It’s appropriate that this story runs close to Halloween because I’ve always found the Toyota Crown to be a bit scary-looking. The last version I tested in 2023 came in an interesting bronze and black two-tone color. By interesting, I mean it wasn’t pretty. The black hood was fine, but the rear looked like it was birthing another car. So, when Toyota sent me this solid-color Crown Nightshade Edition, I was intrigued. On the first blush, it looks pretty good; let’s see how it went during a week of daily driver duties.

2025 Toyota Crown Overview

As noted in the last article, this is the SIXTEENTH generation of Toyota’s Crown. It’s the first one we’ve gotten in North America; some refer to it as a crossover. It’s built on the Toyota GA-K platform, forming the basis for the Highlander and Lexus RX. It’s also underneath the Lexus ES sedan. Regardless of what it is, the 2025 Crown generally follows Toyota’s trim options, starting at just over $41,400 for the base XLE and going up to nearly $55,000 for the top-spec Platinum.

The Nightshade is basically a Limited with some blacked-out badging and trim. The Limited is well-equipped with upgraded LED headlights, a panoramic glass roof, leather upholstery, heated rear seats, automatic wipers, an 11-speaker JBL audio system, front and rear parking sensors, and more. The Limited is a sweet spot in the lineup. Whether the extra blacked-out bits on the Nightshade are worth the additional $2,815 is up to you.

2025 Toyota Crown Nightshade Edition Inside & Out

As I alluded to in the beginning, the Crown looks much better in a solid color than the two-tone scheme. The colors on the Nighshade are limited to “Storm Cloud,” like our tester, or Black. The tall wheel arches give the Crown a bit of an off-road look, even if the wheels and tires do not. I guess this was an attempt to make the Crown look crossover’y. I can’t deny that’s what sells, but I’d love to see the Crown in a more natural sedan state, lower to the ground. The Toyota logo in the middle bifurcates the elongated brake light, and the single paint color really improves the look of the rear.

I was able to attach to Apple CarPlay quickly on the first try, and it stayed connected reliably during my week with the Crown. There is also a nice little slot to slide your phone into to charge. However, although it has a little flat that holds your phone against the charging pad, it went in and out of charging often. The semi-configurable cupholder has a little flap you can pull out to make the area bigger.

Overall, the interior is well-appointed and pretty comfortable. I like where my hand rests near the shifter; it delivers a nice line going from the armrest to the top of the gear selector.

Rear legroom is a very reasonable 38.9 inches, and there is more rear seat room than you would expect for the Crown’s overall size. Cargo space is 15.2 cubic feet, which isn’t record-breaking but should tackle most daily driver duties.

A 236-horsepower four-cylinder hybrid powertrain powers the Crown. If you ramp up to the top-spec Platinum trim, you’ll get a turbocharged engine and hybrid powertrain that produces 340 hp. The Nightshade has a curb weight of just over 4,000 pounds, so it could be faster. However, it’s comfortable, and the radio cruise system did great on a long drive. You can almost drive it as a one-pedal car, and it will bring itself to a stop as the traffic ahead of us slows down.

The real party trick of the Crown is the miles-per-gallon rating. With 41 mpg combined, it had the better part of 600 miles available from a full tank, which is amazing. Hybrids are still a very viable and attractive option for those not looking to make the switch to an EV, and think that the plug-in hybrids are still a bit too pricey.

Summary

Part of me still misses the Toyota Avalon, something I didn’t say until the very end of its lifespan. At the end of its run (1995–2022), Toyota had created a great-looking sedan with a solid powertrain and upscale interior. It likely stole some sales from Lexus dealers, and the Crown is much more differentiated from anything in either lineup. And that’s part of its charm. It’s different. I see them around town (my neighbor has a white one), and I notice. It’s not always a positive vibe, depending on the color scheme, but I notice. So, points to Toyota for making something unique. The fact that it gets over 40 mpg and has a lot of great features is a nice bonus.