First showing up for the 2023 model year in Canada, the Toyota Crown brings a nameplate back to this country that had been absent for a generation. This time around, it maintains a four-door sedan profile whilst packing an overall height which casts a vaguely SUV-ish shadow. Perhaps unsurprisingly, an SUV variant of the Crown sedan has also appeared, called the Crown Signia. This post will focus on the sedan, a car which we drove as part of Toyota Canada’s 60th-anniversary Kanreki adventure which saw a fleet of Toyota machines head clear across this country.
Does the Toyota Crown have a hybrid engine?
This is a company which knows a thing or three about hybrid powertrains, and Toyota has put its experience to great effect in the new Crown. Two options are available, showing up in separate trims. First, the Limited gets a so-called “fourth-generation” Toyota hybrid system featuring a 2.5L four-cylinder engine, two electric motors, and an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission. The result is 236 horsepower with a rated fuel efficiency of 5.7 L/100 km on the NRCan combined driving cycle.
Meanwhile, the tony Platinum avails of the brand’s Hybrid Max banner, employing 340 ponies and 400 lb-ft of torque from a 2.4L turbocharged engine, electric motors, and a six-speed automatic gearbox. NRCan estimates a combined fuel economy of 7.8 L/100 km, a figure which jives with our results over a couple of highway jaunts. In our experience with the less-powerful variant, the handoff between gasser and electric propulsion was all but seamless with none of the shake and shimmy which sometimes appears in such systems during the automatic lighting of fires in the internal combustion half of the equation.
Is the 2024 Toyota Crown all-wheel drive?
Yes. The company made a unique decision to offer two completely different powertrains in two otherwise similar trims, resulting in all-wheel drive for both – but a marked difference in how it is delivered. Limited trim gets the aforementioned continuously variable transmission paired with an electronic on-demand all-wheel drive rear differential electric motor which can apportion traction front/rear from ratios between 100/0 to 20/80.
A slightly more mechanical solution found in the Platinum, where a six-speed automatic transmission plays with an eAxle water-cooled rear electric motor in concert with power being fed to both axles via the hybrid engine. This means the traction split varies between 70/30 and 20/80, helping partially explain why the Platinum gets different fuel economy than the Limited.
What’s it like to drive the Toyota Crown on the open road?
Our tester, a Limited trim, had the less potent of the two engines available under the Crown’s (tall) hood – though it should be said this driver never once wanted for more power. While a total of 236 ponies might not seem like a full stable in a world inhabited by family crossovers motivated by more than 400 horses, the reality is that Toyota has built a hybrid powertrain whose electrified gubbins step in where appropriate to create the sensation that more grunt is on tap than raw numbers may suggest.
It is worth noting the Platinum trim is granted a new Dynamic Rear Steering system for the 2025 model year, a change which will surely help turning radius performance along with making this car feel slightly more agile at speed. It’ll also help with bragging rights since this is the type of tech Mercedes-Benz bakes into most of its large sedans, even if that is not the rarified air in which the Crown competes. This, combined with a smooth powertrain, means that even Miss Daisy will be pleased with this car’s polite driving manners.
Is the Toyota Crown comfortable?
Supremely so. Your 6’6” writer had no trouble getting settled in either the front or rear seats, with the latter providing even enough space for a pair of size 13 stocking feet – something not assured in many midsize crossovers, let alone four-door sedans. Kicking back in the rear seat to read the newspaper (remember them?) whilst someone else was at the helm provided the sort of experience which was as relaxing as it was spacious. In fact, at 38.9 inches, the Crown has equal or more measured space than other large sedans but somehow seems to employ more efficient packaging to make the area appear even larger than its already-generous dimensions suggest.
Did the Toyota Crown replace the Avalon?
Technically, yes; practically – well, maybe. While both models are large four-door sedans with a trunk, the Crown stands a good four inches taller than the Avalon, measuring 60.6 inches to the top of its roof. Despite this, ground clearance and width between the two models are within spitting distance of each other. The Crown’s price point is also higher, starting well into the $50,000 bracket compared to the Avalon which lived mostly in the $40’s at the time of its discontinuation a couple of years ago.
What is the competition for the Toyota Crown?
Given its tippy-toe but not-quite-SUV height plus a hybrid powertrain and all-wheel drive, the Crown occupies a unique place in the segment. It doesn’t quite line up with machines such as a Lexus ES but nor is it a direct rival for cars like the all-weather Subaru Legacy (which is departed now, anyways). The Crown’s powertrain and height are likely to draw cross-shopping with some mid-sized crossovers despite the disparity in body shape.
2024 Toyota Crown Canadian Pricing
Two trim levels will be available in the 2025 model year, with the Limited and its 236 hp stickered at $57,947 while the 340-horse Platinum trades for $67,380. Both those sums include sundry fees and some taxes. While pricing is slightly higher (about $2,200) than the amount affixed to our 2024 tester, we feel it is a reasonable increase – especially given the addition of rear steering on the Platinum.
Final Thoughts
While the Crown, with its four-door sedan profile and tall roof, is a bit of an anachronism in the marketplace, it proves itself to be a toweringly comfortable machine for both long highway slogs and being shuttled around town. The entry-level powertrain will be more than sufficient for most drivers – though we do think a number of shoppers will opt for the similarly priced Crown Signia because of its more familiar crossover-like shape.
Pros
✔ Efficient and smooth hybrid powertrain
✔ Acres of interior space
✔ New rear steering for ‘25 model year
Cons
✘ Tall-roof styling may be odd to some eyes
✘ Model name may require explaining to curious neighbours
✘ Price can creep into Lexus territory
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