Life as a kid was stress-free, easy and most certainly fun. I mean, it's still fun now being able to review cars and write about them but well, let's just say I have outgrown many hobbies as the years pass me by.

I really miss doing a lot of things as a kid but one thing I sure do not miss was taking a taxi. It's a funny thing about me. Be it as a kid or as an adult now, I can never enjoy taking a taxi. The waiting, the fighting for one and the ride was always a pain. But with the evolution of time and definition of affluence occurring at a rapid pace, better and more interesting models are seen on the roads. Who would have thought there would be a day when Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler would be a taxi model in Singapore?

This, naturally, brings me to the Toyota Crown. It's an iconic and well-respected car in Japan, being the only luxury vehicle available in Toyota's catalogue even before Lexus was created. But unfortunately, this model has somehow inched its way through our heads that it can merely be a taxi in Singapore. I mean, who can be blamed? It's been on our roads for a long time now and the negative perception is clearly an inevitable one.

So when Borneo Motors (Singapore) Pte Ltd decided to bring the flagship model in the Toyota stable back, I knew I had to see it for myself. And boy was I in for a surprise.

Exterior

On first glance, this car has a styling of an American limo. A combination of an expanded width and track give it a wider stance up front while the bumper and radiator grille projects a powerful and dynamic fascia. Despite its size, the frontal styling gives the Crown an aura of elegance over aggression.

Flowing through the sides are horizontal accents, creating a flow of comfortable and spacious silhouette. In fact, I reckon it's due to its length of slightly over 4.8 metres - it somehow generates a commanding and lively appearance. It's slightly different at the back though. It's clearly simpler and classy and like the Toyota Mark X, twin-angled tailpipes are evident on either sides of the bottom.

With significant lines and curves and a touch of elegance, the Toyota Crown reflects the Japanese marque willingness to change its style from the usual designing direction. Standing closer to the Lexus line-up, Toyota made some tweaks to ensure that this car retains the sense of poise and reliability to attract the attention it deserves.

Interior

Speaking of attention, drivers will swoon with either surprise or shock. The feel and look of the cabin is almost identical to that of a Lexus model.

Sumptuous beige leather adorns the main cabin surfaces while the integration of wood-grain panel causes a colour contrasts to increase the luxury feel of the interior. And alike to Lexus models, audio controls are available on the steering wheel, intuitively anticipating your every need.

All seats offer superb support without being overly firm and with its elongated body, the Crown offers class-leading cabin space with abundant head, leg and shoulder room. But that's not all.

Rear passengers get to enjoy greater convenience with the ability to take charge of the vehicle's air conditioning, audio, sunshade & seat ventilation from the rear armrest control panel.

Already well-equipped and comfortable, the Crown simply has what it takes to topple some big guns. With high-quality plastics, leather, and a set of comfortable benches, there's almost no difference in quality when compared with a Lexus IS250 or even a GS300.

The Drive

Underneath its humble and simple bonnet lies an engine that allows the 1.6 tonne car to provide a maximum power and torque of 227bhp and 293Nm respectively.

The Crown isn't a road demon and not even built as one, but with its V6 3.0-litre engine supplying power to its rear wheels, you'll be surprised at its responsiveness. And although it lacks a V8 woofle, it has a deliciously strident note that gets better the more you extend the engine.

But once driven like a gentleman, it's utterly hushed with a ride that is firmly cosseting. After all, the luxury sedan is built to transport you and your family in a secured, quiet and comfortable manner. Of course, 'towkays' will be the ones who will truly enjoy being chauffeured in this car.

Handling wise, the car is grippy and relatively well-balanced, with effective brakes that have always been well-known to cars from Borneo Motors. The steering wheel is a tad too light for enthusiastic driving but it has sufficient feedback for your day-to-day driving on our busy roads.

But like I said, it's built to transport you and your family or even the 'towkays', so a call for enthusiastic driving might just be deemed inappropriate in this car.

Conclusion

At a price of $213,488 (as of 20 Jan 2011), most may go for the Lexus GS300. But all in all, the Toyota Crown feels more matured as a luxury sedan. It has the power and speed to overtake easily and interior amenities to pull buyers over. More importantly, it's composed at slightly higher speeds, with few rumbles transmitted to the occupants.

I reckon the taxis on our roads now are merely an excuse for a blind judgement towards this model. It's more than a car. It's a contemporary interpretation from Toyota.

What do you think? Jot down your opinions at the comment box below.