Yahoo Autos 2024 Toyota Crown Interior Review: It's nice, but not quite fit for a king
The 2024 Toyota Crown is just plain odd-looking from the outside, particularly with its available two-tone paint job option. You're either going to love it or hate it at first glance, which is arguably commendable because Toyota didn't exactly take chances with this car's predecessor, the Avalon. However, the Crown'sd interior is decidedly not weird. For better or worse, Toyota chose a path of normality for its new flagship sedan’s insides.
That’s not to say the Crown doesn’t offer a tiny bit of intrigue from the first glance. In our Platinum trim (top trim) tester, Toyota carries the gold of the exterior over into the piping and trim accents of the interior. Sure, the only interior option is black leather, but at least there are gold accents to make it slightly more visually interesting than a Camry. The disappointing lack of interior colors on the top trim does hurt, though. If you want the Hybrid Max powertrain – a superb and powerful hybrid 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder setup – the only option is black. Meanwhile, the middle Limited trim offers white, brown (shown below) and black options, all in leather. What gives, Toyota?
The interior design itself is the opposite of flashy, but it’s quite functional and exudes a quiet premium feeling that fits the Crown’s hefty price tag. And while the materials quality is fitting, it doesn't go above and beyond like the discontinued Avalon did with its pretty colors, stitching leather and budget-Lexus aesthetic. A restrained use of piano black plastic throughout should be a boon for long-term cleanliness and niceness, though. Its center console features a lovely, vertically oriented wireless phone charger that secures the phone in place and makes it easy to lift in and out. The little nub of a shifter is the same monostable design that has been trickling throughout the Toyota/Lexus lineup since the new NX. Its functionality is the same as what was found in multiple Prius generations, and doesn’t take up too much space or ergonomically get in the way of anything. Often-used controls get surprisingly large buttons to the rear of that shifter, and a pair of large cupholders slot in on the right side of the console. The pair of USB Type-C outlets are in a convenient spot for both the passenger and driver to easily plug in if need be, too. Overall, the layout is logical and works well in practice.
