Is the 2023 Toyota Crown Hybrid MAX the QUICKEST Toyota 4-door?

We drive the 2023 Toyota Crown Hybrid MAX and come away impressed.
The Toyota Crown is a nameplate that has been around since 1955 and in Japan, almost every taxi you see is one, however, in 1972 it was discontinued in the US. Now surprisingly it has made a comeback in quite a bold and quirky and in the case of the Hybrid MAX tester I have, sublimely quick.
Chapters:
0:00 Intor
0:30 Exterior
2:16 Cargo Space
2:41 under The Hood
4:01 Wheels And Tires
4:20 Pricing
4:49 Interior and Tech
8:02 Driving
17:02 Verdict
The boldly styled 2023 Toyota Crown is replacing the more sedate Avalon, a car that Toyota says had a median buyer age of 64, not your typical folks who are looking for the ultimate driving machine then.
Interestingly the car I think it resembles the most is the Honda Crosstour which was sold from 2010 up until 2015 when it was discontinued due to slow sales. What Toyota has done here is produce a car that gives the driver a higher Crossover seating position while designing it like a car. It’s quirky and different but will people want one?
This high-riding stance is mostly a trick since even though it is 3.7 inches taller than a Camry, the ground clearance is only 5.8 inches, just a tenth of an inch higher than the Camry. The comically large 21-inch wheels which have a decent-sized gap between the wheel arch and tire serve to enhance this high-riding illusion that isn't. I'm all for it if Toyota can persuade people to buy sedans again.
Every Crown is hybrid with all-wheel drive and there are two hybrid powertrains on offer. The XLE and Limited use a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder paired with three electric motors to deliver a total of 236 horsepower through a continuously variable transmission.
The rear axle is electric-only which means no driveshaft and its motor makes 54 horsepower and 89 lb-ft of torque. This isn’t the powertrain for folks who have a need for performance since it takes 7.2 seconds to get from 0- 60 mph.
Step up to the Platinum trim like his one though and you get a turbocharged 2.4-liter four and two electric motors which deliver 340 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. In the Max, the rear motor makes 79 horsepower and 124 pound-feet and is always engaged. All this power is driven through a six-speed automatic that uses a wet clutch instead of a torque converter. From a standstill, it takes 5.1 seconds to get to sixty, and with a careful right foot expect 32 mpg highway.
If you do decide to step up to the Hybrid MAX you get adaptive dampers that give you several drive modes, Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport S, Sports+, and Custom. We tried most of them and to be honest, since the car is not really set up to be sporty it's best to leave it in Comfort.
2023 Toyota Crown Hybrid MAX numbers
ESTIMATED BASE PRICE: $52,350
ESTIMATED PRICE AS TESTED: $57,750
VEHICLE LAYOUT: Front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 7 passenger, 4-door SUV
ENGINE: 2.4 liter turbocharged four plus two electric motors
COMBINED POWER: 340 hp
COMBINED TORQUE: 400 ft-lbs
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic
0-60 MPH: 5.1 seconds
CURB WEIGHT: 4,250 lb
CARGO VOLUME: 15.1 cubic feet
FUEL ECONOMY Combined/city/highway: 30/26/27 mpg
OUR OBSERVED: 21.8 mpg
PROS: Super smooth, tons of torque, roomy inside
CONS: Needs a hatchback, bigger tires needed for more grip

[@TheSolidSamir]

First comment, really enjoy the videos

[@sabertoothduck]

I got mine over 130 mph so they are fast. And it’s not the hybrid max pertain