2024 Toyota Crown

As the largest sedan in the automaker's lineup, the starting price of the 2024 Toyota Crown hybrid is quite high at $40,050 for the XLE. The only model with any available packages, the Limited, starts at $45,650 but can cost a little over $50k with the added tech. At the very top of the range is the Platinum, which sells for $53,070 MSRP. These pieces don't account for the $1,095 destination charge or any other administrative fees.

Seeing as this is Toyota's most expensive sedan, you can get the most value low down in the lineup. The XLE offers everything you need in a safe, everyday vehicle, but it is a little lacking in quality and comfort, so you'd be best off looking at the Limited, even if it is $5k more expensive. You won't feel cheated with the base model, but if you want the more powerful Hybrid Max powertrain, then the Platinum is your only option.

Toyota has really stepped up interior quality for all of its vehicles, and being the most recent addition, the Crown benefits from all the most modern improvements. The base model may have a mix of fabric and SofTex upholstery instead of leather, but even this material has a quality appearance, and the seats themselves are comfortable. As for the dashboard, it plays host to a pair of large screens for the driver information and infotainment, with a few physical controls below or on the steering wheel for the most commonly accessed features. Most of the high-traffic areas are coated with soft-touch materials, creating a very upscale impression, which is reinforced by the solid build quality.

Despite being the largest sedan Toyota makes, the Crown doesn't have as much interior space as you'd expect. The focus on style is to blame for this, as a sloping roofline eats up a little headroom, though legroom is good enough for most adults, even in the second row. More traditionally styled rivals may be more comfortable all around. Power-adjustable front seats are standard, so you won't struggle to find an optimal driving position that perfectly complements the great outward visibility. Getting inside isn't tricky, even with the sloping roof, as the doors open wide, and there is plenty of space to maneuver around as you climb in.

While it may draw some design cues from crossovers, the Toyota Crown can't come close to matching them in cargo space. Behind the rear seats, there is just 15.2 cubic feet of room. This isn't bad for a sedan, though. Said rear seats can be folded down in a 60/40 split to create more space, though exact measurements aren't provided. Unfortunately, the small trunk opening makes loading larger items difficult, regardless of whether or not there is room for them.

Luckily, Toyota provides plenty of small-item storage options, including two cupholders in the center console, another in each of the front doors, and a pair in the rear fold-down armrest, too. The armrest cubby is particularly spacious, as is the glove compartment, and each door has a pocket.

At the entry level, the Crown XLE's seats are upholstered in cloth with SofTex imitation leather, though the palette of colors is limited to black. Both the steering wheel and gear shifter are finished in leather right from the get-go. Luckily, more interior colors are added once you upgrade to the Limited, which also gets more premium leather upholstery. You can pick between black, Macadamia, and a black/Dark Chestnut combination. At the Platinum level, you still get leather, but black is the only color, once again. Soft-touch materials in lieu of hard plastics help to give the cabin an upmarket feel, and build quality is top-notch. For the latest model year, Toyota added more warm steel-colored accents across the range.

Crowning the Toyota lineup, the midsize sedan has a very extensive list of standard features. This starts off with power-adjustable and heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, keyless entry, push-button start, a wireless phone charger, and dual 12.3-inch displays. One of these operates the infotainment, which comprises wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM, and Bluetooth, while a set of six speakers delivers audio. If you prefer a physical connection to charge your devices, there are a total of five USB ports and a 12-volt power outlet. The sound system is upgraded to an 11-speaker JBL sound system from the Limited, which also gets a Smart Key system on all doors, a memory system for the driver, front seat ventilation, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, and a panoramic glass roof. The only feature reserved for the top-tier Platinum is the Digital Key, which enables one's smartphone to be used instead of a traditional key.

The Toyota Crown gets two engine options, both of which are electrified for excellent performance and fuel economy. The XLE and Limited use a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine paired with twin electric motors, developing a combined 236 horsepower, along with 163 lb-ft alone from the gas engine. The front electric motor is more potent (118 hp and 149 lb-ft) than the rear one (54 hp and 89 lb-ft). An electronic continuously variable transmission is standard on these two trims, along with an electronic on-demand all-wheel-drive system.

The Hybrid Max powertrain is only available in the Platinum, comprising a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-pot and dual motors for a combined 340 hp and 400 lb-ft. Here, the front electric motor makes 81 hp/215 lb-ft, and the rear one makes 79 hp/124 lb-ft. It also gets a conventional six-speed automatic gearbox. It takes 7.6 seconds for the Toyota Crown to go from 0-60 mph with the base engine or 5.7 seconds with the Hybrid Max. Top speed ranges from 120 mph to 130 mph. Toyota has not indicated a towing capacity for the Crown.

With standard AWD, the Crown is very confident, no matter the road conditions, but this doesn't do much for the car's handling. The light steering makes the sedan easy enough to control, but it's also numb, and the comfort-biased suspension further dampens the feel. This can sometimes make the vehicle feel a little floaty, and there is definitely some body roll. Overall, this sedan is made for going fast in a straight line and delivering a composed ride, but it's not going to challenge something like a Kia Stinger for engagement.

We did find the conventional transmission in the Platinum model to be far more enjoyable than the CVT while also doing away with the engine groan when accelerating with the CVT.

With a set of hybrid powertrains, the Toyota Crown gets good mpg figures, though the standard setup offers the best gas mileage. This would be the naturally aspirated four-cylinder and twin motors, which achieve 42/41/41 mpg across the city/highway/combined cycles. With more of a focus on power than efficiency, the turbocharged four-cylinder only manages 29/32/30 mpg. Both configurations offer a fuel capacity of 14.5 gallons, so they can travel for up to 594 and 435 miles, respectively.

Toyota is regarded as one of the top automakers when it comes to safety, with the review of the Toyota Crown returning perfect scores in each category tested by the IIHS. It also earned a Top Safety Pick+ award in 2023. The only blemish was an Acceptable, rather than Good, score for the more basic headlights on the XLE trim. The NHTSA has not performed any crash tests on the sedan to date.

Every model gets the Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 driver-assistance suite, which comprises pre-collision warning with pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking, lane departure alert with steering assist, lane tracing assist, full-speed range dynamic radar cruise control, and road sign assist. They also get a blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, a rearview camera, and hill-start assist. Available to the Limited and standard in the Platinum are lane change assist, front cross-traffic alert, traffic jam assist, and a panoramic-view monitor, while the Advanced Park system is exclusive to the top trim. A total of eight airbags are standard across the board, along with ABS and stability control.

While there is no official reliability rating for the Toyota Crown, the Japanese automaker is renowned for the quality of its products. This reputation is reinforced by the Crown's perfect no-recall track record since its introduction to the USA. This is unsurprising, considering it is built on the same platform as the well-established Camry.

Each 2024 Toyota Crown gets a basic warranty for three years/36,000 miles, while the powertrain is covered for five years/60,000 miles. The hybrid system gets an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty, while the hybrid battery specifically boasts ten years/150,000 miles of coverage. Finally, Toyota provides complimentary scheduled maintenance for two years/25,000 miles.

The Toyota Crown has an extremely unique exterior, with all the elements you'd need to make a standard sedan, overlaid with several crossover characteristics. These include an unusually high ground clearance and aggressive body cladding. It also has an almost coupe-like swoopy roofline. All of this combines to create a car that looks quite unlike anything else on the road. Many shoppers may be shocked at first glance or even think it looks ugly, but give it a little time, and its beauty starts to shine through.

In terms of exterior features, it has 19-inch alloy wheels and bi-LED headlights, upgraded to quad-LEDs on the upper trims. A panoramic fixed-glass roof is added at the Limited level, while the Platinum equips 21-inch alloys.

You have to look pretty hard to find something to complain about, as the 2024 Crown does everything you'd expect from a midsize sedan quite well. It is spacious, comfortable, safe, packed full of features, and surprisingly powerful while remaining economical. The latter is thanks to two excellent powertrain options that allow you to pick the one that best aligns with your priorities. Standard AWD and a lifted body style also make the Toyota sedan-cum-crossover more versatile than many of its rivals. But, since any balanced review does require shedding some light on the shortcomings, we have to say that the interior isn't as smartly laid out as it could be to maximize the space, and the trunk is not overly large, either. Still, we must commend Toyota for adding a new sedan to its lineup at a time when the body style is no longer in favor, and a particularly impressive sedan at that.