Toyota’s newest offering, the Toyota Crown, features an all-hybrid model lineup and replaces the Avalon, although it offers the same amount of passenger space as the Toyota Camry. In addition, the new Crown presents unique styling, featuring a sweeping back glass and a taller profile than most sedans. While other Toyota hybrids offer better fuel economy, the Crown provides some desirable standard features.

The 2023 Toyota Crown

Toyota lists the 2023 Crown starting MSRPs at $39,950 for the Crown XLE, $45,550 for the Limited, and the top-trim Platinum at $52,350.

The XLE and Limited models feature a 2.5-liter I4 hybrid powertrain with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and all-wheel drive (AWD) that gets an EPA-estimated 42 mpg in the city and 41 mpg on the highway.

In Platinum trim, fuel economy drops to 29 mpg city and 32 mpg highway thanks to its turbocharged 2.4-liter I4 hybrid with 340 combined horsepower, six-speed automatic transmission, and AWD drivetrain. 

Every Toyota Crow features Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 (TSS 3.0), which includes the following:

• Pre-Collisions System with Pedestrian Detection
• Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
• Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist
• Lane Tracing Assist
• Road Sign Assist
• Automatic High Beams
• Proactive Driving Assist

The Crown XLE features five solid-color options for the exterior, including Black, Oxygen White, Supersonic Red, Heavy Metal Gray, and Magnetic Gray Metallic, with a set of “19-inch multi-spoke machined-finish two-tone alloy wheels” completing the look. 

Inside the cabin, you’ll find cloth-covered seats with “SofTex trim” and a 12.3-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.

The Limited trim offers the same basics and adds heated and ventilated leather-trimmed front seats and Front and Rear Parking Assist with Automatic Braking (PA w/AB). Other standard upgrades include:

• Quad-LED projector headlights
• A panoramic glass roof with a power sunshade
• An 11-speaker JBL audio system with a subwoofer and amplifier

The top-of-the-line Platinum trim adds four bi-tone exterior paint scheme options, Supersonic Red with Black, Oxygen White with Black, Bronze Age with Black, and Heavy Metal with Black, and provides larger “21-inch ten-spoke machine-finish alloy wheels with black accents.”

In addition, upgraded driver assist technology includes a “Panoramic View Monitor with 360-degree Overhead View in low-speed drive and reverse and Curb View.”

Which Crown trim level is best for drivers?

Reviewers from MotorTrend prefer the 21-inch alloy wheels that come standard on the Platinum but said they would opt for the Limited version and add the larger wheels as an option.

Other car critics, like Hot Cars, Consumer Reports, and Car and Driver, preferred the Platinum trim for its 340-hp turbocharged 2.4-liter hybrid powertrain. Aside from the steep price, the Crown Platinum trim provides many advantages over its lesser-equipped counterparts, making it the clear winner of the reviewers’ favor. 

What doesn’t the Toyota Crown do well?

Most complaints against the new Toyota Crown stem from its lack of interior polish. While Car and Driver thinks the Toyota Crown is an upgrade from the Avalon, Consumer Reports says “the interior doesn’t match the exterior’s flash nor live up to the $52,000 price” of the Premium model it tested.

The Crown Platinum’s bi-tone paint schemes and 21-inch wheels add visual appeal to soften the quirky exterior styling, but lower trims only offer mono-color paint options, and the larger wheels add to the price.