It’s a sedan! No, it’s an SUV. Actually, it’s the Toyota Crown that will be making its return to America this fall. New clues about the 2023 Toyota Crown shed light on what to expect, but we also have a few questions. 

What is the 2023 Toyota Crown? 

We know that the 2023 Toyota Crown is coming to the United States this fall. According to Car Scoops, multiple patent images were leaked. However, it’s unclear if the new Toyota Crown is an SUV or a high-riding sedan. 

The file with the U.S. Patent Trademark Office (USPTO) for the Crown name is for automobiles and structural parts thereof. 

The Crown was a sedan that Toyota sold in America in the later 1950s, but it was replaced by the Toyota Corolla and Corona. In other countries, like China and Japan, the Crown name lived on. 

Multiple vehicles have worn the Crown title, including a rebadged Toyota Highlander. The current Crown is a rear-wheel drive model only sold in Japan. Reportedly, the American Crown will be a luxury hybrid SUV. 

What to expect with the 2023 Crown 

We only have a few patent images about the 2023 Toyota Crown to go on. Toyota is being pretty quiet about the pictures. The photos show what seems to be a four-door fastback sedan with the height of an SUV. 

But it could be a compact sporty option like the Mazda CX-5. It’s expected to ride on the TNGA-K platform like other Toyota crossovers. Some critics suggest that it could become the Crown Cross or serve as a higher trim level option for multiple vehicles. 

Others suggest that the Crown will be a luxury option to replace the Lexus RX with a unibody build. It could arrive with hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric powertrain options. However, America might not get each of these variants. 

Also, there are rumors about the Crown being an all-wheel drive vehicle, making it a little more capable than expected. The Mazda CX-5 comes with standard AWD, which is an excellent perk against rivals. 

How much does the 2023 Crown cost? 

The 2023 Toyota Crown could start at about $50,000. This sounds like a pretty steep price for a smaller-looking SUV, but it’s expected to be loaded with luxury features. It could be replacing the Toyota Venza, which didn’t exactly return with a bang. 

However, the 2022 Toyota Venza hybrid only starts at $33,240, so why would the Crown be close to the Toyota Sequoia with its price of $55,550? Perhaps the market for a luxury crossover is larger than we think. 

We hope the new Crown starts at about $26,250 to fight the near-luxury Mazda CX-5. But that could put its price too close to the Toyota RAV4, which starts at about $26,975. 

On that note, there’s already a RAV4 Hybrid, and the fully electric Toyota bZ4X shares a platform with the RAV4. With so many vehicles like the RAV4 out there, Toyota could go in a totally different direction with the Crown. 

Reportedly, the new Toyota Crown is expected to arrive by October, so we should learn more about it soon. Stay tuned for the latest updates.