2024 Toyota Crown makes minor changes, adds minor price bumps

The all-new Toyota Crown only debuted a year ago, so it's understandable there's not much to move the needle for its second year on the market. Of the four changes Toyota noted on the 2024 Crown, the only odd thing is how vague Toyota is being about two of them. We're told that there are "updates to soft-touch materials," and "additional warm steel-colored accents across XLE, Limited, and Platinum grades" — which means all the grades. What's clearer are the safety upgrades for the Limited and Platinum trims. The Platinum now comes standard with Traffic Jam Assist, Lane Change Assist, and Front Cross Traffic Alert. Those three features will be available to the Limited trim with $3,570 Advanced Technology Package that also adds a panoramic view monitor, pedestrian detection, Digital Key capability, and 21-inch wheels. The three new safety features increase the package price from its previous cost of $2,750.

Prices are also up a little on each trim. The 2024 MSRPs after the $1,095 destination fee, and their changes from 2023, are:

• XLE $41,145 ($100)
• Limited $46,745 ($100)
• Platinum $54,165 ($720)

Anyone interested in a 2024 Crown should know that the 2023 model just earned a Top Safety Pick+, one of only a few large sedans to receive any level of Top Safety Pick rating from IIHS. Despite facing the more difficult updated side impact test, the Crown scored the best "Good" rating there, for its child seat anchor access, and for its forward collision prevention systems with pedestrian detection during day and night testing. The only blemish on the scorecard was a split on headlights. The base XLE's lights were rated a notch lower at "Acceptable" while the higher trims were rated "Good."

The Crown is still looking for the desired success on the sales floor. Toyota's consumer site includes a page pitting the Crown against the competition, the chosen rivals being the Nissan Maxima and Volkswagen Arteon. Naturally, the Crown has trounced both, moving 13,054 units through the end of September. At first, that seems like beating up on the smaller kids, but it's really about the state of the sedan market — there just isn't much out there in the Avalon/Crown space, and nothing at all when factoring the Crown's combo of hybrid powertrain and premium positioning. The Lexus ES has done more than double the Crown's sales in 2023 so far, and really, the best competitor is probably the old Avalon. Toyota sold 19,460 units of the Avalon in the U.S. in 2021, that sedan's last full year on sale as going concern. Unless Toyota dealers post a bang-up Q4, the Crown is unlikely to beat that this year. Maybe the rumored GR Crown variant will unlock more of the sedan's potential and increased buyer interest, if such a model makes production and reaches the U.S.

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