The Toyota Crown 2023 is a marked departure from its spiritual predecessor, the Avalon sedan. Packing a lineup of hybrid-only powertrains, including the new 340-horsepower Hybrid Max offering, Crown also includes standard all-wheel drive for use with its taller body and slightly higher ride height. And while we’ve known all that for a minute, Toyota is finally sharing how much it costs.
Prices for the Crown start at $41,045, including a $1,095 destination fee. That’s $2,100 more than the Avalon Hybrid XLE, although like the vehicle, it’s modestly equipped. There are fabric/leather seats, heated front seats, 19-inch wheels and 12.3-inch twin screens (one touchscreen running Toyota’s latest infotainment system and digital instrument cluster). Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, the latest version of the brand’s active safety suite, is also standard. As of this writing, Toyota has yet to launch a configurator, so we can’t say if there are any optional extras for the Crown XLE or how much it will cost.
Stepping into Limited, we found the best value in the range at $46,595, or $1,350 more than the equivalent Avalon. It retains the same hybrid system as the XLE – 2.5 liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder, eCVT, and a pair of electric motors running on nickel metal hydride batteries – but adds much to the list of standard equipment. On top of the XLE kit, the Limited adds multibeam LED headlights, fixed glass roof, heated/ventilated front seats with leather upholstery, heated rear seats, JBL 11-speaker audio system, rain-sensing windshield wipers and automatic parking. As we said, great value.
Splitting the difference between Limited and Platinum with the highest reach is the optional Advanced Technology plan. Again, Toyota hasn’t shared pricing options yet, but this package adds 21-inch wheels, a surround-view camera system, and a digital lock system. Except the price is very low, not much to recommend.
And that brings us to the very highest Crown Platinum, which is hard to rate. Starting at $53,445, it’s much more expensive than the Limited and has no analogues to the old Avalon. That figure is only down about $1,300 on a fully charged Lexus ES300h, for crying out loud.
But the price increase is easier to understand when considering the Hybrid Max Platinum engine, which boosts output to 340 horses and cuts the sprint to 60 down from 7.6 seconds to 5.7. The upgraded powertrain is paired with a unique all-wheel-drive system that never sends less than 30 percent of torque to the rear axle. Adaptive dampers and six drive modes in total are also standard, while 21-inch alloy wheels and an optional two-tone paint scheme add visual prominence. However, $53,000 is a lot of coins, considering how good $47,000 Crown Limited is.
There are efficiency arguments to be made as well. While Toyota initially announced the base powertrain would make 38 miles per gallon combined and the Hybrid Max would make 28, the Crown is even more efficient. Per Toyota, the 2.5-liter model will make 42 miles per gallon city, 41 highway, and 41 combined. The 340-hp Platinum will return 29 cities, 32 highways, and 30 combined. The repair does not need to be sarcastic.
For more information on Crown, be sure to check out our first full drive. You can look for Crown at Toyota dealerships in early 2023.
