CNET
www.cnet.com
Despite some of the issues I've mentioned, which could've been avoided by making this sedan a little more, I don't know, sedan-ish, the 2023 Toyota Crown is still a solid successor in the automaker's full-size lineup. It's comfortable, it's efficient, and buyers can throw a few more bells and whistles (and horsepower) into the mix by opting for the Platinum and its Hybrid Max powertrain. Will it resonate with everybody? Probably not. But for those looking to stray just a few microns off the usual path, there's a lot to like here.
Road and Track
www.roadandtrack.com
My first taste of the 2023 Toyota Crown came by way of a Hybrid Max-equipped Platinum model on the twisting back roads outside of Franklin, Tennessee. Despite the sedan’s somewhat ungainly proportions, it’s clear from the moment you sit inside that the Crown is not the crossover it appears to be. The seats offer a huge amount of height adjustment, which means you don’t have to sit as high in the greenhouse as you'd expect. A push-button start wakes the Crown up, placing it first in full-electric mode, with the gasoline engine only kicking on when your right foot demands more horses than the motors are willing to provide. Pulling away from the staging area, the car immediately felt like a familiar hybrid experience from Toyota. Depress the go pedal a bit harder, and the Crown pulls down the road with an authority that no Toyota hybrid has been capable of before. Torque arrives instantly, with the gearbox ripping off quick shifts.
Motor1
www.motor1.com
Fuel economy is excellent with either powertrain. Look for 42 miles per gallon city, 41 highway, and 41 combined on the Crown XLE and Limited, and 29 city, 32 highway, and 30 combined for the Platinum trim with its Hybrid Max powertrain. Those are all solid figures for a vehicle of the Crown's size, although the performance/efficiency balance feels a solid decade behind a world where EVs provide rapid pace without gasoline.
Still, the powertrain makes far more sense than the suspension setup. The McPherson struts in front work with a new multi-link design at the back, while the Platinum trim adds adaptive dampers. The package will change direction eagerly, helped along by a 13.8:1 steering ratio. But after the initial bite from the front end, the Crown feels more top-heavy than anything else, rolling hard for every degree of steering angle. The quick responses from the front end are fun, but the experience dulls quickly.
2023 Toyota Crown First Drive Review: Equal Parts Weird and Normal
There's a lot about Toyota's large hybrid sedan that makes sense, but there's also a lot that leaves us scratching our heads.
www.cnet.com
Despite some of the issues I've mentioned, which could've been avoided by making this sedan a little more, I don't know, sedan-ish, the 2023 Toyota Crown is still a solid successor in the automaker's full-size lineup. It's comfortable, it's efficient, and buyers can throw a few more bells and whistles (and horsepower) into the mix by opting for the Platinum and its Hybrid Max powertrain. Will it resonate with everybody? Probably not. But for those looking to stray just a few microns off the usual path, there's a lot to like here.
Road and Track
The 2023 Toyota Crown Wants to Be a Sports Sedan
I’m not sure that Toyota knows who the car is really for.
www.roadandtrack.com
My first taste of the 2023 Toyota Crown came by way of a Hybrid Max-equipped Platinum model on the twisting back roads outside of Franklin, Tennessee. Despite the sedan’s somewhat ungainly proportions, it’s clear from the moment you sit inside that the Crown is not the crossover it appears to be. The seats offer a huge amount of height adjustment, which means you don’t have to sit as high in the greenhouse as you'd expect. A push-button start wakes the Crown up, placing it first in full-electric mode, with the gasoline engine only kicking on when your right foot demands more horses than the motors are willing to provide. Pulling away from the staging area, the car immediately felt like a familiar hybrid experience from Toyota. Depress the go pedal a bit harder, and the Crown pulls down the road with an authority that no Toyota hybrid has been capable of before. Torque arrives instantly, with the gearbox ripping off quick shifts.
Motor1
2023 Toyota Crown First Drive Review: Big, Cramped, Confused, And Weird
The 2023 Toyota Crown might be the spiritual successor to the Avalon sedan, but it trades that car's focus in attempt to reach a broader customer base.
www.motor1.com
Fuel economy is excellent with either powertrain. Look for 42 miles per gallon city, 41 highway, and 41 combined on the Crown XLE and Limited, and 29 city, 32 highway, and 30 combined for the Platinum trim with its Hybrid Max powertrain. Those are all solid figures for a vehicle of the Crown's size, although the performance/efficiency balance feels a solid decade behind a world where EVs provide rapid pace without gasoline.
Still, the powertrain makes far more sense than the suspension setup. The McPherson struts in front work with a new multi-link design at the back, while the Platinum trim adds adaptive dampers. The package will change direction eagerly, helped along by a 13.8:1 steering ratio. But after the initial bite from the front end, the Crown feels more top-heavy than anything else, rolling hard for every degree of steering angle. The quick responses from the front end are fun, but the experience dulls quickly.
