The Toyota Hybrid Sedan With The Most Horsepower

Hybrids have outpaced electric vehicle (EV) sales as of late. Unsurprisingly, the brand that has capitalized the most on that sales surge is Toyota, whose diverse lineup of hybrids means that there’s literally an electrified vehicle for everyone at every price point. That includes something as affordable as a Corolla Hybrid, or something larger than life, like the Toyota Grand Highlander.

At the same time, not all of Toyota’s hybrid offerings are created equal. Depending on the price point, the main focus will either be solely on fuel economy, or effortless power (not necessarily high performance). Yes, a hybrid can also be used as a way to make a vehicle more powerful, as you’ll see in the most powerful Toyota hybrid sedan that you can buy in 2024.

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including Toyota and CarBuzz.

Say Hello To The Toyota Crown Platinum

In order for you to have the most performance out of your Toyota hybrid sedan, you’d have to splurge for the Crown in Platinum trim. That’s because while all Crown models are hybrids, the Crown Platinum gets the Hybrid Max powertrain that’s focused more on effortless power as opposed to solely on fuel efficiency.

You Better Like Having 340 Electrified Horses

Toyota, especially under the leadership of Akio Toyoda before stepping down as CEO last year to become chairman of the board, has promised to make its cars more exciting and desirable. That’s why we now have a plethora of GR-branded high-performance machines, while its hybrids aren’t anymore just for fuel efficiency purposes. In the case of the Hybrid Max system that’s used in the Crown Platinum, it produces 340 horsepower and a whopping 400 pound-feet of torque. These are powerful numbers, and one that doesn’t compromise on fuel economy.

Compared to the outgoing Camry and its optional 3.5-liter V-6 that produces 301 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque, the Crown Platinum Hybrid Max makes more power and is significantly more fuel efficient. The Camry does 22 MPG in the city and 33 (XLE)/32 (XSE)/31 (TRD) MPG on the highway, while the more powerful Crown Platinum fares far better in the city at 29 MPG, while its highway fuel economy is similar to the Camry with a V-6 at 32 MPG. The Crown Platinum is also marginally faster than the Camry V-6, doing the 0-60 mph sprint in 5.7 seconds versus 6.0 seconds for the Camry.

Toyota Crown vs. Camry Specs

(Data sourced from Toyota)

Not All Toyota Hybrid Systems Are Created Equal

To understand how the Crown Platinum makes so much power out of its hybrid system, we have to first talk about the different hybrid systems that Toyota makes. To keep things simple, we’ll focus on the two hybrid systems for its passenger cars with front-wheel drive (FWD) layouts.

The first one is the Toyota Hybrid System (THS), which is a power-split or series-parallel hybrid, wherein the engine and electric motors can act independently from each other, enabled also by its planetary gear e-CVT. This one is focused more on fuel economy as opposed to outright performance. The engines often mated to the THS are Atkinson cycle naturally-aspirated engines, which are likewise focused on fuel efficiency.

On the other hand, the Hybrid Max is a parallel hybrid system. In this case, the engine and electric motor are connected to the six-speed automatic transmission that Toyota uses for the Crown Platinum. It can still run in pure electric mode because the K0 clutch can connect and disconnect the engine at will, depending on the throttle demands.

Fitted as standard with the E-Four electronic all-wheel drive (AWD) system, the eAxle electric motors on the rear wheels provide power when the Crown Platinum goes through and exits corners. Clearly, unlike THS, the Hybrid Max has a stronger focus on performance and handling, demonstrating the potential of Toyota’s hybrid systems for more performance-oriented applications.

What It’s Like To Live With A Crown Platinum

Serving as the pinnacle of Toyota’s sedan range, the Crown Platinum blurs the line between a Toyota and a Lexus. Granted, it shares the same TNGA-K platform as the Lexus ES, but there are a few unique traits that set the Crown apart from the ES. It’s also why you’d probably want the Toyota much more than the Lexus.

Distinct Styling That Defies Convention

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but we do think that the Crown Platinum looks very distinct. Whether you like it or not is going to be up to you, but you definitely won’t call a Crown in any trim or variant to be a boring car. The distinct, coupe-like roofline, which can be painted in a contrasting black paint together with the hood, stands out in a sea of same-same but different two-box crossover SUVs. The 21-inch wheels also fit those wheel wells nicely, while the crossover styling should make this sedan attractive to those who would’ve bought yet another boring crossover SUV instead.

Full LED lighting is, as expected, standard at this price point, which in the case of the headlights forms a part of the brand’s now-signature Hammerhead front-end styling. The LED taillights run the full width of the trunk to give it a distinct nighttime appearance. What we wish Toyota added to the Crown sedan is a powered trunk lid, since it’s already at a price point that puts it with the Lexus ES.

An Interior That’s Loaded In Comfort

Toyota has a reputation for building vehicles that fade into the background, and with the Crown Platinum, that couldn’t be any truer. Comfort is the car’s primary forte, and though a similarly-priced Lexus ES has a slightly more luxurious interior, the Crown Platinum–being the pinnacle of the range, comes fully loaded with features that are otherwise still hidden in an optional extra in the Lexus.

Therefore, you get stuff like a 12.3-inch fully-digital instrument cluster, a large 12.3-inch Toyota Audio Multimedia infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a JBL premium sound system, and a panoramic glass roof, among other creature comforts.

Of course, as with most modern cars these days, the Toyota Crown Platinum comes fully loaded with a suite of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) under the Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 (TSS 3.0) suite. TSS 3.0 includes the following ADAS features:

• Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection
• Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
• Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist
• Lane Tracing Assist
• Automatic High Beams
• Road Sign Assist

TSS 3.0 comes on top of other ADAS features such as Lane Change Assist, Traffic Jam Assist, Front Cross-Traffic Alert, Blind Spot Monitor, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, and the Panoramic View Monitor 360-degree camera system.

How The Crown Platinum Fares In The Real World

If you’ve reached this point in the article, you’re probably at a point where you’re almost sold on the idea of having the most powerful hybrid Toyota sedan money could buy. But before you splurge on one, here’s what you need to know about the Crown Platinum–or any Crown variant for that matter. We’ve already reviewed a Crown Limited with the 2.5-liter hybrid system, while our friends from CarBuzz have also managed to review a Crown Platinum with the 2.4-liter Hybrix Max powertrain. Therefore, you can vouch for our thoughts on the good and the bad about the new Crown.

Plush Ride, Powerful Drive

The Crown Platinum’s powerful Hybrid Max powertrain makes the drive very effortless. However, while its 0-60 mph time of just 5.7 seconds is thrilling, its handling doesn’t match the quick straight-line performance. That doesn’t make it a bad car, though. What this means is that the Crown Platinum wasn’t meant to be a sports sedan. With its light and numb but direct steering, as well as its adaptive variable suspension (AVS) that irons out the worst imperfections, the Crown Platinum is an effortless cruiser with plenty of power and a driving experience that fades into the background.

Ditto the six-speed automatic, which is much better from a driving experience perspective than the e-CVT of the Limited and lower variants because the traditional automatic makes for linear and direct power delivery without the droning associated with the e-CVT. Finally, with the E-Four AWD system with eAxle, the Crown Platinum offers surefooted handling that is effortless rather than sporty.

But, It Is Expensive

The Crown Platinum is actually very good. So much so that we’re struggling to find any major faults. We can’t say that its comfort-oriented handling is a con because not everyone is into a vehicle with the sharpest steering or the stiffest suspension anyway. The only fault that we think the Crown Platinum suffers from is price. With a starting price of $53,370 for this Crown Platinum and $40,350 for the most affordable XLE, only a few thousand bucks separate it from the Lexus ES–a true luxury offering.

Granted, at its price tag, the Crown Platinum is pretty much loaded already with barely any optional extras, whereas you’d have to select a few packages in the ES to match the features of the Crown Platinum. However, there are probably a number of buyers who would probably splurge a little bit for the ES, since this already buys you into the lifestyle and prestige associated with the Lexus brand. Still, if you’re dead set on the Crown Platinum, then it’s a vehicle that you probably will enjoy in the years to come.