Toyota has replaced its long-serving and highly-rated Avalon sedan with the Crown, an extroverted model that aims to bridge the gap between traditional sedans and SUVs. The new Crown is offered strictly as a hybrid with all-wheel drive. If the Crown nameplate seems familiar, that’s because Toyota sold a Crown in the U.S. from 1958 through 1972. Since then, the Crown moniker has continued in overseas markets.
The Crown’s slightly elevated seat and roof heights makes it easier to get in and out of it than most sedans. But its traditional trunk, rather than a hatchback, limits its usefulness as an alternative to the ever-popular SUVs. The mid-level Limited version we tested got a fantastic 42 mpg overall, and its supportive front seats, reasonably compliant ride, and decent power make it mostly easy to live with. The biggest annoyance comes from the four-cylinder engine’s excessive noise and vibration when you need to move out quickly. Those looking for a luxurious ride or sporty handling will find that the Crown just doesn’t deliver in those areas, and it’s interesting to note that while the Crown managed an excellent road-test score of 85, that’s a few points behind the outgoing Avalon it replaces.
The base XLE and Limited trims come with a thrifty 236-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain, with the top Platinum version utilizing a 340-hp, 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid. The electric drive gives the Crown Limited a smooth shove off the line and brings quiet cruising at low speeds. But higher power demands, such as when merging onto a freeway or climbing a steep hill, bring unpleasant sounds from the gas engine, even sending some vibrations (and not the good kind) through the steering wheel. The blame can be shared equally between the buzzy engine and the electronic continuously variable transmission (eCVT), the latter allowing the engine revs to pile high with a monotonous tone when extra acceleration is needed.
The Crown proved competitive with other hybrid sedans, such as the Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata, in terms of outright acceleration at our test track, scooting from 0 to 60 mph in 8 seconds flat. It actually feels quicker than that out on the road, as there’s more than competent power on hand when you need it, capable of making confident work of two-lane passing zones to get around slower cars. But the engine’s obstreperous tone might keep you from dipping into it.
We also rented a Platinum model from Toyota, and found that its turbo four-cylinder hybrid powertrain makes for a much more pleasant driving experience. But the Platinum won’t be able to match the Limited’s excellent fuel mileage.
Ride comfort is acceptable most of the time, although we noticed that sharp bumps at low speeds tend to punch through more than we expected. While it’s good overall, it doesn’t have the same level of plushness as the now-departed Avalon, nor the slightly more expensive Lexus ES. The cabin is nicely hushed in most ways other than when the gas engine kicks on in a rowdy fashion. Handling is sound but unexceptional; the steering feels too light and body roll is noticeable when you pick up the pace through turns, although the Crown managed a commendable 53 mph through our avoidance maneuver test.
Getting in and out of the Crown is pretty easy, thanks to an elevated seat height compared to that of most sedans, along with large door openings and entryways. The front seats are wide, comfortable, and nicely shaped, with ample side bolsters to hold you in place through corners. For the most part we found the driving position to our liking, with plenty of adjustments, a good view of the gauges through the steering wheel, and a padded center console. The rear seat is plush and comfortable, but tight on headroom for taller passengers.
You’d be forgiven for thinking, at first glance, that the Crown is a hatchback, owing to its sloping roofline and short decklid. But it actually has a traditional trunk, albeit a pretty large one. Unfortunately, the exterior release button is hidden in a silly location, making it practically impossible to find at night (even if you know where it is). It’s also too bad that the Limited’s standard panoramic sunroof is fixed, and doesn’t open. At least there is a power sunshade.
Fit and finish inside the cabin is more run-of-the-mill than special, with some cheap plastic trim and rough edges here and there. Many of the materials, and the overall presentation, don’t come across as up-to-snuff for a car approaching $48,000 as-tested. We appreciate that the Crown uses physical climate-system controls, rather than a touch-panel like on many new cars, but the layout requires too much focus when interacting with them. And while we like that the driver’s instrument cluster can be reconfigured, it’s unnecessarily complicated to move around within the digital display. The stubby electronic monostable gear selector is also likely to be confusing at first, due to the odd way you move the lever between Reverse and Drive.
The Crown comes with the “Toyota Safety Sense 3.0” suite of active safety and driver assistance systems. Standard features on the Crown include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian, cyclist, and motorcycle detection, automatic emergency braking that operates at highway speeds, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, lane centering assistance, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams.