Have you ever ever puzzled what the “D” in D-segment sedan is brief for (in case you’re sniggering already, I’m not referring to that)? It doesn’t truly imply something, nevertheless it would possibly as properly stand for “dinosaur”. Was once that this class of automobile was teeming with opponents, all vying for a similar buyer – some higher-up at a faceless company in search of a brand new car to be shuttled to their infinite conferences in.
However then the standard four-door physique type fell out of favour, as SUVs grew to become increasingly widespread and the bigger ones moved additional and additional upmarket. It didn’t assist that the sedans had been pricing themselves out of the corporate automobile bracket (following within the footsteps of the third-generation Mazda 6, which broke the glass ceiling for what this stuff had been anticipated to price), a lot in order that even the most cost effective mannequin these days is north of RM170,000. The range-topping variants? These are deep in premium territory.
It’s towards this backdrop that the eighth-generation Toyota Camry was launched in Malaysia in late 2018. Unable to commerce on worth alone, it was extensively remodelled with an attention-grabbing design and an all-new platform that principally delivered on the guarantees made within the identify of driving dynamics. However the automobile itself wasn’t all new, as us Malaysians misplaced out on the wholesale powertrain revamp that the remainder of the world bought.
That injustice was righted with the facelift, which was launched tonight. The Camry lastly will get the brand new engine and gearbox it ought to’ve had to start with, however do these much-vaunted bits – and a number of other different minor updates – make it a greater automobile? We get an opportunity to pattern the automobile on a drive to Kuantan and again.
Nonetheless imported from Thailand and priced to match
Regardless of UMW Toyota Motor’s Bukit Raja plant now being able to assembling Toyota New World Structure (TNGA) fashions just like the Corolla Cross, the XV70 Camry continues to be absolutely imported from Thailand. Meaning there’s no worth drop available right here, nor a CKD locally-assembled hybrid mannequin to benefit from present import and excise obligation incentives.
As such, there’s nonetheless just one variant obtainable – the full-spec 2.5V retailing at RM199,110. There’s no cut-price mannequin to compete towards the bottom Honda Accord, however at the very least you do get what you pay for – and lots extra apart from, as you’ll discover out quickly sufficient.
Sharp appears to be like stay, however ever so barely refined
Not that you simply’ll have the ability to inform simply from wanting from it, because the Camry nonetheless appears to be like resolutely acquainted. That’s to not say that it’s boring, because the “Lovely Monster” nonetheless appears to be like sharp greater than three years on, what with its aggressive face and comely physique.
The adjustments have managed to melt the entrance finish considerably. The big decrease grille not spans the total width of the bumper, because the centre air consumption portion is extra clearly outlined, making the fascia look much less like an enormous Gillette razor. Thoughts you, the “vast mouth” look remains to be there, because the black slats run proper into the bumper corners (now bookended by gray C-shaped frames) – a shrinking violet this isn’t.
The general aesthetic is smoother, extra refined, particularly with fewer creases across the higher grille. However the Camry remains to be an angry-looking automobile, as if irritated by feedback about how boring the previous-generation XV50 was. Finishing the gentle exterior makeover are the smoked taillight internals and a brand new design for the 18-inch alloy wheels, replete with a machined two-tone end.
Plush cabin will get welcome refinements, particularly on the again
Inside, the Camry takes after newer fashions just like the RAV4 by adopting a freestanding infotainment touchscreen that sits atop the dashboard. This pushes the air vents downwards, inserting them simply above the air-conditioning controls, though a blanking plate makes it very apparent the place the outdated blowers had been. Nonetheless, the change is value it because it places the show proper up in your line of sight and nearer to your left hand.
Mercifully, UMW Toyota has retained the easy-to-use OEM system (not all the time a given even at a a lot larger worth vary, because the aftermarket head unit within the GR Yaris painfully reveals) and even went by way of the difficulty of specifying a bigger nine-inch touchscreen and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. A nine-speaker JBL sound system continues to be fitted as commonplace right here.
Not a lot else has modified on the entrance. The spacious, solidly-built cabin continues to supply loads of soft-touch plastics, vaguely wood-like trim (now black as a substitute of brown) and plush power-adjustable entrance seats with driver’s facet reminiscence, upholstered in black leather-based with a brown centre strip.
The driving place stays top-notch right here – you sit surprisingly low on this unclemobile, touchdown your toes on perfectly-placed pedals and bringing the steering wheel near your chest, similar to in a race automobile. It’s each supremely snug and resolutely driver-focused.
But it surely’s on the again the place the brand new Camry does its finest impression of a luxurious automobile, as a result of the facelift provides power-reclining seats and a separate local weather management zone. These, together with the powered rear sunshade and even the audio controls for all the automobile, will be adjusted utilizing a brand new touch-sensitive panel that’s barely fiddly to make use of however provides the automobile an upscale really feel unmatched on this worth vary.
The Camry has all the time been the best chauffeur-driven automobile on a finances with its trademark entrance passenger seat shoulder switches and collapsible headrest, nevertheless it’s now in a distinct league completely. You additionally get acres of legroom and also you gained’t discover the low-slung roof a lot with the again seats reclined. The boot nonetheless measures 493 litres regardless of a swap from a full-sized spare tyre to an area saver, and you continue to can’t fold the seats (particularly now that they’re powered) or open the bootlid hands-free.
Now providing even higher security
Security-wise, the Camry has been upgraded to the newest Toyota Security Sense 2.5 suite of driver help techniques, including a number of new options. The automobile’s autonomous emergency braking operate will get nighttime pedestrian and daytime bicycle owner detection, whereas the adaptive cruise management can decelerate for corners and velocity up in anticipation of an overtaking manoeuvre when an indicator is switched on.
This goes hand-in-hand with the brand new lane centring help, which retains the automobile in the midst of its personal lane. This semi-autonomous driving functionality has successfully been lifted from the also-facelifted Lexus ES 250 and works very properly in the true world, taking over virtually the entire heavy lifting of acceleration and steering on the freeway. An auto brake operate for the rear cross visitors alert and an Clever Clearance Sonar (ICS, Toyota’s model of Perodua’s Pedal Misoperation Management) spherical off the security enhancements.
We’ve been ready years for this
Proper, on to the principle occasion, the brand new engine. Sure, Toyota has lastly slotted the newest Dynamic Drive mill into the Malaysian-market Camry, the latter having soldiered on with the identical 2AR-FE 2.5 litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder because the starting of the seventh-generation XV50‘s lifecycle in 2012. With this, the automobile is now bang updated with the remainder of the world, outfitted with the newest powertrain applied sciences.
The newest A25A-FKS unit, additionally discovered within the RAV4 and the Lexus ES 250, employs D-4S direct injection, electrical variable valve timing (VVT-iE) and a redesigned cylinder head for improved tumble circulation. With a compression ratio of 13:1, it delivers a thermal effectivity of 40%, enabling a claimed eight per cent discount in gasoline consumption – Toyota quotes a determine of 8.6 litres per 100 km.
All in all, the engine produces 209 PS at 6,600 rpm and 253 Nm of torque at 5,000 rpm, representing will increase of 25 PS and 18 Nm over the outgoing unit. It’s mated to a brand new Direct Shift eight-speed automated gearbox, which comes with a wider unfold of ratios and a lockup clutch for a extra direct driving really feel and better effectivity, all whereas being extra compact than the outdated six-speeder.
The numbers sound spectacular – that’s virtually as a lot energy as you get in a Volkswagen Golf GTI, for instance. However a Golf GTI can also be turbocharged and the Camry isn’t, so don’t count on sizzling hatch efficiency right here. What you ought to count on on this phase is easy, predictable energy, which this automobile delivers in spades.
Begin it up and the engine settles right into a surprisingly deep idle, giving it a little bit of an old-school luxurious automobile vibe. As you’d count on, the Toyota isn’t particularly exuberant at low revs relative to its force-induced rivals, so that you’ll need to work the motor a bit of more durable to rise up to hurry. But it surely’s so revvy and freed from vibration that it by no means appears like a chore – until you mash the accelerator and listen to the four-pot pressure.
Don’t try this; simply flex your proper foot as a substitute. Torque builds steadily till you’re thrust properly previous the velocity restrict – a mild ocean wave relatively than a tsunami. It’s ably matched by a slushbox that’s so seamless in its shifts it virtually appears like a CVT, besides for a way shortly it responds to the throttle. There are paddle shifters so that you can play with, however so relaxed and easy is the powertrain that it borders on boorish to make use of them.
Consolation and dealing with dynamics go hand-in-hand
Serene progress is all however assured, because of the just about whole lack of engine, highway and wind noise – you’ll need to rise up to very unlawful speeds to listen to something aside from a muted roar. Even with the pitter-patter of rain throughout our drive and the spray kicked up by the Bridgestone Turanza T005A tyres, the within of the Camry remained hushed, letting me get my forty winks whereas reclined on the again.
My sleep continued undisturbed because of a experience that filtered out many of the nasties on our roads. The Camry could be very softly sprung, enabling it to successfully steamroll minor floor imperfections and float alongside gently at freeway speeds, though it doesn’t present fairly as a lot isolation from bigger bumps and potholes as I’d like. Nonetheless, the Toyota is greater than snug sufficient for any towkay, because it all the time has been.
You may think that this softness will trigger the Camry to roll about within the corners, and in a manner it does. Level the automobile at a nook and it squats onto one facet, nevertheless it does so in a managed and pure method with out bouncing round. Physique actions are all the time in sync with the steering, which is gentle however direct and correct, serving to this large sedan really feel extra agile and athletic than it has any proper to be.
On a moist Karak Freeway, the Camry was composed and surefooted, giving me the arrogance to push on at speeds that may terrify a lesser car. Put the quietly competent engine, gearbox and chassis collectively and what you find yourself with is a automobile that drives in another way in comparison with any of its overtly sporty rivals at this worth – much less aggressive in its responses but nonetheless participating sufficient to carve up a very good highway.
Verdict: new engine, identical old-school character
Regardless of all this, the Camry isn’t any revelation, though it has lastly obtained its long-overdue powertrain change. Sure, it is a bit more highly effective than earlier than, however its intrinsic character stays unchanged – it nonetheless gives up supreme consolation with out boring you to loss of life behind the wheel.
The continued lack of a turbo engine implies that the Toyota isn’t going to win you any visitors gentle grands prix. However that doesn’t imply it’s gradual, though the NA mill does give it an anachronistic driving expertise in live performance with the gentle suspension. There’s some newfound verve right here, however its major objective remains to be to function a sensory deprivation tank for the fairly well-to-do.
This, then, is a D-segment sedan like they used to make them, a window right into a parallel universe wherein sporty European rivals just like the Volkswagen Passat and entry-level BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes by no means existed. Neglect the offended styling – if you’d like one thing that may soothe and cosset you on each journey, nothing else even remotely within the worth vary comes shut.
The facelifted 2022 Toyota Camry is now on sale in Malaysia, priced at RM199,110 on-the-road with out insurance coverage, inclusive of the gross sales and repair tax (SST) rebate. A five-year, unlimited-mileage guarantee is included with every buy. Browse full specs and tools on CarBase.my.
