Camry takes it up another notch

Photo: David Thomson

NEW CAR

What’s new?

Not so many years ago, the launch of a new generation Toyota Camry would have been one of the major motoring events of the year.

But in these SUV-dominated days the model that was once a sales leader in a crowded mainstream large saloon segment is now our sole survivor, and its arrival here late last year in what is generally reckoned to be 10th-generation form went largely unnoticed.

More than six months on, it’s time for this latest Camry to finally grace these pages, tested in top-flight ZR specification.

This latest Camry is based quite heavily on the model it replaces, utilising the same underlying platform, the same front doors and the same roof structure. There’s a 35mm gain in overall length thanks to an increased front overhang, but its wheelbase, width and height are unchanged. Despite much that’s the same, there have been enhancements under the skin including revisions to the suspension and steering.

It’s a similar story mechanically, where the established recipe of a petrol-electric hybrid system centred on a 2.5-litre Atkinson-cycle engine and driving the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission is maintained, now as the sole powertrain option. Yet here there have been major enhancements too, including a new and more powerful electric motor and smaller, lighter and more efficient transaxle.

Unlike the mildly refreshed exterior, the interior does get a substantive makeover, and this latest Camry also moves ahead with an enhanced array of safety systems and Toyota’s latest suite of digital interfaces and technologies.

Three mechanically identical variants of the new Camry are available, opening with the $49,990 GX. There’s a mid-spec SX listing at $52,990, while the ZR, as tested, tags at $57,990.

What comes as standard?

Toyota doesn’t play favourites within the Camry range for safety equipment, and is rightly proud of a freshly-earned 5-star Ancap test results that includes the highest rating (95%) for adult occupant protection of any car tested under the Ancap system last year.

Provided under Toyota’s Safety Sense banner, key active safety features include a 360-degree camera system, autonomous emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-trace assist and lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and curve speed reduction, traffic sign recognition, auto-dipping headlights, blind-spot monitoring with safe exit alert, and a driver monitoring camera.

Photo: David Thomson

A key safety development with this new Camry is new a forward-facing camera with a far wider field of view than the previous model. This enables the autonomous emergency braking to detect and respond to a wide range of hazards earlier.

Turning to creature comforts and convenience features, the entry-level GX is fitted with dual-zone climate control, a six-speaker sound system, and front and rear parking sensors. Sitting on 17-inch alloys and equipped with bi-beam LED headlights, this variant has an eight-inch centre touchscreen, offers smartphone mirroring and voice recognition, and musters four USB-C plugs as well as a single older-style USB-A socket.

The SX takes more sophisticated multi-eye LED headlights and adds LED fog lamps. Within the cabin it boasts the larger 12.3-inch touchscreen, satellite navigation, a wireless charge pad, a 10-way power adjusting drivers seat, and a leather-rimmed steering wheel.

Siting on 18-inch alloys shod with 235/45 Bridgestone tyres, the flagship ZR adds a lot more equipment including a panorama sunroof, nine-speaker JBL sound system, head up display, artificial leather trim, a power-adjusting front passengers seat, heating and ventilation for both front seats, a heated and power-adjusting steering wheel and heated exterior mirrors.

What’s it look like?

Given that there’s been no change in wheelbase, and the door and roof structure also carry over, it’s a case of (mild) evolution rather than revolution when it comes to the exterior styling of his latest Camry.

The nose has been significantly updated, echoing the look of the latest Prius with narrow crescent-shaped headlights, a slit-like upper grille. Unlike the pure EV Prius, the Camry does need to provide for a decent flow of cooling air to its motor, and this is provided by a large lower grille adorned with diamond patterning on its edges.

The crescent theme is repeated with the tail lights, and compared to its predecessor this latest Camry also has quite different rear bumper mouldings. A small detail change at the rear is the replacement of the previous model’s "hybrid" badging on the right of the bootlid with the letters "HEV", this being reasonably obvious Toyota shorthand for hybrid electric vehicle.

Somehow, the overall look manages to be simultaneously inoffensive and quite sleek, and from some side angles surprisingly delicate.

What’s it like inside?

Working from the rear to the front, boot space remains unchanged from the previous Camry at 524-litres. Even on the flagship ZR, the boot lid is not power operated, but that hardly matters since the assist spring is sufficiently powerful to raise the boot itself when opened.

One minus point is that ease of access to the back of the cabin has diminished, as the rear door aperture has been modified, seemingly for aesthetic reasons. The new door line, which now bisects the rear side glass insert rather than fully encompassing it make entry and egress tighter.

Photo: David Thomson

Once aboard, however, the back seats score very well for spaciousness, with ample legroom and plenty of width. The rear row is also quite bright and airy thanks to the panoramic sunroof.

Accommodating three adults across the back is easy, albeit with the middle occupant perched slightly higher than those either side. With just two in the back, the rear centre armrest can be deployed. The armrest its fitted with two cupholders, while the back of the centre console houses adjustable rear air vents and dual USB-C charge points.

Interior colour and trim choices are fairly conservative, with various shades of grey, gloss black and burnished metallic highlighting, and a disappointing lack of contrast even on the top-spec upholstery of the test car. Yet while the overall effect is not especially adventurous, it’s all very neatly done, with soft touch surfaces where you’d expect them, and the normal high Toyota standard of fit and finish.

The most obvious visual talking point up front is the horizontal bar insert on the passengers’ side of the dash, which is cleverly integrated with the centre touchscreen surround.

The touchscreen has quick-access buttons and a rotary volume knob to its right, and is positioned above a separate display screen and button array for the climate control, seat heating and cooling, and steering wheel heating.

A wireless charge pad, an oddment cup and a bevy of USB plug points are positioned at the front of the centre console, ahead of the gear selectors and drive mode buttons on the drivers’ side, and dual cupholders to the left. Topped by a padded centre armrest, the centre bin is large and deep.

Smartphone mirroring was easily accomplished on test, and the centre screen and its menu system impressed for it clarity and generally easy operability.

What’s it like to drive?

With a power adjusting seat and power adjusting steering column, finding a suitable driving position on the ZR Camry is easy. Even with the seat in its lowest position, the driver comparatively high, with good all-round visibility, at least by saloon (as opposed to SUV) standards.

Key controls are sensibly positioned, and the fully digital main instrument panel — which changes its display according to the drive mode selected — is clear, though not always instinctive to navigate via the control buttons on the steering wheel. Essential information including both vehicle speed and the speed limit show clearly on the head up display.

The powertrain is impressive, as one might expect given Toyota’s long experience with hybrid systems.

Dubbed a "generation five" system, this hybrid evolution seems able to do more of its lower-speed motoring in purely electric or heavily electric-assisted modes than that of the previous Camry hybrid. That, or course, is all to the good in respect of thrift and round-town and aural refinement.

Toyota is famously shy about giving peak torque figures for its hybrids. Indeed, one even has to dig quite hard to ascertain that the petrol engine’s 138kW/221Nm outputs are supplemented by an electric motor capability of up to 108kW and 208Nm.

Photo: David Thomson

Because the petrol and electric motors never produce to their fullest ability at the same time, the system’s peak ouput is never the sum of the two. Toyota is quite open than the maximum combined power output is 170Nm, and I’d suggest that when maximum effort is called for, that’s backed by around 350Nm of torque. That’s ample to deliver snappy overtaking when required, and another standout feature is that the petrol engine never feels or sounds thrashy, even when using the paddle shifts and accelerating hard.

Impressive levels of mechanical refinement are backed by well contained wind and road noise and a compliant ride to establish this latest Camry as an effortless and very comfortable highway cruiser.

The steering, which firms markedly in sport mode, is precise though a a little short on feel. Handling-wise, the test car was surefooted though medium to quick corners, with a composure (as you would hope) far superior to that of a similar-sized SUV. Tighter bends are less Camry’s thing, for while it’s a nicely balanced car dynamically, it’s also quite large and not especially nimble.

Active safety aids are very much the thing these days, and frequently irritatingly intrusive. Hat’s off to Toyota, then, for keeping this in check with the latest Camry; even in their default settings, nothing in the active safety suite is too invasive during normal driving, and many of the systems can be partially or fully deactivated anyhow. One attribute especially welcomed on test was the ability to select either adaptive or regular cruise control via the multi-function steering wheel.

Economy is worthy of note, too. This latest Camry is rated at 4.5l/100km, and while Drivesouth didn’t quite match this on test, the car was returned with a 5.2l/100km return showing on the trip computer. Even allowing for recommended diet of 95 octane gasoline, that’s impressive thrift for a large saloon, and underscores just how far Toyota’s ongoing refinement of its hybrid systems has progressed.

Verdict

Incremental improvement is the name of the game with this new-generation Camry. The end result may not stir the soul, but it’s deeply impressive nonetheless.