Just like wood-bodied convertibles, Volkswagen diesels and common courtesy, station wagons are all but extinct from America’s roadways. But these eminently practical vehicles might be staging a comeback thanks to the 2025 Toyota Crown Signia.
Only available as a hybrid, which this Japanese automaker is famous for building instead of pure EVs, the Signia is a longroof version of the already elevated Crown sedan. The automaker calls this vehicle a crossover, but we all know what it really is: a station wagon, and hooray for that!
With standard all-wheel drive, this versatile hybrid offers excellent fuel efficiency, generous cargo space and a passel of premium amenities in a package that, frankly, looks fantastic. Following in the stunning new Prius’ tire tracks, the Signia’s front end is tastefully aggressive with leering LED headlamps. The car’s flanks are incredibly clean, anchored by standard 19-inch wheels, though this top-of-the-line Limited model rolls on elegant 21s. And finally, the Crown Signia’s backside is gorgeous, complete with Lincoln-like taillamps and an LED strip running across the hatch. Really, the only design element I don’t care for is the wispy black trim on the rear pillars. Why is it even there?
As you might imagine, inside, this Toyota’s cabin does not disappoint. The interior is upscale, attractively designed and surprisingly comfortable. This Limited model offers Lexus levels of premiumness (Is that even a word? Let’s say yes.) and loads of standard equipment. Every Crown Signia comes with leather seating surfaces and a leather-wrapped steering wheel that’s heated and adjustable for both rake and reach. There are also heated and ventilated front bucket seats with eight-way power adjustability.
More goodies that are included at no extra cost include a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster that, as in other Toyotas, is quite unintuitive. Adjusting what information is displayed and where is challenging. The car also comes with a 12.3-inch touchscreen that runs a familiar and very solid infotainment system that’s easy enough to use and quite responsive. Naturally, wireless Android Auto as well as Apple CarPlay are both supported, though the Crown Signia also has five USB type-C ports.
For a premium touch, top-shelf Limited models also come with a panoramic glass roof; mercifully, there’s also a retractable shade to keep glare away, something many of today’s newer EVs lack. You also get rain-sensing windshield wipers and an ever-helpful digital rearview mirror that provides greatly enhanced visibility behind the vehicle.
The Crown Signia’s comfort is top notch, something we put to the test on a roughly 1,000-mile roundtrip drive to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for a work event. The front buckets are supple yet supportive, and the backseat has miles of room in all dimensions, plus the outboard positions are fitted with butt warmers.
This Toyota wagon is great for passengers, and it’s a fantastic hauler, too. The Limited model with that panoramic glass top has just shy of 25 cubic feet of room behind the rear seat. Fold the 60/40-split backrest down and that figure swells to an impressive 66.1 cubes. The XLE trim, which doesn’t have that fancy roof, offers a skosh more cargo space in both configurations. Overall, the luggage compartment is unexpectedly generous, both wide and long, though the space is somewhat shorter than you might expect if you’re used to driving higher-riding SUVs.
Ahead of the passenger compartment, the Crown Signia is motivated by just one drivetrain, a familiar Toyota hybrid system that’s built around a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine. On its own, this unit cranks out 188 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque while happily burning plain, old 87-octane regular-grade gasoline.
That engine is matched to an electronically controlled continuously variable automatic transmission, an eCVT for short. Comprised of two motor-generators and some fancy gearing, this system works primarily as a transmission. Grossly simplifying the operation, that first motor-generator is used as a starter and to charge the battery pack when the engine is running. Motor-generator two powers the front wheels – either in tandem with the gasoline engine or all on its own – and this dynamo recharges the battery during regenerative braking. This is all very complicated, but also highly reliable and effective.
As mentioned, all-wheel drive is standard in this car. The rear wheels are powered by a separate electric motor at the back axle. This provides about 54 horses on its own and 89 lb-ft of twist, figures that grace the Crown Signina with a total of 240 system hp. That’s enough to accelerate this roughly 4,210-pound wagon to 60 mph in an entirely respectable 7.1 seconds, though the engine is happy to let you know whenever it’s working hard by broadcasting lots of coarse four-cylinder noises. While far from the quickest vehicle on the road, this car nonetheless delivers solid performance and amazing efficiency. According to the EPA, this Toyota should return 39 miles per gallon in city driving, 37 on the highway and 38 mpg combined. In our heavy-footed hands while driven almost exclusively on the highway, we averaged around 36 mpg, a damn-impressive figure.
Aside from good performance and stellar fuel economy, the Crown Signia is otherwise pleasant to drive. The steering is light and quick, which makes this wagon feel agile and light on its feet. The ride quality is comfortable and the suspension does a nice job filtering out roadway imperfections, both large and small. And of course, the braking is smooth, with a seamless transition between regenerative braking and the friction binders.
When it comes to driver aids, the Crown Signia comes offers plenty. The car comes standard with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, which includes amenities like adaptive cruise control, lane centering, road sign recognition, automatic high beams and more. With the Limited model, you can also opt for the Advanced Technology Package. This $1,865 option gets you premium amenities like power-folding exterior mirrors, front cross-traffic alert, somewhat useless lane change assist, front and rear parking sensors, a 360-degree camera system and traffic jam assist. Super Cruise it most certainly is not, but that last item can stop, accelerate and even steer the vehicle in heavy roadway congestion at speeds up to 25 mph.
Another number of note is the base price. This car starts at roughly $45,000 including $1,395 in destination fees, which was just about the average new vehicle transaction price in the U.S. last month, so not at all unreasonable. This top-spec Limited model, of course, checks out for a little more, $51,675 to be precise. Now, that’s certainly not cheap, but this wagon is still a great value because it delivers loads of comfort, space, style and fuel efficiency.
Compared to Toyota’s boxier SUVs, the new Crown Signia is refreshingly different yet still plenty useful; this car is also proof that we need more station wagons in the U.S. And if you want a longroof in your life, the Crown Signia will be available at dealerships starting this summer.
At a glance
- Year: 2025
- Make: Toyota
- Model: Crown Signia
- Trim: Limited
- Type: 4-door hybrid station wagon
- System horsepower: 240
- MPG ratings (city/highway/combined): 39/37/38
- Pros: Beautiful styling, upscale trimmings, comfortable seats, excellent fuel efficiency, versatile interior, good technology
- Cons: Thrashy-sounding engine, a little more performance would be nice (but isn’t necessary), some appealing amenities cost extra, unintuitive instrument cluster
- Estimated Base price: $45,000
- As-tested price: $51,675 including $1,395 in destination fees
