All-new two thousand eighteen Toyota Camry: A best-selling sedan gets a welcome upgrade
The Toyota Camry has been the bestselling car in America for the last fifteen years. That’s a long time at the top, so Toyota didn’t hold back when it came time to introduce the all-new two thousand eighteen Toyota Camry. It truly is all-new with an updated design inwards and out, three fresh powertrains, and the latest in safety technologies standard across the Camry lineup.
It all starts with what Toyota calls “TNGA,” or Toyota Fresh Global Architecture. The idea behind this design strategy is to proceed the brand’s reputation for building quality vehicles while making them more joy and more appealing. The Camry was always a fine car and did the job, but it wasn’t exactly titillating. Some might have called it boring, but the fresh Camry works hard to shatter that photo.
Take a look at it and you instantly see how hard they worked to shed its reputation as a staid, unexciting sedan. There’s more sculpting to the sheet metal, especially on the fetish mask, and the car is longer, lower, and broader. These are the hallmarks of a sports car, which is exactly the excitement Toyota is aiming for with the Camry.
The interior gets a beautiful upgrade with available leather seats and fresh colors including a brilliant Cockpit Crimson that’s anything but boring. Gauges are angled in the driver’s direction, and the center console is redesigned with higher quality materials and an eye toward creating a more open, welcoming space for all passengers.
Toyota worked on ergonomics, positioning the driver’s seat for optimum convenience and better road visibility. The rear seats are also redesigned to provide a nicer rail. The fresh seating is convenient and supportive with minimal bolstering so larger occupants won’t feel squished up front. However not plush, the Camry’s seats were well-suited to a total day of driving.
There’s a choice of three fresh powertrains beginning with a Two.5-liter, four-cylinder with two hundred three horsepower and one hundred eighty four pound-feet of torque. The sporty XSE trim gets an extra three horsepower and two pound-feet of torque from the same engine. It’s paired to a fresh eight-speed automatic transmission and gets an EPA estimated miles per gallon of 28/39 city/highway. The four-cylinder is available in all five trim levels — L, LE, SE, XSE, and XLE — and gets a slight boost in fuel economy to 29/41 in the base trim.
It had slew of power and lightly accelerated up to highway speeds. It was identically responsive when pressed for passing in strenuous traffic, making it joy to drive. Yes, it’s the good, ol’ reliable Camry, but the treating and rail are much better than the last generation.
A wrong turn that was a wonderful mistake took us up the side of a mountain, and the switchbacks were no challenge at all. It’s still a sedan, not a sports sedan, but Toyota supplies on the promise of a Camry that’s eventually joy. The rail is complemented by a quiet cabin with minimal road and wind noise.
Stir up to the Three.5-liter V6, and you have three hundred one horsepower and two hundred sixty seven pound-feet of torque paired to the same eight-speed automatic transmission. It’s available only on the XSE and XLE models and provides its extra horsepower at the price of fuel economy. EPA estimates are 22/33 for the XLE and 22/32 for the XSE. You get the same good driving characteristics as with the smaller engine, but with an even better response to a powerful foot on the gas pedal.
Hybrid fans have a Camry, too. It features a Two.5-liter, four-cylinder engine with one hundred seventy six horsepower and one hundred sixty three pound-feet of torque paired with an 88-kilowatt electrical motor with a continuously variable transmission. If you’re considering the hybrid, then you’re limited to three trim choices. The SE and XLE have an EPA-estimated 44/47 city/highway while the LE is the superstar with 51/53.
The hybrid doesn’t have fairly the treating of its gas-powered cousins. The rail is stronger, and it doesn’t slink through corners with fairly the same vibrancy, but that’s not to say it’s no joy. It’s different and not fairly as sporty, but still a noticeable improvement over the last generation hybrid.
The two thousand eighteen Camry has Toyota’s latest Entune Trio.0 infotainment system along with App Suite Connect and navigation as standard features. There’s a seven-inch touchscreen along with a six-speaker stereo system, but audiophiles will want the upgraded version. This adds a JBL audio system with nine speakers and offers a noticeable sound improvement over the base system. Siri Eyes Free, USB port, Bluetooth wireless connectivity, and an auxiliary audio jack are also standard on every Camry.
Along with fresh powertrains and a fresh look, the Camry also boasts the latest in safety technologies standard across the vehicle lineup. This includes Toyota Safety Sense with pre-collision and pedestrian detection, lane departure alert with steering assist, automatic high bars, and dynamic radar cruise control. Often these features are either unavailable or pricey add-ons for lower trims. Toyota is worth kudos for putting them on every Camry, no matter the trim level.
The base Toyota Camry L has a commencing price of $23,495 with the top XSE V6 coming in at $34,950. Hybrid models run $27,800 up to $32,250. Competitive pricing is a large part of what makes the Camry such a big seller for Toyota. With its updated styling, improved drive, and exceptional standard safety features, the Camry resumes to be a leader in its segment.