The Crown returns stateside
The Toyota Crown has a fascinating history in the United States. It was first sold in 1958 as the Toyopet Crown, and it was strikingly attractive, incredibly comfortable, and cherished by taxi companies and wealthy individuals. However, as time went on and more automakers produced strong competitors, the Crown’s underpowered engine and high price tag made it difficult for most to rationalize. By the 1970s, the Crown’s sales were discontinued in the US–but they remained steady in Japan and Europe.
Kristen Brown
Toyota brought it back in 2023, despite full-sized sedans being a slowly dying breed–and size-wise, it’s nearly identical to the Camry. Even the trunk space, shoulder, head, and leg room are almost copied and pasted between the two sedans. There are a lot of similarities in interior design, too. But there’s one major difference between them: the Platinum Crown, the top-shelf model, comes with Toyota’s new Hybrid Max system that produces 340 horsepower. Does that make it worth $20,000 more than the XSE Camry? Is it impressive on its own? Here’s what I think after reviewing one.
Let’s talk about driving dynamic differences
Since the 1980s, the Camry has earned a solid reputation for being affordable, reliable, comfortable, and spacious. For hard-working families, the Camry’s price-to-feature ratio made it a household name, and most of that still rings true today. The price range is $28,700 to $34,900 (tack on $1,525 if you want AWD), which in today’s economy, is still an incredible deal. However, it being notably more affordable than the Crown means there had to be some sacrifices.
Kristen Brown
Last week, I reviewed the $49,900 Nighshade trim–a step below the Platinum– and immediately noticed the large, matte black 21-inch wheels wrapped in Michelin Primacy Touring tires. That usually means a car is made to be driven with a little more…color. The Crown has adaptive variable suspension compared to the Camry’s fixed setup, and has active cornering assist, while the Camry doesn’t. The Camry’s also 2WD unless you pay extra for AWD, while the Crown comes standard with AWD to improve handling and stability. The Camry’s meant for the day-to-day, while the Crown can do it, but with more spirit.
Then there’s the power difference
From the $41,000 base XLE to the Nightshade, the Crown comes with a very similar hybrid system to the Camry. The standard system in the Crown comes with a 2.5-liter gas engine, like the Camry, and combined creates 236 horsepower instead of the Camry’s 208. Both utilize the company’s ECVT, too. However, if you get the $54,900 Crown Platinum, you get the company’s new Hybrid Max system, which uses a 2.4-liter turbo-four mated to two electric motors, producing a combined 340 horsepower. Instead of an ECVT on the Platinum, you get a traditional six-speed automatic, which helps get the most out of every pony.
Kristen Brown
Of course, the Camry doesn’t have that option, and it never will. Still, even with 208 horsepower, that’s not too shabby. It does, however, spell out that the Camry’s meant for hauling the family, long road trips, or commuting, while the Crown is designed for those with a need for speed and better, more dynamic handling.
The interior isn’t all that different, though
One thing I expected from such a wide price difference between the two was a radically different interior. The Crown has a more Lexus-like interior, down to the shifter I saw in the Lexus RX 450h and UX 300h, while the Camry uses a traditional shifter, but other than that, I noticed a lot of similarities between the interior layout. The Crown has a larger screen and a funky vertical wireless phone charger instead of a flat charger, but one of the things that directly translated between the two was the weird water slide-style trim piece over the passenger seat’s footwell. It would certainly restrict movement for taller, larger passengers. My husband, who stands at 6’2”, wasn’t a fan of that trim piece because he had less space to move.
The center console is higher in the Crown than in the Camry’s, which helped the seating position feel lower and more sporty, a feature my husband liked — but I wasn’t a huge fan of. Other than that, the Crown had pretty bronze accent pieces throughout, making it feel more premium. I didn’t think it looked like the interior from a nearly $50,000 car, though. Maybe it would if it were the white or black and tan interior you can get in the Limited, but not the black-on-black you get on every other trim.
Final thoughts
The Crown is certainly a step up from the Camry, but even the exterior styling couldn’t convince me that it was worth $20,000 to $21,700 more. I compared it to the Camry mainly because I felt like Toyota just produced a Camry and dressed it in a fancy suit. If you think about it, the only thing the Crown has over the Camry is horsepower and a more performance-oriented driving style with the adaptive variable suspension and active cornering assist features. Otherwise, I didn’t feel like there was more in the Crown that I wasn’t getting or couldn’t get out of the Camry.
Kristen Brown
They both have comfortable leather seats, both come with a JBL sound system, both have tons of room and rear passenger amenities, and the trunk size is the same. I did notice a power difference in the Crown nearly immediately, but it wasn’t enough for me to say I’d be willing to spend so much extra on it-especially when I can get an AWD XSE Camry for a lot less.
About the author
Kristen Brown
Contributing Writer, Autoblog