By ALISTAIR KENNEDY
31 July 2006

Toyota has released the latest version of its popular Camry family sedan. With global sales in excess of 10 million since its release in the early 1980s Camry has long been one of the mainstays of the Japanese car maker’s range, and is currently the top selling passenger car in the USA. It has been Australia’s leading medium four-cylinder car for the past 12 years with local sales expected to pass the half-million mark in 2007.

Camry has been on sale in Australia since 1983, and has been produced locally since 1987. This will continue with Toyota’s Altona factory in Melbourne being one of six plants around the world where Camry will be manufactured. Locally-built Camrys will continue to be exported to at least 26 other destinations, most notably the Middle East where Toyota expects to achieve sales of 80,000 a year within two years.

With Toyota’s new six-cylinder Aurion model due to go on sale later this year, Toyota has opted to use only four-cylinder engines in the Camry. The previous Camry included a V6 option and so had competed against its ill-fated family car sibling, Avalon, one of a number of factors in the eventual demise of the latter car. This time around the choice will be simple: if you want a six-cylinder Toyota passenger car, then it will be the Aurion.

The most noticeable feature of the new Camry is its fresh and contemporary styling with strong hints of the latest in Lexus styling. The large radiator grille that sits low in the front of the car combines with a high window line to give the car a strong, muscular look. Camry’s all-new chassis includes a 55mm longer wheelbase that enhances this look by pushing the wheels towards the corners of the car, particularly at the front.

New Camry is also longer (by 10mm) and wider (by 25mm) than its predecessor with a 15mm reduction in height contributing to its taut appearance.

The longer wheelbase also gives Camry a distinct cab-forward look which translates into a more spacious cabin.

The Camry engine is a modified version of the 2.4-litre unit used in the previous model but with upgrades to increase power (from 112kW to 117kW) and reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

We were able to test the new Camry on a 200-kilometre route through suburban Sydney and the Royal National Park. Our first impression was how much quieter the new model is compared to its, already quiet, predecessor. The engine is almost inaudible while the all-new chassis has led to a noticeable reduction in NVH levels. We’ll give a full report on performance when we take the car for our normal extended test.

There’s plenty of space inside for four adults and the car has a fresh and airy feel to it. The dashboard layout is clean and modern with good-sized, well-positioned controls.

There are four models in the new Camry range. In ascending order of equipment level and price they are Altise, Ateva, Sportivo and Grande.

Standard features in all models include dual front airbags, ABS brakes with Brake Assist (BA) and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), air conditioning, telescopic and tilt steering wheel adjustment, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, cruise control, power windows and mirrors, remote central locking, security alarm, power lumbar support adjustment for the driver's seat and a single-disc CD player with MP3 and WMA capability.

In addition Ateva gets front side and curtain airbags, 16-inch alloy wheels, front foglamps, in-dash six-disc CD player, and leather trim on the steering wheel, gear-shift and parking brake lever.

Sportivo, as the name suggests, offers the keen driver a bit more with firmer suspension, additional body bracing

17-inch alloy wheels, and a body kit that includes front bumper/spoiler, side and rear skirts and a rear boot lip spoiler. Note however that Sportivo carries the same engine at the same level of tune as the rest of the range.

The semi-luxury Grande model is available for the first time in a four-cylinder Camry, having previously only being offered with the V6 engine. Additional Grande features over Ateva include leather seat and door trim, stability and traction control, satellite navigation, Bluetooth capacity, automatic windscreen wipers and a moonroof.

Altise and Sportivo come with the choice of manual or automatic transmission, both five-speed. Ateva and Grande don’t have the manual option.

Toyota’s published fuel consumption figures are a tad disappointing at a time when people are paying far more attention to them than ever before. Expect to use around 9.9 litres per 100 kilometres in combined city/highway driving an automatic Camry. This is the same figure as in the outgoing model although, given the new car’s slight weight increase, it does represent a minor improvement.

The full Camry range with prices (excluding on-road costs) is:
Altise: $28,000 (manual), $29,500 (automatic)
Ateva: $33,000 (automatic)
Sportivo: $33,000 (manual), $34,500 (automatic)
Grande: $39,990 (automatic)