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10/01/2007
By EWAN KENNEDY
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For some reason no car maker wants to pitch its products to the conservative buyer. Which really doesn’t make sense because there are plenty of just that sort of person in the market at any one time. People looking for a good car at the right price – and whose conservative lifestyle means they can afford to buy exactly what they need.
 A maker who aims at the genuine car buyer stands to make a lot of sales. Which brings up the subject of the Toyota Camry.
Solid, sensible, safe, reliable and with excellent resale value, this medium-to-large Toyota family sedan is exactly what many buyers crave. So it’s no surprise that the Camry has been popular in Australia since its introduction in the early 1980s. These days Camry is bigger than ever before, is powered by an economical four-cylinder engine and is all but bullet proof.
Toyota Camry in its current generation arrived here in July 2006 and Toyota has retailed tens of thousands since then.
Camry is slightly longer and wider than its predecessor but has a 15mm reduction in height. The wheelbase has been stretched, pushing the wheels closer to the corners to give a more spacious cabin, with tall adults being able to sit behind one another to make this a roomy four-seater. The back seat is shaped for the more likely load of two adults or three children. However, long-legged kids may find the rearward positioning of the front console intrudes on their space. The occupant of the centre-rear position gets the safety of a three-point belt,
Toyota's Camry is a Japanese design, but is built in Melbourne and many detailed changes have been made to suit Australian driving conditions. There is also some revision of the styling to complement local tastes.
 This Toyota's body has noticeably reduced NVH levels compared to previous models that were already well regarded. It has the sort of cruising comfort that required a large limo-like car only a generation or so back.
Ride comfort is excellent and the large well-shaped front seats provide good support for adults of just about any size or shape. Clever suspension design means there's little transmission of tyre noise to the interior, even on the sort of coarse-chip surfaces that can cause many expensive European cars to set up quite a racket.
Handling is very good for a large, family sedan that’s aimed more at comfort than at-the-limit handling. There's generally a neutral feel through the steering wheel at normal driving pace. Understeer starts to come in as you push the car hard but it’s not really intrusive until you get the car really hustling along. And by the time understeer becomes a nuisance most drivers will be at a speed where they need it to scrub speed off for safety.
The new Camry dashboard layout is clean and modern with good-sized, well-positioned controls. We found the large centre panels really irritating at night as they throw off a lot of light, enough to cause us real distraction on dark country roads.
The latest Camry's engine is a 2.4-litre unit that’s smooth and refined in its feel and provides the sort of performance that many of the aforementioned sensible buyers find adequate. It’s no sports machine, but the engine is capable of accelerating well enough for safe overtaking. Climbing hills is seldom a hassle, though long slopes with a big load on board can demand it remains in lower gears for extended periods at times.
 You can choose between a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic. The auto is far more likely to be chosen by most buyers, but the manual works well enough. The change action isn’t particularly good, but if you do move the lever at the speed which it likes, rather than trying to hurry it through the gate, it all works well enough. Having said that, the auto is probably a better bet for resale time.
The 2.4-litre Toyota engine will use about seven to nine litres per hundred kilometres in normal country driving and on the motorway. This is likely to rise to about nine to eleven litres per hundred kilometres in suburban and city traffic.
Should you demand extra power, or do a lot of driving in hilly conditions, Toyota’s new V6 Aurion, which is heavily based on the Camry platform, may well meet your needs.
Toyota Camry is exceptionally well priced, with the list beginning at just $28,490. It provides excellent cruising ability and is built to a high standard in Toyota's factory outside Melbourne. If you can overcome the so-called stigma of being classed as a conservative buyer – and we most certainly can – there's a lot to love in this model.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
Altise 2.4-litre four-door sedan - $28,490
Sportivo 2.4-litre four-door sedan - $33,750
Ateva 2.4-litre four-door sedan - $33,750
Grande 2.4-litre four-door sedan - $39,990
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in all models
Air Conditioning: Standard in all models
Automatic Transmission: $1500 option in Altise and Sportivo, standard in Ateva and Grande
CD Player: Standard in all models
Central Locking: Standard in all models
Cruise Control: Standard in all models
Driver Airbag: Standard in all models
Passenger Airbag: Standard in all models
Front Side Airbags: $750 option in Altise, standard on all other models
SPECIFICATIONS (Toyota Camry Sportivo 2.4-litre four-door sedan)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 2.362 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 9.6:1
Bore/Stroke: 88.5 x 96.0 mm
Maximum Power: 117 kW @ 5700 rpm
Maximum Torque: 218 Nm @ 4000 rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Five-speed
Automatic Transmission: Four-speed
Final Drive Ratio: NA
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4815 mm
Wheelbase: 2775 mm
Width: 1820 mm
Height: 1480 mm
Turning Circle: 11.0 metres
Kerb Mass: 1415kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 70 litres
Towing Ability: 500kg (1200kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Independent, dual lower transverse links, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 9.7 seconds
Standing 400 Metres: 17.1 seconds
FUEL CONSUMPTION/EMISSION RATINGS:
Type: Petrol 91RON
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 8.9 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000km |
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