Toyota Australia has introduced a new addition to the Camry range in the special edition RZ, coming to showrooms with a starting price of $28,490. The numbers will be more limited than the usual volume of Camrys too, with 1,100 units produced over a 3 month period.
But what is the Camry RZ? Toyota seems to be positioning it as a sportier (aesthetically and dynamically) big brother to the range’s volume seller, the Altise – on which it is based.
They say that the additional sports kit is valued at more than $4,000, but the RZ comes at a premium of $2,000 over the Altise. And for that you’ll get 18-inch gloss black alloy wheels, low profile 45-series tyres, and various sporty styling tweaks such as a sports-mesh radiator grille, halogen headlamp inserts, exterior mirror casings, boot-lip spoiler and rear-bumper diffuser.
That new exhaust system actually lets the engine breathe better, reducing exhaust back-pressure, and lifts power a tad to 135kW/235Nm from its 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. The Camry RZ also comes standard with sports suspension that was previously only available on the Camry Atara SX (which we recently reviewed).
The interior equipment has been upgraded too, now featuring dual-zone climate control, automatic air conditioning and a 4.2-inch TFT multi function display, and keyless entry/start.
Safety features that the Camry is known are in the special edition RZ as well, with a five-star ANCAP rating, seven airbags, reversing camera, vehicle stability control, traction control, anti-skid brakes, brake assist, and electronic brake force distribution.
For more on Toyota vehicles, including pricing and specification, check out our Showroom.
