Stylish Camry gets sportier handling
But sedan needs upgrade to powertrains
— For 2015, Toyota has ditched its traditional conservatism and added a serious dose of style to the Camry — only the roof panel carries over from the outgoing car.
From the slimmed-down lights and mesh under-bumper grille (XSE) through the sleek side profile to the twin tailpipes, the latest Camry has more substance and road presence than one has come to expect from Toyota — although the back end is still a tad bland. That aside, it is, dare I say, a fetching piece.
The good news is the expressive exterior design flows nicely into the cabin. The materials take a welcome step forward and there’s a dash of flair — the accenting red stitching on the sporty XSE is a nice touch.
The XSE also earns bolstered leather seats with suede inserts, vastly different from the flat pads that defined the previous car. Likewise the instrumentation now includes a 4.2-inch, colour multi-information display — it handles navigation, incoming calls and fuel economy among other things — on the SE and up.
There are a number of trim levels — LE, SE, XSE, XLE for the gas car and LE, SE and XLE for the hybrid. All models arrive with the usual power items and a rear-view camera. At the top end, the XLE comes fully duded out and includes a neat feature: the addition of a wireless charging pad. Say goodbye to tangled cords.
As for safety, the Camry comes with all the usual stuff, including available blind-spot monitoring and lane-departure warning. Toyota’s Pre-Collision System is offered on the highend models. If it determines an incident is imminent, it automatically applies the brakes to reduce the severity of any potential injury.
As before, the lineup employs a 2.5-litre four-cylinder and 3.5L V-6. The base four makes 178 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque — enough for most eventualities, although it takes 9.1 seconds to trot from rest to 100 kilometres an hour. The V-6, available on XSE and XLE, with 268 hp and 248 lb.ft. of torque, chops the 100 km/h run to 7.4 seconds.
Both engines are married to the same six-speed manumatic transmission — the sportier XSE model comes with paddle shifters. The nit is whenever the driver slides the shifter over into the manual shifting gate, the gearbox drops from sixth to fourth. On the highway at 120 km/h that’s the wrong gear. If it is designed to be a manual mode, why force an automatic shift? The saving grace is the XSE’s paddle shifters worked regardless of whether the shifter was in drive or sequential.
The third power train option is the hybrid. It combines a 2.5L engine with electric motors and a nickel-metal hydride battery. As is common for Toyota, the information on the output was sketchy. The only number listed was the net system output of 200 hp. When compared to the regular Camry, the hybrid’s only real difference is found in the cargo capacity. The hybrid drops to 370 L from 436L.
Where the Camry was once famed for its cosseting ride and marginal handling, a reworked suspension brings a far sportier setup. All models get recalibrated springs, shocks and anti-roll bars to go along with upgraded steering. This delivers much better handling characteristics without completely giving up on ride comfort.
The SE and XSE models earn a tauter setup again.
To drive the handling point home, Toyota turned the Camry loose on a slalom course at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Throughout the run, the Camry’s feel was light and lithe, steering delivered the right feedback, handling proved to be remarkably neutral for a front-driver and braking is also sharper. None of this could be said of any previous Camry.
With a pro at the wheel, shockingly, the Camry did not embarrass itself, honking around the high-banked oval at white-knuckle speeds.
Clearly, Toyota wants to attract a younger buyer with the reworked 2015 Camry. The perky look and tighter handling certainly speak to that aspiration. Likewise, the interior brings some welcome upgrades and a smarter overall look and feel. The 2015 Camry starts at $23,850 for the LE and runs to $30,790 for the loaded XLE. The hybrid version starts at $28,410 for the LE and tops out at $34,500 for the XLE.