Toyota Presents the All New Camry

Toyota is not a new name for Indian car lovers, over the years the company has established itself in the Indian automobile industry and has grown itself to be an unswerving brand. Same is true with its model Camry. The name and the car are not new to the Indian industry, yet in this market the model has failed to garner the success it has achieved around the globe. There were not many issues with the old Camry, yet as we understand the market was not ready for that car. But this is not the case now, the market has changed so have the buying patterns and a car like Camry should have enough success now. In this respect Toyota is bringing forth a new Camry into the market. Still the lack of a diesel version can come back and haunt Toyota like it did before.

The new car is based on the old Camry’s basic platform yet looks a lot different externally. The sharp body lines on the side and the bulge on the bonnet gives it a rather manly look, so do the sharp edged head lamps and its shiny chrome grill. The stylish fog lamps with their chrome rim give a much more sleek and elegant look to the car. The side mirrors, with LED lights, also act as indicators thus adding safety to the car while not compromising visual beauty. The rear end of the car is also tastefully done, but feels a bit dated in comparison to the front end. Overall length of the new Camry is 4815mm, its width is 1820mm, and height is at 1480mm. Even though these dimension are almost similar to the old Camry, the new one looks a bit bigger.

Toyota is still not providing a diesel option of Camry for buyers, in their defence; they do not have a diesel engine that can do the trick for a car like Camry. In the lack of diesel option, the car comes with a four-cylinder 2.5-litre petrol engine featuring Dual VVT-i and delivering a good 178bhp output at 6000rpm. This is 11bhp more than the power delivered by the previous car’s engine. The petrol motor comes with a 6-speed automatic gearbox and can attain 100kph in an impressive 7.8 seconds. There is also a manual triptronic mode to satisfy the appetite for more speed and manual control over the performance of the vehicle. The power is transferred on to the roads via 215/55 R17 tires, which comes with 17 inch alloy wheels.

The car’s faux wood and faux leather rich interior looks as elegant as it should in a car of Camry’s price range. There are ample equipment and beautifully designed panels to control the equipment on the dashboard and the steering wheel. Again, in comparison to Honda Accord or other similar cars, the panel and the controls look a bit dated. An audio system with six speakers, BLU Logic hands-free system, auto sound levelling, USB port with iPod control and connectivity accompanied with auxiliary input jack, comes standard with the car.

Beginning with six airbags and energy absorbing seat materials, safety features are a plenty with the car. Its projector beam halogen headlamps provide the crystal clear visibility and clarity at night to ensure safe journey. The body and the frame of the car has been constructed and tested to ensure they absorb much of the impact force from any sides. Its electro-chromatic rear view mirror identifies the bright light and gets rid of the glares coming from vehicles behind.
Over all a welcome update to the older version, one which has also inherited some of the issues the previous version had. Now, it will ultimately come down to the price range Toyota puts it in, less that Rs. 20,000,00 should do the trick.

Price: Rs. 19,00,000 – Rs. 23,00,000

Alternative rides in market: Honda Accord, VW Passat, Skoda Superb