Compare the2024 Toyota CrownVS 2024 BMW 3 Series Sedan

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Crown have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The BMW 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Crown are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Crown. But it costs extra on the 3 Series Sedan.

The Crown’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the 3 Series Sedan.

The Crown has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the 3 Series Sedan’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Crown has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Parking Support Brake on the Limited/Platinum automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. BMW charges extra for Cross Traffic Warning on the 3 Series Sedan and the 3 Series Sedan’s Cross Traffic Warning does not include automatic braking.

Both the Crown and the 3 Series Sedan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Crown 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than BMW covers the 3 Series Sedan. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the 3 Series Sedan ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 4 times as many Toyota dealers as there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Crown’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, BMW is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. BMW is ranked third.

The Crown Platinum’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 31 lbs.-ft. more torque (400 vs. 369) than the M340i’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Crown Platinum 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid is faster than the 330i 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

On the EPA test cycle the Crown gets better mileage than the 3 Series Sedan:

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Crown higher (7 out of 10) than the BMW 3 Series Sedan (5 to 7). This means the Crown produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the 3 Series Sedan every 15,000 miles.

The Crown has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer a CVT.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Crown has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the 3 Series Sedan. The Crown’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the 3 Series Sedan.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Crown is .9 inches wider in the front and 1.7 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the 3 Series Sedan.

For better maneuverability, the Crown’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the 3 Series Sedan’s (38 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the Crown Platinum is quieter than the 330i (66 vs. 69 dB).

The Crown has .1 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, 3.7 inches more rear legroom and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the 3 Series Sedan.

The Crown has a much larger trunk than the 3 Series Sedan (15.2 vs. 13 cubic feet).

The Crown’s optional easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

Consumer Reports rated the Crown’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the 3 Series Sedan’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Crown Limited/Platinum keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Toyota Crown and the BMW 3 Series Sedan, based on reliability, safety and performance.