The Toyota Camry's global sales story is impeccable, if you take India out of the picture. The sensible family car that is built to outlive its owner(s) is seen as a luxury car that sells for its size and appeal. While the badge pulls in a lot of buyers, the fact that the car is a CBU import keeps its prices on the higher side. The lack of a diesel engine too, has always put the brakes on the numbers. While the solution might seem as simple as introducing a diesel variant, Toyota just doesn't seem to have a suitable diesel engine.
So if the Camry is to sell with only a petrol engine, it had better cost less. And that is just what Toyota plans to do — reduce the price of the car by assembling it in India. It's the car that you see on these pages that will be put on sale soon and we recently got to sample it on the outskirts of Delhi.
One glance at the new Camry and it instantly looks bigger and more substantial than the current car, despite the dimensions remaining pretty much the same. Toyota says every single bit of sheet metal is new and more than 90 per cent of the parts have been reworked. So, in essence, the car is brand new, but the inescapable fact is it's based on the same basic platform. Still, the car looks quite attractive and somewhat like a mini Lexus thanks to the angular headlights and big chrome grille. There is also a nice bulge on the bonnet that adds some character to frontal styling. View the Camry from the side and its upward sweeping beltline will catch your attention. The angular tail section is in keeping with modern design trends.
The resemblance to its Lexus brethren carries on in the cabin as well. The interiors are luxurious. The front seats are fully electrically adjustable to get that perfect driving position. What most owners though will like more about the rear seats are the thigh and back support. There is more space now and the good thing is that the front passenger seat can be moved forward using buttons on the seat back.
The Camry comes with a four-cylinder 2.5-litre petrol motor featuring Dual VVT-i and its 178bhp output is 11bhp up on the previous 2.4-litre unit. It's matched to a six-speed automatic gearbox and we don't expect a manual transmission to be offered when it is launched.
Push the start button and the motor fires up and settles into a barely-audible idle. The engine is silky smooth and builds up revs effortlessly. Floor it and the box shifts down after a bit of contemplation and won't shift up till the redline is reached at 6200rpm. There is also a manual triptronic mode if you want to play boy racer. If only it was in a sportier body; the luxury liner dimensions of the Camry can't be expected to handle like a speedboat, and it doesn't. The Camry felt a bit firmer than before and, though it rolls when cornered, it feels under control and isn't disconcerting.
The steering is also a bit too light and lacks feel, especially at high speeds. The suspension flattens the minor bumps and absorbs broken tarmac, but the car we drove came with 17-inch wheels, and a switch to 16-inchers and higher-profile tyres should further improve the ride, which is not bad to begin with.
The Camry has never been the fastest or the best handling car in this segment. On the other hand, it is luxurious, spacious and comfortable. When it is up for sale this year, the prices should be much closer to the competition and Toyota has used its arch rival, the Honda Accord, as a point of reference. This may just be that stroke of brilliance Toyota was waiting for in India.
