2007 Toyota Camry Review

Specifications

A Clear Step Forward with Vibrant Clarity Design

Detroits North American International Auto Show can always be relied upon to provide adventurous concepts, as well as spectacular and glitzy introductions. Despite all the smoke and noise elsewhere, no introduction was bigger, or more important than a production-ready four-door sedan revealed under its own smoke and lights in the Riverview Ballroom of Cobo Hall. There, behind the perforated steel curtain, the new redesigned 2007 Toyota Camry slowly revolved in the flash of dozens and dozens of cameras, taking the first pictures of Toyotas brave new future.

The Toyota Camry, as promised, was not simply redesigned and re-engineered; it also underwent a serious attitude adjustment. After years of being knocked for its, at best, inoffensive design, Toyota saw, with great “clarity” the need for “vibrant” styling to continue to draw consumers into showrooms and maintain its status as the number-one selling sedan in the USA. And if Toyota has its way, the new Camry will also lead the automakers charge to become the number-one selling brand in the world, as GM sets its house in order and by so doing, pulls back production.

The cornerstone of the new Camry is its refreshed styling, impressing Toyotas vision on the midsize sedan. It is a bolder, more engaging design with wheels closer to the corners, and smoother rounded forms tailored perfectly to a modern, upright stance, which compares well next to the previous models sloping nose and characterless body. Its a handsome design, with neat detailing that will continue to offend few people while bringing the Camry into the fold of appealing designs with which it competes in its segment.

The linchpin of the new Camrys appeal is its more athletic stance. The wheelbase has grown by a couple of inches (benefiting interior space and ride comfort as well as appearances), a wider track enhances stability and makes it look more planted to the road, but its length has remained the same, rather reducing unsightly overhangs and creating well-balanced proportions. The rest seems to simply tuck in tightly and get out of the way, aside from a slightly bulbous schnozz, unless you order it fitted out with some SE model bodykit upgrades.

As you can see, the Camry has come a long way design-wise, but the second piece of the puzzle is the upcoming hybrid, running Toyotas leading-edge Hybrid Synergy Drive system. Contrary to the Honda Accord Hybrid, which mates a mild-hybrid drivetrain to a top-of-the-range 6-cylinder powerplant, Toyotas Camry Hybrid is built on its smooth and efficient 2.4-liter four-cylinder runabout.

Combined with a 105 kW electric motor capable of producing 199 lb-ft of torque, the Camry Hybrids output is rated at 192-horsepower, more than the stock four-cylinder, but not as much as the six. Power from the electric and gasoline engines is managed by a continuously variable transmission that optimizes output delivery at all speeds. This means you can take advantage of all the power for spirited sprints away from stoplights (although youre unlikely to win many drag races), or you can lay off the right pedal and enjoy the benefits of electrically driven starts and save at the pumps in the long run.

The Hybrid, mind you, is just another piece of the Camry puzzle. Toyota has taken great pains to establish a clearer distinction between the different models that bear the Camry name than it did in years past, and as in the past, the Camry fortunes will fare as well as its most basic form, the CE.

The CE benefits from a wheel upgrade (16-inch steels are the basic boots), a completely revised chassis, recalibrated suspension, enlarged 4-wheel disc brakes (ventilated up front, solid in back), seven airbags and an engine immobilizer. Other convenience features include automatic headlights, a tilt/telescope steering wheel and a six-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system with an auxiliary jack for MP3 devices.

From there, the list of features and options only gets longer (and the price grows fatter, no doubt), but some of the more exotic options include a 440-watt JBL stereo, Bluetooth capability, rear reclining seats, voice-command DVD navigation, and a “key in the pocket” Smart Entry and Smart Start system using Toyotas Smart Key. Boy, are those Toyota engineers ever Smart, or what?

Non-hybrid Camrys start with the 2.4L 4-cylinder engine found in many Camrys already on the road. This engine has been probed cylinder by cylinder, plumbed to its farthest depths and massaged to 158-horsepower, up 4 from last year. Ooooohh. No matter, that engine is spectacularly reliable and commendably efficient, improved to 25 mpg for city driving - down from 24 mpg - but it has actually lost ground while highway cruising at 34 mpg compared to last years 37 mpg.

One thing I can add to the engine commentary is that the 2.4 I drove previously in the outgoing Camry is a smooth performer with ample power for daily duties in town or on the highway. Toyota is also standing pat on its similarly smooth five-speed automatic and manual transmissions.

The new Camry bypasses the odd availability of both a 3.0L V6 and a 3.3L V6 on former models by upping their game at the top end with a 3.5L V6 (based on the same engine found in the hot IS 350 as well as the much sportier new Avalon) that delivers up to 40 percent better acceleration over the aforementioned 3.3L. This engine features all of Toyotas latest bells and whistles, such as Dual Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (Dual VVT-i) for relentless power throughout the rev range.

And with that upgraded V6 Toyota has also busted out a brand new six-speed automatic transmission with sequential shift mode that can downshift in 0.5 seconds and has the ability to learn shift patterns (more intelligence). As important to the reliability-conscious brand, the higher-tech gearbox actually uses fewer parts so that hopefully even fewer things will go wrong with it.

The 3.5L V6 can be had in three trim levels. The LE is more basic, with only a couple of upgrade packages. The XLE throws the book at you feature-wise, resulting in what is sure to be one of the best-equipped midsize sedans around. And finally, the one variant that might really help break the Camry out of its utilitarian mold: the SE.

With the SE, Camry buyers get a totally revised suspension featuring springs, anti-roll bars and bushings set for more enthusiastic (i.e. faster) driving behaviour. The Camry familys black sheep is also lowered almost half an inch compared to other models, while extra bracing has been added to improve body rigidity and an underbody aerodynamics package was influenced by Toyotas Formula 1 Racing program. Toyota engineers applied lessons learned at the F1 level to help manage the SEs underbody airflow to decrease drag overall but also increase downforce when needed, improving stability at high speeds. Blatant visual cues include SE badges, 17-inch alloys, a blacked-out honeycomb grille, ground effects, smoky tinted headlamps, exclusive interior trim and amber-coloured readouts on gauges.

Now that Im done rattling off features and engine figures, its time for the “what do I think about it” part. I think its great. I think the new Camry looks much better than it used to, although I am not going to start drooling over it like I do over Lexus IS in Crystal White Pearl. I doubt many flocked to Toyota showrooms because of the previous Camrys styling, but this one will bring in a few more image-driven buyers; although I dont think Toyota will be rattling anyones cage because of design alone. However, considering the Camry is already the best-selling car in the USA (four years running and eight of the past nine years) and easily hits Canadas top 10, and has a reputation you could build a bank vault on, let alone a multinational bank, its newfound good looks and leading-edge technology can only grow sales, helping Camry pull farther away from the hungry midsize pack here in North America, no doubt the very prize Toyota has its eyes on.