It seems that the crossover has already become the dominant body type in the automotive world; however, the “basics of the basics” of passenger cars still stand firmly on their feet-wheels. Especially when it comes to such basics as the new Toyota Camry! What does this car have to offer to attract the attention of buyers? I’ll tell you everything now!
Design: familiar silhouette, new details
This is the phrase from the subtitle that can be used to describe the design of the new generation Toyota Camry , codenamed V 80: an invariably long hood, a characteristic transition into the roof pillar, a pair of lines on the doors, a smooth decline of the rear window, a slightly raised trunk lid. All these design elements were characteristic of the previous generation Toyota Camry , but what distinguishes the new car?
Firstly, the headlights and taillights – they have become smaller and have a C-shaped shape. Secondly, the rear roof pillar and the shape of the rear door window corner have changed. Thirdly, a new front bumper and radiator grille have appeared, although it is still stretched almost to the entire width of the car. And so on, and so on: a new rear bumper, new wheels, etc.
The new generation of Toyota Camry retains the familiar silhouette of the body, but differs significantly in details. It is the details (increased bumpers) that led to an increase in some dimensions of the car, while the wheelbase has not changed. So, what do we have: length - 4.92 meters (+35 mm), width - 1.84 meters; height - 1.455 meters; wheelbase - 2.825 meters. Ground clearance is declared at 145 mm, which is normal for a passenger car.
If the exterior of the Toyota Camry has evolved, the front part of the new model's interior has become a revolution. Instead of an inverted "almost triangle" with a separately installed display, we now have a horizontally oriented tablet in the center of the front panel; instead of the usual instrument panel with arrow indicators, we now have a digital one; instead of an insert with notches in front of the front passenger, we have a decor with the already familiar black gloss (and where can we do without it?) and numerous horizontal lines. And a new climate control unit and a new steering wheel have also been added, which are so reminiscent (as are the displays) of the Toyota C - HR interior elements .
At the same time, the front part of the new Toyota Camry's interior clearly stands out with its special details. Like the wide center console, formed by two horizontal lines. Or the miniature central ventilation deflectors with silver edging and grooved sliders under the fingers - a very nice little thing. As well as the Alcantara inserts on the front seats. One could still wish for better leather, but this is already the Lexus level and jumping there is not allowed. By the way, the front seats traditionally offer quite large adjustment ranges, there is an electric adjustment drive and memory for the driver's seat position; only the memory buttons are placed somewhat inconveniently, as if in the recesses of the door cards.
The front part of the cabin is distinguished by a new architecture, where the emphasis is on the central display; however, I will also note the digital instrument panel, a remarkable decor of horizontal lines, a separately installed and convenient climate control unit. Overall, it turned out interesting and original, the new car is noticeably different from its predecessor.
This is where the rear passengers might get nervous: what has changed behind? After all, the fact is that the Toyota Camry sedan has already offered an important “highlight” for rear passengers, which could be decisive in the case of purchasing a car for a boss-boss. We are talking about a miracle armrest, the ability to control climate control and audio, the ability to adjust the position of the seat back and lower/raise the sun blind. I will reassure you right away – everything is fine, all this has been preserved. However, such unique equipment for the class is present only in the maximum configuration. However, the situation looks like this: if the car is purchased for oneself and the owner will drive independently – then here is the new front part of the cabin; if the car is purchased for a boss-boss who will drive behind – then here are the unchanged comfort options.
True, the trunk has not changed in the same way. Its volume is 469-493 liters, depending on the configuration. However, it's not about the volume, but about a rather simple shelf under the rear window - without any decoration at all, bare metal and various structural elements are visible. And there are no convenient niches for small things in the trunk - there is only room for a couple of hooks for bags. At the same time: it's very nice that Toyota respects automotive traditions and under the trunk floor panel we can find a full-fledged spare wheel of normal size.
The rear of the cabin is remembered not so much for its spaciousness (there is plenty of space here, just without any frills), but for the elaboration of details for passenger comfort - it's great! The luggage compartment is average in volume for a car of this class; it's unpleasant to see exposed metal, but it's nice to see a spare wheel and a hatch for long-distance measurements.
Technique: familiar base, new hybrid
As before, the car is built on the GA - K platform, we have a supporting body and fully independent suspension, the engine is installed transversely in front, front-wheel drive (although in the USA there are versions with all-wheel drive). Variants with a powerful V 6 are no longer offered - from now on, either a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder 204-horsepower atmospheric engine paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission can be installed under the hood, or a hybrid based on a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine.
And the main change in the Toyota Camry V 80 series is the hybrid system; now it is the fifth generation according to the company's own internal classification. As already noted above, the basis of the hybrid is a 2.5-liter gasoline engine with the code designation A 25 B - FXS, which is distinguished by a very high compression ratio (14.0:1) and the presence of a Dual VVT - i variable valve timing system. The gasoline engine, taken separately, develops 186 hp. power.
Then the next elements are the electric motor and the electromechanical variator e - CVT, which combines a pair of engines into a single whole and transmits torque to the wheels. So, in the new hybrid, the power of the electric motor has been significantly increased: previously it was 88 kW or 120 hp, and now it develops 100 kW or 136 hp - this is more than in some well-known electric cars from the recent past. Of course, a battery is also needed to power the electric motor. And if previously a NiMH battery was used, now a Li - Ion battery is installed: it is not only lighter, but also can produce more peak power - this is where the reserves for increasing the return of the electric motor come from. As a result, all this leads to the fact that the electric component (part of the movement on the electric drive) can be greater than the entire total time cycle of movement; accordingly, the gasoline engine will work less - these are the reserves for reducing fuel consumption.
So, for the Toyota Camry with the new hybrid, fuel consumption is declared at 4.0 liters per 100 km (for various driving conditions); this is 0.4-1.2 liters less than the predecessor (depending on driving conditions - urban, suburban, mixed). In addition, the new hybrid system is 7.7 kg lighter than the predecessor's hybrid. And the new hybrid allowed us to add about +10 hp of total power - now we have a total of 230 hp of total power (note that in the case of a hybrid, the power of the internal combustion engine and the electric motor cannot be added directly). As a result, the new Toyota Camry is promised a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 7.2 seconds and a top speed of 180 km/h. So...
Behind the wheel: good comfort and a pleasant hybrid, but not without criticism
It turns out that in this material I constantly mention the previous generation of Toyota Camry for comparison with the new product. And now I will mention it again - because the character of the car has not changed. Yes, the main feature of the Toyota Camry is very good suspension comfort: softness and smoothness on any bumps, maximum careful transportation of the driver's and passengers' bodies with minimal body vibrations, total rounding of potholes - and even on 18-inch wheels. The new Toyota Camry sedan drives very carefully, with small sways as if on waves, but with a great sense of care for the people in the cabin, it allows you to relax even on a bad road: just great!
This picture fits perfectly with a fairly light steering wheel, which is not sharp (about 2.8 turns from lock to lock). There is no desire to maneuver sharply and quickly, because then these unpleasant conversations about body rolls, front end indentations, something else will begin... Why all this, why these petty jerks, when you can draw your route on the road with wide and smooth strokes. But do you know what doesn't really fit into the picture of total relaxation and comfort? Noise, quite noticeable noise. You can hear extraneous sounds from the street; sometimes you can hear stones from under the wheels. And at speeds of 110-120 km/h and above, aerodynamic noises are already noticeable. Is that why? We have a low passenger sedan with a fairly aerodynamic body, it stands perfectly on the highway, turning into a high-speed locomotive for easy and comfortable overcoming of hundreds of kilometers between cities - and the whole idyll is suddenly spoiled by quite noticeable air noise.
Interestingly, the periodic sounds of the engine turning on/off under the hood are no longer so disturbing. Perhaps because the engine compartment in the sedan format is moved away from the cabin; perhaps simply because other noises are also present – and the sound of the engine is no longer so piercing to the ear. I recall the Lexus NX crossover, where I noted a noticeable sound of the engine working with general silence in the cabin; so in the case of the Toyota Camry it turns out approximately the opposite. But as for the behavior of the hybrid – everything is the same, everything is wonderful. The hybrid power unit provides very fast responses to pressing the accelerator pedal, because the electric motor picks up literally instantly. In the complex hydromechanical transmission there are simply no gears that we are familiar with, so there are no shocks when switching. There is only one continuous, linear, continuous acceleration. And even if you look at the not-at-all-record dynamics measurements (I will give them below), it still leaves the impression of a light-duty hybrid, ready to support the driver's desire in every subsequent acceleration. In addition, the hybrid also helps with deceleration: noticing another car in front of it using radar, the Toyota Camry sedan begins to smoothly slow down on its own and switches to recuperation mode to accumulate energy.
The new hybrid power unit leaves a rather pleasant impression: although it falls short of the claimed dynamics (my 0-100 km/h measurements give 7.7-7.9 seconds on winter tires), it is lively in its responses to pressing the accelerator pedal and demonstrates good economy in the urban cycle. Yes, on average you can drive around the city with a fuel consumption level of 4.8-5.3 liters per 100 km; the maximum I got was 5.8-6 liters; but at the same time my minimums were about 4.4 liters – albeit not a passport figure, but still an excellent result for a large and heavy (1660-1670 kg) sedan. True, the magic of the hybrid on the highway is already ending: at a speed of 100 km/h, the average fuel consumption is 5.2-5.5 liters per 100 km. The driving mode selection system with ECO / NORMAL / SPORT positions (affects the operation of the power unit, makes the car smoother and more restrained or more dynamic and sharp in acceleration) is announced only for the hybrid version of the Toyota Camry. By the way, about the versions…
Price: how much does the Toyota Camry cost and who are the competitors
The new generation Toyota Camry is offered in Ukraine with two types of engines – gasoline 2.5 D -4 S 8 A/T or hybrid power plant 2.5 Hybrid – as well as with four fixed trim levels; moreover, the engines and trim levels are interconnected. As a result, we have five car options for buyers to choose from.
The range opens with the Toyota Camry 2.5 D -4 S 8 A/T Comfort with a price starting at UAH 1.46 million or $35.4 thousand. and immediately a pretty good list of equipment: 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights with automatic high beam, power windows for the front and rear windows, power mirror adjustment and heating, heated windshield in the wiper blade rest area, fabric seat upholstery and leather steering wheel upholstery, intelligent adaptive cruise control, keyless access and engine start, front and rear parking sensors, rear view camera, heated front seats, power driver's seat position adjustment and driver's lumbar support, separate climate control in the front, rear ventilation deflectors, 7-inch digital instrument panel, multimedia system with 12.3-inch touch display, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support , six-speaker speaker system, stabilization system and hill start assist system, a complex of systems Toyota Safety Sense active safety (emergency braking, lane departure warning, driver condition monitoring, blind spot monitoring of mirrors, safe exit assistant, warning of a vehicle approaching from behind, etc.), front and side airbags, central airbag between the driver and passenger, inflatable curtain airbags, alarm with a car opening sensor, etc.
A step above is the Toyota Camry 2.5 Hybrid Elegance with a price starting from UAH 1.65 million or $40 thousand and an expanded list of equipment: tinted rear window and rear door glass have been added, the seat trim is made of synthetic leather with perforation, a driving mode selection system is already available, plus a heated steering wheel and an airbag for the driver's knees.
The next option is the Toyota Camry 2.5 D -4 S 8 A/T Prestige with a price starting at UAH 1.66 million or $40.2 thousand, which additionally offers: a dark gray radiator grille, black and silver 18-inch wheels, leather seat trim (natural and synthetic) with perforation, electric steering wheel adjustment, front seat ventilation, electric passenger seat adjustment, air ionization system in the cabin, a digital widescreen 12.3-inch instrument panel, a lane change assistance system, a forward cross-traffic warning system, and more.
It is worth noting separately the Toyota Camry 2.5 Hybrid Prestige with a price starting from 1.8 million UAH or $43.6 thousand, because in addition to changing the power unit, this car also demonstrates a slightly expanded configuration compared to the Prestige version with the usual gasoline engine: a driving mode selection system and an airbag for the driver's knees are added.
Finally, the maximum option is the Toyota Camry 2.5 Hybrid Premium with a price of UAH 1.99 million or $48.2 thousand , which is distinguished by the following equipment: a comfortable boarding/disembarking system (the seats and steering wheel move automatically), a rear sofa with electric backrest adjustment and heated side seats, side and rear sun blinds (electric rear blind), independent rear temperature control, a settings memory function (seats and mirrors, steering column, head-up display image position), JBL audio with 9 speakers with a subwoofer, and more.
Briefly about the equipment of the Toyota Camry: from the start there is a large central display, separate climate control, adaptive cruise control and lane control, many safety systems, wireless charging; then the average configurations add a wide-format digital instrument panel with a huge number of image options, heated steering wheel, front seat ventilation; the maximum option offers this wonderful armrest and a bunch of functions for the convenience of rear passengers. And what will the rivals offer?
Once upon a time, D / E -class cars were very popular: Citroen C 5, Ford Mondeo, Honda Accord, Mazda 6, Nissan Teana, Opel Vectra and Opel Insignia, Peugeot 407 and Peugeot 607, Skoda Superb, Subaru Legacy, Volkswagen Passat and many other models. Hey, where are you now? Some have ended their careers altogether, others have remained in the US or Chinese market, others have given way to electric cars, and still others have been in Ukraine for a short time and have already left our market.
It turns out that the Toyota Camry is rivaled by only a few cars among those officially presented in Ukraine and well-known to buyers. The first competitor is the Skoda Superb liftback – this is for those buyers who choose “techno” instead of “classics”, want more power from a gasoline engine and all-wheel drive. The second competitor is the new Volkswagen Passat Variant – this is for those buyers who need maximum practicality, as well as an economical turbodiesel. The third competitor may be the Hyundai Sonata: cool modern design, but not very modern technology; but the main thing is that all this is available for much less money. It seems that these are all direct competitors; so…
Car provided by – Toyota Ukraine