Vehicle Type: The Toyota Crown is a four-door, midsize hybrid sedan capable of seating five passengers. It also features a higher ride height compared to other traditional sedans, giving it an SUV-like stance, despite not being considered a true crossover.
Price Range: The base Toyota Crown XLE starts at $41,045 after the destination fee is included. Top-of-the-line Toyota Crown Platinum models start at $53,445. There are plenty of accessories available on the Platinum trim that can bring the price to well over $55,000.
Powertrain: The base Crown XLE and the mid-range Crown Limited come with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, two electric motors, and a continuously variable transmission.
This base hybrid powertrain produces a combined 236-horsepower, and its electric motors mean even the base model has all-wheel drive as standard.
Upgrade to the Crown Platinum and you will receive a more powerful hybrid powertrain, comprising a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, a rear-axle electric motor, and a six-speed automatic transmission, all good for a combined 340 horsepower sent to all four wheels.
What’s New for 2025?
The Crown was an all-new model in 2023, built to replace the Toyota Avalon. The Crown is slightly smaller, technically making it one of the largest midsize sedans on the market. Unlike the Avalon, the new Crown comes with one of two hybrid powertrains, even though its base price is slightly higher.
For 2024, the Limited trim could be ordered with the Advance Tech package, which added adaptive cruise control, front cross-traffic alerts, and lane-change assist capabilities. These were standard on the Platinum trim.
For 2025, the Nightshade trim was added, which replaces chrome exterior trim with black bits, adds a black leather interior and matte black 21-inch alloy wheels, and one of two exterior colors.
What’s Good?
- Like most other Toyotas, the Crown offers good standard tech and safety features
- The base hybrid powertrain gets good fuel economy for a sedan of its size and provides even the base models with standard AWD
- It feels more premium inside than your standard Toyota Camry, which picks up where the Avalon left off
What’s Bad?
- It may be peppy, but Hybrid Max powertrain is significantly less efficient than that of the base model
- With only a few exceptions, lifted sedans have not historically fared well in the market
- The Crown’s high ride height, combined with its swoopy sedan styling, limit rear-seat headroom and cargo space
Would we buy one? No. Toyota does hybrids well, and we love that the Avalon’s replacement is one of them, but the rest of the car tries to do too many things, and subsequently, leaves us asking, “Why not just buy a Camry Hybrid?”
More Photos:
See more 2025 Toyota Crown Photos.
Overview:
The Toyota Crown is one of the most interesting new cars on the market. It replaces the Toyota Avalon, the automaker’s now-defunct full-size sedan. Not only does the new Crown join other popular Toyota hybrids such as the Prius, the Venza, and the Highlander Hybrid, it does so with a twist. It enters the market as a large, midsize sedan with a higher seating position than a typical car.
Not only does this make it look a little awkward, but it also helps position it uniquely among would-be competitors. Its 112.2-inch wheelbase is one inch longer than that of the Toyota Camry, and its 196.1-inch length is nearly a half-an-inch more than that of a Honda Accord. It even has the full-size Nissan Maxima beat in both the wheelbase and overall length departments.
Size aside, its standard all-wheel drive layout and high ride height nudge it toward, if not all the way to crossover SUV territory. The Subaru Legacy comes with standard AWD but lacks a hybrid powertrain. Additionally, the Crown features a slightly more upscale interior than a typical midsize sedan such as the Kia K5, the Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, or the Toyota Camry.
The Crown may be new to us here in the States, but it has been a longstanding nameplate in Japan for more than 50 years. There, it is considered a luxury vehicle, and that makes sense to us. It does not quite reach Lexus levels of luxury, but neither did the Avalon. It still features a comfortable ride, great tech features, and a host of other things we have come to expect from Toyota. Unfortunately, its odd position in the market, coupled with its unusual styling, have us wondering how it will work.
Overall Score: 3.25/5 stars
Driving Experience: 3.5/5 stars
For those familiar with how other Toyota crossovers and sedans drive, the Crown offers no surprises. The interior is quiet, the ride is comfortable, and the performance defers to easy driving. The Crown has several selectable drive modes to tweak the driving experience slightly, but otherwise, it is uneventful.
The beefiest Hybrid Max powertrain with its turbo in the Crown Platinum provides a bit of extra boost off the line, and we definitely prefer it to the standard version for its peppier and responsive feel. The output of 236 horsepower is adequate to get around town, but you can feel the car’s 4,250-pound curb weight when you start to push it.
As with its upgraded powertrain, the Crown Platinum offers a little more than the XLE and Limited trims when it comes to cornering, thanks to adaptive suspension. Keep in mind that it is still far from a sports sedan, though. Without the active dampers, the XLE and Limited trims will show a bit more body roll when pushed, but buyers will likely not go to those extremes on a regular basis.
Safety Features: 4/5 stars
At the time of writing, neither the NHTSA nor the IIHS had given the Toyota Crown an official safety rating. Despite this, it comes with many of the same standard driver assistance features found in other Toyota models.
Standard safety features include forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, traffic sign recognition, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear-cross traffic alert, a rear-seat alert system, and a safe exit system.
A panoramic view monitor can be added to the Limited trim as part of the Advanced Tech package, while a front and rear parking assist system with automatic braking is standard on that trim level. A more advanced hands-free parking system comes with the Crown Platinum.
Value: 2.5/5 stars
With a base price of just over $41,000, the Crown starts at around $3,100 more than the outgoing Avalon. The Crown is slightly smaller than the Avalon, does not have quite the cargo capacity that the Avalon did, and there is less passenger space in the rear seats. That said, the new Crown has the Nissan Maxima squarely beat in the cargo and passenger space departments, and its base price is closer to that of the Crown’s.
The Crown earns back some value points for having a standard hybrid powertrain and standard all-wheel drive. With the exception of the Subaru Legacy, no other midsize car comes with AWD as standard. It should be noted, though, that every other midsize car currently available has a starting price of less than $30,000.
Competitors such as the Kia K5, the Honda Accord, the Nissan Altima, the Hyundai Sonata, and the Chevrolet Malibu all have a greater cargo capacity, and many have more comfortable rear seats, because of their less aggressive rooflines. Still, none of the current midsize sedans has a standard hybrid powertrain.
They may not be standard, but the Toyota Camry, the Honda Accord, and the Hyundai Sonata are all available with a hybrid powertrain and still have a much lower starting price than the Crown. The Toyota Camry hybrid, in particular, is one of several reasons why the Crown falls to mid-pack in the value stakes. It gets stellar fuel economy, it is much cheaper, it offers nearly the same amount of cargo capacity, and it looks better.
Tech Features: 4/5 stars
For its price, the Crown offers good tech features, but its positioning between most Toyota and Lexus models keeps it from having some of the most premium features available on more upscale vehicles. A 12.3-inch touchscreen and its simple infotainment system start off the list of standard features, but a screen of its size is becoming more common across the board in modern vehicles.
Additional standard infotainment and technology features include a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, satellite radio, wireless device charging, a six-speaker audio system, heated front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, power-adjustable front seats, hill start assist, and selectable drive modes.
Optional features and those found on higher trim levels include quad-LED headlights, a power-operated sunshade for the panoramic sunroof, a digital key, an upgraded JBL audio system, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, and adaptive variable suspension.
Practicality: 3/5 stars
The Crown’s claim to fame is its elevated ride height, providing a crossover-like feel with the styling of a sedan. Even though it does exactly that in theory, the compromise is less headroom and cargo space. Additionally, Toyota has not increased the ground clearance, as Subaru has with the Outback. Several other midsize sedans are more comfortable as a result.
The Crown still rides well and it's easy to climb into, but its seats could be more padded to improve comfort levels. One thing that does help on long road trips is its solid fuel economy. Its standard all-wheel drive is also a plus. although it's hardly an off-roader.
Another plus is the Crown's simplistic interior layout and intuitive infotainment system. Ultimately, the Crown offers much of what Toyota buyers have come to expect from the automaker: an uneventful and comfortable ride, relatively good fuel economy, a quality yet simple interior, and plenty of features.
Still, Toyota’s desire to fill the Avalon’s previous space with their new car and its fresh styling has taken away some crucial elements of its potential practicality.
Styling & Design: 2/5 stars
There have been many new cars in the past five years that have been designed aggressively or with odd, futuristic sculpting. The sedan's lines are quite handsome, but its high wheel wells, upright stance, and elevated ride height make it look awkward when seen as a whole.
The interior is much cleaner and more in line with the Crown's contemporaries. There is a good combination of physical controls to complement the center touchscreen and the large digital gauge cluster. Interior materials are generally high quality with only minor, noticeable cheap plastics in various areas around the cabin. Overall, it is well laid out and classy without quite matching true luxury competitors.
Judging by its interior alone, the Crown would fall slightly above average for design and styling. Exterior styling in and of itself is not bad, with its clean, raked roofline adding some pizzazz. Its overall dimensions and odd stance are what ultimately provide it with its low score. Add the optional two-tone paint on the Platinum model, and it simply makes the new Crown stand out in a less-than-desirable way.
Fuel Efficiency: 4/5 stars
One of the best aspects of the Crown is its fuel efficiency with its base hybrid powertrain, especially when you consider it weighs more than two tons and has AWD as standard. EPA-estimated fuel economy on the XLE and Limited trim levels with the base hybrid powertrain comes in at 42 MPG in the city and 41 MPG on the highway.
Upgrading to the higher horsepower Platinum trim sees fuel economy estimates drop quite drastically. EPA estimates for Crown Platinum models are 29 MPG in the city and 32 MPG on the highway. That model brings down our overall fuel efficiency score for the Crown.
The Crown is bested by its sibling, the Toyota Camry Hybrid, even with its least powerful hybrid powertrain. Camry Hybrid models return EPA estimates of 44 MPG city and 47 MPG highway in any trim level above the base model. It does not feature all-wheel drive and has almost 30 horsepower less than the Crown, but for some, the Camry’s extra five combined MPG over the Crown, along with its lower price tag, will be more than enough to convince some buyers.
The Camry Hybrid is a standout in the midsize hybrid class, but other, lighter hybrid sedans with front-wheel drive also best the Crown on fuel efficiency. For additional perspective, a base AWD Toyota Highlander Hybrid returns EPA estimates of 35 MPG in both the city and highway.
What’s it Going to Cost Me?
Crown buyers have the option of three trim levels. The base Toyota Crown XLE and mid-range Limited trims both come with the standard hybrid powertrain. This includes a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, a pair of electric motors, and a CVT transmission that sends power to all four wheels. The total combined powertrain output comes to 236 horsepower.
The top trim level Toyota Crown Platinum is offered exclusively with the Hybrid Max powertrain. It meshes a turbocharged 2.4-liter engine, an electric motor that powers the rear wheels, and a six-speed automatic transmission, all good for a combined horsepower rating of 340 to all four wheels.
Each Crown is equipped with the Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 system which includes pedestrian detection, traffic sign recognition, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, lane departure warning, automatic high-beam headlights, and adaptive cruise control. Additional standard safety features include blind-spot monitoring, rear-cross traffic alert, a rear-seat alert system, and a safe exit system.
In addition to the standard driver assistance features listed above, each Toyota Crown also comes with a 36-month/36,000-mile basic warranty, a 60-month/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, a 96-month/100,000-mile hybrid system warranty, and a 120-month/150,000-mile hybrid battery warranty.
The base Toyota Crown XLE is the cheapest model in the lineup. It will cost buyers $41,045 after the destination fee is added.
Each XLE comes with 19-inch alloy wheels, a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, a wireless device charger, a six-speaker audio system, heated front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, power-adjustable front seats, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, SofTex fabric seats, hill start assist, bi-LED projector headlights, and three selectable drive modes.
There are no package options available for this trim level, but you can choose to add multiple accessories such as cargo mats, illuminated door sills, puddle lamps, and even a portable solar kit.
The mid-range Toyota Crown Limited costs $46,645 and builds on to the XLE’s existing features, despite using the same powertrain.
It includes rain-sensing windshield wipers, quad-LED projector headlights, a fixed panoramic sunroof with a power-operated sunshade, leather upholstery, ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, an 11-speaker JBL audio system, and front and rear parking assist with automatic braking.
Buyers can also choose to add the Advanced Technology package for an additional $2,950 to this trim level. It includes 21-inch wheels, a digital key, and a panoramic view monitor. You can also buy most of the accessories that are also available on the XLE trim level to further customize your Crown.
The top-of-the-line Toyota Crown Platinum is the most expensive model in the lineup with a starting price of $53,445.
In addition to the more powerful hybrid powertrain and the standard features from the Limited trim, the Platinum adds 21-inch machined-finish alloy wheels, the panoramic monitoring system from the Advanced Technology package, paddle shifters, adaptive suspension, additional drive modes, and bi-color exterior paint.
There are no package options for this trim level, but most of the accessories available on both of the previous trim levels are still available for purchase.
If we had to buy a new Crown ourselves, we would be more than content with the base XLE trim. It has everything we need plus the added fuel economy that helps put this car in real contention with its few true rivals.
