2025 Toyota Crown Signia review: Almost a Lexus RX hybrid on the cheap, but one thing holds it back

The point of the new 2025 Toyota Crown Signia isn't immediately clear, but I get it now.

I think.

A plausible theory, at least, is that Toyota looked at its SUV lineup and saw a Lexus RX-sized hole that needed filling. After all, the other Lexus SUVs already have Toyota counterparts: the UX shares a platform with the Corolla Cross, the NX with the RAV4, and the GX and LX with the 4Runner and Land Cruiser.

But until the Crown Signia came along, there wasn't a two-row midsize Toyota SUV with carlike handling, or at least there hadn't been one since the first-generation Venza, which went away 10 years ago and also happened to share a platform with the Lexus RX. The second-generation Venza, discontinued after 2024, was a compact SUV based on the RAV4 Hybrid, so this hole was there for a while.

The Crown Signia is basically the second coming of the first Venza, then, except that the latter's punchy old 3.5-liter V6 (R.I.P!), which Lotus incidentally borrowed for the Evora sports car, has been traded for a hybrid powertrain that gets twice the fuel economy. Doesn't seem like a bad idea, all in all.

Let's take a closer look at this new Toyota SUV and then talk about how it drives.

Wait, the Crown Signia and the Lexus RX use the same platform?

As platform-sharing goes, this one is a better-kept secret than most, but the information's out there. The 2025 Toyota Crown Signia does indeed share its TNGA-K platform with the Lexus RX, not to mention a number of other Toyota products.

Toyota's challenge with the Crown Signia was to make it nice enough to stand out versus rival mainstream midsize SUVs, but not so nice that it convinces would-be RX buyers to save thousands at their Toyota dealers.

That's not an easy trick, but it's been done countless times. Just looking at the examples provided above, I'd highlight the RAV4 and the Lexus NX as one such success story. People love the RAV4, but if you drive it back-to-back with an NX, the latter's advantage in refinement will be obvious. That's the kind of platform-sharing Toyota wants the Crown Signia to pull off.

Do the Crown Signia and the Lexus RX have the same engines, too?

Yes and no. The Crown Signia's sole available powertrain is a gas-electric hybrid setup with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), and if you look at the Lexus RX 350h, you'll find it has pretty much the same kit.

The Lexus does squeeze 246 horsepower out of it, while the Toyota checks in at 240 hp. But yes, the Crown Signia is essentially a Lexus RX 350h in the engine room. They both come standard with all-wheel drive as well.

For the record, the Crown Signia is slightly more fuel-efficient, boasting an EPA rating of 38 mpg combined to the RX 350h's 36 mpg combined.

Where the RX differs is in its diversity of powertrain offerings, ranging from the standard RX 350 (2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, 275 hp) to the performance-oriented RX 500h (2.4T hybrid, 366 horsepower), which uses a conventional six-speed automatic transmission that feels more responsive than the RX 350h's CVT. There's even a plug-in hybrid to consider, the Lexus RX 450+, which borrows the RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid's powertrain to provide useful all-electric range.

The upshot is, if you like the Crown Signia but wish it had other engine options, you're out of luck unless you feel like paying Lexus prices. But if you're a fan of the Lexus RX 350h in particular, the Crown Signia does give you essentially the same powertrain at a far lower base price: $43,590 versus $51,125.

How does the Crown Signia drive?

Right, let's hit the road. When I hopped into my 2025 Crown Signia Limited test car, painted Oxygen White with Saddle Tan leather upholstery (MSRP: $48,415, including $425 for the paint), I was immediately struck by how ensconcing the driving position felt. The high center console, stubby shift lever and compact three-spoke steering wheel combined to create a surprisingly sporty vibe for a fuel-sipping hybrid.

So far, so good.

Cruising along the sometimes rippled and pockmarked pavement of the Malibu hills, I was also impressed by how smoothly the Crown Signia rode despite the Limited trim's standard 21-inch wheels. I never would have guessed its wheels were that big from the ride compliance I observed.

Having just gotten out of a Genesis GV80 3.5T Prestige rolling on 22s, it occurred to me that the Toyota's ride quality was actually better. That's one reason why we consider the Crown Signia a luxury SUV in our Midsize Luxury Hybrid SUV Rankings — its refinement on the road is luxury-grade.

Cornering is another area where the Crown Signia acquits itself surprisingly well. Pushing it through the canyons at the limits of prudence, I learned that this Toyota handles more like a wagon than an SUV. It felt planted and secure, if not overtly athletic. That's a nice bonus in an efficiency-minded hybrid.

It's quiet, too. Road and wind noise are kept nicely in check. That word "refinement" comes to mind again. The Crown Signia's got plenty of it in almost every respect.

So what's the problem?

Ah yes. Now, to be clear, I have no evidence that Toyota did this on purpose. It's just a hunch.

But it's as if Toyota's product testers realized that the Crown Signia was too close to the RX 350h's level for comfort, and they needed to make it less refined in some way.

Maybe one of them floored the accelerator and exclaimed, "That's too smooth! Can't we let some more vibrations in?"

Because that's where the Crown Signia's veneer cracks: when you need or want all 240 horsepower to hook up.

I really was ready to pronounce the Crown Signia an RX 350h with a more attractive grille for less coin, but then, as any conscientious journalist would do, I floored it. The engine vibrations I felt through my shoes and the seat of my pants were the only unpleasant surprise of my drive.

Thinking maybe I caught the powertrain off-guard somehow, I lifted off and then slowly floored it again.

Nope. Same thing. This nearly $50k, arguably luxury SUV was definitely buzzing the floorboards at wide-open throttle, as if to say, "Hey, this is a hybrid, remember? Wouldn't you rather take it easy?"

You're not going to feel any of that in an RX 350h. In fact, when I drove the hybrid-powered 2025 Toyota Camry, which uses much the same powertrain and starts at less than $30k, I didn't get any bad vibes there, either.

Did Toyota knowingly tweak the Crown Signia's NVH — emphasis on the "V" — so that shoppers who demand peak powertrain refinement would want to stretch for the Lexus? Seems far-fetched, doesn't it. But that's what it feels like, and it's why the Crown Signia ultimately isn't an RX 350h substitute unless you're prepared to live with subpar vibration suppression in this category.

The takeaway

The 2025 Toyota Crown Signia is an almost perfectly pleasant midsize SUV with exceptional fuel economy. If Toyota had simply given it the same level of powertrain refinement as the Camry, it would pose a more serious threat to the pricier Lexus RX 350h — just as, back to my earlier example, the RAV4 would be more of a problem for the Lexus NX if it had the latter's polish.

I still think the Crown Signia is a must-drive for anyone who's considering an RX hybrid. If you happen to be the kind of driver who never accelerates briskly, you'll never know the difference.

But if you do tend to exercise the powertrain's full potential from time to time, see if you notice what I did when you put your foot down. Given that my test car was pushing $50k in Limited trim, I'd be strongly tempted to grab a bone-stock RX 350h for just a little more. ⛐ md