When Toyota first introduced the Crown moniker to the U.S. it wanted to try and give buyers a unique offering that could stand out from the rest of the hybrid competition while also introducing buyers to a level of luxury that was once reserved for the Japanese market in recent years with these buyers getting the chance to experience a level of Toyota luxury that U.S. buyers would have had to otherwise go to Lexus for. The first Crown model was essentially a lifted sedan replacing the aging and relatively uninspired Avalon sedan and while this model was a good first step, the Crown lineup was missing an SUV that would help tie the pieces together and bring more customers into the Crown’s good graces. The 2025 Crown Signia is supposed to be that magic key but is it enough to help Toyota make a big win on its Crown-sized investment?
Crown Signia styling will not be for everyone
Unlike some of Toyota’s other recent SUV launches, the Crown Signia was designed from the start to appeal to buyers who want to stick exclusively to pavement and that’s evident in some of its exterior styling cues. The front fascia is bold and expressive with the low-slung bodywork projecting a strong sense of maturity and poise. The look itself will not be for everyone but we did come to appreciate the LED running lights with the actual headlights being mounted in the lower bumper. The side profile has a wagon-esque silhouette but while the look overall is a noticeable improvement over the outgoing Venza that it replaces, the rear styling is still about as bland as you can get with the taillights and the drab rear bumper doing little to match the bold personality that the front end tries so hard to project.
The look can be enhanced slightly with the right choice of paint colors. For example, our Limited tester arrived with a nice shade of Finish Line Red paint. This paint color is a $425 option but it made the Crown Signia stand out in parking lots with our tester drawing plenty of stares in downtown Detroit with the Crown Signia arriving during an impressive playoff run by the Detroit Lions (which also ended during its time with us.) That minor detail aside, the Crown Signia faces strong competition from rivals like the Nissan Murano, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and even the Lexus RX.
Understated luxury defines Crown Signia cabin
Slip inside the interior of the Crown Signia and you’ll find an interior that is sleek, modern, and luxurious. Unlike Lexus, Toyota designers didn’t go overboard with wood trim and they preferred to let the interior hues and materials do most of the talking. Soft leather accents and bold colors make up the bulk of the theme with the front seats in our Limited tester being extremely comfortable with the seat backs providing balanced amounts of comfort and support. It also doesn’t hurt either the thrones are heated and cooled with a heated steering wheel also being added in. Leg and knee room are on par for the segment with the front seats in particular providing plenty of room to stretch out and relax.
The second-row seats are relatively comfortable but the fixed glass roof panel does eat up some of the headroom. There’s not much in terms of backseat frills either but this simplicity is actually a good thing since it helps you appreciate just how quiet the cabin is at freeway speeds with wind and road noise being kept to a minimum. Cargo room is somewhat tight with the second-row seats up, but fold them down and the space can swallow bulkier items. A 12.3-inch infotainment screen is standard on the Crown Signia with the screen featuring crisp graphics and fast software.
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard on the Crown Signia but there were times when the wireless Android Auto function timed out on us which forced us to reconnect our device multiple times. This is a problem that we have also experienced in several other Toyota models and here’s hoping this annoying problem is eventually fixed. Limited models like our tester get an 11-speaker JBL Premium audio system and while it’s not as crisp as other audio systems used in some of its luxurious competition, it still gets the job done.
Underwhelming performance is a prominent flaw
Sadly, the Crown Signia is far from perfect and one of the biggest offenders in that regard is the performance hardware. Fuel economy is the main driving point and that’s evident in the ho-hum performance our tester had to deliver. All Crown Signia models are powered by the same 2.5-liter four-cylinder that powers the Crown sedan with the engine being paired with three electric motors. The setup produces a combined system output of 240 hp. That was enough for a 7.0-second jog to 60 mph with the light steering not doing much to inspire confidence on winding switchbacks. Braking in our tester was strong and the suspension made up for its lack of dynamic poise by offering plenty of comfort.
The sacrifice the Crown Signia makes in raw performance is made up for in fuel economy with the EPA saying the Crown Signia is capable of 39/37/38 mpg in city/freeway/combined driving. That’s pretty good for a hybrid luxury SUV and that should please the bulk of luxury vehicle buyers especially those that are not necessarily looking for raw performance but are instead focused on stretching their fuel dollar to the max. The hybrid four-cylinder is also a gamble since some of the Toyota’s rivals offer more than one powertrain choice with some of these powertrains offering more power for buyers to experience.
Value quotient
Pricing for the 2025 Toyota Crown Signia starts at $43,590 for the base XLE model with these models bringing an impressive lineup of standard equipment to the mix. A Limited model like our tester starts at $47,990 with options including the Advanced Technology package pushing the as-tested price to just under $50,000. This pricing is on par with the segment but it’s also a double-edged sword with local dealerships we spoke with saying the model has had a slow start in sales despite its impressive fuel economy.
That’s a shame because if you give the 2025 Crown Signia a chance it’ll impress you with the amount of comfort, and tech that it brings to the table. It might even win over some Lexus buyers as well.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.