Heavy is the head that wears the crown as many say and for Toyota and the Crown, the company promised the Crown would help give customers access to a new family of luxury vehicles that was once reserved for the Japanese market.

But while the Crown Signia has helped provide backup, the inaugural Crown model has faced lackluster sales. So what happened? We wanted to find out.

Styling continues to be a prominent weakness

The exterior styling of the Crown was certainly unique when it appeared to replace the long-running Toyota Avalon. The front end has a large grille opening and the headlights feature a small lightbar that snakes across the front panel to connect them. The Crown is technically a sedan but its lifted profile also makes it look like a CUV from some angles. The rear end gets an elegantly shaped lightbar but it plays it safe when it comes to pushing the envelope of style.

Some of the prospective buyers we talked to while walking the lots at several Toyota dealerships in our area didn’t know what to make of the look as a whole and it appears the Crown’s lack of visual distinction is hurting it when viewed by prospective buyers. This is not helped by the fact that the Crown carries over unchanged for 2026 with no major updates planned.

Interior is still very comfortable

This noted lack of visual edge is a real shame because when you slip behind the wheel of the 2026 Crown, you will be transported to a world where modern comfort and technology take center stage. No wood accents are to be found with interior designers using the opportunity to make full use of soft touch materials and high quality trimmings.

This is especially evident in Limited and range-topping Platinum models with the eight-way power adjustable front leather seats offering pillow like levels of comfort with our Limited coming with heated and cooling seats. dual-zone climate control is also standard and the ambient lighting system is a nice visual treat. The rear seats are tight for taller occupants but that’s a small price to pay for the sloping roofline which also cuts into cargo capacity.

A 12.3-inch infotainment system continues to be standard and it not only gets the latest iteration fo Toyota’s infotainment software, but also wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with Android Auto working nicely with our Samsung phone. The only main difference is actually in stereos with the base XLE and Nightshade getting a six-speaker unit while the Limited and the Platinum get an 11-speaker JBL unit that sounds great with certain songs playing.

Plenty of muscle for any occasion

The 2026 Toyota Crown will never be mistaken for a true performance sedan but the powertrains on had are still more than adequate for most buyers. The base XLE, Limited, and Nightshade trims get a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder hat’s paired with three electric motors to produce a combined system output of 236 hp. Move up to a range-topping Platinum like our example and you’ll be rewarded with a smaller 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that’s paired with two electric motors to produce 340 hp. The sprint to 60 is done in 5.1 seconds and the extra power on hand is welcome in certain types of driving.

All trims get a CVT and while it does not have as much urgency as a traditional automatic when going through the gears, it does the job well and it allowed our Platinum model to get an EPA-rated 29/32 mpg in city and freeway driving with the tamer 2.5-liter getting figures over 40 mpg. The suspension was tuned for comfort and while that means you will not be carving corners like you would in a GR86, the older buyers that the Crown is attempting to lure in will be pleased with its ability to soak up bumps and dips with little effort. A blast of winter weather during the tail end of its stay also gave us an opportunity to fully appreciate the all-wheel drive system our tester had.

Value Quotient

Pricing for the 2026 Toyota Crown continues to hold steady in the $40,000 range with the XLE having a base sticker of $41,440 before taxes and fees. This holds true for the Limited and Nightshade too with these models starting at $45,950 and $48,765 respectively.

The lone exception continues to be the range-topping Platinum which starts at $54,990. Our tester arrived with optional extras and while they were not abundant, they were enough to push our tester to a final as-tested sticker of just over $56,000. This pricing puts it firmly in the luxury ranks and in theory, the Crown should be luring in affluent empty nesters looking for their next stage in transportation.

But with sales continuing to be lukewarm at best, it will be interesting to see what Toyota chooses to do for the next wave of updates which we expect to occur in 2027. This could come either in the form of an infusion of new standard equipment or perhaps a shuffle in the trim ladder to help it out (we don’t see a refresh coming to it just yet.) However, if you give it a chance, the 2026 Toyota Crown lineup might just surprise you with its high levels of tech and comfort.