I got in without thinking I may say some harsh things Innovation and challenge How soon do you know? Acceleration It feels good It's so quiet Sport Hybrid It bobs up and down Are people looking? We haven't ridden in the back seat. You get to hear these stories You sometimes hear unpleasant things... Not unpleasant at all Hard to answer... Test drive events as a genba for making ever-better cars Morita: I'm Kyonosuke Morita for Toyota Times. Today, we're in Minato Mirai, Yokohama for a Crown test
drive event. Automotive analyst Shinya Yamamoto, who taught us what makes ever-better cars, is also here. Mr. Yamamoto says this test drive event is a genba to make ever-better cars. Let's investigate what that means. Crown test drive event in Minato Mirai Morita: Mr. Yamamoto has just arrived at the venue. He's checking in. Hello. Yamamoto: Hello. Morita: So, this is how it always works? Yamamoto: It says Mr. Yamamoto. Morita: You've got the schedule. Yamamoto: There're reference materials, to
o. Morita: You've explained what makes ever-better cars, comparing the Yaris and the Vitz. Are test events also a genba to make ever-better cars? Yamamoto: Yes. Morita: Please show us why today. Thank you. Today, we'll tag along with you for the test drive. Is this a routine for you? Yamamoto: For me, it's a routine. Morita: How are you feeling at this stage? Yamamoto: It's a showdown with the engineers. I've worked in car development, so I understand the feelings of both makers and drivers. To
see how to recreate those, I don't want to just drive, but first understand what kind of car the developers wanted to make and their market. Our role is to drive from the POV of the customers and speak on their behalf, so we must drive as if we were shopping for a car. We then listen to the makers' ideas. We don't just sit, listen, and accept but give feedback, and they can judge if that will serve them in the future. That is why we engage with them in earnest. Morita: Even if development has be
en done and it's on market, developers can still get feedback for future improvements. Yamamoto: Of course. So it's a battle. Today's Toyota Times features the Toyota test drive, but I may say some harsh things. But it is all for the sake of making ever-better cars. Test Drive 1: Crown Sedan (FCEV) Morita: The cars are lined up. Yamamoto: It has already begun. Morita: Look. Are they display vehicles? Look, there goes the Sport! Look. How cool. Yamamoto: Car number 10. Morita: The Crown Sedan FCE
V. This is my first time in a Crown Sedan FCEV. Yamamoto: Was it easy to get in just now? Morita: I got in without thinking. But I didn't have to think about it. Yamamoto: Then it passes. I'll need to point out these cup holders later. Morita: Why is that? Yamamoto: Can you tell which one is for the driver? Morita: No. Yamamoto: Right? Morita: Do we need to know that? Yamamoto: Let's say I'm drinking tea and you're drinking coffee. Wouldn't you hate it if you switched them? Morita: We're off. Le
t's go. Yamamoto: You said this road was rough, but it is surprisingly smooth for all seats. It's so quiet because it's an FCEV. Morita: It really makes no noise. You mentioned seamless luxury as a keyword, and this truly is luxury. It's so quiet! Yamamoto: This is an FCEV, and people think it's quiet because there's no engine. Morita: Is that wrong? Yamamoto: The absence of engine noise makes you aware of different sounds. Morita: You might notice other sounds. Yamamoto: For example, you may no
tice the sound of the wind, road, wipers, and turn signal. Like I said before, I don't race the cars. I drive as usual. I try to drive on the same roads in the same way at the same speed whenever possible. Morita: To maintain consistency? After driving, do you make an assessment? Yamamoto: I might already have it. Morita: Wow, that was fast! You're already done? It's only been 5 minutes. We're getting on the highway. To check something different? Acceleration. It feels good, right? Yamamoto: FCE
Vs feel good. The silence is pleasant, too. It's so quiet. We've pretty much made a full circuit now. Morita: The Shinya Yamamoto course? We drove on the highway. Yamamoto: We drove on regular roads. Morita: Through winding streets. Yamamoto: On both smooth and rough surfaces. Morita: We're back. Test Drive 2: Crown Sport (HEV) Yamamoto: This is a Sport Hybrid. The best red. Morita: It looks good. Yamamoto: This is a really nice car. It's the best in terms of design. Morita: It's sporty. Yamamot
o: The front is nice, and the rear protrusion is great. This is probably the limit of protrusion that Toyota's stamping can handle. Morita: So, creating this requires skills. Let's get in again. How was it this time? It feels a bit higher than before. Yamamoto: How about the door? This one has a lighter closing sound. Morita: Lighter? The first car had a more substantial feel. Let's go. This time we're in a Sport Hybrid. Yamamoto: Doesn't it feel different? Morita: The feeling of driving an FCEV
versus a hybrid powertrain is completely different. Yamamoto: The engine just came on. Morita: The presence of an engine makes a big difference. Yamamoto: This car is quiet, too, but I notice the sound after the last ride. Morita: The order is important. Yamamoto: That's right, but what can you do? You can't be fooled by that. This is the Crown Sport, a car the chief engineer, Mr. Shimizu, said is fun to drive. Morita: Let's see if it's fun or not. Yamamoto: It's not about whether the ride is h
ard or soft. Morita: We're taking the same roads. Yamamoto: There're 4 types of Crowns, each with its own character. Morita: Some people like this Sport model best. Yamamoto: Some may like the design, and some may prefer the nimble drive. The Sedan we rode earlier is most like the Royal, with a smooth, soft ride. This Sport is more like the Athlete. The ride is nimble, direct, but a bit tight. Morita: Many may think having 4 types means we're being unfaithful to what the Crown is, but this lets
us pursue different directions for parts we'd given up on to make it fit the Crown brand. This truly is innovation and challenge. Yamamoto: That's why we cannot discuss this Crown as a single car. Having 4 makes each one stand out. Morita: Is that what you mean by the word "flagship"? How is the ride since we got on the highway? Yamamoto: It bounces. Morita: Bounces? Yamamoto: It keeps bouncing up and down. Morita: Over the seams in the road? Yamamoto: No, over small gaps in the road surface. Mo
rita: We didn't have this issue earlier. Yamamoto: Turns definitely feel more agile in this car. This one has a tighter turn. Morita: So, is it fun to drive? Yamamoto: It's fun to drive, even if you're going slowly. It gets your heart rate up. The Sedan decreases the heart rate. It's calming. Morita: It's about which way it changes the norm. Yamamoto: That's why there're 4 to choose from. Morita: Using heart rate is one way to express it. Yamamoto: Right. Test Drive 3: Crown Sedan (HEV) Yamamoto
: The last one today is the hybrid Sedan. The one before was a quiet FCEV, but this has an engine. Morita: How different is it? Shall we try it out? Easier to get in than the Sport. This is the hybrid. Yamamoto: It's the same road as before. The sound comes in differently. Morita: Yes. It's quite different. The FCEV was silent. Yamamoto: Once you've tried the FCEV, you really notice the sound. I think it's because we tried the FCEV first. Morita: I think so. Yamamoto: Even young ladies look. Mor
ita: Are people looking? Yamamoto: They really are having a look. Yamamoto: It gets attention because it's the new Crown. It's amazing. It's on a different level to the Sport. There's no shaking. It's so soft over these bumpy road connections. Morita: You're right. That's different from the Sport. Yamamoto: This is very similar to the FCEV as well. Morita: It's still so comfortable. Yamamoto: That hasn’t changed even with the powertrain change. Morita: Priorities for checking? Yamamoto: Praise w
here praise is due. It's said automotive journalism is about being negative, but I feel that's wrong. Of course you must be negative too, but you must also praise to do that. There's no way nothing is good. So, you must point out the good things, too. Morita: We've tried all 3 cars. Yamamoto: We haven't ridden in the back seat Morita: No. Yamamoto: We need a driver to do that, right? Hello, Mr. Katayama. Katayama: Hello. Yamamoto: We want to try the rear comfort mode, so we'd like to ask the pro
to drive for us. Morita: Thank you. Tomoyuki Katayama in the Advanced Technical Skills Institute Division Chief Mechanic at the 2007 Nürburgring 24 Hours Also entered the 24-hour Taikyu Race as a company driver in 2016 Morita: Mr. Katayama is going to drive us? Katayama: Let's go. Morita: We can try the back seat. Thank you. There's demand for chauffeurs with the Crown Sedan. It's important to test the ride comfort of the back seat when testing. Yamamoto: I usually test-drive alone, so I asked
Mr. Katayama to drive for me. Morita: The space in the back is excellent. Yamamoto: Isn't it set a little higher than the driver's seat? Morita: Mr. Katayama's head position and mine are very different. Yamamoto: But there's also decent headroom. Morita: Yes. It's not cramped at all. Yamamoto: While it's a sedan, it has a sort of theater-like layout. Morita: So you can see the view out front. Yamamoto: So, it's visually spacious. Morita: You're right. You have a good view from the windows. It's
not as deeply set as I thought. Yamamoto: I thought it would be cramped, but it's actually spacious. Katayama: We specialized in the ultimate ride comfort in the Century, but even while I was part of the LS and original Celsior development teams, we were always hoping to surpass that ride comfort. Yamamoto: Beating the ride comfort specialist. Katayama: But we've rarely gone this far in trying. Yamamoto: You get to hear these stories. Morita: Only here and now in this car. Facing off with the de
veloper Yamamoto: Let's go face off with the developer first. Morita: I was looking forward to this. Yamamoto: Let's go. Morita: Mr. Yamamoto said this was a showdown, but what sort of conversation will take place after trying out all 3 vehicles. You need to take notes as this is also feedback. Yamamoto: I was surprised by the Sedan, but I got to see its character. The FCEV is great. I compared it to the Mirai, but it was clearly very quiet. Shimizu: Exactly as we planned. Yamamoto: As you menti
oned, the whole ride was soft and smooth. In that sense, the Sedan has clearly inherited the Crown Royal. On the other hand, the Sport clearly inherits the Athlete. Those characteristics haven't changed. The Sport does shake a little on rough surfaces, but it's within the acceptable range when you consider the car is so agile and has 21-inch tires. One thing caught my eye... Morita: You suddenly got quieter… Yamamoto: Which cup holder is the driver's side one? Shimizu: I change it depending on w
hat I am putting into it. I put Starbucks coffee in the front one, plastic bottles in the back one. Do you remember the system output for the Toyota Hybrid System (THS)? Was it around 170? Hashita: It's under 170 for the THS. Shimizu: This is 180 so more power and good variable transmission connection. Yamamoto: It feels good. Shimizu: That was our aim. Yamamoto: What's that vibration when the engine restarts? Is that due to longitudinal placement? Hashida: No. It's what's called start-up vibrat
ions. Multi-stage hybrids have a disadvantage as the engine torque is amplified, but because of this, it is easily affected by the engine. It's great for torque, but has an issue with vibration. We're trying to mitigate this disadvantage, but the multi-stage system is probably what you noticed. Yamamoto: I was surprised by how similar the ride was between the hybrid and FCEV. Shimizu: The FCEV started with a good ride thanks to the improvements built on the Mirai, but the hybrid has different or
igins, so the biggest challenge was getting it closer. Yamamoto: There's no difference there. Shimizu: Thank you. Morita: We spoke about how, when thinking of what is unique about the Crown. If you only make one, you have to give up on so many things, but by having 4, you can have each being unique. Shimizu: That's the same on the developer side. It's diversity. Some want a sporty Crown, some a practical Crown. There was a time when the Crown was like that, and this time, while returning to our
origins, we felt maybe we could get away from just having the Sedan. Yamamoto: When we were driving the Sedan today, young people really did a double take. They clearly looked at the car twice. I felt younger people also have similar sensibilities. Shimizu: We were very conscious of designs that catch the eye and resonate with the senses. Morita: You sometimes hear unpleasant things... Shimizu: Not unpleasant at all. I don't think it's hard to answer. Morita: When they say things even though you
have your reasons for doing it that way. How do you feel about attending this sort of test drive event? Shimizu: While we do try to look outside, I think development is a very closed environment. We develop cars with lots of input, but how will the car be received when we put it out into the world? Our attitude is to try and learn. Morita: Does each journalist come at you differently? Shimizu: Of course. We also want them to correctly understand what we're aiming to do with a product and what w
e put into making cars. The ideal way is to exchange thoughts and opinions through this kind of communication. Morita: Thank you. So, our post-drive savoring of battling with developers has finished. The sun has totally set. Yamamoto: See, we're working hard. Morita: We really packed it in. Yamamoto: That's why I want to start at lunchtime, and keep driving and discussing until the sun goes down. Morita: I thought test drive events were about recording things like how the car felt. Yamamoto: Tha
t's a given, and what's really important is the discussion with the manufacturer. This is also just a midway point for engineers as well. They released the car because of a deadline, but they want to make it even better. Morita: This is actually where pre- and post-release improvement happen. Yamamoto: If we try the post-improvement car and it's better, then we can tell them that. Car evaluation can't just be on reason or sensibility. There're all sorts of criteria like design. Because of that d
iversity, you can't do this job just because you can drive. Morita: It's difficult because it isn't just about good or bad. I see how these events are the genba for making ever-better cars. Yamamoto: You can see different aspects depending on the manufacture. Morita: I'd like to see. Yamamoto: To another company? Morita: I wonder if I'd be allowed to go to a different manufacturer? Yamamoto: I think the other companies would say yes. It depends on if Toyota will allow it. Morita: It's probably O
K, right? Yamamoto: Shall we go? I'll look for some events. Morita: We'll be crashing another company's event next time. Yamamoto: I won't be the lead though. You can take the lead; I'll be the sidekick. Morita: As a journalist? Yamamoto: So, you're off to a competitor, checking their cars and facing their engineers. Morita: That's a tough challenge! Next time on our journey to find what making ever-better cars means, we visit a competitor. Thank you, Mr. Yamamoto. Toyota Times
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