2026 Subaru Outback Touring XT vs. Toyota Crown Signia Limited: New ways to get around.
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This week: Toyota Crown Signia
Price: $48,990 for the Limited model.
What others are saying: âHighs: Lexus-like interior, plush ride quality, thrifty hybrid powertrain. Lows: Noisy engine under acceleration, bland handling, underperformed its EPA highway fuel economy rating in real-world testing,â says Car and Driver.
What Toyota is saying: âFirst-class comfort.â
Reality: So suave and charismatic, maybe there should be a Thomas Crown Signia edition for 2027.
Whatâs new: While I billed this competition as new ways to get around, the Crown Signia is only new to Driverâs Seat testing. This hybrid-only SUV debuted for the 2025 model year, replacing the Venza.
The Venza was a model I really enjoyed, but it got very little respect from car lovers. Both models have a reputation for boring drivers, but I loved the comfy seats and easy controls of the Venza â and the 36 mpg â enough to recommend it heartily. Would the Crown Signia bring the same kind of experience?
As for the Outback vs. Crown Signia comparison, two cars with more opposite market aims could hardly fit into the same category, and they could hardly have come to testing in more opposing conditions. The Outback endured 20-degree days while the Crown Signia was here for the 90s. Both offered some hesitation before they were warmed up, so weâll just have to say thatâs a feature, not a bug.
Competition: In addition to the Outback, there are the Chevrolet Blazer, Honda Passport, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan Murano, Mazda CX-70, and Volkswagen Atlas. Thatâs a wide range of crossovers.
Up to speed: A new 240-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder is mated to an electric motor, and it adds 21 horses over the Venza. It gets to 60 mph in 7 seconds, according to Car and Driver; with 20 fewer horses than the Outback turbo tested, itâs almost a second slower. You go, Subaru.
Shifty: The Crown Signia uses the Prius shifter, electronically shifting up and left for Reverse and down and left for Drive.
On the road: On-demand all-wheel drive makes the handling acceptable, and Sport mode is a little nicer. The Crown Signia lends itself to driving sedately and looking at the scenery.
Driverâs Seat: Comfort is definitely the name of the game behind the wheel of the Crown Signia. Convenience as well. This is where I realize the Crown Signia is a nice replacement for the Venza; that too offered luxury and comfort closer to Lexusâ standard than Toyotaâs.
No ground is really broken here, as the controls match most of Toyota crossovers and cars. The Outback wins this category.
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Friends and stuff: The rear seat provides comfort in both cushion quality and spaciousness. Legroom, headroom, and foot room are all generous. The middle seat is not too bad as the floor hump sits low and wide, and the console doesnât intrude too much.
Cargo space is 24.8 or 66.1 cubic feet, a growth spurt over the Venza that may help improve sales. But itâs still no match for the Outbackâs 80 cubes.
In and out: The Crown Signia is at a perfect height for people of almost any age. No real climb or limbo required.
Play some tunes: A lone volume button is the only nod to the Before Times from the stereo control people. The screen is big and easy to follow.
Sound from the system is clear and aimed correctly, an A- to an A. Advantage, Crown Signia.
Keeping warm and cool: Toggles control all the features, and this functions nicely. Except for the seat heaters and coolers, which sit above a different toggle, so that confuses until you get used to it. It keeps us out of the touchscreen, at least. A small screen tells you whatâs blowing where and how hard.
An annoying feature of the Crown Signia HVAC (something I noticed in the 4Runner hybrid as well) is the AC turns itself off with each restart. So Iâd be blasting the fan on myself after crossing a 90-degree parking lot and wondering why I never got cool. Iâm sure itâs easy to get used to but also, why? At least itâs not a touchscreen control, which would certainly malfunction when the interior exceeds 120 degrees.
Fuel economy: I averaged close to 36 mpg during my week of testing, much nicer than the Outback turbo (as can be expected). Strong win for the Crown Signia.
Where itâs built: Aichi, Japan
How itâs built: Consumer Reports gives the Crown Signia a four out of five for reliability.
In the end: The Crown Signia carries the torch of the Venza: Fun may not be part of the vocabulary, but it sure is a nice, efficient ride. The Subaru is also a nice ride, but Iâm not sure 0.8 seconds off the 60-mph run-up is worth another 10 cents a mile forever.
And at 50 grand each, a Thomas Crown-worthy heist may be needed to help pay either of these vehicles off.
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