OVERVIEW

Over the years, Toyota gained immense prominence and has introduced various high-end vehicles in the Indian auto market. Camry is one of such vehicles and is demanded for its aristocratic looks, great performance and comfortable interiors. The sedan was first launched in 2002 and in 2015 it has seen exterior and interior upgrades

EXTERIORS

The Toyota Camry hybrid was launched for the Indian market in late 2013 and this is a mid-life update for the vehicle rather than an overall change. The most visible update is on the front fascia where the heavy chrome from the fog lamps has been moved to a revised front bumper which now sits in front of a honeycomb grille.

The bumper gets a chrome bottom lip while the indicators have now become vertically stacked units that sit below the headlights with LED DRLs. Otherwise, all the elements including the “I’m a hybrid car” blue shading in the Toyota logo, and chrome forehead marks have been carried over from the previous vehicle.

There are no major changes to the side profile of the Camry hybrid apart from the new vertically stacked indicators and the wheel design. A change in the latter from a simple spoke design to a more complicated arrow one has increased the premium feel of the car and also given it slightly more sporty credentials.

Toyota appears to have done some major work on the rear of the Camry Hybrid. The thick chrome strip that ran above the number plate holder has now been stretched out and runs across the length of the boot. It cuts into the tail lamps changing their layout as the reverse lamps have now moved above the line while the brake lights sit below it. The rear bumper remains untouched, but now the reflectors have become larger and have moved to the base of the unit. Toyota has also added another chrome strip at the base of bumper to bring about uniformity in the design.

In a country where shiny is equated to rich, the addition of a significant amount of chrome as compared to the older model is a sure fire way to up the ante when it comes to the premium appeal of the Camry Hybrid. It was a never a great looking car but stood out and continues to do so due to its size, rarity and well now, the bling factor.

CABIN

Imagine what it’s like sitting on your favourite sofa – that’s how good the Camry’s rear seat is. The deep seat base makes for excellent thigh support and the squarish roofline makes for plenty of headroom. The seat back is perfectly angled and there’s enough place to stretch out. There are front-seat adjusters placed on the side of the seat, so the rear-left passenger can easily slide it forward for more legroom. The seats are also placed at a nice height, so it’s easy to slide in and out of them. Toyota knows the Camry’s strong point is its rear seat and so, has left no stone unturned to make sure this new Camry’s seats are the best. The front seats are equally nice to sit in and both have eight-way power adjustability.

From the driver’s seat, the Camry feels wide and that’s partly because of the big dashboard. Interior quality is another place where the Camry has been substantially improved. All the bits that you experience first – the steering wheel, the gear lever and the controls – feel rich and proper, and we like the uncluttered layout and sufficiently big switches. The interior may not have the sheer solidity of the Skoda Superb’s cabin, but it’s not far behind. The stitched-leather effect for the top half of the dashboard is nice, wood finish is quite convincing and the Playstation-like steering-mounted controls are interesting. We did think the rear air-con vents were a bit

cheap-looking, but that’s the only serious complaint we can level at this cabin. The Camry’s dash strikes a nice balance between pleasing design and functionality. We particularly liked the multi-layered dials with the real-time fuel consumption indicator and a meter that shows you how economically you are driving.

Storage spaces are plenty. The glovebox in particular is huge, and there’s a big cubbyhole between the front seats. To improve cabin space, Toyota has used thinner door pads, and this probably explains why the door pockets are unusually narrow. The boot is much smaller too – this new Camry gets only 484 litres of space as against the old car’s 535 litres.

It’s pretty well equipped though. Standard features include dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and go, fully powered front seats, Bluetooth connectivity, parking sensors, cruise-control and a 2-DIN touchscreen audio system with aux-in and USB ports. There are some important features missing though — in addition to quite a few airbags, this Camry doesn’t get a sunroof or a reverse camera.

ENGINE

The locally built 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine was a step up in capacity from the 2.2-litre engine of the preceding model.

It featured all-alloy construction and twin camshafts, with Toyota’s VVTi variable valve timing system on the intake valves, and at its twin peaks it put out 112kW (150 horsepower) and 218Nm of torque.

With 18kW and 31Nm more than the old engine it was a willing and free-revving workhorse that delivered pretty decent performance, and better fuel economy.

For more performance Toyota offered the 3.0-litre petrol V6, which upped the peak power and torque to 141kW (189 horsepower) and 279Nm respectively, giving it more zip and extra smoothness.

The gearbox options were a conventional four-speed automatic transmission and a five-speed manual. Most buyers preferred the automatic, so there aren’t many cars around with the manual.

Both engines were developed to run on 91-octane regular unleaded, and can also run on E10 ethanol-blend fuel.Get detail features, specs and price of Toyota Camry in Carzprice

DRIVING

Toyota Camry has the capacity of breaching a speed barrier of 100 kmph in approx. 7.8 seconds from standstill. Further, it can reach up to a maximum speed range of 180 to 185 kmph with the help of a six-speed automatic gearbox. The automatic hybrid variant helps the motor to reach a speed in the range of 190 kmph to 195 kmph while accelerating to 100 kmph in just about 9.3 seconds of start.

With the help of multi-point fuel injection supply system, the petrol variant of this sedan delivers a decent mileage of 13 kmpl on highways and 9.5 kmpl in city. While advanced electronic fuel injection supply system in automatic hybrid version, the car offers 19.1 kmph on highways and 16.3 kmpl in city. The electric variable steering wheel is highly responsive and comes with telescopic adjustment function, and thus it has a turning radius of 5.3 meters

SAFET AND AFTER SALES SERVICE

The Toyota Camry is loaded with a host of safety equipment that includes four airbags (driver, front passenger and front seat sides), ABS with EBD, Brake Assist, VSC (Vehicle Stability Control), TRC (Traction Control), Hill Start Assist Control, reverse parking camera with back monitor and corner sensors, impact sensing fuel cut-off, speed sensing auto lock and smart key remind warning. The instrument cluster also shows a visual and audio warning when the driver and co-driver are not belted up while the car is in motion. The earlier Camry came with just two airbags while the current one has four. The market norm is at least six in this segment. Talking about after-sales, Toyota really rocks in this department. The company has constantly been recognised for its excellent service, be it anywhere in India. Toyota parts are also priced reasonably and the vehicles are known for their bullet-proof reliability. The only downside is the fact that Toyota service centres are very cramped thanks to the fact that a huge number of Innovas and Etios are being used as taxis throughout the country. EMI Calculator for  Toyota Camry

VERDICT

It is difficult to rate the Camry Hybrid. On one side, it does look quite nice in its new avatar, especially in the color that we have here but on the other side, it does have an interior that is quite drab and simple. Where it does offer exemplary ride comfort, it does falter when it comes to sheer handling prowess. But there is a BIG positive – the Camry Hybrid is one of those cars that is too far into the future for a market like India. It does offer some really cutting edge technology to us today…but at a cost. Just like the Mahindra e2o then, the Camry Hybrid is certainly a car that deserves much more. Sadly, until the government does not think straight and starts to offer huge excise benefits and other concessions to electric and hybrid cars, cars like the Camry Hybrid will continue to suffer.