2024 Toyota Crown: Tall sedan rides high, but it’s not above compromises

2024 Toyota Crown Limited: Hybrid efficiency in a large sedan.

Price: $50,020 as tested. Advanced Technology Package added panoramic monitor, 21-inch wheels and more for $2,950.

Conventional wisdom: Car and Driver likes the “small-car fuel efficiency in a full-size package, posh interior, quick acceleration with optional turbo-hybrid setup,” but not the “love-it-or-laugh-it design, premium JBL stereo option disappoints, gets into Lexus pricing at the high end.”

Marketer’s pitch: “An image of innovation. Toyota Crown is a distinctly crafted sedan unlike anything you’ve seen before.”

Reality: Unfortunately sedans are a tough sell in America, even when they’re a little tall.

What’s new: You’d think a sedan that sits up higher would offer a whole lot to like.

Heaven knows from my vantage point of 5 feet 10 inches — shortest guy in the family — tallness seems to offer advantages. The tall guy usually leads the company. He usually wins the U.S. presidency.

And now with 6-foot-2 Sturgis Kid 4.0, I know how my 5-foot-6 father felt when I turned 12.

But among cars, height seems to be less advantageous beyond fitting people and stuff in. Usually for handling and almost always for fuel economy, the lower-slung vehicles win.

The tall-than-average Toyota Crown offers some highs and some lows, and but are they where you’d think?

Competition: Among large sedans, the Dodge Charger and Nissan Maxima; among hybrid sedans, Kia K5, Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Prius, and Honda Accord.

Up to speed: One would not expect tallness to make the Crown faster, and one would be right. It takes a turbo.

Unfortunately, the test model didn’t have the turbo. The 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine couples to the hybrid system to create 236 horsepower, which seems like a solid enough number.

Yet, Car and Driver reports acceleration to 60 mph takes 7.2 seconds, which is on the slow side. The sedan was also not responsive when accelerating up little country-road hills or out of curves.

The higher performance turbo hybrid version cuts 2 seconds off that 0-60 time.

Fuel economy: Here’s what seems like a bright spot, and an unusual one for a tall vehicle — the Crown averaged 39 mpg in the usual Mr. Driver’s Seat round of testing. Those are some pretty good numbers.

But looking back, I realized all-wheel-drive Prius averaged 50 mpg, so the Crown suffers from the usual fuel-sucking height. (This can also be shown among tall people; Penn State University is definitely losing money on the Sturgis Kid’s meal plan.)

Shifty: The shifter mimics the Prius with its joystick. Reverse is up and to the left and Drive down and to the left.

On the road: All-wheel drive adds a nice touch to the sedan, but the slalom performance is not delightful.

The Crown has just dull road manners — even in spite of a Sport setting — that I wondered if I was just in a bad mood when I drove it. It’s fine on the highway, but for 50 grand, I still want more than fine.

And for a sedate, staid family sedan, the Crown is actually fairly jarring on the serious bumps. We’re talking Yaris level here. Ow.

Driver’s Seat: The Crown seat feels regal, at least. I wouldn’t say we’re feeling fully Lexus cuddles but it’s awfully close — nice materials, firm grip, much nicer than standard Toyota issue. But then so is the price tag.

The gauges are fairly standard Toyota, big round dials, easy to read.

Friends and stuff: The rear seat looks quite spacious, but Sturgis Kid 4.0 reports that despite plenty of legroom, the shortages of foot room and headroom make the experience a negative.

One thing to note — the tall sedan-ness makes the Crown one of the nicest vehicles to get in and out of. Auto reviewers of a certain age appreciate this.

Cargo space is 15.2 cubic feet in the trunk, a nice size.

Play some tunes: The Crown comes with what looks like a giant touchscreen, although it measures a still-large 12.3 inches. (For those not keeping score, 14s and larger are becoming more common in the luxury realm.)

A lone dial controls volume and everything else is through the screen. Settings are fairly nested and require lots of eye contact when adjusting, so hopefully there’s not much you want to change on the fly.

The JBL stereo is not going to save the day, either. Despite 11 speakers, I could only call the playback a B+ or an A-. Good but not great.

Keeping warm and cool: The HVAC uses Toyota’s now-common row of toggles, which is not a terrible setup. But it’s a long row, so it’s hard to adjust without looking. Maybe over time it becomes easier.

This may be a thing or not, but I haven’t noticed a vehicle needing its windshield defrosted as much as the Crown. Just something to test if you’re considering it.

Where it’s built: Aichi, Japan

How it’s built: Consumer Reports gives the Toyota Crown a 5 out of 5 for reliability.

In the end: The Crown had the chance to be something for everyone. Instead, it comes off as designed by committee. Still, with Toyota’s reliability and fuel economy, I wouldn’t rule it out.

I’d be much happier with an all-wheel-drive Prius, and more money in the bank — from the lower purchase price and the fuel savings.