2023 Toyota Crown USA
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The 2023 Toyota Crown is a security blanket disguised as a large sedan, a reassuring automotive hug to drivers discomfited by heavy traffic and the shift from cars to SUVs. Show
Its familiar four-door profile and trunk hide a pair of SUVs’ most popular characteristics — all-wheel drive for slippery roads and 4.1 inches more height than Toyota’s discontinued Avalon for better sightlines and easier entry and exit — in a shape tailored to reassure boomers yearning for the sedans they grew up with. Some of the Crown’s driver assistance features may be a harder sell to those nostalgic customers, however. The Crown is equal parts replacement for the Avalon and spiritual successor to the Ford Crown Victoria, a pair of big sedans that served ably for decades. In its distinctive black-and-white, two-tone finish, the big new Toyota looks a bit like the Tokyo Drift version of a Crown Vic police car. What you'll pay for a CrownThe Crown goes on sale in early 2023. Hybrid and all-wheel drivetrains are standard. Prices start at $39,950 for the base XLE model, $45,500 for Limited and $52,350 for Platinum. All prices exclude $1,095 destination charge. The Nissan Maxima and Kia Stinger are the Crown’s key competitors. Crown prices are roughly comparable to the Maxima and Stinger. Neither of the sporty sedans offers a hybrid, and only the Stinger offers all-wheel drive, as an option. There’s a reason the Crown has so little competition. The Kia and Nissan managed to sell a total of just 7,925 Stingers and Maximas in the United States through September this year. It doesn’t take an MBA to see why most automakers have shifted their attention away from SUVs, but the Crown nameplate has a rich role in Toyota corporate history. It was the automaker’s first mass-produced car and first entry in motor sports. A "reimagined sedan," as Toyota describes the Crown, may seem a bit like reimagining black-and-white TV, but Toyota’s convinced there’s a market for it. Toyota expects to sell 20,000 to 30,000 Crown sales a year in the US. Like the Avalon but not like the AvalonAt 196.1 inches long, the Crown is 0.2 inches longer than an Avalon, on an 0.8-inch shorter wheelbase. The Crown has 0.5 inch more ground clearance. Power comes from either a 2.5L hybrid system producing 236 combined horsepower or a 2.4L hybrid generating 340 hp. The base hybrid scored estimated EPA ratings of 42 mpg n the city/ 41 on the highway and 41 combined. The more powerful model — Toyota calls it “hybrid max” — should get 29 city/32 highway/30 combined. Neither is as efficient as the departed Avalon hybrid, which notched 43 or 44 mpg in combined driving, depending on the model. The EPA considers the Crown a midsize sedan, the same as the Avalon. At 15.2 cubic feet, the Crown’s trunk is 0.9 cubic foot smaller. At 4,200-4,300 pounds curb weight, Crowns are about 600 pounds heavier than comparable Avalons. Crown features and driver assistanceFeatures likely to be popular include:
The Crown is loaded with driver assistance features:
Too much help from driving assist feature?Toyota’s proactive driving assist is one of the most comprehensive — or intrusive, depending on your perspective — safety features I’ve encountered on any mass-market vehicle. Part of the standard Toyota Safety System package, it automatically brakes when it senses a vehicle ahead and traffic and on curves. I found it annoying and eventually figured out how to disable it. How Crown owners — who will probably be older drivers — react could go a long way toward determining the sedan’s success. The system also automatically brakes the Crown when you ease off the accelerator pedal in traffic. On curves, it brakes and adds mild steering input to follow the curve. It braked in traffic when I would have let the car to coast down, but stopped braking before coming to a complete stop, intervening when I didn’t want and ceasing too early. Similarly, it slowed the Crown more than I wanted on mild curves I’d happily coast through. More:Toyota is studying his truck that has 1 million miles: What they want to learn More:2022 North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year will come from this list Toyota’s materials for media showed prospective Crown drivers in their 30s and 40s. My interactions with readers suggest it’ll appeal to an older demographic that may be less receptive to frequent, unsolicited nudges, no matter how well-intentioned. The Crown’s handling was perfectly acceptable once I disabled the pesky driving assist. I drove Platinum models that come with standard adaptive suspension in addition to the hybrid max drivetrain. Combined with the steering’s sport setting, the chassis controls made the Crown a stable and comfortable ride rounding fairly quick country turns and on major roads. Wind noise was more noticeable than I expected at highway speeds. 2023 Toyota Crown at a glanceBase price: $39,950 (excluding $1,095 destination charge) All-wheel-drive, 5-passenger midsize hybrid sedan On sale early 2023 Primary model tested: Crown Platinum hybrid max Price as tested: $52,900 Specifications as tested: Power unit: 2.4L turbocharged four-cylinder engine, hybrid system and electric rear axle Output: 340 hp @ 6,000 rpm; 400 pound-feet of torque @ 2,000-3,000 rpm Transmission: Six-speed automatic EPA fuel economy estimate: 29 mpg city/32 highway/30 combined with 87 octane gasoline 0-60 time: 5.7 seconds with 91 octane fuel Wheelbase: Approximately 112.1 inches Length: Approximately 196.1 inches Width: Approximately 72.4 inches Height: 60.6 inches Passenger volume: TBA Cargo volume: 15.2 cubic feet Curb weight: 4,306 pounds Assembled in Tsutsumi, Japan Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or . Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber. Is Toyota Crown coming to US?Toyota Crown comes well-equipped at a Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) starting at $39,950 for the XLE grade, $45,550 for the Limited grade and $52,350 for the Platinum grade. Toyota Crown is expected to arrive at Toyota dealerships in early 2023.
Where will the 2023 Toyota Crown be built?The Crown is built exclusively in Japan, for now. A 12.3-inch touchscreen is standard on all trims. Crown pricing starts at $41,045 for an XLE and ranges up to $53,445 for a Platinum. The Platinum gets a six-speed automatic transmission with a wet clutch in lieu of the XLE and Limited's CVT.
How much will the Toyota Crown 2023 cost?The 2023 Toyota Crown is a full-size sedan with a few twists. It rides a bit higher than a typical sedan, and every Crown has a hybrid powertrain and all-wheel drive. Pricing starts at $39,950.
Is Toyota Crown coming back?After nearly 50 years, Toyota is bringing the Crown nameplate back for 2023. This time around, the 2023 Crown is returning as a sedan with crossover styling and a hybrid powertrain. Toyota will offer the Crown in XLE, Limited, and Platinum trims.
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