UP AND COMING CAMRY
Latest version from Toyota may be best ever
No one loves a Camry like someone who's owned one, and, boy, are Camry fans going to love the all-new, 2018 Camry.
We'll hold in abeyance whether this is the best mid-size sedan ever built until we get our hands on an all-new 2018 Accord— recipient of glowing early reviews—but there is no arguing that this is the best Camry ever.
Long the dominant players in North American passenger sedans, the Accord and Camry today face the most lethal challenge ever—cheap gas. American buyers are migrating to car-like, midsize crossover SUVs. Toyota's RAV-4, Honda's CR-V and Nissan's Rogue are all outselling Camry and Accord so far in 2017. So, too are pickups from the Big Three.
Toyota, clearly, has no intention of raising the white flag and handing over the mantle of best-selling car in America for 15 years running. Nay, nay, nay. The new Camry is lower, longer, sleeker, sexier, quieter, more powerful, more fuel efficient and—believe it or not— screwed together better than any of the eight generations generati that preceded it, beginning in 1983. “I wan want this car,” was the initial reaction of Beautiful B Blonde Bride, herself the proud pro of owner of a spotless, low-mileage, ag well-maintained and paid-for 2012 Camry. C This came after about 10 seconds behind the wheel.
Yeah, it's that good.
We can talk all day about the new C Camry's crisp lines, which boldly step aw away from the model's traditional, if bori boring, appearance and into a new persona that is more refined and projects a sensual, athletic visage. Put an old and new Camry side-by-side, and one sees that all the lines are still there, but now they are sharper, bolder and look more like honed steel. Prior Camrys suffered from a surfeit of bulbousocity (don't bother to Google it, I just made it up). Things just looked soft, rounded, with all the sex appeal of a donut. No, I'm not making a cop joke, though it does seem there is one to be made here.
Toyota wanted the new Camry to encapsulate a “Keen Look” design philosophy. A curvaceous, 1.6-inch-lower aluminum hood sits above a bold grill highlighted by a commanding Toyota emblem. For the hybrid, the emblem is tinged a distinct blue hue. The grille, hood, and emblem blend into the A-pillar to create an aggressive stance. By lowering the hip points of the occupants (0.8-inches in the front and 1.2-inches at the rear), the design team reduced the car's overall vehicle height by approximately one inch and incorporate a lower roofline, without sacrificing interior space. This lent itself to a wind-cutting shape and improved aerodynamics. Striking character lines around give Camry a newfound sportiness.
The new Camry's wheel base is two inches longer, meaning plenty of legroom and a softer ride.
Still, the real measure of a car is made behind the wheel and, as Child Bride demonstrated, it takes Camry moments to make the case that it is special, and it's all in the mechanicals: engine, transmission, chassis, suspension.
The 2018 model rides on Toyota's new global architecture, which starts with a platform that is lighter, yet 30 percent stronger, than the previous generation. High-tensile-strength sheet metal, the light hood, and thinner body panels for the roof, hood, trunk lid, front and rear doors and front fender result in serious weight reduction.
Then the engineers really went to work. The front suspension tower brace now uses closed, cross-section construction to improve handling and stability in the corners. At the
rear, new braces to the rear suspension can withstand higher levels of lateral force.
A variety of new noise, vibration and harshness countermeasures, usually exclusive to luxury models, are found throughout.
The results are surprisingly good. The new Camry feels especially stable on the road, and on the open highway it rides like a luxury liner, but handles like a top-drawer GT sedan.
Stronger, cleaner
Although the displacements are familiar, three new engines give the 2018 Camry best-in-class power and fuel economy.
A new, 2.5-L, high-compression four-cylinder engine incorporates an array of advanced technologies, including an electric motor—instead of oil pressure—to control the intake valves. This allows for more precise control of air-fuel mixture, even at low RPM and in cold weather, resulting in more power (206 HP) and better fuel economy
The EPA estimates the 4-banger will deliver 29 city, 41 highway and 34 combined. Even with more lead-footing than was probably prudent, our brand-new tester met those numbers.
A newly-developed, 24-valve, 3.5-liter V-6 is equipped with an advanced direct injection system and tweaked-up variable-valve-timing with intelligence technologies. It cranks out 301 HP, and an impressive 267 ft.-lb of torque.
We've had just a few moments behind the wheel of a V-6 Camry, and it's a head-snappin' hoot, but we're not sure it justifies a $6,000 premium above the four-cylinder, which has more than enough power for most humans and their families.
EPA estimates for the V-6 are 22 city, 33 highway, 26 combined.
Both engines come bolted to a new 8-speed automatic that shifts crisply, yet smoothly; indeed, almost imperceptibly from fourth gear on up. Push the car through the twisties and paddle shifters let you know that it has plenty of torque for challenging turns in second, third and fourth gears.
Toyota has long been a pioneer in hybrid power, and the new Camry offers the best version yet, delivering 21 percent better fuel economy than its predecessor.
LE models, which get a lighter, more efficient lithiumbattery back, are rated at 51 city, 53 highway. The more expensive SE and XLE models, which weigh a bit more, still get nickel-metal-hydride batteries. Their EPA scores are 44/47, which, come to think of it, aren't that much better than four-cylinder gas models selling for about $3,800 less.
Bottom Line: The Camry comes in seven gas models and three hybrid ones. A base L starts at $24,380 and a top of line XSE V6 tops out at $35,835. Whichever you pick, we bet you'll love it.