Compare the2025 Toyota CrownVS 2024 Audi A6

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Crown are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The A6 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Crown has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The A6 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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 A6’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/Nightshade automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Audi charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Assist on the A6.

The Crown’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The A6 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Crown and the A6 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available around view monitors.

The Toyota Crown achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The A6 has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Crown 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the A6. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the A6 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Crown for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the A6.

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 50 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota second in reliability, above the industry average. With 128 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 29th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Audi is ranked 19th.

The Crown Platinum’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 5 more horsepower (340 vs. 335) and 31 lbs.-ft. more torque (400 vs. 369) than the A6 55 TFSI’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the Crown gets better mileage than the A6:

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Crown higher (6 out of 10) than the Audi A6 (5). This means the Crown produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the A6 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 A6 doesn’t offer a CVT.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Crown offers optional 21-inch wheels. The A6’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

The Crown offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The A6’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For better maneuverability, the Crown Platinum’s turning circle is 4.3 feet tighter than the A6’s (35.4 feet vs. 39.7 feet). The Crown’s turning circle is 1.7 feet tighter than the A6’s (38 feet vs. 39.7 feet).

The Crown has .2 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom and 1.5 inches more rear legroom than the A6.

The Crown has a much larger trunk than the A6 (15.2 vs. 13.7 cubic feet).

Consumer Reports rated the Crown’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the A6’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Crown has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the A6.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Toyota Crown has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the A6.

Insurance will cost less for the Crown owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Crown will cost $3110 less than the A6 over a five-year period.

The Crown will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Crown will retain 49.43% to 51.46% of its original price after five years, while the A6 only retains 41.11% to 42.12%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Toyota Crown will be $25936 to $27809 less than for the Audi A6.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Toyota Crown and the Audi A6, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Crown outsold the Audi A6/S6/RS 6 by over two to one during 2023.