Car Reviews
TOYOTA’S CROWN SIGNIA – A Country Squire – From Another Country
TOYOTA’S CROWN SIGNIA
A Country Squire – From Another Country
It looks, at least in profile or from the rear, like a larger iteration of a Volvo wagon. But the Crown Signia’s underpinnings are definitely Toyota, as this is the hatch/wagon variant of Toyota’s Crown sedan. As a 4-door sedan the Crown is mildly confusing, given its full-size footprint and raised – relative to most sedans – hip point. Lengthen the roof, add a hatch and suddenly you have something that makes – to my cluttered mind – more sense.
The conventional crossover is in no danger of evolving into the minivan of this century. But there must be people – like myself – finding a midsize or full-size crossover a tad too big in its footprint, a bit too cumbersome to throw around the neighborhood. Conversely, a sedan-based wagon – even one with the Crown’s higher hip point – possesses an agility the more conventional crossover rarely displays; notably, its lower roofline also more comfortably fits garages, while anything mounted on its roof is more easily accessible. The Crown Signia checks those boxes, and does so with an upscale, this-could-be-a-Lexus vibe.
Dimensionally, the Crown Signia provides an interesting contrast with our ’23 Grand Cherokee, already in the garage, and Honda’s Prologue, recently reviewed. The Prologue is two inches shorter than the Toyota’s 194 inches of overall length, while the Jeep is but a ½ inch shorter at 193.5 inches. Wheelbases – and, by extension, front and rear overhangs – vary by as much as ten inches; here, the Toyota sits on 112 inches, the Jeep is at 116 inches and the Prologue is 122 inches. Finally, the Crown Signia will consume 74 inches of width in a tight parking space, the Jeep 77.5 inches and the Prologue 78 inches. In short, the overall footprints are amazingly similar, despite their significantly different underpinnings.
Behind the wheel the overall impression is one of a very benign platform, with plenty of room for five and generous space behind the second row, and even more space – 66 cubic feet – if that second row is folded. My road bike fit too easily, and if making a Goodwill run…well, the cargo area’s 25 cubic feet could be chock full of goodwill.
Available in two trims, our top-of-the-line Limited provides a comfortable, supportive interior trimmed in perforated leather, its saddle color complementing nicely the Crown Signia’s ‘Storm Cloud’ exterior. And appropriate to its place and time is the 12.3-inch multimedia displaying Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with eleven JBL speakers; hopefully you and the kids can agree on the music. The front seats are heated and ventilated, while the rear seats are heated – but don’t include the blowback.
If there’s a hitch in this git-along it’s when you press the accelerator and want to git-along. Car and Driver’s test team hit 60 in just 7.0 seconds, which is fully competitive with what’s out there. But as they noted and I’ll reiterate, the 2.5 liters of four cylinder, in combination with three electric motors, doesn’t seem all that happy when called upon to move. And it’s not that happy operating at typical freeway speeds. There’s a coarseness here that is surprising for a Toyota hybrid, and having owned a Venza hybrid in the not-too-distant past I was surprised by the perceived lack of refinement, even when getting an EPA estimated 39 City/37 Hwy/38 Combined fuel efficiency.
In its Crown sedan Toyota offers an optional 2.4 liter Hybrid Max powertrain, its engine turbocharged and getting an assist from two AC electric motors rather than the three offered with the 2.5 liter normally aspirated four. And its 340 horses are connected to the ground via a conventional 6-speed auto rather than a CVT. The difference is transformative, and while the EPA estimates slip by almost 20%, the 0-60 time drops by almost two seconds. If offered, this would be the one I’d buy, even at a $10K premium.
Automotive writer/columnist John Pearley Huffman – currently a senior editor at Road & Track – has been on an AI-generated pursuit of an updated Country Squire, a wagon marketed by Ford from 1950 thru 1991. The renderings I’ve seen are based on the current Explorer, but if John didn’t care about the platform’s origin he could very easily base them on Toyota’s Crown Signia. And that, essentially, is what the Signia offers: A practical vehicle to ‘squire’ you from city to country and back, comfortably and efficiently.
If in the market for a 2-row crossover or one of the market’s few remaining wagons, the Crown Signia, at a price of $45K to $50K, is a compelling value. And with the Hybrid Max option it would kick absolute ass on the highways and byways of America – on both coasts, and between those coasts.
