A paradigm of car-as-appliance
Exciting cars are easy to write about. As soon as I step out from behind the wheel of something like a Lamborghini, a Ferrari, or a Porsche Carrera GT, I can’t wait to plop myself down in front of my laptop and let it rip. The story is in me, and I just need to let it out. And—conveniently—speed, style, and sticks get the clicks.
Toyota
Competence, on the other hand, is a little tougher to get worked up over. It’s also arguably tougher to bake into a car. But that’s what we have here—in spades—in Toyota’s astonishingly competent Crown Signia. While competence might be boring, it’s probably what most people—with families and dogs and mortgages—actually need.
It’s a wagon, dammit
But let’s set the stage. Because, you—valued reader—might not even know that this car exists. I sure as hell didn’t until the black-over-tan one on display at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show beckoned me from afar. It was a good-looking thing; a slightly lifted wagon sitting there, a little out of place, amongst the Corollas and 4Runners. Toyota can call it a crossover all they want, but this is a wagon, by any sane person’s reckoning. That’s a good thing, and I was glad to see it.
Ryan Bahrke
I’d spent some time during a press event in Toyota’s Crown sedan, a car that is a kind of, sort of replacement for the Avalon. Ostensibly, the wagon version—the Signia—now stands in for the Venza, which was Toyota’s crossover thing that never really seemed to catch on. I liked the Crown sedan very much, but the one I drove had Toyota’s optional “Hybrid MAX” system, which pairs a 2.4L turbo four with electric motors for 340 combined horsepower. For some reason, the heavier Signia is available only with the less potent powertrain.
Toyota
With just 236 net horsepower, the Crown Signia’s 2.5-liter, four-cylinder hybrid—running through a CVT transmission and AWD—creaks, groans, and protests to get up to speed. Even though the Signia’s been tested at just over seven seconds to 60 and claims a quarter mile time of 15.5 clicks or so, my seat-of-the-pants tells me that’s a little optimistic. Of course, this could be because of said seat—along with a family, a dog, and a whole trunkful of Christmas presents. Putting the transmission into “sport” does seem to help, but there’s not an enthusiast bone in this car’s body.
But it isn’t a Lexus
Search “Toyota Crown Signia” on YouTube, and you’ll get results with clickbaity titles like “A Lexus on the Cheap.” Do not be fooled. While it might share a platform with the RX and ES, the same refinement just isn’t there. Step into a Crown Signia expecting a modern interpretation of the late, great Camry wagon—or, maybe a Subaru Outback Touring competitor—and the car starts to make a lot more sense.
Toyota
Christmas comes but once a year, thank God
But to really get to know a family car like the Crown Signia requires a nice, long road trip, and Toyota was kind enough to let my family do just that. After packing up our handsome Storm Cloud over Saddle Tan leather example, we—along with our legendary canine companion Ester—headed east from Denver to Minnesota to grandmother’s house for the holidays. Since we’d just driven the “southern” route to the upper Midwest—through central Nebraska and Iowa—for Thanksgiving, we opted this time for the “northern” route, through western Nebraska and the whole of South Dakota.
Ryan Bahrke
Toyota claims excellent gas mileage for the Crown Signia: 39 city and 37 highway. We managed a very respectable 31mpg over 2,000 miles of mostly highway driving. That’s with the aforementioned full National Lampoon’s carload and on highways with posted speeds between 70 and 80mph. That efficiency is a powerful argument—along with Toyota’s reputation for reliability and quality—to buy a Crown Signia. Of note: the combination of the Crown Signia’s Dry January ways and rural America’s shockingly cheap gas—we saw prices as low as $1.81/gallon—resulted in a fuel bill of just over $120 for the entire trip. Amazing.
Ryan Bahrke
A troubled bridge over water
But, about that bridge. This Breadbasket of America route ain’t the PCH, and there’s not much to look at, or much in the way of what you might call photo opportunities. Add in weather ripped from the cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Bare Trees, and you get the picture. But I had an Autoblog article to illustrate, after all. If you like large, fiberglass food-related mascots, this is the route for you. Yes, I know it looks like the Signia’s been a bad, bad car in that photo above, but of course, that’s not true; it’s guilty only of being a very competent one. The Jolly Green Giant looks down on you and your puny ways and smiles. Related: The Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota, is a little less palatial in person in the middle of winter. And, who knew that the World Plowing Contest was a thing? I sure didn’t, but I sure do now; I think they call this finding your own fun. Then we saw a sign that promised a historic one-lane bridge, so we made a detour, thinking it might allow for a real Ansel Adams moment. To the lunatic local who floored her RAV4 to beat me across? You win, though, the Dollar General wasn’t going anywhere. I was reminded again, though, that I really could’ve used that larger engine. And, that maybe this country really is losing its collective mind. In any case, I got the photo.
Ryan Bahrke
But, back to the car
The Crown Signia is a damn good car, and it checks off all the boxes that make it so for a family. Importantly, the front seats are comfortable, though they lack anything more than basic adjustment; even the lumbar control is an in-and-out kind of affair. As I mentioned in my recent review of the GR Corolla (yes, I still miss it), modern Toyota seating is orders of magnitude more comfortable than what you’d find just a generation or two ago. I only wish the driver’s seat could be positioned closer to the floor, as high-mounted stoplights sometimes required a duck down to see, at least for my 6’4” self. The rear seats are spacious, and legroom is no issue, no matter where you are. There are plenty of power outlets, and, importantly, a front phone charging cradle that works, and works well. The audio system is typical Toyota/JBL; easy to use and clear—with decent power—but predictably bass-heavy. There’s a glass roof—at least in our top-of-the-line Limited—that added to the car’s bright and airy interior.
Ryan Bahrke
Country roads, take me home
I did struggle a bit with the Crown Signia’s ride. A rough stretch of westbound I-76 in northeastern Colorado always has us bracing ourselves. We’d just driven the Genesis GV70 on this same road and—no joke—thought it had been resurfaced. The Signia quickly reminded us otherwise; it’s acceptable for the segment but disappointing for the badge. Wind noise was an issue too at higher highway speeds, but the car was otherwise quiet, save for the aforementioned racket under the hood.
Toyota
Final thoughts: A seven-and-a-half
There’s a great scene in the criminally underappreciated 1996 movie Beautiful Girls where Timothy Hutton’s character is asked by his townie pals to describe his big-city fiancée. Without getting into the specifics here, he rates every attribute “a seven and a half.”
He meant it as a compliment; this was the one he was going to marry. And that’s the Crown Signia. It’s a seven and a half, across the board. It’s also a wagon. And a very good one at that. If only Toyota would market it that way.
About the author
Ryan Bahrke
Contributing Writer, Autoblog