You sure that’s a Camry?!
After garnering praise with the out-there C-HR, it seems that Toyota has decided to throw out its design restraints almost entirely, as evident with this, the 2018 Toyota Camry saloon. The large family saloon of choice, long considered to be a dependable-but-uninspired workhorse, seems to have found some inspiration somewhere.
Look at that face. That’s the latest iteration of the brand’s “Keen Look” design ethos, which easily marks out this Camry as the sharpest, most athletic looking version to date. It’s worth noting that only the top-spec petrol and hybrid models have been detailed at the motor show, which means they’re the flashiest to look at, but we’re confident that the new Camry will still look good after it’s been watered down slightly.
The new Camry is built on the same ‘Toyota New Global Architecture’ that was first seen on the new Prius hybrid, which sees the generous use of ultra-high-tensile steel, likely resulting in a weight drop (we can’t confirm this though, as Toyota hasn’t revealed what the new Camry weighs). But that architecture has allowed designers the ability to adjust the proportions of the car to accommodate a more athletic stance, with the hip point of the car lowered by 25mm, while the bonnet was dropped by 41mm which also lowered the car’s centre of gravity.
This flashy new saloon now measures in at 4859mm in length, 1440mm in height, riding on a 2824mm wheelbase, with the measuring tape recording 1839mm in girth. To put that into perspective, the new Camry trumps the outgoing car by 9mm in length and 19mm in width, but drops the rood by 30mm while sitting on a 49mm longer wheelbase. Conventionally powered variants gain an additional 10l of boot space, while the hybrid frees up 30l of space in the boot, as Toyota has crammed the batteries under the rear seats.
For Australia, we’re told to expect three drivetrain options, those being a new 3.5-litre V6 paired to an eight-speed automatic, a 2.5-litre four-cylinder, and a hybrid. Toyota’s new ‘Dynamic Force’ 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine will, unfortunately, only be employed in the hybrid Camry initially, though we’re not entirely sure why. Regardless, the biggest seller in the lineup will likely be the mid-range 2.5-litre. Oz Camry’s will also bundle things like collision warning, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control, and lane departure waring.
On the inside, Toyota has seen it fit to employ properly plush materials to liven up the cabin. There are soft-touch materials everywhere, and some surfaces are even stitched. The seats are more supportive and more adjustable, and the rear bench features a split-fold function. The high-end cars shown here come with a gorgeous 8.0-inch colour touchscreen infotainment system, a 7.0-inch multifunction driver’s display, and a 10-inch colour heads-up display for maximum wow. And the foot-operated parking brake has been thrown out too, with an electronic version used instead.
As for the local introduction, the eighth-generation Camry is expected to arrive after Toyota Australia winds down its local manufacturing operations in the tail-end of this year (announcements on this particular matter should be coming really soon). Our new Camry will come to us from Japan, fully-imported and assembled. Interesting to note is that the new Camry will effectively kill the Aurion, as the 3.5-litre V6 offered in this car would negate the need to have a separate nameplate to house the same engine.
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