2024 Toyota Crown Platinum – the Full Size Prius

In 2024, car buyers yearning for a big “family sedan” are stuck buying used or researching options from Korea, Japan and Germany. The new Toyota Crown made its North American debut last year as a full-size plug-in hybrid sedan with standard all-wheel drive and the elevated stance of a crossover SUV. For us Yanks, the Crown is a new nameplate, but in the land of the rising sun, people have been arriving to business meetings in the back of a Toyota Crown since 1955.

For Toyota, the Crown sedan represents the summit of its capability in engineering luxurious transportation. In 2022, Toyota unveiled the Crown series, offering a sedan, sports SUV, luxury SUV and station wagon model. However, we are only getting the sedan, dubbed in English, for the American market.

“Is that a Tesla?”

Starting with styling, the 2024 Toyota Crown makes a powerful presence with a gaping front grille topped off with quad LED headlights, an aerodynamically sleek silhouette with a fixed panoramic roof, elevated ride height and broadness that makes it appear more prominent when parked next to other vehicles.

The model shown is dressed in an eye-catching Supersonic Red and Piano Black bi-tone paint option ($975), complimented by a set of 21-inch 10-spoke machined alloy wheels with black accents. The stellar wheels come standard on the top-tier Platinum trim level and are available in the mid-tier Limited as a part of the optional Advanced Technology package.

Inside, driver information and entertainment are displayed on two 12.3-inch digital screens. I appreciate that they tried to tuck the screens into the molding of the dashboard rather than simply sticking them on top like a child’s iPad. Unsurprisingly, the center console-mounted gear selector and steering wheel bear a striking family resemblance to the interior components featured in the new generation 2024 Toyota Prius Prime. Standard creature comforts on the Platinum trim level include an 11-speaker JBL stereo, 8-way power seats, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality and lane assist.

I expected more color and visual cues for a sedan bearing a prestigious name, but snazzy upholstery has never been Toyota’s strong suit. Nevertheless, you could feel the quality of the materials; nothing rattled, and the interior’s sound-dampening ensured the decibels of the outside world didn’t get past the door.

The Crown’s elevated height made entry and exit easy and provided a plush ride. Rolling through the downtown district at low speeds allowed me to survey people’s reactions to the big red platform shoe-riding sedan. One man shouted, “Nice car!” from the crosswalk, while more than one person asked if it was a Tesla.

340 HP Combined Hybrid Power

Under the hood, you’ll see the word “TURBO” engraved across the small plastic engine cover of the Hybrid Max powertrain consisting of a turbocharged 2.4L four-cylinder engine aided by an electric motor placed on the rear axle. The top-spec for this powertrain is a noteworthy 340 horsepower, managed by a six-speed automatic transmission. Lower trim levels like the Toyota Crown XSE and Limited use a similar 2.5L four-cylinder engine and three electric motors to produce 236 horsepower with continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Don’t Mess with the Crown

The power delivered is quiet but potent, as I experienced firsthand when I called upon the hybrid sedan to full gallop when I needed to outrun a road-raging driver. It occurred during a Saturday morning commute. An older model sedan apparently took offense to the Crown’s Supersonic Red paint scheme because it aggressively swerved into my lane when I tried to overtake the car on the left. My muscle memory reacted by steering back to the previous lane only to see the old sedan flip-flop like a presidential candidate back and cut me off again. I couldn’t see the face of the driver but saw his head tilted and fixed on the rearview mirror.

Not wanting to deal with this synonym for a donkey, I slowed down to create some breathing room before selecting the Sport+ drive mode. A red mist descended across the digital dash, giving me the signal to floor the throttle. The three car lanes I allowed myself was ample space for the Crown’s turbocharged drivetrain to spool up and give me the punchy acceleration needed to psych out the angry driver ahead.

I faked to the left before snapping hard to the right and charging across two empty lanes under full power. The driver attempted to cut me off again, but the Crown’s intimidating size and speed forced the driver to stay back or risk getting body checked into the concrete divider. I kept my foot pressed on the gas and glanced in the mirror at the older sedan, failing to keep up and growing smaller in the rearview mirror.

Nit Picking the Toyota Crown

One real criticism of the Toyota Crown is the Eco Score display, which monitors and grades how efficiently you’re driving. I don’t need my car judging me. Also, the current driver safety aids and alerts in 2024 Toyota models are intrusive and annoying if you take driving seriously. It got to the point where I had to pull over and turn off eight different safety alerts so I could drive in peace without the car beeping or distracting me with a warning display at every intersection.

Just Glad to be in a Full Size Sedan

Don’t feel guilty about missing the funeral of the American full-size sedan. We all missed it. However, in our defense, many urgent matters have been going on since 2019, when Ford announced it would no longer be producing sedans. Chevrolet ended the production of the famed Impala during the 2020 pandemic. Dodge closed the coffin on the Charger in 2023, and while it is returning as a 2025 model, it’s not the same. It’s a reboot of the series with a new cast of characters and plot line. Surprisingly, the last American sedan standing was the Chevy Malibu, which will end its production line on May 30th, 2024. 

 As someone who loves and owns a big V8, body-on-frame, four-door, “how many bodies can you fit in the trunk” sedan, it’s a little sad seeing all these generational nameplates brushed into the digital web pages of history. You can still get a big sedan from the Germans, but those are premium examples for a specific tax bracket. You rarely hear someone referring to a BMW 5 Series or Mercedes-Benz S-Class as a “land yacht.” So, I appreciate cars like the Toyota Crown for keeping the memory alive in an overwhelming era of crossover SUVs and dual-identity pickup trucks.

I like that the Toyota Crown is a full-size sedan and appreciate that it offers the comfort of a “land yacht” while averaging 28 mpg and priced below the $60,000 benchmark. The Crown is a suitable promotion for people who like and want the efficiency of a Prius but need more room to stretch their head, shoulders, knees and toes.

Engine: 2.4L turbocharged four-cylinder with rear axle electric motor

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

0 to 60: 5.1 seconds

Starting Price: $40,350 (XLE)

Price as Shown: $55,540 (Platinum)