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Road trip to Chicago gave new Toyota Crown a chance to prove itself. Photo by John Gilbert.

Maybe Toyota has hit the upper limit of new vehicles with the 2025 Toyota Crown Platinum Hybrid. The Crown itself is newly reintroduced as the halo model atop Toyota’s vast stable of vehicles, and it is available as a hybrid, with a couple of specific options.

The venerable 2.5-liter 4-cylinder is used with the usual Toyota nickel-metal-hydride battery pack, and it has good power and very good fuel economy. But Toyota also has a new 2.4-liter 4-cylinder, higher-tech and higher power, making the 2.4 more potent than the 2.5, an interesting departure from the American car-buying idea of bigger being better.

But the secret is that if you select the Platinum model hybrid, you get the more potent 2.4-liter engine and also a switch to the newest lithium-ion battery pack, which has been the province of Lexus models until now, but it gives the Platinum Hybrid a larger battery pack to go with the more potent engine. 

The result is an output of 340 horsepower and 400 foot-pounds of torque.

We had the opportunity to drive from Duluth to the Midwest Auto Manufacturing Media “Favorite Fall Fest” testing of the newest models available, and it tied into the next day’s Chicago Drives Electric group of discussions and seminars and the chance to quick-test various all-electric vehicles.

But we can’t just kiss off the Toyota Crown as our conveyance to Chicago without further scrutiny. 
To begin with, both my wife, Joan, and I really liked the Crown in numerous driving chores around Duluth, as well as on the freeways of Wisconsin connecting Duluth and Chicago.

My confusion was that the Crown looks the part of a halo vehicle above and beyond the Camry, Corolla and all those SUVs, up to and including its color, which was named “Storm Cloud.” 

It is long, wide and very sleek, with a low roofline and rounded edges front and rear, with a long, sloping roofline that seems as though it could cut into rear seat headroom, but actually didn’t seem to — unless you were more than 6-foot-2 or so.

The car’s handling was governed by a mode switch, and the 6-speed automatic — replacing the lesser models’ CVT — gave the Crown surprising quickness. Handling was aimed for comfort more than hot-rodding, which makes a lot of sense when you’re spending more than $50,000 for a family sedan. And yet it was quick enough and agile enough, for sure.

On the barrel-dodging freeway trek to Chicago, we reached our suburban hotel destination and I flipped over the electronic switch adjusting the gauges and saw we had averaged 38.9 miles per gallon — a very impressive figure for a heavy, luxury car loaded zip with as much luggage and work stuff as Joan and I could stuff in the back seat and under the rear hatch.

Virtually every time Joan mentioned the Toyota to anyone who inquired, I corrected her to say, “No, it’s a Lexus.” 

Then, of course, she corrected me because the car indeed had all sorts of Lexus-like features, but was clearly a top-run Toyota. 

It actually replaces the Avalon, recently departed upscale Toyota model, and replaces the long-departed Crown, which continued to be sold in other markets outside the U.S. while the parent company fiddled around developing this new Crown.

Many normal buyers resist buying a Lexus or other upscale branded vehicle, but they can enjoy and appreciate getting the same features in something that still wears the Toyota brand.

The JBL sound system was excellent, filling the interior with rich sounds, although I must confess my interest in finding the Sirius satellite broadcasts of various Major League Baseball playoff games took priority over just enjoying great music. 

The seats also require special commendation because some seats in lesser models honestly give Joan backaches after a number of miles, and the Crown’s padding and support was a step up.
From a driving standpoint, the addition of steering wheel paddles was a large step up because of their benefit in shifting, up and down, and being able to control what gear you’re in, which is impossible in a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission).

Toyota will continue to sell thousands of Prius, Camry and Corolla models and their spinoffs, and their hybrid system will continue to thrive even if other companies have new hybrid models that can challenge them now. 

But nobody else has an upscale model on top of its upscale model, and the Toyota Crown in Platinum Hybrid form deserves a test drive next time you’re tempted to stop into a Toyota dealership.