Toyota Camry

The Toyota Camry has made a radical shift when it comes to the interior cabin as well, with the dashboard having an asymmetric design for the first time ever in the history of Camry to date. The cabin feels plush and premium, thanks to soft-touch bits and the great colour combination of all black leather with faux wood inserts.

The driver’s cockpit of the Toyota Camry has been done in a not so overdone manner, with simple designs for the multifunctional steering wheel and the instrument console with a coloured MID in between. The asymmetrical theme for the cascading centre console looks unique and is wide, thus making the dashboard look even bigger and broader.

This centre console packs in a rather plain touchscreen infotainment system and buttons for climate control below it, and is surrounded by a piano black finish. A fine layer of faux wood on the passenger side of the dashboard and centre tunnel where the gear lever is placed enhances the luxury appeal of the sedan. 

The eighth-generation Toyota Camry has gained the stature of being the best looking Camry to date, as this is the model with which Toyota made a radical shift in the design philosophy of Camry – from being a boring looking sedan to being an elegant looking one.

The Toyota Camry creates a very strong first impression as soon as you view the sedan head-on. The sleek front fascia comprising of a V-shaped front grille with angular headlamps incorporating full LED lighting and a large air dam on the front bumper with multiple horizontal slats with tiny fog lamps on extreme corners complete the frontal look of the car.

The side profile of the Toyota Camry too looks elegant with the stretched wheelbase and chrome finished shoulder line, however, the door-mounted rear view mirrors is a new touch to the Camry lineup. However, we do wish that it had a more contemporary design for the alloy wheels.

At the back, the Toyota Camry has a simple and understated design which somehow packs the extrovert appeal of the front fascia. Still, with stretched tail lamps and slightly curved boot lid lends it a premium look.

The Toyota Camry has rather simple underpinnings under its skin and gets Macpherson struts at the front and double wishbone at the rear. With a greater emphasis on comfort rather than out and out sporty dynamics, the steering and suspension setup has been kept on a softer side, which does make the car lack outright spirited feel but offers great levels of comfort.

Under the hood of the Philippines-spec Toyota Camry is a 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol motor, which is offered with a conventional 6-speed torque converter as standard. The engine feels super refined and produces a maximum power output of 184 PS, while the peak torque output is rated at 231 Nm.

Toyota has always kept safety in utmost priority, and  Camry being the flagship sedan, is packed with many modern safety amenities like the front, side, curtain and knee airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, brake hold function, vehicle stability control, traction control, park assist with reverse parking sensors and camera, tire pressure monitoring system and ISOFIX mounts for child seats.

The Toyota Camry might lack the snob value of its German rivals, but then, when viewed as an overall package, it gives no reasons for disappointment. The sedan, in its latest avatar, looks smashing, has got a contemporary cabin on the inside, and continues to make the inner occupants feel cocooned.