Station wagons used to be all the rage with their low profile and extended storage areas. Heck, when I was a wee tyke, I remember my family having a red Pontiac station wagon for many years. By the late 1950s, a whopping 20% of all cars sold in America were station wagons. The gas crisis of the 1970s and the rise of minivans and SUVs in the 1980s doomed wagons to the annals of automotive history. Today, maybe 1% of cars sold are classified as station wagons, while over 50% are SUVs of some sort or another.
This brings us to the Toyota Crown Signia, which Toyota insists is an SUV, but most owners consider a stylish station wagon. I last looked at the Crown a few years ago when I wrote about my experiences driving the 2023 Toyota Crown Platinum. My verdict then was that it was a delightful sedan and quite luxurious. The Crown has been a key Toyota model worldwide for many years, but is only now showing up in the North American market, where it seeks greater visibility. As part of that, Toyota reached out and offered me a week behind the wheel of the 2025 Toyota Crown Signia Limited. With its "Storm Cloud" exterior, it definitely has a striking appearance
Looking at that profile, is it a station wagon in the classic sense of the design, or is it indeed a crossover SUV, as Toyota claims? However you choose to categorize it, the Crown Signia is a lovely vehicle with a lot of Toyota design peeking through. Most notably, the front grille is all Toyota and reminiscent of the grille on many of its other vehicles. It also offers a sleek appearance, ready for off-road adventures or a quick trip to the Mall with the kids.
The Limited edition includes 21-inch dark gray metallic alloy wheels with wheel locks, a feature that contributes to its sporty appearance. What's missing is a roof rack or even roof bars, which would undoubtedly emphasize its consideration as an SUV. Beneath the hood, it's powered by a 2.5L 4-cylinder engine and hybrid drive system with continuously variable transmission and on-demand All Wheel Drive. While a relatively small engine, it paired with the hybrid system to offer an enjoyable drive, all while offering up an admirable 39/37 EPA miles per gallon.
Since its introduction in 1955, the Toyota Crown has historically been considered Toyota's flagship model, the top tier of luxury, prestige, and innovation. The Crown Signia Limited continues that heritage, leading me to the same question I had with the Crown Platinum: Shouldn't this be a part of the Lexus line, Toyota's premium brand? Check out the dashboard to see what I mean:
There's a lot of "Toyota" in the design, but the extensive use of the brown leather accents gives the vehicle a distinctly luxurious appearance. You can see this even more in the front passenger compartment:
There is a lot of shiny plastic, however, which is slightly off-putting, especially since it seems to be a bit of a fingerprint magnet. This was most noticeable with the center console finishes, but I also noticed that the 12.3-inch infotainment screen also tended to pick up fingerprints. Maybe I have oily hands, but this isn't something I notice in most vehicles I drive.
The infotainment volume and power button being front-and-center just below the screen was also much appreciated. It's surprising how often that's something that new drivers have to hunt down, rather than having it be obvious and accessible while driving.
There's also a trend for manufacturers to hide the power and charging ports for a sleeker appearance, typically tucking them into the center console storage unit. Again, I appreciate that Toyota has opted to make these obvious rather than part of a vehicular escape room puzzle challenge. The Qi wireless charging station is vertically oriented and super convenient, immediately behind the gearshift. Modern drivers show up with personal electronics, and those need to be included in the drive experience.
Speaking of the center console...
I wasn't a fan of the button area finish with the gearshift and driving mode options (including an "EV" drive mode button, barely visible), but the overall layout was easy to work with, including the gearshift knob. In particular, the extra spaces in front of the Qi charging area and adjacent to the cup holders were both helpful for keeping my sunglasses from getting lost.
The steering wheel controls were nicely symmetric and functional, with the right hand primarily focused on both cruise control features and entertainment, while the left was more about controlling the smart main gauge display. And that was just cool, especially at night:
Lots of interesting information in a futuristic layout, particularly for a luxury station wagon. Note on the right, the battery status indicator: You'll likely find yourself braking slowly as you come up to intersections to maximize your drive score and try to keep the charge at maximum. Note also that while it's rated 39/37 EPA fuel efficiency, I saw 40.1 mpg across my many different drives. It's hard not to appreciate this excellent fuel efficiency, particularly given that poor gas mileage was one of the things that doomed the original generation of station wagons.
The climate control area is dense with buttons and toggles, but in practice, it was easy to moderate the cabin temperature and turn on seat warmers or coolers, as desired. I never did track down the steering wheel heater - if it had one - but if the cabin's warming up, the steering wheel temp isn't such a big deal.
Stepping out of the driver's seat, the rear passenger legroom was okay, but not exceptional, a bit of a surprise for a luxury family vehicle. To comfortably seat adults in the back, you would need the driver and front passenger to both scoot up their seats.
The speaker on the door was one of the 11-speaker JBL sound system, including a subwoofer, and it sounded very nice, whether I was listening to an audiobook or some music via wireless Apple CarPlay. The Crown Signia also supports wireless Android Auto, so you're all set regardless of your smartphone preferences.
If it's a station wagon, it should have lots of space in the back, right?
It does indeed offer a lot of storage space without the weird ceiling dimensions of an SUV hatchback. I found it interesting that the typical 60/40 split was smartly designed to have the smaller section behind the driver, while the larger section - which would fit two kids, but not two adults - was on the passenger side. There's also a fold-out panel on the back of the "40" seat that I found curious. It's not a table, but it's clearly something designed to be helpful to people who move their seats up and down. Toyota calls it the "seat back panel" but its explanation of functionality is a bit baffling.
There's a whole lot about the 2025 Toyota Crown Signia Limited that adds up to make it one of the more interesting luxury vehicles on the market. It's priced in the 50K range, in line with high-end Toyota vehicles, and offers a very different interior and drive experience than the endless compact SUVs on the road, including Toyota's own RAV-4 best-seller. If you've a small family and want maximum flexibility for gear and kids along with a quiet, comfortable ride, the Crown Signia is a smart addition to your shopping list.
2025 Toyota Crown Signia Limited, 2.5L 4-Cylinder Hybrid engine with continuously variable transmission and on-demand AWD. BASE PRICE: $47,990.00. Options Included: Advanced Technology Package, Wheel Locks, Preferred Accessory Package (weather mats, etc), Connected Services Trial Offer. AS DRIVEN: $52,160.00.
Disclosure: Toyota loaned me the Crown Signia for a week in return for this candid write-up. This article originally appeared on PlanetDave.com with the title The 2025 Toyota Crown Signia Hybrid Limited is a Luxury Station Wagon, and is republished with permission from the author.
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