Camry XSE not your Aunt Bessie’s sedan — unless she has a lead foot
I’m not sure what’s more surprising: that this week’s Toyota Camry tester boasts over 300 horsepower or that it has a sticker price of more than $39,000. Either way, this is not your Aunt Bessie’s Camry — unless your Aunt Bessie has a lead foot and likes to party in the infield at Talladega.
This is a full-on, nearluxury sports sedan meant to fill the performance niche in the vast Camry line. Even my sons, ages 11 and 16, who grew up riding in a series of Camrys, marveled as this car’s sporty stance and menacing face and rump. There’s something shark-like about its aggressive air intakes, Celestial Silver paint, black roof, quad exhausts and red leather interior. Toyota has packed 33 more horsepower into the Camry XSE’s new 3.5-liter, V-6 engine. While mainstream manufacturers are increasingly offering turbocharged four-cylinder engines in their performance sedans, Toyota seems happy to go it alone with a V-6. The fact that it still gets 32 mpg highway is a testament to direct-injection and other tricks of modern engine design.
Camrys are available in abundance at Chattanooga-area Toyota stores. For example, North Georgia Toyota in Dalton, Ga., had 32 Camrys in digital inventory last week.
WHAT IS IT?
The 2018 Camry XSE V6 is a sporty version of one of America’s top-selling sedans. It comfortably transports five passengers and has loads of power, thanks to a 301-horsepower, V-6 engine that launches the car from zero to 60 mph in 5.8-seconds, according to Car and Driver.
Its upscale interior and 19-inch black machined-finish alloy wheels top off what is unmistakably a spicy package. The 2018 Camry is a cleansheet redesign, so you are getting the latest and greatest technology Toyota has to offer.
WHAT DOES IT COST?
Well, here’s the rub. Moving up from the standard 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine to the powerful V-6 and adding all those bells and whistles in the XSE trim comes at a cost. Our XSE V6 tester has a base price of $34,950. A bird’s-eye view camera, navigation, two-tone body paint, door-sill enhancements, paint protection film and floor mats (plus an $895 delivery, processing and handling fee) boost the bottom line to $39,253. For those of us who grew up buying Camrys for about half that, this level of luxury in a mass-market nameplate gives us pause.
WHAT WE LIKE
We always keep a notebook in every test car to write down the things that make us smile during our week of driving. For the Camry XSE we lauded the striking black roof, sharp exterior styling, bold red interior, the quad exhausts, rearseat leg room and the quiet, powerful engine.
FOR THE SUGGESTION BOX
We were not big fans of the busy, asymmetrical dash
design. Also, turning off the navigation system on Day 1 of our test drive proved a chore. Hint: Saying “stop navigation” several times in an agitated voice will not work. Also, the Camry doesn’t answer to the name Siri.
WORTHWHILE OPTIONS
In the past, we’ve personally owned a V-6 Camry and a Camry Hybrid. The silky smooth V-6 is powerful and nearly indestructible. Kudos to Toyota for continuing to offer the six-cylinder option. The black wheels on the XSE give it tons of personality.
DRIVING EXPERIENCE
The Camry V-6 is a highly refined driver’s car — comparable to the Lexus ES350 for thousands of dollars less. A powerful engine and a well-composed suspension make it a joy to drive at elevation.
BOTTOM LINE
Yes, the Camry XSE V6 is a stretch when it comes to price, but it’s worth the money if you are in the market for a bullet-proof sedan with a dash of Tabasco.
Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @TFPCOLUMNIST. Subscribe to his Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/ mkennedycolumnist.