2024 Toyota Crown Sedan

　　

2024 Toyota Crown Review

byBrian WongSenior Reviews Editor

　　Brian Wong has worked in the automotive industry since 2010, writing over 1,000 car-related articles and testing and reviewing hundreds of vehicles over the course of career. Brian is a senior reviews editor at zzdcar and has also contributed to Cars.com, Motor Authority and Green Car Reports. Brian has also been featured on MotorWeek as an expert for several car comparisons. He loves convertibles (the smaller the better) and hates paying for parking, so Los Angeles is both the right and wrong city for him.

　　, rating written byBrian WongDirector, Vehicle Testing

　　Jonathan Elfalan has worked in the automotive industry since 2005. As a director of vehicle testing at zzdcar, Jonathan has tested and reviewed thousands of cars and written thousands of car-related articles over the course of his career. Jonathan got his start testing cars for Road & Track magazine as a newly minted mechanical engineer grad from University of California, Irvine, and has also contributed to Motor Trend and the Associated Press. He likes to say he learned to drive a manual transmission in a rear-wheel-drive mid-engine vehicle but often omits it was his family's 1991 Toyota Previa minivan.

　　The Toyota Crown is now in its second year and, so soon after its debut, returns without major changes. Much like the Avalon that it replaced, the Crown is a bit of a tweener: not quite a full-size sedan but definitely larger than a typical midsize sedan. But Toyota has done a lot to make it different from most other sedans, including giving it a tall profile, an available two-tone paint job and standard hybrid power.

　　

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2024 Toyota Crown XLE 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.06 per gallon for regular unleaded in North Dakota.

Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota

　　$92/mo  for Crown XLE

　　Crown XLE

　　XLE 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT) - $40,350 MSRPLimited 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT) (Most Popular) - $45,950 MSRPPlatinum 4dr Sedan AWD (2.4L 4cyl Turbo gas/electric hybrid 6A) - $53,370 MSRP

　　vs

　　$198/mo

　　Avg. Large Car

　　

zzdcar spotlight: All Crowns are hybrids

The Crown is offered in two hybrid versions, both featuring four-cylinder engines and standard all-wheel drive. One of them puts an emphasis on efficiency, while the other skews more toward performance. In the XLE and Limited, the powertrain makes 236 horsepower and gets an EPA-estimated 41 mpg. That's impressive for a big sedan especially since it has standard all-wheel drive. For the Platinum trim, Toyota gives the Crown performance-oriented hybrid powertrain called Hybrid Max. It produces a stout 340 hp, though you will give back 11 mpg combined for that power boost.

　　

Competitors to consider

The Crown's price and features give it quasi-luxury ambitions, and it compares closely with the Lexus ES on price. There's also the Volkswagen Arteon, which is also nominally a midsize sedan though it offers extra room as well in the back seat compared to most vehicles in this class. It has an upscale interior as well. We also recommend checking out the hybrid versions of the Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata. They cost less but still provide excellent fuel economy and comparable interior space.

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Please note that this rating is based on a prior year and may change slightly once complete information about the 2024 Crown becomes available.

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Good

　　8.0

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

8.0/10

　　How does the Crown drive? We didn't have high expectations for the Crown's driving experience given it's a large comfort-focused hybrid sedan. But our test car, a Crown Platinum with the upgraded Hybrid Max powertrain, surprised us. It's an enjoyable and easy vehicle to tool around in. Acceleration is smooth from a stop and responsive when you need to pass on the highway. It's properly quick too. At the zzdcar test track, our Crown test car zipped from 0 to 60 mph in just 6 seconds, which is significantly quicker than most of the competition. Unfortunately, the XLE and Limited trims aren't nearly as quick.

　　The Crown, despite the modest grip from its all-season tires, feels wholly willing to play a bit on curvy roads. Its limits are relatively low, but it keeps its composure and delivers enough feedback to give you confidence in exploring its capabilities.

　　

Comfort

8.5/10

　　How comfortable is the Crown? The Crown delivers on comfort. Our test car was top-of-the-line Platinum trim so it came equipped with an adaptive suspension. It provides an excellent ride over pretty much any surface you throw at it. The softest settings worked great for dealing with some of the worst road surfaces, and even the sportier settings still felt pretty cush but cut down on some of the body motions.

　　The cabin is also very well insulated against wind and road noise. We found the upgraded Hybrid Max powertrain in the Platinum trim to be pretty quiet in our testing, but the standard hybrid is noticeably noisier when you go hard on the gas pedal. Another area where we think the Crown falls a bit short is rear seat comfort. Though spacious, the rear seatback angle is off, so you have to adjust a bit before you can find a reasonably comfortable position.

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