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About Crown

The Crown has been Toyota's dignified flagship in Japan since 1955, the car of company presidents, police chiefs and taxi fleets, and for most of its life Americans barely knew it existed. That changed in 2023, when Toyota brought the name back to the United States on a car nobody expected: a hybrid sedan with raised ground clearance, standard all-wheel drive and two-tone paint, built to replace the Avalon and to stand out in a crowd of crossovers.

The Crown's sixteenth generation is not one car but a family. Japan gets a crossover sedan, a conventional sedan, a sporty Crown Sport and a wagon-like Estate. North America received the lifted sedan first, then the Crown Signia, a long-roofed SUV that replaced the Venza. The top Hybrid Max powertrain pairs a turbocharged four with electric motors for strong acceleration, and the cabin quality pushes the Crown close to Lexus territory, which is exactly the point.

Critics poke at the polarizing styling and a sedan that is neither a true luxury car nor a true SUV; fans love its comfort, quiet and fuel economy. Its rivals are hard to pin down, ranging from the Nissan Maxima's legacy to the Acura TLX, Buick Envision and Toyota's own Camry and Lexus ES. Coverage follows trim and price changes, Signia updates, the Japanese variants, reviews and whether the Crown's odd-duck formula finds a lasting audience.