by Anthony Fongaro - Photos via Toyota - 11/12/2024
Toyota uses some interesting verbiage when it comes to their sedan-turned-crossovers. Take the Corolla. Put it on stilts, and it becomes the Corolla Cross. Its faux-Lexus sedan, the Crown, was up for the crossover transformation, resulting in the Crown Signia. Interesting name and an interesting shape. The Crown Signia doesn’t look like any other crossover Toyota has, resulting in a jacked-up wagon silhouette with a few sporty design elements. This vehicle's main goal is to bridge Toyota and Lexus, but does it? Let’s take a look at the 2025 Toyota Crown Signia Limited.
With a front end reminiscent of the latest Prius, the Crown Signia showcases a handsome mug. A Toyota badge is above the LED lights, while a hexagonal-pattern grille is below. This Crown Signia was finished in Storm Cloud blue paint with 21-inch gunmetal wheels. As I said earlier, the side profile looks like a jacked-up wagon which gives it a more sporty and elegant look. Both the door mirrors and various trim are blacked out. The rear has a blacked-out bumper, a Toyota badge, large Crown badging, and inoffensive taillights. If this was lower, the Crown Signia could be considered a handsome wagon.
Being a top-tier Crown vehicle, the Crown Signia utilizes many soft-touch materials with a beautiful saddle brown interior. In front of the driver is a 12.3-in. digital gauge cluster with selectable gauges. The steering wheel has paddle shifters along with buttons for media and digital gauges. Limited trims get heated and ventilated front seats which are very comfortable and have a good amount of adjustability. A 12.3-inch infotainment system has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and is easy to use. The optional Advanced Tech Package includes a crips 360-degree camera and a few more safety features.
Under the infotainment system is a wireless charger cubby where you can slip your phone in to charge. Climate controls are physical buttons and are simple to use. Opting for the Limited also gets you a great 11-speaker JBL® sound system with a subwoofer and amplifier. There are heated rear seats and those seats are comfortable with plenty of space. A panoramic roof is standard and lets in plenty of light. With plenty of soft-touch materials, the interior feels premium, compared to other Toyota SUVs. My only complaint is the doors. They sound tinny when you close them and feel a little light.
Powering the Crown Signia is a 2.5-liter hybrid inline-four and two AC motors producing 240 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque. Utilizing all-wheel-drive and a CVT, the Crown Signia loudly drowns to 60 MPH in 7 seconds. Power is adequate, but I found driving around in Sport mode gave the most amount of power without a big penalty to fuel economy. Other modes include normal, eco, and sport. The Crown Signia is made to be comfortable and efficient, something it does very well. Handling isn’t the best, but keep the safety systems on and the Crown Signia can cruise around very well. Since this is a hybrid, fuel economy is close to 40 MPG.
Also included in the Advanced Tech Package are Lane Change Assist, Traffic Jam Assistant, and Front-Cross Traffic Alert. Combine those with Toyota Safety Sense™ 3.0 which includes adaptive cruise control and blind spot monitoring, and the Crown Signia has all the safety tech you would want. Pricing for the Crown Signia starts at $43,590 for the XLE and $47,990 for the Limited. Include the $1,800 Advanced Tech Package and the total for this Crown Signia was around $51,000. Out of the two trim levels, the Limited is the pick of the range. Adding in the Advanced Tech Package gains a useful 360-degree camera which I would opt for. At the end of the day, the Crown Signia is a wagon, and I understand why Toyota doesn’t want to market it as such. Americans just don't like wagons. Still, this is a great family vehicle with a lot of space, practicality, and style.
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