The Crown Signia is a more practical version of Toyota’s Crown sedan. The two cars ride on the same TNGA-K platform and share the same 2.5-liter hybrid four-cylinder powertrain. But the Signia has a taller roof height and a hatchback design, splitting the difference between a car and an SUV, which gives it the profile of a station wagon.
The Crown Signia does most things well. It’s easy to get into and out of, has comfortable front seats, a smooth ride, decent handling, and mostly easy-to-use controls. As with the Crown sedan, the Signia’s most glaring fault is the dramatic engine noise and the vibrations it produces when accelerating.
We think the Signia is a good solution for shoppers drawn to the Crown sedan, but who wish it were a bit more accommodating and practical. The Signia’s higher roof is a win, aiding access and space, in particular rear-seat headroom. And out back, the liftgate opens to a large cargo area. As such, the Signia mostly renders the quirky-looking Crown sedan superfluous, with the caveat that the sedan gets better fuel economy and is available with a stronger powertrain. We think the Signia could also be a stylish alternative to a midsized SUV, like the Toyota Highlander, for those buyers who don’t need a third-row seat.
“Like how human and chimpanzee DNA is 99 percent the same, yet we are so clearly different, the Signia is very similar to the Crown sedan, but the changes make it such a different experience,” said a tester. “The powertrain is a sour point in terms of the noise, but it works well, and the hybrid fuel economy is a big benefit.”
“I found it more refined than the Camry with a higher level of comfort. Although that literally comes at a price, it's still cheaper than an equivalently equipped Lexus while pretty much matching that luxury brand’s materials, build quality, and ride. I think shoppers who take the Signia for a test-drive will really enjoy it,” said another tester.
We bought a 2025 Toyota Crown Signia Limited for $52,455—anonymously from an area dealer, as we do with every vehicle we test—for the purpose of this road test review. The Crown Signia is assembled in Aichi, Japan.
Driving experience
The Crown Signia uses a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine paired with two electric motors for a combined 240 horsepower. Like the sedan, the Signia comes standard with all-wheel drive. Power is sent to the front wheels through an electronic continuously variable transmission (eCVT). The rear axle is powered independently by an additional electric motor. In our testing, fuel economy was an impressive 37 mpg overall, although that’s down by five mpg from the sedan version.
The electric drive gives the Signia a smooth shove off the line and brings quiet cruising at low speeds. But higher power demands, such as when merging onto a freeway or climbing a steep hill, bring unpleasant sounds from the gas engine, even sending some vibrations through the steering wheel. The blame can be shared equally between the buzzy engine and the eCVT, the latter allowing the engine revs to pile high with a monotonous tone when extra acceleration is needed.
The Signia scooted from 0 to 60 mph in 8 seconds flat at our test track, which is slightly slower than some other midsized two-row SUVs such as the Chevrolet Blazer, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Mazda CX-70. It feels quicker than that out on the road, as there’s more than competent power on hand when you need it, capable of making confident work of two-lane passing zones to get around slower cars. But the engine’s obstreperous tone might keep you from dipping into it.
We wouldn’t call the Signia “agile,” but we found it more responsive through turns than the average midsized SUV. The steering has a pleasing weight to it, and body roll only becomes noticeable when you amp up the pace. The ride is more comfortable and absorbent than in the sedan, yet it’s still steady and controlled on undulating roads without too much body movement or jostling around.
The Signia performed well in our panic-braking tests, with reasonably short and consistent stops on both dry and wet surfaces. Out on the road, our drivers noted that the brake pedal felt decidedly “normal” for a hybrid. Many hybrids are plagued with a grabby, non-linear feel that takes practice to modulate the pedal smoothly as you’re coming to a stop, but that’s not the case with the Signia.
The cabin is nicely hushed in most ways, except when the gas engine kicks on rowdily.
Cabin comfort
The Crown Signia Limited’s cabin is nicely put together, and a variety of shapes and textures give it some personality. But this top trim falls short of conveying a premium impression. There’s some cheap-feeling plastic trim and rough edges here and there.
It’s easy to get into and out of the Signia’s front seats, thanks to a pretty tall entryway and fairly narrow door sills, although there is a bit of ducking to clear the raked-back windshield pillars. The front seats are lower than in most SUVs, but not to the point you feel like you're dropping down in. Access to the second row is likewise easy, aided by a roofline that remains fairly flat, rather than sloping and impacting the door cutout as with some SUVs.
For the most part, we found the driving position to our liking, with plenty of adjustments, a good view of the gauges through the steering wheel, and a padded center console. Outward views are slightly more airy than those of the Crown sedan, with the large third side window proving a big help in reducing rear three-quarter blind spots.
The front seats drew plenty of praise from our testers, thanks to comfortable padding and enough side bolstering to hold drivers in place through corners. The bottom cushion, in particular, is more sculpted than in most cars, yet the seatback is wide enough to suit many body types. The rear seat is an improvement over the Crown sedan due to an increase in headroom. Although still not generous, it’s more accessible for taller passengers. Toe space under the front seats is limited, and the seatback doesn’t recline, unlike in many SUVs. But the seat has good padding and plenty of legroom.
The Signia’s liftgate brings welcome cargo-carrying flexibility vs. the regular Crown’s more restrictive trunk. We were able to fit three large suitcases and one overnight duffel bag behind the rear seat in its raised position. Due to the Signia's lower, wagon-like body, the maximum cargo volume, with the rear seat folded down, isn’t as generous as some midsized SUVs. But it’s still pretty good, at 31.5 cubic feet.
Controls and usability
We appreciate that the Signia uses physical climate-system controls rather than a touch panel like on many new cars. But switching back and forth between multiple menus on the infotainment touchscreen can take extra focus. The lack of a home screen or split screen forces users to switch back and forth between different features, like navigation and media. Some difficulties are offset by the easy-to-use steering wheel controls.
We like that there is a physical volume knob, but its small size and placement out of the driver's comfortable reach can make it difficult to use. And while it’s great that the driver can reconfigure the instrument screen, it’s unnecessarily complicated to move around within the digital display.
Active safety and driver assistance
Standard active safety and driver assistance features include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian, cyclist, and motorcycle detection, along with automatic emergency braking that operates at highway speeds, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, lane centering assistance, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams.
A rear occupant alert system comes standard. It’s designed to remind the driver—based on rear-door logic—to check the rear seat when the Crown Signia is turned off to help prevent children and pets from suffering heatstroke or hypothermia if unintentionally left behind in the vehicle. There’s also a rear belt minder, which alerts the driver if a rear passenger unbuckles their seat belt during the trip.
The Signia comes with a Safe Exit Alert system, which monitors for vehicles and cyclists approaching from behind when parked on a city street before it allows passengers to open the doors.