“Dude, that’s totally a wagon,” exclaimed a particularly astute observer as a 2025 Toyota Crown Signia sat in profile nearby.

Dude’s got a point. Toyota’s new hybrid “crossover” is long and low, with a minimal, inch-or-so ground clearance boost beyond the typical sedan norm. Apparently. Sure doesn’t look like it. The body is still on the tall side relative a wagon, but looking at the spec sheet reveals dimensions far closer in proportion to a Subaru Outback or Volvo V60 Cross Country than the similarly priced Lexus NX, or the vehicle the Crown Signia effectively replaces, the Toyota Venza. It doesn’t even have tinted rear windows.

Not that you’re going to hear much objection to a new wagon offering here at Autoblog, even if it needs the crossover tag to be more palatable to the masses. To be fair, though, the Crown Signia isn’t just a long-roof version of the Crown, Toyota’s attempt at reimagining the sedan. The Signia has that aforementioned ground clearance, is 4 inches taller in overall height and is 2 inches shorter in overall length. Passenger capacity dimensions favor the Crown “sedan” as well. The platform is shared (although basically every Toyota that isn’t a truck shares some variation of the TNGA platform), as is the interior design and standard hybrid powertrain.

Unbelievable

Then there’s the name. Besides sounding like a business hotel in Nagoya, take a look at the pictures above and note that “Signia” doesn’t appear anywhere on the car, with “CROWN” instead taking the lead. This is apparently at the behest of company Chairman Akio Toyoda, who wants to elevate the Crown sub-brand in prominence. Now’s probably a good time to explain that the Crown has long been Toyota’s Japanese market flagship; a grand, decidedly old-school sedan that typically served as a limousine.