The Crown moniker dates back almost 70 years, making it the automaker’s longest-running model name. While absent from the U.S. market for about half a century, it has been applied to a series of regal sedans overseas for decades. Now the automaker is redefining “Crown” by applying it to a growing line of models that combine elevated ground clearance, standard hybrid powertrain, and all-wheel drive.
The result is a unique mashup of vehicles and concepts, reminding us a bit of the original, genre-twisting Venza. Consequently, it’s hard to position the Crown Signia against direct rivals. There isn’t anything quite like it.
The main competition may well be other Toyotas and two-row midsized SUVs, like the Nissan Murano, Subaru Outback, and Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport.
The Crown Signia is available in XLE ($43,590) and Limited ($47,990) trims. Options include a single Technology package ($1,865) and three premium paint colors ($425).
The Toyota Crown Signia will be built at the Tsutsumi Plant in Aichi, Japan, and it goes on sale in the summer of 2024.
Based on our initial impressions, it makes some notable improvements over the Crown, while sharing some criticisms. In our review below, many facets are positioned in the “What We’ll Keep an Eye On” section because the feedback on those attributes is mixed and therefore doesn’t neatly fall into the “We Like” or “We Don’t Like” buckets. Plus, we’ll dig deeper when we buy one to test.
If you’re a Consumer Reports member, our initial expert assessment of the Crown Signia is available to you below. Once we purchase our own model and complete 2,000 break-in miles, we’ll put the Crown Signia through more than 50 tests at the CR Auto Test Center, including empirical measurements of acceleration, braking, handling, car-seat fit, and usability. CR members will have access to the full road-test results as soon as they’re available.
What we rented: Toyota Crown Signia Limited
Powertrain: 240-hp, 2.5-liter hybrid four-cylinder engine; electronic continuously variable transmission; all-wheel drive
MSRP: $47,990
Destination fee: $1,395
Total cost: $49,385