Camry gets radical makeover – By Antony Dickson

Toyota is listening and is listening good. Despite being North America’s best-selling car for the past 12 years, customers wanted more from the good old Camry. They wanted a change from dull to aggressive and sporty so they could drive up with their heads high. In response, designers at Toyota got back to their drawingboards and came up with a classy-looking stunner.With the 2015 Camry, Toyota is definitely on a mission to tap into a new range of drivers who are usually looking elsewhere for their little dose of adrenaline.

The new Camry was built from ground up and now boasts of a striking new exterior with an aggressive front fascia and athletic looks resembling their upscale cousins from Lexus. A completely revised front bumper cover features a prominent trapezoidal grille shape expressing a lower centre of gravity.Toyota designers changed everything inside out for the 2015 Camry. The only thing that hasn’t been revamped is the roof. The cabin’s interior now features high end soft-touch materials and advanced instrumentation with intuitive controls. The new sleek headlamps are equipped with LED daytime running lights.Over the new Camry has grown in size by 1.8 inches in length and 0.4 inches in width than its predecessor.

The tester I had was the Camry XSE V6 and came with all the bells and whistles. Inside the Camry, space is definitely not an issue. Five persons can be seated comfortably with plenty of leg room. Varying by model, seat covers textures range from premium cloth to genuine leather and ultrasuede. The tester came with leather seats. The instrument panel features a new 4.2-inch TFT screen nestled between the three-dimensional gauges on the SE, XLE and XSE models. The screen’s colour animation displays a wide range of vehicle functions and coordinates with the multimedia system to display audio, navigation, warnings and communications. The JBL sound system was impressive, but at louder volumes, the bass got a little blurry. The touch screen was responsive and while the multimedia system was very user-friendly.

After the Camry surprised me with its new look, driving it further convinced me that Toyota had got it right. The XSE V6 version was a treat to drive. Throttle response was much more than I expected. The V6 under the hood pumping out 268hp caught me off-guard a few times and I had to remind myself that it was Camry I was driving. Paddle-shifters threw in that extra fun factor that older Camrys lacked.The ride felt sporty thanks to the upgraded suspension and electric power steering. Wind and road noise was at a minimal with engineers not leaving any stone unturned. Even the Camry’s side mirrors were redesigned to better control air flow reducing turbulence and noise.The new Camry offers a variety of advanced safety features including blind spot monitoring and back-up camera.

I drove the Camry hard during the week I had as opposed to usual Camry drivers and to my surprise, I averaged between 8.0 L/100 km and 9.0 L/100 km. Those are impressive figures given that the XSE V6 comes with 3.5-litre engine. It’s not just the mileage that sounds good, the price for this renewed Camry XSE V6 starts at $33,900 and as tested was $35,689. The Camry will also be available with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder gas engines paired with a 6-speed automatic transmissions that start at $24,100. The new Camry will also come in a hybrid model.

The 2015 Camry, with its competitive pricing and sporty design, will only stamp its authority as a leader in its class. First-time buyers or buyers looking to upgrade, can’t go wrong with the all-new Camry.