The future might be electric, but the present is electrified. That’s Toyota’s stance, and the Crown is one of several models the automaker offers that follow what has been proven a prescient aim.
At a glance
- Hybrid by default in both models
- Great drive quality to go with those good looks
- Akio Toyoda wasn’t wrong
Back in 1958, Toyota’s first vehicle for the North American market was the Crown. Sold initially with the company’s “Toyopet” name, the Crown was Toyota’s learning curve model for sales to the Americas. Four generations of the Crown were sold in the US and Canada before it was discontinued for North American sales in 1972. Fifty years later, the Crown was reintroduced as a replacement for the aged Avalon.
Today’s Crown is a beautifully sleek affair with Toyota-branded style. The current-generation Crown is its seventeenth rendition, based on its evolution through sales in Asia and Europe. The Crown is now a hybrid in two ways: it’s a crossover-style design halfway between a regular car and a crossover-SUV, and it’s hybrid-electric by default, which facilitates all-wheel drive as standard.
The current-generation Crown was introduced for the 2023 model year. I drove it then and drove it again in this 2025 version. It comes in three trim levels with a four-cylinder hybrid powertrain that outputs 236 horsepower (173.6 kW). A turbocharged option in the topmost trim ups output to 340 hp (250 kW). The former uses a continuously variable transmission, the latter a six-speed automatic. Fuel economy is about 41 mpg (5.7 l/100km) combined.
The “hybrid by default” thing is something Toyota has been doing with its vehicles for the past few years. And it works. Despite pundits claiming that Akio Toyoda was out of his mind for declaring that all-electric vehicles were not going to be Toyota’s near-term focus, his prescience on the matter has been proven.
Toyota is still selling a lot of vehicles, and hybrids are now being seen as the transitional option before battery-electric vehicles become really mainstream. The heavy push towards BEVs has not turned into dominance, and aggressive targets for their sales are no longer expected to come to fruition.
By sales numbers and availability, hybrid-electric powertrains are clearly dominant, and market share for them continues to grow quickly. Hybrid vehicles make up about 60% of the total electrified vehicle market, and are expected to grow at a rate of about 11-15% per year for the foreseeable future. Toyota has embraced that trend, and the Crown is a great example of how it's paying off.
The 2025 Crown drives nicely and is a great replacement for the Avalon. It comes nicely equipped, is slightly larger than a midsize sedan, and has a long list of safety and driver aid systems as standard. Heated and vented front seats are also standard.
New for 2025 is the Crown Signia model. Toyota bills it as an SUV, but it’s really a station wagon replacing the outgoing Venza. The Venza struggled to find a foothold as a Subaru competitor. The Crown Signia is, by comparison, a slightly smaller and more efficiently designed crossover with a classier look.
The Crown Signia uses the same 2.5L hybrid system as the standard Crown, outputting 240 hp (176.5 kW) in all-wheel drive. There are only two trim levels for the Signia this starting year, but it’s likely that a high-end trim like the Crown’s Platinum will appear next year.
I drove the Limited top trim for the 2025 Crown Signia and found it to be a steady drive, but not as responsive as the Crown in its turbocharged option with the geared transmission. As an estate-ish station wagon, though, the Crown Signia is a comfortable drive with a good amount of interior space. Fuel economy is about 39 mpg combined (7.2 l/100km).
As for Toyoda’s predictions about hybrids? They are definitely panning out. Most automakers are refocusing on electrification rather than just electric, and that’s good for buyers who aren’t sold on a BEV option or can’t afford one.
Product pages: Toyota Crown, Toyota Crown Signia
