2023 Toyota Crown Review: A Bigger, Comfier Prius

Our Take on the 2023 Toyota Crown

The 2023 Toyota Crown is the newest Toyota to enter the company's U.S. lineup, a car-crossover combo that picks up right where the Avalon left off. Its quirky shape might not be for everybody, but during our stint behind the wheel people couldn't stop asking us about it.

Optional Supersonic Red paint and 21-inch gunmetal alloy wheels do a lot to elevate the Crown's unique design, which caught plenty of eyes both around the New York City area and at Watkins Glen International, where I used it as a support vehicle during a recent grassroots endurance event.

Looks aren't the only thing the Crown has going for it. A spacious interior with lots of useful tech make it a lovely place to spend time, whether you're going long distances or just commuting to work. There's a seamless infotainment system that's easy to use and nice to look at, with wireless Apple CarPlay and a wireless phone charging slot that works well.

The Crown's ride is suspension for comfort, with a floaty ride and plenty of roll. Not the best attributes if you want to carve corners, but perfect for a car designed to be a painless daily driver.

What's New

The Crown is entirely new for Toyota's U.S. lineup for 2023, but it's been a mainstay in the company's home market of Japan for over half a century.

The first Toyota Crown went on sale all the way back in 1955, with sedan, wagon, fastback, and coupe body styles available throughout production. Spend a night in Tokyo and you'll see dozens of Crown taxi cabs roaming the streets. Now, it's finally available for buyers in America.

Pros

• Distinctive, eye-catching looks

• Pleasant, comfortable, floaty ride

• Nice interior with lots of desirable features
  

Cons

• Base drivetrain option could be more powerful

• Optional 21-inch wheels look great, but aren't friendly to potholes

• We wish it had a hatchback-style trunk opening

Performance, Engine & Horsepower

The Toyota Crown is available with two different hybrid powertrains. Go for the top-level Platinum trim and you get the company's Hybrid Max system, which combines a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and a six-speed automatic to an electric motor on the rear axle, making a combined 340 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque.

Choose either the Limited or XLE trims, and you get a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated engine mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) and three electric motors, together making 236 hp.

Toyota says the Hybrid Max-equipped Crown can sprint to 60 in just 5.7 seconds, while the lesser hybrid powertrain can do the same job in 7.6 seconds.

Features & Specs

The Toyota Crown is meant to be a replacement for the outgoing Avalon, which ended production in 2022. As such, it's packed with a ton of standard features to help justify its $40,000-plus base price.

There are LED exterior lights, 19-inch alloy wheels, and a panoramic fixed-glass roof as standard. Inside you'll find a 12.3-inch infotainment screen and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, paired to a JBL 11-speaker sound system for Limited models and up. The front seats are ventilated, while both rows are heated. There's also wireless phone charging and a host of standard active safety features.

MPG/Range

The Hybrid Max powertrain in the Platinum Crown delivers 29 mpg city and 32 mpg highway, for a combined rating of 30 mpg, according to the EPA. The base powertrain is far more efficient, delivering 42 mpg city and 41 mpg highway, for a combined rating of 41 mpg.

Our Limited-trim tester had the base system, delivering about 39 mpg over a 400-mile weekend consisting of both city and highway miles. We were fairly aggressive with our throttle inputs throughout, so we can forgive the car for missing out on the EPA's estimates.

Test Drive

The Toyota Crown drives like a bigger, comfier Prius. It has a laid-back vibe, delivering a floaty, pleasant ride with no sporting intentions. It coasts over most bumps with ease, feeling more like a crossover than a big, tall sedan thanks to its high driving position.