- Auto123 reviews the 2023 Toyota Crown.
In so many ways, the new 2023 Toyota Crown its maker is just launching on the market is odd. Among other things:
- It’s labeled a sedan even though it comes mighty close to the blurry border taking us into crossover SUV territory;
- The offer includes not one but TWO hybrid powertrains to choose from;
- It’s big and it’s heavy, yet is intended as a fuel-efficient alternative to EVs;
- And most of all, it’s an all-new 2023… car. A Sedan.
Time will tell whether this model, essentially the replacement for the defunct Avalon sedan, is a legacy project started before Toyota’s late conversion to the EV format, or a savvy move into a segment that’s maybe too empty right now for the demand that’s still out there, or both.
The exterior of the 2023 Toyota Crown – 7/10
Say what you will, this looks distinctive on the road. It sits low to the ground even with its big wheels, yet it rises as high as many a vehicle classed as a crossover SUV. Guess, for example, the height difference between this Crown sedan and the Kia EV6, classed a crossover: 5 mm.
Most of that height is made by body panel and not window, making the Crown look slightly brutish, like those coupe-style performance SUVs that always evoke mushrooms to me. Might just be me but I also saw in its profile some resemblance to the departed Honda Crosstour (which, have to say, never won any design awards).
In any case that’s a matter of taste, and the front end of the Crown is not hard to like, with its slim headlights connected by a swooping arc sitting atop a prominent grille.
The interior of the 2023 Toyota Crown – 7.5/10
Toyota did a better job integrating the two big screens into the dash than I’ve seen in other places, so kudos for that. The screens are big and clear, the system fairly intuitive. Happily, there are physical buttons for the basic stuff like audio and climate adjustments.
Also I have no complaints about the comfort of the seats, and the easy entry and exit enabled by the vehicle’s high stance will please the less nimble among us.
But for a big, heavy sedan, this interior space doesn’t feel as expansive as the big exterior would lead one to believe, particularly in back where headroom is a little compromised by the panoramic sunroof and the sloping roofline. Nor is the trunk space that generous, with 433 litres available. That’s fairly mediocre for a midsize sedan, which this basically is (unless you want to call it a crossover – heck it’s a free country.)
I noted a fair amount of plastic here and there, and no one will mistake this for a luxury sedan. Some of those glossy surfaces that will inevitably draw dust and fingerprints could have been soft upholstery or even wood and the interior would have been better off for it.
On the other hand, as you’ll see just below, Toyota didn’t skimp on offering a generous amount of equipment out of the box (given the starting price of this sedan, it’s a good thing they did). The front seats are 8-way power-adjustable and heated, driver’s seat has lumbar support, the climate control system is dual zone, and so on. On that front, thumbs up.
The versions of the 2023 Toyota Crown in Canada
The new Crown is offered in in three trims — XLE, Limited and Platinum — as well as with one of two hybrid powertrains. The Toyota Hybrid System is for the first two variants, while the Hybrid Max powertrain is reserved for the range-topping Premium. More on each of those powertrains a bit further.
Standard equipment is pretty generous with the newest and largest Toyota sedan. The base-model Crown XLE comes equipped with:
- All-wheel drive;
- Continuously variable transmission (CVT);
- 2.5L engine plus an 88-kW motor in front and a 40-kW motor in back (on demand);
- 19-inch alloy wheels;
- 8-way power-adjust driver and front passenger seats;
- Driver lumbar support;
- Heated front seats;
- Heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel;
- Dual-zone climate control;
- 12.3-inch multimedia screen;
- Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 package;
- Push button start and smart key system;
- Vertically mounted wireless smartphone charging pad;
- Five USB charging ports.
To all that, the Crown Limited adds:
- An 11-speaker JBL audio system;
- Leather seating;
- LED auto high beam headlamps;
- Ventilated seats;
- Panoramic glass roof (fixed), with power sunshade.
The Crown Platinum is essentially the Limited except with the more performance-minded powertrain and a few modifications to go with it, as outlined just below.
Powertrains of the 2023 Toyota Crown – 8/10
The XLE and Limited models get a 2.5L engine plus the 88-kW motor in front and 40-kW motor in back (on demand). System output is 236 hp and 163 lb-ft of torque working with the CVT.
System output takes a big jump in the Platinum version with its more performance-oriented Hybrid Max AWD system, to 340 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. The system incorporates a 2.4L turbo engine, while the front electric motor has a capacity of is 61 kW, the back motor 59 kW. The CVT makes way for a six-speed auto transmission.
This configuration rides on larger 21-inch wheels and also gets an adaptive variable suspension and the eAxle rear differential, as well as Sport S/S+ and Custom modes within the Drive Mode Select function.
Driving the 2023 Toyota Crown – 7/10
This is no lithe little sedan designed for scooting around town and zipping along winding country roads. The Crown is fairly big and fairly heavy and you can feel that. We didn’t drive the Platinum version that offers more robust acceleration and other tricks, but the Limited is overall… sedate. It’s not sluggish; the power it delivers is fine and so is acceleration from a stop and when highway passing. But you’re in more of a cruiser than anything else. The steering is anesthetized, and the CVT does what a CVT will do, which is whine when the engine is pushed, compelling you to take it easy.
The ride is pleasant (though never nimble; again, this is a weighty car), quiet (except for that CVT when it’s cranky) and comfortable with a suspension leaning to the softer rather than the sporty side of the equation. Not that this rides like a boat, but…
During our weeklong test of the Crown in Limited version, we averaged 6.0L/100 km in mixed driving, which is really good considering the size and weight of the vehicle. Official ratings are 5.7L/100 km city and 5.6L/100 km highway for the Limited; even the more muscular Crown Platinum checks in at a reasonable 8.0L/100 km combined average.
Pricing of the 2023 Toyota Crown in Canada
- 2023 Crown XLE - $45,590 CAD
- 2023 Crown Limited - $50,990 ($52,983 as tested, including $1,860 in transport & prep fees)
- 2023 Crown Platinum - $59,990
The final word
Hats off to Toyota for delivering to market a model that doesn’t follow the general trend. But that pat on the back doesn’t prevent asking some necessary questions about the Crown and what kind of market exists out there for it. This is a big, heavy car that delivers a relatively cramped interior at a substantially higher price than the Camry.
It does offer standard all-wheel drive and interesting fuel economy thanks to the hybrid powertrains, but it offers less ground clearance than the average compact or mid-size SUV. Frankly, it’s a legitimate question to wonder if there are enough ornery anti-SUVers out there to make this a success. The easy access and exit this high-rise car provides is a plus, but is that enough?
The Platinum edition of the new 2023 Crown delivers the strongest powertrain, but that comes at a cost. Given the $9,000 difference between it and the Limited, that version may not be that common a sight on Canadian roads in the coming months. The Limited appears to occupy the sweet spot in the 2023 Toyota Crown offering.
Strong points
- Quiet, comfortable ride
- Entry/exit
- Comfortable seating
- Front end design
- Fuel economy
- Standard AWD
- Generously equipped base model
Weak points
- No premium feel inside
- CVT
- Overall weighty car
- Not that spacious inside for the dimensions
Competitors of the 2023 Toyota Crown
- Chrysler 300
- Dodge Charger
- Nissan Maxima
- Subaru Legacy
- Volvo S90
Specifications sheet of 2023 Toyota Crown XLE
Specifications sheet of 2023 Toyota Crown Platinum
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