New Toyota Camry: 3 Reasons To Buy It, 3 Reasons You Might Want To Avoid

The Toyota Camry is the oldest surviving nameplate from the Japanese carmaker in India, and it’s currently in its sixth generation. Now, like me, if you, too are a fan of a proper sedan and do not want to join the bandwagon of SUVs or electric cars, then this might be a very good pick. But before you make that decision, let me talk about three things that I absolutely love about the new Toyota Camry and three things that I don’t.

3 Things I Like!

Looks & Features

The Camry has the proper executive sedan style proportions with a long footprint and sleek body. It’s sharp-looking with aggressive styling and premium exterior elements. However, inside, things are even better. Firstly, the rear seat space and comfort are on par with some of the more expensive German rivals, and in some cases, even better. The foldable centre console houses the touch panel with controls for the rear AC unit, rear sunshade, and even the backrests that can also be electrically adjusted.

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The boss mode function allows the one sitting behind the front passenger to push or adjust the seat in front of them, and speaking of the front seat, both get a ventilation function and power adjustability. The steering, too can be adjusted electrically, and you have an electric sunroof.

Ride Comfort

One of the biggest highlights of the Camry for me personally has to be its exceptional ride comfort. Yes, the suspension has been tuned with comfort in mind, and that’s what you get. It is supple and perfectly sprung to take on all the undulations on the road with grace and give you that magic carpet-like feeling.

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It’s also not too soft, because despite a low ground clearance of 145 mm, not once did I scrape the bottom of the car on the massive speed breakers the city of Mumbai throws at you. Also, the absence of body-roll is something I particularly like, and that is only possible because this is a proper sedan, and in this era of SUVs, that is something I miss.

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Hybrid Technology

While the new Camry continues to pack the same 2.5-litre petrol engine as before, it now gets an updated hybrid technology with a new electric unit and battery. This has resulted in better performance (a bump of 12 bhp) and more efficiency. In fact, Toyota is claiming a fuel efficiency of 25.7 kmpl, and we decided to put this claim to the test.

We did a real-world fuel-efficiency test both within the city as well as on the highway.

The parametres were simples: fill up the fuel tank a drive the Camry on a pre-defined city loop covering a distance of 80 km. The speed was kept at 50-60 kmph, and the car consumed 4.4-litre of fuel, which gave us a fuel efficiency of 18.24 km. The highway test was similar, but there, the speed limit was set to 90 kmph, and the consumption was about 3.6-litre, and that’s a fuel efficiency of 25.2 kmpl (close to Toyota’s claim).

Realistically, you can expect a fuel efficiency of 20+ kmpl from the Camry, and that’s a big plus.

3 Things I Don’t Like!

Attention to Detail

Now, while the Camry’s cabin does look luxurious, it falls a bit short when it comes to touch and feel. You have soft-touch material all across with leatherette wrappings, but they don’t feel of the best quality. Some panels are a bit squeaky, and the quality of the plastics used for the AC vents could have been better. Even at the back, the foldable armrest doesn’t suspend properly and touches the seats. These are some small shortcomings, but some attention to detail could have elevated the experience.

Outdated Tech

Another thing that bugs me a bit is that some of the tech is a bit outdated. The touchscreen is nice and big at 12.3 inches, but the interface is old, plus you don’t get wireless Android Auto (Apple CarPlay is wireless). Also, the instrument cluster design feels dated; it’s fully digital, but the look is the same as seen on the Innova Hycross.

The Price!

At Rs. 48 lakh (ex-showroom) the Toyota Camry is steeply priced considering its segment. An ideal price tag would have been at least Rs. 10 lakh lower. However, there are some things you need to consider. Firstly, it’s a completely knocked-down (CKD) model, and this is the higher premium. However, what contributes more to the car’s massive price tag is the fact that it’s a hybrid car. Right now, the taxation on strong hybrid cars is one of the highest in India.

Conclusion

Finding good things to say about the Camry was not difficult at all; narrowing down those three shortcomings was really an issue for me. Now, the former two are not big dealbreakers; the only reason I have to consider them is because of the high price tag. Having said all that, the new Camry still offers many features that entry-level luxury cars (in the similar price segment) don’t get, and compared to the previous Camry, the new one is just a few lakhs more expensive.

In a nutshell, the positives of the Camry certainly outweigh the negatives, and if you are looking for a proper executive sedan under Rs. 50 lakh, then you should consider the Camry.

Photos: Pawan Dagia