New Toyota Camry And Crown Signia
What do you need to know about the new 2025 Toyota Camry and Toyota Crown Signia? That’s what we’re gonna find out.
Toyota has just unveiled the all-new 2025 Camry, along with a surprisingly new SUV that nobody was really expecting, the all-new Crown Signia.
So let’s dive into everything that you need to know about these new vehicles, both the good and not so good so that you can decide whether it makes sense to buy one or not.
New Camry
Let’s start things off with the all-new Camry. Now, the most significant use here is that the all new Camry is only going to be available as a hybrid.
That’s right for 2025, you can no longer buy the regular four-cylinder gas engine or the V6 engine. They’re no longer going to be available.
Now I have to admit this was quite a surprise because even though we’ve known for quite some time that Toyota is of course moving in the direction of more electrification and offering more and more hybrids already nearly 40% of the new vehicles that they sell are hybrids.
This is the very first time that they’ve gone hybrid only with one of their most popular models, which may have some drawbacks, which I’ll get into later on.
Wheels
But some great news here is that the Camry hybrid is going to be offered with the choice of either front-wheel drive or for the first time all-wheel drive, which makes it one of the only mid-sized hybrid sedans that you can buy that’s available with all-Wheel Drive.
As of now, you still can buy the Honda Accord hybrid, the Hyundai Sonata hybrid or the more expensive and the more luxurious Lexus ES 300 H with all-wheel drive, which gives the Camry a huge advantage.
2 Moto Hybrid System
The other great news is that the Camry is going to use the latest version of Toyota’s really well-proven two motor hybrid system.
It uses a simple naturally aspirated two and a half liter four cylinder engine that comes connected to two electric motors along with an ECVT transmission and a third electric motor at the back wheels.
If you go for the all-wheel drive version, being the fifth generation in Toyota’s hybrid technology with a history that spans over 25 years of development and refinement, it’s the same basic hybrid system that’s found in the current generation Toyota Prius.
It should deliver amazing efficiency and also really well proven reliability, making this an excellent choice for those who are buying for long-term ownership.
Power & Fuel
The new hybrid system is going to produce 225 horsepower with front wheel drive and 232 horsepower with all-wheel drive, which makes it more powerful than the previous generation and more or less on par with the more expensive Toyota crown.
Now, Toyota hasn’t released fuel economy numbers quite Yet, but I predict that the new Camry is going to achieve between 42 to 45 miles per gallon, which is around 5 to 5.5 Per 100 kilometers, making it extremely fuel efficient.
So even though we’re getting an all new Camry, it is comforting to know that the drive train is still going to use the same really well proven Toyota hybrid technology, which means the Camry’s legendary reputation for reliability should remain intact.
Now, even though Toyota hasn’t released dimensions yet, it doesn’t appear that the new Camry has really increased much in overall size.
It should remain more or less the same size as before and have more or less the same amount of interior space.
It is clear however that Toyota did take inspiration from the more expensive Toyota Crown, giving it a very similar edgy looking design, although not quite as edgy and polarizing as the crown, which does make sense given that the Camry is meant to be a more mainstream popular vehicle.
The inside receives a dramatic update over the previous generation, and again, we see a lot of inspiration and very similar technology to what’s found inside the Crown.
Different Variants
Toyota has also simplified the Camry lineup only offering it in four different trims. You can get either the LE or the XLE, which have a more conventional look, or the SC and XSE, which have a sportier look and some more sporty cosmetic touches.
The base LE is not going to be sold in Canada, but the base SC that we get is going to come standard with both heated seats and a heated steering wheel, which is great to see.
Now all things considered the new Camry does appear to be a really impressive update over the current version, but I have to admit, I do have a few concerns, mostly due to the fact that it’s only going to be available as a hybrid for one thing.
Pricing
Even though the pricing is not available yet, I can only imagine that the price is going to increase probably quite significantly because you can no longer buy a more basic four cylinder version.
And secondly, we have the issue of availability. Now, it’s no secret that Toyota is not exactly having the easiest time supplying vehicles to customers, especially when it comes to their hybrids, which seem to have very limited availability and some Toyota models that are sold as hybrids can have waiting periods that are easily several months long.
So hopefully Toyota finds a way to supply enough Camrys to the market so that we don’t run into any issues like that that we’ve seen in the past. Only time will tell.
New Crown Signia
But for the meantime, let’s move on to the next interesting vehicle that Toyota has unveiled, which is the brand new Crown Signia.
Now I think this one came as a surprise to almost everyone because the last thing we were expecting to see is another brand-new hybrid SUV from Toyota, which already has a number of hybrid crossovers in its lineup.
So where exactly does the new Crown Signia fit in? Well, it appears to be significantly larger in size than the RAV4 hybrid and also the Venza hybrid, but not quite as big as the Highlander.
Seating Capacity
The Crown Signia is a two-row SUV that can seat up to five. So it’s not going to have the same seating capacity and space as the larger Highlander or the Grand Highlander, but for those who wanna have a mid-sized SUV that has a lot of interior space and cargo space but don’t necessarily need to have a third row of seats, the Crown Signia might be the perfect fit.
And not only is this going to be a spacious SUV, but much like the new Camry, the Crown Signia is only going to be sold as a hybrid.
Engine Power
But with standard all-wheel drive using a very similar hybrid system that has a naturally aspirated two and a half-liter four cylinder engine combined with two electric motors up front, an ECVT and a third electric motor at the back wheels in this application, it produces 243 horsepower and Toyota estimates it’s going to be able to achieve around 37 miles per gallon or six and a half liters per 100 kilometers, which is impressive fuel economy for a larger mid-sized SUV.
Towing capacity
Another major advantage is that the Crown Signia is going to have a towing capacity of up to 2,700 pounds, which makes this a much more appealing SUV for some customers, especially because the Venza doesn’t have a towing capacity and the RAV4 hybrid can only tow up to 1500 pounds.
And even though the Crown Signia is an all new model, because it still uses the same really well proven hybrid technology that’s found in the other Toyota models, the reliability should prove to be very strong.
And unlike most fours and the Highlander which are made in North America, the Crown Signia is going to be manufactured in Japan, which should also help quite a bit when it comes to build quality.
Interior Design
There doesn’t appear to be too many surprises when it comes to the interior. We can see a very similar design to that of both the Camry and the Toyota Crown with very similar technology in the same infotainment system.
Toyota is positioning this one though as a more luxurious vehicle with higher quality materials and nicer finishes.
It’s likely not going to be anywhere near as nice as something like a Lexus Rx, but if you’re looking for something that’s a step up from both the RAV4 and the Toyota Venza, well the Crown Signia might be the perfect fit.
Availability
Now, much like the Camry, my only concerns with the new Crown Signia is because it’s only going to be sold as a hybrid, what the availability situation is going to be like, especially given the fact that it’s going to be manufactured in Japan, which might have some restrictions on its availability.
Toyota is simplifying the options by only offering it in two trims in the us, the XLE and the limited And in Canada You can only get the Crown Signia one way in the higher, more expensive limited trim.
Pricing
Now, there was no pricing released at the time of the unveiling, but if I had to guess, I would imagine the pricing is going to be somewhere in the range of 45 to 50,000 US and likely close to 60,000 Canadian.
So certainly not the most affordable SUV, but again, given its overall size, its practicality, it’s fairly luxurious and feature packed interior and the fact that it’s going to be sold as a hybrid, I think it definitely has a lot of really appealing qualities.
And even though it’s certainly seems that the Toyota lineup is getting awfully crowded, especially when it comes to crossover SUVs, they already offer a small Corolla cross hybrid.
There’s the Toyota RAV4 and the Toyota Venza, and of course the larger Highlander and Grand Highlander. And now right in the middle of all this we have the Crown Signia.
But given that all of these SUVs have such incredibly strong demand, especially with the hybrid versions, which tend to have very limited availability, I think offering one more option to choose from is really only a good thing.
Either way, I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the new Camry hybrid and the Crown Signia hybrid in the near future and let you know what they’re really like.