the Crown from Gazoo Racing and Modellista, two in-house Toyota tuners. The upgrades include wheels, front and rear spoilers, side skirts, and more. We expect other tuners also to offer upgrades once the model goes on sale.

The Crown we’ll get in the US is one of four Crown variants Toyota plans to launch by early 2024. In addition to the US-bound Crown, Toyota will offer the Crown Saloon, the Crown Estate, and the Crown Sport. The Saloon is a sedan and the Sport a crossover, but the Estate isn’t a wagon – Toyota calls it a “functional SUV.”