What is it?
In Australia it was the halcyon days of the big ‘six’ family sedans from Ford and Holden when Toyota muscled in with Camry, a four-cylinder mid-size sedan, blowing the Falcon and Commodore off course.
Fast forward to the late 1990s when the Japanese automobile giant pinned the future of the electrification of its vehicles on hybrid petrol/electric power with the Prius.
Now a lost legend, the so-popular Prius was to become the staple of taxicab fleets around the world.
Since, Toyota has stayed on script by backing hybrids across the board to the exclusion (almost) of full EVs.
Indeed, the latest Camry sedan comes only in hybrid guise.
Toyota has taken this opportunity with the Camry to introduce its fifth-generation petrol/electric hybrid powertrain to Australians for the first time with its improved performance and low fuel consumption of just 4.0L/100km.
What’s it cost?
Three spec levels – Ascent, Ascent Sport and SL – cover the range.
The trio gets off the ground with the Ascent at $39,990, plus on-road costs, edges to $42,990 for the Ascent Sport and leaps to $53,990, for the Smick SL.
The Ascent Sport was on test.
Happily, the newbie has little reference to the stodgy Camry of old: sharp as a tack, this one.
Maybe it does sit on the same platform as its predecessor, but, with a longer front overhang, stretched by 35mm, the body fits like an expensive pair of skinny jeans.
Toyota’s Hammer Head design language, first seen on the bZ4X SUV and C-HR EVs this year, speaks with Camry’s C-shaped headlight cluster and forward-sloping bonnet.
Daytime running lights frame the inner section of the headlight cluster, with an upper grille section connecting the two headlights giving the new Camry’s front fascia a solid presence.
Illumination performance, especially the spread of light, has been improved over the outgoing Camry to provide a better driver’s view at night.
Tail lights follow the Hammer Head styling, matching the headlights.
Both the Ascent and Ascent Sport are offered with elegant multi-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels with 215/55R17 tyres, while the flagship SL steps up to 18s.
Digital instrumentation is displayed on a 7.0-inch screen on base Ascent, while the Sport version jumps up to a 12.3-inch screen producing easy-to-read, customisable info for driving and vehicle systems.
Climate, audio and driving controls are separate for safety and ease of operation.
Maintaining the steady improvements to comfort and convenience, Toyota’s latest- generation multimedia system features satnav, and Bluetooth connectivity, plus wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, through 8.0 or 12.3-inch touchscreen displays depending on grade.
Latest technology has also found its way into the new Camry courtesy of Toyota’s Safety Sense active technology, including improved detection of other road users, active cruise control parameters, plus the addition of new standards of blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, emergency driver support and safe exit assist.
The Camrys are covered by Toyota’s five-year unlimited kilometre and service warranties capped at $255 per service.
What’s it go like?
In keeping with the silky-smooth powertrain, the cabin décor creates a seamless flow.
Top quality materials textures amount to an elegant ambience. Despite the sleek exterior, there’s been no skimping on space.
The Sport variant takes in eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support, wireless smartphone charger.
Buyers need to step up to the SL for rear side and back privacy glass, leather accented upholstery, panoramic sunroof, eight-way power adjustable front seat (heated and ventilated), power adjusted steering wheel and nine-speaker JBL audio. All at a cost.
The boot offers a generous 524 litres of luggage space that can be increased by dropping the split/fold backrest for longer items.
Under the floor is a space-saver spare, an unexpected bonus in a hybrid car these days, when most carry a fiddly and at-times ineffective tyre repair kit.
The new Camry is the first to make use of the fifth-generation 2.5-litre Hybrid Electric powertrain, improving fuel consumption by up to 11 per cent, depending on grade.
That returns a figure of 4.0 L/100km on the combined urban / highway cycle.
CO2 emissions are a claimed 91 g/km.
The combined ICE/electric power output has been increased by 10kW to 170kW, compared to the outgoing Camry, generated through a combination of the 138kW/221Nm 2.5-litre petrol engine and 100kW/208Nm permanent magnet synchronous motor mounted on the front axle.
Toyota was the first automobile manufacturer to put a petrol/electric hybrid system into a full production vehicle, the Prius.
Despite an ever-increasing number of pretenders to the throne since, the fifth- generation Camry Hybrid set-up still stands on its own above the crowd.
The new hybrid system drives the front wheels via an electronic continuously variable transmission with Normal, Eco and Sport modes, together with an EV mode which lets the car be driven solely on electric power over short distances at low speeds.
Improved fuel consumption of just 4.0 L/100km is just the beginning.
Camry Hybrid can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in a nifty 7.2 seconds.
Take-off is smooth and linear, with next to no noise from under the bonnet until the ICE is called on to chip in.
The same goes for overtaking. There is an absence of shift intrusion between the power sources.
Taking advantage of the improved smooth, linear performance of the powertrain, Toyota engineers have retuned front and rear suspension to make the Camry more engaging in its handling, while maintaining ride comfort.
The same goes for braking with a newly developed electronic control system employing a hydraulic booster enhancing brake feel and optimising energy recovery in regenerative braking.
Power steering has also seen refinement with more direct feel and responsiveness through speed-sensitive assistance.
Above all, the new Camry maintains a balance between its manual and automatic driving aids.
There’s little interference with the driver unless he or she has asked for it.
What we like?
- Reduced fuel consumption
- Better headlight penetration
- Top quality materials used in cabin
- Power-adjust driver seat
- Wireless phone charging
What we don’t like?
- Ummm?
The bottom line?
If the new Camry is anything to go by, Toyota appears to have backed a winning treble with its long-standing concentration on developing petrol/synchronous electric motor systems.
The trio deserves to be up with the leaders in the hybrid family sedan segment.
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Looks - 8/10
8/10
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Performance - 8/10
8/10
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Safety - 8/10
8/10
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Thirst - 7/10
7/10
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Practicality - 7/10
7/10
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Comfort - 7/10
7/10
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Tech - 7/10
7/10
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Value - 8/10
8/10