Car Review: 2025 Toyota Crown Is Fit For A King

EAST HADDAM, CT – The Toyota Crown may defy conventional categorization, though it certainly is fit for a king. It’s the Japanese automaker’s new full-size flagship, designed for those who prefer traditional four-door sedans but with a slightly elevated ride stance like a sport utility or crossover. 

Driving a Crown is like sitting on a king’s throne. You can look down, out and around other subjects along the road with better visibility, and also enjoy the advantage of a little more ground clearance when the terrain turns tumultuous. 

Plus, it’s easier to get in and out of like an SUV. The big Toyota is almost four inches higher (60.6-inches) than a comparative Camry (56.9) and replaces the Avalon. It rides on meaty 21-inch wheels.

The model’s styling is contemporary and sleek with a steeply raked (referred to as fast in the design trade) windshield and rear window. The side doors and windows aggressively curve into the roofline (called tumblehome), which further contributes to the distinctive silhouette. 

The company considers it “dynamically and elegantly proportioned,” but what such a design does is allow rain to enter the cabin when the doors are opened. It also reduces interior roominess, particularly when there’s a sunroof specified, so the Crown is a tradeoff between swoopy looks and functional practicality for its occupants.  

What Toyota calls a “Bi-tone” (i.e. two tone) paint option is available. It’s a dramatic black highlight color scheme, described as follows:

“This premium sedan was crafted to stand out. With an available bi-tone finish that extends from the hood to the rear.” It goes over the roof as well. It’s definitely different and clearly one of those love it or leave it compromises.

As the pinnacle of Toyota’s car portfolio, the Crown is bestowed with almost Lexus-like ride quality with an Adaptive Variable Suspension. It includes automatically controlled oil pressure shock absorbers that can alter dampening and reduce roll/pitch in response to operating conditions for utmost comfort. 

Active Cornering Assist is also provided. The acoustic, noise-reducing windshield and side glass adds to the aura of delightful, over the road ambiance, as does its streamlined aerodynamic form, premium tires and extensive use of sound deadening materials. 

Power comes from a Hybrid MAX System which is designed to deliver smooth and powerful (340 hp) torque-filled acceleration for a 0-60 time of 5.7 seconds, while also keeping an eye on fuel efficiency with an EPA-estimated 30 MPG combined rating. 

It shares a 2.4-liter inline 4-cylinder turbo engine, tuned to hit peak torque between 2000-3000 RPM, with a front electric motor that helps maximize torque production. A rear wheel e-Axle that includes a high-output water-cooled electric motor is coupled with the hybrid system to directly transmit output to all four wheels, ensuring precise throttle response and linear acceleration throughout the power band. Through a six-speed automatic transmission with multiple drive mode selections.

All Crowns come standard with eight-way, power-adjustable, heated front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, and ambient interior lighting. The Platinum edition that I drove adds a panoramic sunroof, leather upholstery, in cabin LED lighting and ventilated front seats. There’s a standard Advance Technology package, which included adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, a lane-change assist feature, a front cross-traffic alert system and a Digital Key. 

To supplement the Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 system, automated emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, automatic high-beam headlamps and Advanced Park systems are further included.

Inside the cabin is a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. A second 12.3-inch display has a digital gauge display for the driver, and the Crown also includes niceties such as a wireless smartphone charging pad, onboard Wi-Fi, and USB-C ports. An 11-speaker JBL stereo also comes with the Platinum package. 

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The Crown starts at $41,445. The highline Platinum retails for $54,465, which, like its supple ride, is heading toward the Lexus fiefdom. Hybrid-related components are warranted for 8 years/100,000 miles and the hybrid battery is covered for 10 years/150,000 miles.

In summary, the Toyota Crown combines luxury sedan comfort with crossover/utility-like ride height for an uplifting and ultra-refined driving experience, albeit with some assertive if not controversial aesthetic character, which is fit for a king.

(Photos unless otherwise noted are courtesy of Toyota)