Toyota's new Crown is a big 4-door sedan that borrows from SUV world

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- There's something unusual in Toyota showrooms these days: a brand-new large sedan in a mainstream price bracket - a category of car that's slowly falling by the wayside in the automotive space.

The 2023 Toyota Crown basically replaces the former Avalon, and utilizes a model name from Toyota's history.

With a base price of just over $41,000, the new Crown features a nice ride, just enough luxury and technology, and even standard hybrid power. It's an American-sized big sedan for a new era.

But it kind of stands alone, or soon will.

For example, this year will mark the last for the Chrysler 300, which had a good run. Chrysler is sending it out with some flair in the form of a special V8-powered 300C model. Collectors may have already scooped up all 2,000 of these distinctive farewell examples, for a base price of $56,595.

So after 2023, the Chrysler 300 will be no more. The same goes for its corporate sibling, the Dodge Charger. Back in 2019, Ford sent the once-popular Taurus packing. And a year after that, Chevrolet said goodbye to the Impala. Four big sedans, all given pink slips, as it were.

Mid-size sedans still seem to have more of a place, however. Honda's betting big on the continued popularity of the Accord, a car owned by so many over the decades. All-new for 2023, it boasts stylish looks, comfort and safety technology, and even available hybrid power for very good fuel efficiency. A great sedan, if you don't need a really large one, for prices that start just under $30,000.

If you do need something larger, the big Toyota is here. And because the Crown is a sedan, it has a conventional trunk and it's a pretty good size one, fairly easy to load because the opening sits rather high off the ground. In fact, the entire car sits rather high off the ground.

One of the first things you'll notice: the high seating position. Yes, kind of like an SUV. And, all-wheel drive, kind of like an SUV. It's Toyota's way of blending the best of sedan and crossover SUV attributes.

VW somewhat tried that with its sleek Arteon, a very handy liftback design with a base price of under $45,000. It features a huge cargo area, here again, rather like one you'd find in an SUV. Alas, the Arteon will bow out after 2024, as Volkswagen concentrates on a future of electric power and more crossovers.

So, if you want a large four-door sedan in the under-$50,000 price range, you'll soon only have Toyota's Crown, somewhat standing alone in the years going forward.