The new Toyota Camry is here with a siashed tag and oodles of style. Will that be enough for it to make a strong presence in the Indian market? We try to find out
‘UNEASY LIES THE HEAD THAT WEARS THE crown’, Shakespeare said, but ask Japanese car-makers Toyota and they have another story to tell. Deriving from the Japanese word ‘kanmuri’ (which means ‘crown’), the Camry has enjoyed great success in the international market and has spent about 10 years in the Indian market too. So before the termite of time could take a toll on it against the competition, the company has launched the new Camry, with a cosmetic transformation and other technical improvements. A proud contender in the executive sedan segment and Toyota’s flagship sedan, the Camry promises to be your neighbour’s envy and the jewel of your ‘crown’. How far does it succeed? Well, the road test will tell that.
HRUTE COUTURE
The Toyota family in the country now looks the most closely knit as never before. The company has been opting for a similar bold and aggressive styling for all its cars and the new Camry is not an exception. Pulled back rhombus shaped headlamps and a new chrome grille make for an appealing front look in respect of this car. The creases on the bonnet lend to its boldness, which the company wants the lookers-on to relate the car with. The rear of the car looks good too, but is comparatively less bold and flashy. New tail-lamps with a chrome strip running in between embellish the boot-lid. Overall, the new Camry promises to be a head-turner on the road and, thanks to its freshness, it is quite that too. Toyota have never been known for being a car-maker producing ‘good-looking’ cars. Reliability has always been their primary criterion. Now, however, it looks as if they are determined to take the ball game higher, with a good-looking and reliable car. The new Camry, for instance.
INSIDE THE CAR
The cabin is spacious, but with a humble dash, sporting only the necessary features. With a dual-tone interior, wooden trims and leather seats, it is a good description of quality that Toyota are famous for. One of the most important things that one looks for in an executive car is comfort and Camry knows what to do in that regard. With ample knee-room, good head-room for even tall people and comfortable leather seats, the Camry scores well on the comfort front. Low noise-vibration-and-harshness (NVH) levels give it some extra brownies too.
HANDS UPON THE WHEET
The first and foremost change in the Camry is the new engine. With an addition of about 1.5 millimetres in bore and two mm in stroke, the new Camry is powered by a 2,494-cc petrol mill, about 132 cc more than its predecessor. Thus it offers about 14 PS more power (181 PS) and nine Nm of more torque (233 Nm). The engine has been mated with a new six-speed automatic gearbox, another improvement over the five-speed gearbox in the earlier version. Unlike the old Camry, the new one does not come with manual transmission even as an option.
While the engine is on its best behaviour till you go easy on the pedal and can hardly be heard, it mimics a snarling beast as you decide to take things to the next level. Driving in the ‘Eco’ mode, you experience a completely no-nonsense response from the engine. But floor the pedal and you feel the typical torque converter elasticity come into play. Despite that, the performance figures we recorded were far from being a disappointment. With 100 km/h achieved in a little over 10 seconds, the 2.5-litre mill does a good job. If only they had autobahns in India! With no road left to take it further, we had to settle for a top actual speed of 194 km/h, although the speedometer indicated 205 km/h. The kick-down figures show well distributed torque throughout the curve. The brakes have a good bite and ABS (with EBD) makes them more effective. Although a little on the softer side, the suspension is good for a car made keeping comfort foremost in mind. Stability is another virtue for which the car deserves appreciation.
BUCKS AND PENNIES
One of the reasons that the Camry could not achieve great numbers in the Indian market was its hefty price-tag. Coming as it did as a completely built-up unit (CBU), it fell far too out of the bracket its competition sold within and, therefore, was a less preferred choice amongst the buyers. The company has tried to counter this and the new Camry comes in a completely knocked down (CKD) form to be assembled locally, thus allowing a price reduction. At Rs 23.80 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi), the new tag seems to place it better vis-à-vis its competitors.
OVERALL
With cars like the Honda Accord, Škoda Superb and Volkswagen Passat in the fray, it was time the Camry girded up its loins too. Like many others in the segment, the Camry has come for the fight armed only with petrol engines. To sum it all up, the new Camry is a good option for those looking forward to being driven in the lap of luxury, with a good brand-name to support it and with reliability added in no uncertain measure.
Story: Gasha Aeri-Alawani
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
