It’s been around since 1982, but what we have here is the most modern and hi-tech Camry yet. Reads like the perfect antonym, doesn’t it? Let me elaborate. The Toyota Camry came to life way back in 1982 as the boxy V10 and thereafter spawned nine successful generations, including the latest car you see here. While it has been one of Toyota’s most successful cars internationally, the Camry hasn’t really caught the Indian buyer’s fancy. India has seen the last two generations of the car but a high sticker price (thanks to the Camry being a CBU) and some very stiff competition meant it did not really thrive too well in our market. The current generation car, the XV50, though is all set to change that.
Toyota has given its best-selling Camry sedan line-up a full redesign for 2012. Every piece of sheet metal, every element of the underbody structure, the suspension, and all the interior components of the new Camry are different, and only some engines and transmissions are carried over. Instead of trying to make the new car radically different, Toyota took the existing car and figured out how it could redesign nearly every component to attain a better end result with a focus on core values like comfort and safety.
The new Camry design definitely slants toward pragmatism at every opportunity. The corners are a little boxier for aerodynamic reasons (seems incongruous but its true), the front A-pillars are narrower for better visibility; and the roofline has been tucked up and back just a bit for more rear head room. It’s never been outright oomph, but rather a combination of soft ride and roomy interior, a strong value-for-money aspect, reliability, resale value, and sensibility that have made it such a big seller.
Toyota has also given more attention to the design in the interests of pedestrian safety, and improved aerodynamics and cooling. So, even though the Camry does not ooze sex appeal like the new fluidic Sonata, it’s a safe design.
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