Home » The Toyota Crown Is A Weird Car For Weirdos, But I’m A Weirdo So I Kinda Get It

The Toyota Crown Is A Weird Car For Weirdos, But I’m A Weirdo So I Kinda Get It

Toyota Crown Review

Growing up, my best friend’s dad, I’ll call him Frank, was an actuary for a large human resources company. When I finally learned what an actuary was, I couldn’t imagine anyone else better suited to the job than Frank. This is a guy who played Sim City and kept detailed notes in a series of notebooks in order to optimize his city.

The family very generously took me to Disney World with them one year, and I got to watch my friend’s dad try to apply the principles of actuarial science to making it the most efficient trip. Does fun equate with efficiency? Not quite, though, in fairness to him, I spent very little time waiting in lines. The flipside of this is that we ate dinner at like 4:15 pm every day.

Vidframe Min Top
Vidframe Min Bottom

He was already relatively successful by the time I met him, and as a marker of that success, he bought himself a nice car. That this nice car was a first-generation Toyota Avalon fits with Frank’s whole so-normal-its-weird vibe.

The Avalon is gone, having essentially been replaced by the Toyota Crown. On paper, this is a sensible vehicle that offers a lot of features for only a near-luxury price. It’s build-sheet efficiency achieved in the strangest way possible, which is very Frank. It’s also a car that makes none of the normal choices, which makes it weird in a very me way.

It’s possible the Toyota Crown is the only vehicle that fits in the very narrow ellipse in the Venn Diagram of what he likes and what I like.

[Full disclosure: Toyota delivered this to me with a full tank of gas and a snow brush, which was nice.]

The Basics

Toyota Crown Platinum 21

Engine: 2.4-liter turbo inline-four hybrid with 61 kW front/58.6 kW rear motors

Transmission: Six-speed ‘direct shift’ eCVT

Drive: All-wheel drive

Output: 340 combined horsepower, 400.4 combined torque

Fuel Economy: 29 MPG city, 32 MPG highway, 30 MPG combined

Base Price: $54,990

Price As-Tested: $55,465 (including $1,135 shipping/handling)

Why Does This Car Exist?

Toyota Crown Platinum 19

This is an extraordinarily good question and one, realistically, no one will ever be able to give me a good answer for. Was the market clamoring for a successor to the AMC Eagle? Probably not. Is a tall, crossover-like vehicle that doesn’t look like a crossover or come with a hatch a proper replacement for the Camry-but-a-little-bigger Avalon? I don’t think so.

Here’s what Jason got out of Toyota when he went on the launch for the Crown back in 2023:

They did say that their target buyers would be “young empty nesters,” a group that I imagine is composed of people in their mid 30s who set their children free in the woods because fuck it, too much work. I find this kind of a strange demographic, because the car feels far too roomy and big for a couple with no kids. This could easily be a family car, if desired. But, somehow we’ve all decided as a culture that almost everything needs four doors, so with that in mind, sure, young, sexy empty-nesters it is.

I’m glad that Toyota gave it a try. There was once a time when the premium subcompact crossover wasn’t a thing, either, and Buick rebadged a South Korean GM product and basically created an extraordinarily popular segment. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, and Toyota took a shot here.

How Does It Look?

Toyota Crown Platinum 8

Usually, this is the easy part of the job. Aesthetic judgment is primarily subjective, so there’s practically no way to give a truly wrong answer. The only incorrect judgment would be the absence of a judgment. Do I have a judgment? I am indecisive.

This is the non-two-tone version, and I think it looks good. Kind of? It is proportionally strange, and this strangeness is best revealed in profile, where the we-put-a-sedan-body-on-a-crossoverness of the Crown is most obvious. If you just look at the top of the car, there’s an attractive greenhouse (the DLO, as designers call it) that kinks at the C-pillar. The rear has that strange crease, which is very Lucid Air. The front looks relatively normal in profile.

Toyota Crown Platinum 17

It’s that space in between the front wheel arch and the hood, and the rear wheel arch and the aft-most window that’s odd. There’s just, like, more space there than should be. It’s so novel in anything that isn’t an AMC product that’s older than I am, I lack the crutch of comparison.

Head-on, I’m on board. It’s modern and sleek in a neo-Toyota sort of way. The rear is a bit busy, but I’m from Houston, so I like a big butt if it can keep a beat. The profile? Huh. I’m gonna need 2-3 months to form an opinion.

What’s It Like Inside?

Toyota Crown Platinum 24

For all of the chances the Crown takes on the outside, it’s drama-free on the inside. I think the last generation of Toyota interior design was both somehow a little bland and a little busy, and this resolves both by being handsome and clean.

Toyota adopts the basic split two-screen setup that has become the default for most Western automakers. The 12.3-inch touchscreen at the center features the company’s Toyota Audio Multimedia system, which works well enough, but I mostly just used CarPlay.

Credit, also, to Toyota for having an excellent and obvious layout for its steering wheel:Toyota Crown Platinum 2

I don’t love the push-pull transmission selector, but I adapted to it rather quickly. What I didn’t adapt to is that I couldn’t find a button to release the trunk. I didn’t want to look it up and gave myself the challenge of locating it. It never happened, so I just had to use the remote:

Toyota Crown Platinum 25

How Does It Drive?

If this were a crossover, I’d probably be giving it a lot of Mazda-like praise. With 400 lb-ft of combined torque, much of which comes from electric motors, it scoots. The transmission is also a big differentiator here, as it does this with a bit more theater than your typical Toyota hybrid.

Toyota Crown Platinum 6

That’s because this is the HybridMax powertrain, which is more similar to what you find in the larger crossovers than a Prius. The combo of a MacPherson strut-type front suspension and multi-link rear with a stabilizer bar is also fairly common, although the HybridMax does get slightly larger diameter stabilizer bars.

Again, for a crossover, it handles quite well. In this trim, you’re getting the eAxle out back, so there’s always at least some power going back there, as opposed to the basic hybrid.

Sitting behind the steering wheel, the high seating position makes you feel like you’re driving a crossover, but the car’s center of gravity is a little lower. Also, it’s a sedan. Right? I think. I think it’s a sedan.

Toyota Crown Platinum 14

For a sedan, it also handles well, but at more than 4,300 pounds, it doesn’t feel like a car. It seems like Toyota is trying to counter this with a steering wheel that’s equally heavily boosted. It works, mostly, but on some twisty back roads in Connecticut, the Crown’s ability to stay between the lines came at the expense of feel and communication. The car did what I wanted it to, but it wasn’t much of a conversation.

That would probably work for Frank. It doesn’t work as well for me.

I guess Toyota looked at what Subaru was doing so successfully with the Outback and thought it should do the same, but in its own strange way.

I Like It, But I’d Probably Like It Better For About $9,000 LessToyota Crown Platinum 22

Frank is a math guy. His life has always been numbers. I’m more of an emotional guy. I am motivated by feelings. That part of me sees the HybridMax as the only one to get, even if my fully decked out version is an uncomfortable $56,600 delivered.

That includes the upcharge for Bronze Age paint, the leather-trimmed seats, and all the rest. It feels nice in the Crown, and yet, no one would see it as a showy or flashy car.

I did go on Toyota’s configurator and built a Toyota Crown Limited with the non-Max hybrid system, and it was only $47,570, even with the extra charge for Supersonic Red paint. That’s $9,000 less in a vehicle that gets 13 MPG better fuel economy in the city than the one I drove.

Toyota Crown Platinum 5

If I’m buying this, do I care if it’s slower? I don’t think I do. Toyota doesn’t break down Crown sales by powertrain, but it does break it down by bodystyle. The Crown Signia, which looks like a crossover, outsells the sedan by 2-to-1.

I’ll try to get the Signia version in the base hybrid to see if that’s maybe the one for me, although a strange part of me likes the sedan better because it doesn’t look like anything else you could buy.

As a postscript ot this, the next car Frank bought was a Lexus LX470. It’s not a vehicle I’d have bought new at the time, being too large and flashy for my high school tastes. Now? I’d rock one. Perhaps in time we’ll all look back on the Crown sedan the same way we do the AMC Eagle. Time makes weirdos of us all.

All photos Matt Hardigree

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OverlandingSprinter
Member
OverlandingSprinter
1 month ago

It’s a sedan on stilts. The target market is old people who don’t want to squat down to drop into or hoist themselves out of a typical sedan AND don’t want to be seen in an SUV.

Charlie Lindstrom
Charlie Lindstrom
1 month ago

100% nailed it. That is the purpose and target market of this vehicle. My parents (in their 70’s) drove sedans for decades because they didn’t want big SUV’s and crossovers. But they switched to them about a decade ago because they were having trouble getting in & out of sedans that were too low. They also like the extra space for the young grandkids to get everyone around. Now the grandkids are older and they don’t need the extra space so this is perfect for their needs and wants.

Permanentwaif
Permanentwaif
1 month ago

I don’t typically like lowered cars but the Crown is a prime candidate for a 1-2 inch drop. I saw one once in the wild with smaller aftermarket wheels, tires with more sidewall and a mild drop and totally looks better.

Charlie Lindstrom
Charlie Lindstrom
1 month ago
Reply to  Permanentwaif

You’re missing the whole point of this vehicle. You just described a Camry. They have that covered. The member commenter above you gets it. THAT is the target market purpose for this vehicle.

SlowCarFast
Member
SlowCarFast
1 month ago

They missed the point, but it is FAR more luxurious than a loaded Camry XSE. I would be curious to drive a lowered one of these.

Jmfecon
Member
Jmfecon
1 month ago

Looks like 2010’s 5’er GT and DS 5 had a strange kid.

Mayor McZombie
Mayor McZombie
1 month ago

Young empty nesters – like people in their mid 50s? IDK When I get to that age I’ll let you know if this appeals to me. I had kids late though, so earliest i could genuinely have my kids off the payroll would be when I’m like 64? Maybe I’d go for this then, but would I be an old empty nester? Will there be any cars in America besides Trumpwagens?

Jdoubledub
Member
Jdoubledub
1 month ago

My college roommate was an engineer and the Toyota Avalon was his vision of a perfect car so this tracks with your Frank story.

Bill C
Member
Bill C
1 month ago
Reply to  Jdoubledub

The former auto reviewer for the Washington Post called the Avalon the best Buick Toyota ever made.

DaChicken
Member
DaChicken
1 month ago

For being something sorta CUV-like, they missed a golden opportunity to make that a lift-back rather than just a regular trunk. The sloping rear lines would have made it fairly easy and made much more usable space.

OverlandingSprinter
Member
OverlandingSprinter
1 month ago
Reply to  DaChicken

“We have Highlanders right this way, my good DaChicken.”

Redneckvolution
Member
Redneckvolution
1 month ago
Reply to  DaChicken

The whole reason we don’t get liftbacks in the NA market is because manufacturers can’t stand the idea of stealing sales from their precious cash cow crossovers… we’ve seen this time and time again. The 2nd gen Fusion literally had a liftback counterpart in the Mondeo. The roofline tooling was EXACTLY the same except for the rear windshield and liftback cutlines, and the Mondeo/Fusion trunk and rear window were grafted together with a rear windshield wiper added.

The NA Ford folks were fearful it would cut into Escape/Edge sales, so it wasn’t sold here. Same reason we didn’t get the excellent and spacious estate version, which only added a different roof and hatch stamping. Same rear bumper cover because they kept the cutlines identical for the sedan/liftback/wagon to save money.

We can’t have useful not crossovers because manufacturers have this idiotic mentality that not every consumer couldn’t possibly want to ride a mile high in the sky and have an SUV profile… *grumble*

Torque
Torque
1 month ago

I completely agree with your point (must protect thy precious ‘suv’ cash cow sales…)

That said there are some ‘SUVs’ that when you see them in person really are actually station wagons with a slight lift and often way too big wheels
The Kia EV9 is a great example.
In person the total height is below 6 ft. and it looks like a wagon with wheels that are too big.

If I were to get one (not sure I want to own a Kia bc of the horrible things I’ve heard about them if/when it needs service due to a recall, otherwise I would take it to an indy ev specialist mechanic); I’d look to get the smallest decently aero efficient wheels that can fit over the brakes, so probably 17″, which would help lower it a bit and help aero and therefore range and make it appear to be the wagon I think the designers really intended.

Mrbrown89
Member
Mrbrown89
1 month ago

This is the perfect car for Mercedes wife, still Toyota but plush.

Alex W
Alex W
1 month ago

Somehow, this article helped me realize that this is supposed to be a Crown Signia “coupe”. The Crown Signia being a “we-put-a-wagon-body-on-a-crossover”, to borrow your words.

Ben
Member
Ben
1 month ago

That’s because this is the HybridMax powertrain, which is more similar to what you find in the larger crossovers than a Prius.

Is that also the one they use in the trucks, where everyone hates it because it doesn’t actually get any better mileage?

That’s $9,000 less in a vehicle that gets 13 MPG better fuel economy

I’m going to guess that’s a yes.

It’s wild that Toyota eCVTs are basically the gold standard for hybrid tech, but their non-eCVT hybrids are all terrible.

VanGuy
Member
VanGuy
1 month ago

Transmission: Six-speed ‘direct shift’ eCVT

Wait, eCVT but with discrete gears? That sounds dumb, and also confusing.

The Prius eCVT should be in everything it works for, frankly. It’s smooth, uncomplicated, and durable.

Younork
Younork
1 month ago
Reply to  VanGuy

I’m really disappointed that the only way to differentiate a Prius transmission and a Nissan Rogue transmission is with a lower-case ‘e.’ They are wildly different technologies; one will be reliable and the other will reliably fail before 100k miles. My only issue with a CVT is its lack of longevity, which the eCVT solves.

4moremazdas
Member
4moremazdas
1 month ago
Reply to  VanGuy

I think this is an error? Toyota has a “direct-shift” CVT that has a launch gear and then switches over to CVT for higher speeds, but they also call the 6 sp in the Hybrid MAX “direct shift”.

There is no “direct shift” eCVT as a launch gear makes no sense for that. And the Hybrid MAX doesn’t have a CVT at all.

Nlpnt
Member
Nlpnt
1 month ago
Reply to  4moremazdas

They never should’ve moved away from the “Hybrid Synergy Drive” branding, even if the tech changes (sort of like how Chrysler called the K-car fwd automatic TorqueFlite).

Tamale X
Member
Tamale X
1 month ago
Reply to  4moremazdas

This is the answer

Joe L
Member
Joe L
1 month ago

I’d like this if the Lexus ES and its vastly better dealership experience didn’t exist.

Data
Data
1 month ago
Reply to  Joe L

Exactly. Between this and the ES, I’m going for the ES at around the same price point. Ignoring the badge on the vehicle, the ES likely has better interior materials, gets better fuel economy, and will have a better service experience. Also, I hate the black things they stuck to the bottom of the doors.

Vic Vinegar
Vic Vinegar
1 month ago
Reply to  Data

As I said in my comment, the black things on the doors would basically require me to buy this car in black to hide them.

TheHairyNug
TheHairyNug
1 month ago

The base cloth seats are the most comfortable seats I’ve experienced in years. I really wish it had a Prime PHEV variant. I would get one. I liked it that much

Taargus Taargus
Member
Taargus Taargus
1 month ago

I mean, the interior looks to be of decent quality, but boy of boy is it boring for a 55k car. There’s nothing about it that looks “nice”. This is a car that starts at 42k (which is already pretty high, a 10k premium over the Camry), I’m expecting some serious interior upgrades for 13k, regardless of the powertrain upgrade.

I typically prefer to stay with mainstream brands over luxury, but this is well into Lexus territory, and at least a Lexus dealer will treat you nicely for buying an ES or whatever, versus my… not exactly awesome experiences with Toyota.

UnseenCat
UnseenCat
1 month ago

The interior looks underwhelming. Acres of (at least visually) hard surfaces. Matte black plastic and (ugh) piano black plastic highlights. The overall forms of the dash, center console, door cards and instrument panel screens are things we’ve seen in dozens of cars already. It’s anonymous, and depending on who you ask, absolutely bland.

SlowCarFast
Member
SlowCarFast
1 month ago
Reply to  UnseenCat

I have a Crown Limited. The only thing that is hard plastic are the cupholders. All of those smooth surfaces on the dash and console are padded, soft-touch. I admit the sunshine in these pictures are not presenting it well.

V10omous
Member
V10omous
1 month ago

My father owns a non-Max Crown.

His criteria when purchasing were as follows:

-Must be a sedan (my mom gets the CUV)
-Must be a hybrid
-Must be AWD
-Must be as nice inside as his previous car, a 2014 Acura TL
-Cannot be premium branded, lest his Scandinavian friends/neighbors/church ladies find him (or worse, my mom when she drives it) “uppity or above their station”. So no Lexus, let alone BMW.

For this fast-disappearing type of Upper Midwesterner, the Crown is perfect. I’m not sure who the rest of the buyers will be though.

Taargus Taargus
Member
Taargus Taargus
1 month ago
Reply to  V10omous

I live in a region with similar tastes. Luxury brands are both impractical (dealers are relatively far away) and considered distasteful.

This is the entire reason the GMC brand exists.

Autonerdery
Member
Autonerdery
1 month ago

“Considered distasteful” reminds me of my late great-aunt, who, as the wife of a successful farmer in Iowa could probably have had any car she wanted, but the most ostentatious she’d allow herself was an Oldsmobile 98. Then, after Oldsmobile went away, she really let herself go wild and she got, as she called it with mild embarrassment, “a Park” (that is, a Park Avenue). A Cadillac? She would never.

Late in life (she died a week shy of her 102nd birthday), her crunchy daughter moved back from Northern California to the Midwest, so her last car, purchased with her daughter’s help, was a Subaru Crosstrek.

Taargus Taargus
Member
Taargus Taargus
1 month ago
Reply to  Autonerdery

High spec Subarus are EXTREMELY popular around here for that same reason. A nicely equipped Outback is considered “class-less” (in a positive way). In a cold climate, a relatively basic AWD vehicle without obvious frippery gives off a “everything I need nothing that I don’t” ethos that sort of embodies the attitudes of the rural northeast.

We have a “Cadillac/GMC/Buick” dealer here that sells plenty of small Buick crossovers, and oodles of GMC trucks and SUVs. The Cadillac side is just there for show though, they hardly sell any because frankly, the only people who can afford them around here are usually driving well equipped Hondas, Subarus and their own dealer’s GMCs.

Nlpnt
Member
Nlpnt
1 month ago

I suspect that even around major cities the GMC Yukon Denali has an image of Old Money while the Escalade’s image is more “ooo, someone called a fancy Uber.”

Last edited 1 month ago by Nlpnt
Charlie Lindstrom
Charlie Lindstrom
1 month ago

Same story with my father growing up. We grew up in small town rural North Dakota. My dad owned the title/abstract company for 3 counties and also did real estate and insurance. (Small towns eh?) He worked hard and wanted/deserved something nice but didn’t dare buy a “luxury” brand car because he felt it would give the impression he makes plenty of money and doesn’t need your business. This is very much a small town/midwestern perception. He drove Oldsmobile’s and Buick’s for all of the 90’s and 2000’s essentially. I did love his “workaround” to this problem though as he bought a ’97 Oldsmobile Aurora shortly after they came out. Man I loved that car and still thing it’s one of the best looking GM sedans from the rear 3/4 view in modern times. He loved it so much he ended up buying 2 more of the second generation but I never liked the second gen near as much as the first. Ahh memories….

Taargus Taargus
Member
Taargus Taargus
1 month ago

I have an uncle who had an Aurora as a company car. The thing was awesome. It was terribly unreliable? But it was definitely cool.

And in that way the Oldsmobile had that sleeper nice quality to it. Nobody was going to say “hey here comes Mr. Big Shot coming to suck up our margins in his Oldsmobile Aurora!”.

I miss premium brands.

Last edited 1 month ago by Taargus Taargus
Pacer69
Pacer69
12 days ago

Late to the party, but two thoughts:

1) Yes! My pops also bought an Aurora out of the gate. He was a traveling salesman who appreciated nice things but, being an ex-Marine, viewed the lux marques as snooty. Dad had been in a couple of Legends for a good 8 years since defecting to Acura in ’86 from his ’82 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency Brougham (posh electric seats, padded top, opera lights in and out, the works!). AKA the “Pimpmobile” that my little sister backed out of the garage with the overhead door, um…closed. Luckily it was not Pop’s DD in 1988, or she’d still be grounded — with her Madonna and Bananarama tapes.

Fast forward to fall of ’94…I was living in Cincy and Dad couldn’t wait to roadtrip from KC to show me his Legend-slayer. He ordered it sight unseen and took delivery only a day before hitting the road. Man that Aurora was sweet! Flawless metallic-plum paint with gorgeous, futuristic lines. It had every option and was a fantastic choice for his empty-nester, 50-year-old funky-bad self.

A scant few months later, the power moonroof quit working. Instead of fixing it, GM gave him A BRAND NEW AURORA. No shit. I asked him why, and he said they told him they “…Wanted to get it right, to earn back the biz we lost to the imports.” GM must’ve taken a bath on these. I’ve never heard of an automaker doing this before or since.

2) Great article. Agree with others in that the quirky Crown is for quirky tastes…the prose resonated. I had some good laughs and I do believe we share pretty similar tastes. Gotta say I’m not ambivalent: definitely not a Crown fan. But the Signia has been on my shortlist for when and if I ever give up my quirky TourX.

Torque
Torque
1 month ago
Reply to  V10omous

“Cannot be premium branded, lest his Scandinavian friends/neighbors/church ladies find him (or worse, my mom when she drives it) “uppity or above their station”. So no Lexus, let alone BMW”

Sounds like exactly the space this Toyota lives in, as well as Volvo and Acura. Slightly premium products that appear on the outside as subtly nice in a Stealth Wealth or Quiet Luxury kind of way

V10omous
Member
V10omous
1 month ago
Reply to  Torque

It was no coincidence that my dad drove Acuras for 20 years prior to getting the Crown, and he would have bought another if the TL/TLX came as a hybrid.

Eggsalad
Eggsalad
1 month ago

I generally don’t care for sedans, but I like this one. And I’m glad Toyota builds it. It really is a replacement for the Avalon for folks who want a “near luxury” sedan. Still, if it was for me, I’d spend the extra $3k and get the crossover version.

Skurdnin
Member
Skurdnin
1 month ago

How is it for NVH? That’s somewhere most Toyota’s aren’t great at, basically need to step up to Lexus for better NVH.

Drew
Member
Drew
1 month ago
Reply to  Skurdnin

I found it to be fairly similar to the last-gen Camry, which surprised me. I thought it would be better. I still haven’t had a chance to drive the latest Camry, but I expect I would save some money and buy the Camry if I were in the market.
I ended up in a RAV4 Prime, but would have liked to have tried the Signia. That wasn’t available to test drive and I didn’t want to pass on the Prime that had the trim level and package I wanted.

Tekamul
Member
Tekamul
1 month ago

“13 MPG better fuel economy”
I thought this was a mistake. Then I went and looked. I do not understand what is going on with the engineering here. 2 hybrid systems, both with dual electric motors, one with a 340HP combined, the other 236 combined. But that bump in power drops it from 41mpg combined to 32!?! That seems like a steep drop.

CreamySmooth
Member
CreamySmooth
1 month ago
Reply to  Tekamul

I also wonder this about all of the hybridMAX powertrains in Toyota products. Surely a couple of lbs bigger motor(s) and some software can’t make such a huge impact

Phil
Phil
1 month ago
Reply to  Tekamul

Well, the 3.5L V6 this replaces was only rated to 26mpg combined in the Avalon. An AWD GS350 with that engine was 21mpg. 32mpg is a large bump. And it’s quick–0-60 in 5.1 and 101mph in the quarter mile in C&D testing.

The 41mpg 2.5-liter hybrid system is a full two seconds slower.

If these numbers are roughly achievable in the real world, it’s good fuel economy for the amount of power.

Last edited 1 month ago by Phil
David Fernandez
David Fernandez
1 month ago
Reply to  Tekamul

I don’t care enough about this car to look it up, but it probably has something to do with wheel size.

Bigger wheels = less range which is why I think it’s dumb that the top trim EV models have the biggest wheels/least range

At the very least you should have the option

Last edited 1 month ago by David Fernandez
PBL
PBL
1 month ago
Reply to  Tekamul

Yeah, it’s a crazy drop, but it makes a little more sense when you consider the changes. The standard car uses the regular hybrid synergy drive, which has the single Atkinson-cycle engine, two motor generators, single battery, and a planetary gearset (eCVT) to distribute the power. Basically Gen 5 HSD. The Hybrid Max ditches the eCVT, replacing it with a six-speed transmission that is connected to both the combustion engine and the front electric motor. It also has a rear electric motor with a single gear that receives power at all times.

The reason is to get the sort of power and torque that large SUV drivers desire without having to put up with combined fuel economy hovering around 20 mpg. Frankly it’s a powertrain that makes a lot of sense in that big SUV. But in the Crown it’s a little silly because not only is this not a sports sedan, it’s not something that’s ever going to haul enough to need gobs of power. The system also adds over 350 pounds.

Tekamul
Member
Tekamul
1 month ago
Reply to  PBL

Thank you for the deep dive.
It sounds like Toyota picked a compatible system with more oomph that is maybe not the most efficient fit.

Angrycat Meowmeow
Member
Angrycat Meowmeow
1 month ago

Didn’t Ford try the tall sedan thing with the 500? Either way the bodystyle gives off Youabian Puma vibes.

Taargus Taargus
Member
Taargus Taargus
1 month ago

We don’t talk about the Five-Hundred.

Baker Stuzzen
Member
Baker Stuzzen
1 month ago

Why not? The 500 was a great car, and I still miss my parents black-over-silver ’06(?) FWD. I never got “tall” car vibes from it honestly, it just felt nice and roomy in every dimension. The Crown definitely looks like a sedan with all the Z dimensions + 15%, and I’m not so sure about it.

Taargus Taargus
Member
Taargus Taargus
1 month ago
Reply to  Baker Stuzzen

I’m glad you enjoyed your family’s 500. I’m sure it served you well.

I… always found it to be one of the blandest looking cars ever made. It felt pretty dorky looking, and made a lot of that eras Buicks seem almost desirable in comparison. The name, especially spelled out as “Five Hundred” was very dumb. The only person I knew that owned one had the transmission blow up at 70k.

YMMV.

PBL
PBL
1 month ago

You’re maybe thinking of the 6th-gen Taurus? The revived Five Hundred was no taller than any other large sedan of the period.

Angrycat Meowmeow
Member
Angrycat Meowmeow
1 month ago
Reply to  PBL

Maybe not taller but they tried to make you sit higher

From MT:
Recognizing that many auto buyers have gravitated toward sport/utility vehicles, Ford infused the Five Hundred with qualities people like in SUVs, specifically, available all-wheel drive, a higher-than-normal seating position, and a spacious interior.

PBL
PBL
1 month ago

You’re right, I looked it up and the Five Hundred/Montego was taller than most other sedans… 61.5 inches vs just 56.1 for the preceding Taurus. It’s probably hard to see because the wheelbase and length was also extended from the prior Taurus.

Phil
Phil
1 month ago

“The Crown Signia…outsells the sedan by 2-to-1”

There’s some hope for the future of humanity after all.

Interesting review Matt, thanks. The outgoing Avalon was a good car, Toyota finally managed to give it proportions and driving dynamics that didn’t scream “Japanese LeSabre”, even if the grill was overdone and the 8 speed a bit undercooked. I’d happily drive one and I’m nowhere near the typical Avalon buyer age.

I don’t like this Crown, though. At all. It takes away nearly everything good about the final Avalon. $56K still buys a lot of more appealing car elsewhere.

Nlpnt
Member
Nlpnt
1 month ago
Reply to  Phil

If it wasn’t for the fact Toyota had so many other medium/large crossovers it’d be more.

Vanagan
Member
Vanagan
1 month ago

The Signia Estate is the one I can’t get, but would want. Either way, the Signia is by far the better looking car in my opinion. That Signia fastback look is great and the car only struggles, because it is a Lexus without the badge, with the price tag to match.

Redneckvolution
Member
Redneckvolution
1 month ago
Reply to  Vanagan

The Signia needs to be about 10k cheaper, IMHO, to really get sales moving. But that would cut into the Highlander and top trim RAV4’s turf, and Toyota NA is incredibly averse to that notion.

God forbid we have a somewhat affordable mid-size wagon that doesn’t cost north of 40k in the NA market…

3WiperB
Member
3WiperB
1 month ago

When my parents were looking for a car (specifically a car and not a crossover or SUV) last year, I suggested a Crown and they test drove it. They said they liked it but thought it could use a bit more power. I’m assuming they didn’t drive the Hybrid Max version with the higher horsepower, or that one wasn’t available at the dealership. They ended up getting a Lexus ES350. They are really at similar price points, which I think hurts the Crown a bit. Their Lexus is really nice, but I was surprised by the lack of any really neat little features on a luxury brand. The CT6 they replaced had so many cool little tricks (like night vision, ability to record the cameras to an SD car, and stuff like that). There’s nothing unusual on the Lexus.

JetScreamer
JetScreamer
1 month ago

I love almost everything about this car. The color, the look, the features, even the price is understandable. But no liftback? Huge miss. No thanks.

PresterJohn
Member
PresterJohn
1 month ago

Yes please review the Signia. I’m seeing more of them around now and they look fantastic. That one is also, unfortunately, marketed primarily to older folks (and indeed that’s who’s been driving anytime I’ve seen one).

RAMbunctious
RAMbunctious
1 month ago

The sedan is so-so, but the wagon version of this looks brilliant. It’s probably the most desirable vehicle to me that Toyota makes right now.

Urban Runabout
Member
Urban Runabout
1 month ago

What I didn’t adapt to is that I couldn’t find a button to release the hood. I didn’t want to look it up and gave myself the challenge of locating it. It never happened, so I just had to use the remote:”

I have never seen a fob with a button to open the hood.
Trunk, Yes – Hood, No.

I’m glad you’re making efforts to do new car reviews this year
– even weirdos like the Crown.

SlowCarFast
Member
SlowCarFast
1 month ago
Reply to  Urban Runabout

He meant ‘trunk’. They moved it off to the side, probably due to the camera with lens washer and other proximity sensors. It is a known frustrating design feature.

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