Categories: Cars

2025 Toyota Crown Signia starts to make sense

2025 Toyota Crown Signia with AWD gets 38 mpg
The higher-riding crossover makes more sense than the Crown sedan
The Crown Signia may replace the Highlander in Toyota’s crowded SUV lineup

I didn’t really understand the Toyota Crown sedan when it launched in 2023 as a replacement for the Toyota Avalon. The higher riding sedan arrived at a time when sedans had fallen out of favor and it was powered by hybrid powertrain options that lacked the Avalon’s quiet refinement. I was utterly confused when the Toyota Crown Signia arrived this year.

Toyota markets it as a crossover SUV, like a kind of replacement for the Toyota Venza midsize crossover, yet it’s classified and looks like a wagon. My confusion cleared up after a road trip from Chicago to Minneapolis in the top 2025 Crown Signia Limited.

Pro: Crown Signia gets attention

“What is this?” a dad asked. “I like it.”

He wasn’t the only one whose eyes lingered. It’s different. In profile it’s shaped like many of the new electric crossovers with their long noses and long flat roofs rounding into a tailgate. But Toyota prefers sharp angles to aerodynamics so it has more of a traditional wagon profile, albeit with a raised floor.

Pro: Crown Signia is easy to get in and out of

I get the Crown Signia, at least in one way, and that’s one way more than the Toyota Crown. It’s easy to get in and out of. The Avalon had 5.3 inches of ground clearance, and the Crown sedan has 5.8 inches. The Crown Signia stands at 6.7 inches. One knock against sedans is sitting lower than other cars, and for older drivers with creaky knees or cranky backs who enjoyed the Avalon, the Crown Signia lets them get out without a grunt.

Con: What is the Crown Signia?

It’s a taller, raised take on the Crown sedan that’s as much a wagon as it is a crossover SUV, at least based on EPA classifications versus Toyota marketing. The EPA uses interior volume to set its parameters, so “small wagons” such as the Crown Signia encompass everything from the Nissan Ariya to the Kia Soul. This might be the rare instance where automotive marketing might make more sense out of segments.

The Crown may be new to North America but it has been in continuous use in Japan, mostly for fleet purposes, since 1955.

The Crown arrived on U.S. shores for the 2023 model year, and stretching a bit longer than the Camry, it effectively replaced the Avalon. Now, the Crown Signia replaces the Venza crossover that ran from 2021-2024. In a previous life the Venza was a wagon-like crossover that ran ahead of its time from 2009-2015.

Pro: OK, so what is the Crown Signia for real?

It’s a two-row midsize crossover with a wagon-like profile. At 194.1 inches long, it’s 7.5 inches longer than the Venza but just 0.8 inch shorter than the Highlander. The wheelbase is identical to the Highlander three-row SUV. If rumors come true, the Highlander will mutate into an EV for 2026, which partly explains why Toyota launched the larger, roomier Grand Highlander for 2024, and has expanded its trim levels for 2025. The Crown Signia fills the gap vacated by the Venza and, possibly, the Highlander. At 63.6 inches tall, the Crown Signia is 2.3 inches and 4.5 inches shorter in height than the Venza and Highlander, respectively.

Pro: Crown Signia adds up to a roomy road-tripper

Last spec: The Signia is 3.4 inches taller than the Crown sedan but two inches shorter in length. It makes for a roomy road-tripper without the extra size of an SUV, third row or not. We fit my daughter’s hockey goalie bag and our carryons and backpacks in the cargo area without folding down the 60:40-split rear seats. That’s a good fit for 25.8 cubic feet of space, but fold the seats down and it expands to 68.8 cubic feet.

Pro and Con: Crown Signia has a high driving position

The problem with sedans is like the problem with opinions: it’s everyone else’s that’s the problem. Sitting at eye level with door handles and fenders of taller SUVs and stupid trucks makes sedans feel much smaller than they are. The Crown Signia addresses this with a taller grounder clearance and a high seating position, much like other crossover SUVs. It can eat into headroom, however, for taller people, and the windshield lacks the broad spectrum and vertical pillars of, say, the Subaru Forester and its excellent outward vision.

Con: Unrefined Crown Signia Hybrid powertrain

Toyota drops in its tried-and-true 2.5-liter inline-4, 3-motor hybrid system that’s guided by a planetary gear set. It’s ubiquitous in Toyota’s vast hybrid lineup, but as more automakers offer more hybrids, the age of Toyota’s hybrid system reveals itself when pushed. In short, it’s loud under heavy throttle, but inoffensive when cruising. The Atkinson cycle inline-4 and planetary gearset are designed to optimize efficiency. When demanding power, it protests a bit.

Pro: Crown Signia’s 38 mpg combined

We averaged about 36 mpg on mostly highway driving at an average of 68 mph for the whole 350-mile trip. That’s excellent for an AWD midsize crossover. The Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento, midsizers with a third row, get 34 mpg with AWD.

Con: Crown Signia Limited’s $51,305 as tested

That’s too much. The base model starts more reasonably at $44,000. It includes AWD and comes well equipped with a hands-free power tailgate, heated front seats with power adjustments, a heated steering wheel, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, and a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as wireless device charging and five USB ports. That would be enough Crown Signia for me.

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