Striking design is one of the 2018 Toyota Camry’s fundamental elements, no longer content being typecast as dependable but drowsy.
Toyota is striving to create more emotional vehicles and after driving their fresh-faced family Ford or for several hundred miles, I’ve got to tell you this is not marketing speak, they’ve actually delivered and a lot more than I ever expected.
Completely redesigned, fully overhauled and totally updated, this is the first all-new Camry in 35 years. The only thing that carries over from its predecessor is the badge. Sharing fundamental underpinnings with a Prius hybrid, this Sedan rides atop the Toyota new global architecture TNGA for short. Accordingly, it’s torsional rigidity has been increased by 30% and it gains double wishbone rear suspension.
Thanks to a focus on dynamics and its lower center of gravity, this car drives far better than any Camry before. It also comes standard with advanced driver assistance features and is more fuel efficient and refined.
2018 Toyota Camry Review
Back to styling which I suspect Toyota hopes you’ll find assertive and interesting since they’re striving to banish the boring. Up front, there’s a bold face and available LED headlamps. Surprisingly, that grill varies depending on the model you get.
On standard versions like fairly basic LE car, you get a wide ribbed affair. Sporty or SE and XSE’s receive a mesh treatment that I actually find considerably more attractive, add them all up and between the conventional and hybrid models I count a whopping 10 variants of the car which is kind of crazy but Toyota wants to offer something for everyone.
19-inch wheels are available on a Camry for first the time ever, ditto for quad exhaust tips both of which are standard on XSE models, you can also get a blacked-out roof and even a red interior house AC.
This styling assertiveness continues inside where the cabin is tasteful and flowing, there are soft plastics where you expect to find them and thanks to trim pillars and a hood that’s nearly two inches lower than its predecessors, forward visibility is unhindered.
Though not everything is perfect, there’s some bargain-basement looking plastic on the console and of course some odd trim. Also, the center stack is a mishmash of fonts and button designs some consistency here would have made things look a lot richer. See also the all-new 2017 Honda CRV
Toyota still refuses to offer either Apple car-play or Android auto, instead, they’re pushing their own infotainment system which they claim provides a more integrated experience mmm-hmm.
Taller folks like me are sure to appreciate the back seat which is roomy in every dimension. Also, the trunk is huge -at up to 15.1 cubic feet. The lid now features redesigned hinges so it opens farther forward meaning you’re less likely to bang your head while loading items.
Three powertrains are offered in the 2018 Toyota Camry including a 3.5 liter V6 with 300 Watts Horsepower and a hybrid that in base form is estimated to average as much as 52 miles per gallon, watch out Prius! Camry coming for you.
But the high volume LE model I’m driving right now is powered by a good all four-cylinder. Displacing 2.5L, this brand new engine delivers up to 206 Horsepower and 186 lb.-ft torque. In XLE Hybrid Model, here it’s rated at a skosh less 203 ponies and 184 torques to be precise and an -speed automatic transmission is standard in all non-hybrid Camry’s
Minimizing your fuel spend this is one seriously economical car. LE models should stick at 28 miles per gallon city 39 highway and 32 mpg combined. Toyota is gunning for best-in-class efficiency with the 2018 Toyota Camry, it looks like they’re going to achieve it.
Following Mazda and Honda’s lead, when it comes to ridiculous names at least this new engine is called a dynamic force four-cylinder which thankfully is not quite as ridiculous as SkyActive or an earth dream.
But still, this makes me want to get in on the naming game just imagine: The 2018 Toyota Camry is equipped with an exclusive squirtMatic -duet compound multi-point volume dependent fuel delivery systems, as well as Simplot, speed sensitive exhaust tuning.
And every model comes standard with a bluster flux fuel saving differential. Now featuring laser-honed gear teeth for reduced wear. Acceleration is more than adequate with the engine and transmission working hand in glove and you can really feel that this power-train was developed by a team that was all on the same page.
This four-banger is extremely refined and offers a powerband that’s broad which means, you don’t need wide open throttle just to get moving. Shifts are also quick and well timed with no bad habits or miss behavior just to remind us.
I also briefly sampled a V6 powered car and it was rocket fast, smooth and snarly that thing moved but curiously only about 6% of Camry customers opt for the V6, that’s how dominant the floor banger is.
As for the suspension, this LE trim car is definitely softer than the Sports model but it never wallows. The ride is quiet and smooth with a whisk of body roll while cornering. Speaking of changing direction, the steering is unexpectedly sharp with a crispness on entering and an inspiring amount of heft, simply put, a Camry has never felt so good to drive.
Reducing your stress, Toyota safety cents P is standard in every one of these cars now, this suite of advanced driver assistance technologies includes things like adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking, and automatic high beams.
So How Does The 2018 Toyota Camry stack up to Major Rivals?
Well, it’s hard to say without of course conducting a proper comparison test, but I do suspect that a Mazda 6 is still more fun to drive and I find Ford’s Fusion more attractive however that is not a knock against the Camry because this car is a Wallflower no longer it actually has some emotional appeal, imagine that.
The 2018 Toyota Camry model still provides everything drivers expect in a Toyota sedan, you’ve got roominess, efficiency, comfort and of course reliability. But it also offers dramatically more style and better performance. Camry has been Kenya’s best-selling car for 15 consecutive years since the nameplate debuted years ago.
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