The Toyota Camry is back in a new avatar. The sedan looks sleek, its features enhanced and remains unique with its hybrid powertrain. Does it make sense to pay Rs 48 lakh (ex-showroom)? Well, we try to find out in this review:
Design:
The Camry is a long and low-slung sedan. Toyota has been careful with changes, not tinkering with the design radically. The long bonnet sharply drops into the sleek grille. Surprisingly, the blue tint under the Toyota badge is given a miss. The headlight is compact with new internals and boomerang-shaped DRLs. The bumper takes away massive space on the face and the sides feature deep crevices for air damps.
Dimensionally, the Camry remains similar to its predecessor, thanks to the same platform. A marginal 45 mm increase in length is due to new front and rear ends. The 18-inch alloy wheels have a new shape. Our test unit is a special-edition Camry, which is embellished with a contrasting black roof, smoky alloy, rear spoiler and extra elements on the skid plate.
The tail lamps are also revised, which look compact like the headlamp units. The Camry badge in bold, chrome blocks run through the tailgate. The boot space stands at 524 litres and a full-size spare tyre is placed under it. The Camry comes in six colour options, and the design is full of character.
Interior and features:
The cabin of the new Camry goes with the bling on the exterior. The lines on the dashboard increase the sense of wideness. The new 12.3-inch touchscreen sticks out of the dash. The touch feedback is crisp and the colours are vibrant. It comes with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. The driver's display also reads 12.3 inches and gets a new layout.
There is plenty of soft-touch material on the dashboard, door trims and central console. The AC vents are horizontally-finished and thankfully controls are still manual. The front seats are large, supportive, electrically adjustable and have a ventilation function. In terms of conveniences, the Camry gets a sunroof, wireless charging, a 9-speaker JBL stereo and air purifier.
The rear seat experience of the Camry is luxurious. The space on offer is comfortable and what contributes to the experience is the electrically-reclinable seats. Much like the Camry of the past, the new one also gets sun blinds, a tablet to control three-zone AC, blinds and music.
Under the Hood:
Camry's uniqueness is in its pure hybrid powertrain. A 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine is assisted by a self-charging battery module. The combined output stands at 230 hp, up by 12 units, and 221 Nm of peak torque. It's mated with an e-CVT gearbox and has three drive modes.
Drive:
You would appreciate the silence in Camry. The sedan starts in EV mode, and in crawling traffic is operated by battery power. Only when the battery drains out or the accelerator is floored, the petrol engine kicks in. It's powerful and smooth but turns noisy when pushed hard. Driven at ease, Carmy should be able to churn out close to the claimed fuel efficiency of 25.49 kmpl.
The Camry is well-planted on the highways and cruising at triple-digit speeds is effortless. The driver has to bear caution over bad roads due to low ground clearance. The ride quality is plush and the springs soak road undulations comfortably at low speeds.
The new-generation hybrid module is based on Lithium-ion cells, replacing nickel as the core component. The weight has been reduced by 20 kilos but the Camry is still heavy, tipping the scales at over 2,100 kilograms. It's a front-wheel-drive sedan but the handling is quite fun, thanks to a nicely-weighted steering and low centre of gravity.
The new Camry also has level-2 ADAS (advanced driver assistance system) as standard. The safety equipment also includes nine airbags, a 360-degree camera, parking sensors and tire pressure monitoring system.
Verdict:
The new Camry is unique and feature-loaded. The low clearance of the car can restrict its movement over various terrains. It's not a volume driver for Toyota but the ones who drive home a Camry will enjoy the luxury a few sedans from the segments above fail to offer.