• The Car

• Seat Plan & Seats

• Dash & Controls

• Wheels/Tyres & Luggage

• What's Changed

• Features

• Our Opinion

• Other Opinions

• Mechanical

• Safety

• Data

• Buy with Confidence

• Legal Disclaimer

The Car

The Car

New is a relative term for the Camry's look, which was actually launched in the USA 12 months ago. The Camry is a Toyota world car, which means it looks the same wherever you go - Australia, the USA, Japan or Europe. That internationalism also dictates its reasonably conservative styling, which is at its most pronounced in the base model Altise. Plastic wheel covers, black rather than body colour wing mirrors and few chrome touches give you the message. The body is also physically bigger than its predecessor, measuring 35mm longer, 10mm wider and a big 70mm higher. The car has a 0.29 aerodynamic Cd, down from the old car's 0.30. Stylist Hiroyuki Metsugi said he tried to capture something of a European feeling when designing the car.

Seat Plan & Seats

Seat Plan & Seats

Seat Plan

The looks don't lie: Camry continues on its conservative path as a three-box, five-seat sedan, although it's worth noting the wagon variant disappears from this generation. It is a bigger car than its predecessor - including a 50mm longer wheelbase - and that translates to the inside as well. Toyota claims a 98mm increase in rear legroom, while the hip point is up by 48mm, front shoulder room is increased by 38mm, rear shoulder room is up 19mm, front headroom is up 15mm and rear headroom is up 5mm. The only vital measurement to decrease is front seat legroom - by 25mm to 1045mm. However, the boot is up in size - boosted from 518 litres to a class-leading 567 litres. The Altise - like all Camrys - comes standard with dual airbags but, while front seat passengers get headrests, outboard rear passengers get only bumps in the bench seat, which has been raised for this generation to ensure rear passengers can still see over the front seats. The middle rear passenger misses out on a headrest, but does get a lap-sash seatbelt like everyone else. Versatility is aided by a 60/40 split-fold rear seat, which has swapped sides for this generation. Storage is aided by small door pockets front and rear - and there is a seat-back pocket on the passenger side - but the Altise is not over-endowed with cabin carrying capacity.

Seats

The seats in the old Camry were constantly criticised for their lack of support and it was a complaint Toyota took to heart, with an all-new standard seat being introduced with the 380N. While it looks like the international version, its characteristics have been revised for local conditions. Comfort has been addressed with a changed shape, hardness and density, the cushion has a revised profile to improve holding characteristics and the upper back support was revised to improve pressure distribution. The Altise gets a grey cloth trim for its seats and fully manual adjustment, which includes height and lumbar adjustment for the driver. The door armrest and lid of the centre console bin fall neatly for either elbow, the former also containing power mirror adjustment, window and door lock and power window adjustment for all four windows, with auto up and down for the driver's window. At launch there is no plan to match the Holden Commodore and new Barra Falcon in having powered seat height adjustment. It may be introduced when a facelift is due.

Dash & Controls

Dash & Controls

Dash

Housed in a heavily-lidded black pod - the grey surround of which feels nowhere near as soft and "slushy" and therefore as nice as the old car - is the Altise's rather basic set of instruments. Two half-circles dominate: on the left is the tacho and on the right is the speedo, both with white numerals and markings sitting on a black background with red needles. The temperature gauge sits inside the tacho and the fuel gauge inside the speedo. Below the speedo is the odometer with twin tripmeters, to its left is the indicators for the cruise control and overdrive off button. Back up at top dead centre are the indicator arrows and high-beam warning light. The indicator/headlight stalk sits on the right side of the steering column, while the wiper washers are on the left. The cruise control stalk is mounted on the steering wheel boss so it rotates with the wheel and is a very easy two-stage operation to use. And that's it: plain, even bare, but very functional. Must be a Camry.

Controls

Quite a dramatic change here compared to the old car, with two pronounced sections to the centre console controls, rather than the vertical and horizontal sections morphing into one another as they did previously. The upper section sits quite high in an un-patterned plastic square. At the top is a narrow opening which contains an LCD clock with numerals in green. Unlike with some cars, adjusting the time is a very simple process thanks to "H" and "M" buttons. Next to that is a trip computer which is operated via three buttons mounted high on the dash. They really should be on the washer stalk-end or below the instrument pod and the readout closer to the eyeline to make the design less distracting for the driver. Below that is the three-in-one stereo head unit with air-conditioning vents on either side and then comes the air-conditioning controls, divided from the rest of the upper panel by a crease that runs across the dashboard. The dashboard then cuts away severely, dropping into a bin with a rubber mat, then moving out through the uncovered (but still standard) ashtray and cigarette lighter into the horizontal centre console. Then there's the plastic-covered automatic gear lever with the handbrake mounted on the wrong side of it for the driver - which shows the importance of Camry exports to Toyota Australia. Behind that are two deep cupholders and a lidded bin housing another 12-volt power outlet.

Wheels/Tyres & Luggage

Wheels/Tyres & Luggage

Wheels/Tyres

Standard rubber is the new Dunlop SP Sport 300E 205/65 HR15, which uses a silica/carbon tread. This combination is claimed to offer increased wet-weather grip and reduced rolling resistance, which aids fuel economy. The spare tyre is full size and the jack is of a sturdy design. Altise is the only Camry that still makes do with steel wheels with plastic covers to match Commodore Executive and Falcon XT - in this case an acceptable seven-spoke design.

Luggage

Luggage capacity is right up there with the best among Australian-built cars at 567 litres, a dramatic jump from the old car's already impressive 518 litres. The bootlid opens via a latch on the cabin floor near the driver's seat, or via the key. The loading height is pretty low, and there is carpet throughout - albeit of an industrial type. We've been concerned about the lack of protection of the rear quarter panels in the previous Camry, having managed put a dent in the sheetmetal when a hard suitacse went walkabout, and this could still be an issue judging by the lack of padding on the inner sides of the boot.

What's Changed

What's Changed

The 380N Camry has areas of complete change and others where absolutely nothing has happened. The look of the car inside and out is obviously new and there is also more of it compared to the old car, but the platform it attaches to is updated rather than a complete change (see "Standout Features"). The V6 engine and manual and automatic gearbox choices remain as before for Altise, but there's also a four-cylinder engine and accompanying transmissions which are new to Camry (although seen here already in the Tarago people mover). The suspension design remains fundamentally the same although local tuning levels are higher than ever. But the brakes, steering rack (pictured), seats and headlights are new. Toyota calls this Camry all-new, but it's more like a fair-bit new.

Features

Features

Stand Out Features

It's what you can't see, unless you get this car up on a hoist, that is the real significance of 380N Camry. Rather than ape the international convention and build the new car on the new platform developed for it, Toyota Australia instead decided to adapt the platform used for the Avalon large car, which itself was adpted from the old 660T Camry's underpinnings. The primary reason was that the Avalon and Camry have to be built on the same assembly line at Altona in Melbourne and sharing a platform was the cheapest and simplest way to make this possible. So the two car's share what's called the Toyota Modular Platform (TMP) and therefore the same 2720mm wheelbase, 1795mm width, 1545mm front track and 1520mm rear track. The new Camry body had to be adpated for TMP which means while it looks identical to Camrys built in the USA or Japan it actually wouldn't fit onto the underpinnings. Another key attribute of going with TMP is it breaks Toyota Australia away from headquarters' production plan. In other words, it can deviate that little bit more in terms of what it builds and when, and that's important in a world of niche car manufacturing - just look at how many variants are already spinning off the Holden Commodore platform. Significantly, TMP is capable of taking a four-wheel drive drivetrain, something Toyota Australia is keen to exploit.

Climate Control

Air-conditioning is standard on Altise V6 as it is now on all Camrys. Toyota claims improved cooling and heating performance from the new factory-fitted Denso system, along with easier useage, better packaging more efficient weight utilisation and environmental friendliness. The Altise gets the base system with no sign of climate controls, but it's styled to fit neatly into the car's console. The system is operated via a series of buttons and dials.

Sound System

All 380N Camrys are upgraded using the latest Fujitsi Ten technology, the base model V6 Altise getting an impressive looking three-in-one AM/FM radio, cassette player and single-CD in-dash player. That's better than the four-cylinder Altise, which misses out on the cassette player. There are six speakers and the aerial for the radio is mounted in the glass, which is a new feature. There are 12 FM and six AM pre-sets for the radio.

Satellite Navigation

A DVD-based satellite-navigation system is optional on Altise V6 and four-cylinder, but only the automatics. The system includes a touch screen facility, which is easy to use, but also messy if fingers are greasy or dirty. The sat-nav system takes the place of the stereo head unit in the vertical centre console, with the single-CD and cassette slot located behind the sat-nav screen. They are accessed by pressing a button which tilts the screen down and out of the way. Toyota claims the DVD system provides significantly faster processing time than CD-ROM and therefore faster route selection, map scrolling and re-routing.

Security

A mandatory engine immobiliser is backed up by remote keyless central door locking, which is a two-step system that unlocks the driver's door first, and then the rest of the doors. Other features include an audible chirp if the door is ajar and an attempt is made to activate central locking. The 60/40 split-fold rear seat is lockable, as is the glovebox. The radio is security coded as well. An alarm system is standard on higher grades of the V6, but the Atise misses out on this even as an option.

Our Opinion

Our Opinion

We Like:

Class-leading NVH, smooth drivetrain, increased space

We Don't Like:

Still a bit soggy to drive, lacks sheer punch of rivals

While Toyota has been loudly pushing the youthful macho of the new Camry with its Sportivo range, it's also been quietly making sure the traditional audience is still being looked after. Sure the CSi's gone but the Altise is here in its place, and then there's the Ateva to replace Conquest. Sexier names, more equipment and a new look, but fundamentally the same job. That is to sell to fleets and the Camry's traditional, mature (read 50 years plus) private buying audience. And there's no doubt the Altise delivers just that. It's safe but not really satisfying, a cruiser but not really a bruiser, reliable to the point of utter predictability. Granted the styling is a bit more out there than the old car - Toyota would like us to think it's European. With its bluff nose, headlights wrapping back over the guards, rising sill line and heavy rear flanks, it is certainly distinctive for the moment. But it will look as safe and conservative as ever when there's a million of 'em out there.

The same applies to the interior. Quite a departure from the old car in presentation, but still nothing radical. Nice new seats (hooray), quality stereos and plenty more room in the rear and in the boot are the highlights, but it's as straightforward and accessible inside as ever. Considering the importance of Camry it's no surprise it's a relatively conservative product. Toyota Australia exported nearly 60,000 last year to 33 export markets including the Middle East - many more Camrys than it sells locally. In the USA, the Camry vies to be the country's biggest passenger car seller annually. You can get your Altise with the new locally-built 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine or with a 3.0-litre V6. In both cases there's the choice of five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmissions.

In this case we're testing the V6 auto. Toyota's spent $350 million on 380N but not much went in the direction of the V6 drivetrain. The V6 engine and transmissions are carry-over. Power is the same 141kW at 5200rpm, torque an identical 279Nm at 4400rpm, on regular unleaded petrol. Performance is well down on the previous generation. Toyota's 0-100km/h acceleration claim for the new Camry is a dawdling 9.3 seconds for the V6 auto. That's 0.5 seconds slower than the original claim for the old generation auto. You can put that down to the extra 60kg kerb weight the car has to lug around compared to the old CSi. Yet, Toyota is also claiming an average fuel consumption improvement thanks to some transmission recalibration, now reporting an AS2877 highway cycle figure of 10.5 litres per 100km when it was 11.0. City cycle stays at 6.8L/100km. Ignore all that and expect to return between 11 and 13.0L/100km in the real world unless you're very lightfooted or a thrasher.

So why's the Altise heavier than CSi? Well, in part it's due to extra equipment (which we'll get to in a minute), but it's also due to the fact the new car is bigger in every external dimension. In fact, it now pretty much measures up millimetre for millimetre with the Avalon - the sedan that's purportedly the Camry's bigger brother. That's because the Altise, like all 380N Camrys (the previous generation was 660T), is underpinned by a local platform called the TMP (Toyota Modular Platform) that also sits under the Avalon. There are a bunch of reasons for Toyota Australia doing this (the whys and wherefores of that unique feature are explained in the "Standout Features" section of this road test), but one essential reason is that the two cars have to be produced on the same assembly line. So it's easier and cheaper to lower the two different bodies onto the same underpinnings. It's called platform sharing and Australian manufacturers are becoming pretty adept at it. 

One benefit of doing this is that the level of individualisation Toyota Australia can achieve for the local Camry is now higher than if it adopted the same platform as everyone else. And, like we said at the start, Toyota wants this to be a sportier car than the one it replaces. So while the fundamental suspension design remains the same, everything's been tautened up on Altise to about the same tune as the old Touring model, which was the ultimate Camry sportster before Sportivo arrived. Another good move has been the binning of the old rack and pinion steering rack, which was kickback and rattle central, with a new Delphi rack. The result is a smoother riding, more comfortable and civilised car - not that the old one was bad. It's just that Altise is a significant incremental step forward over the car it replaces. And it's not just the ride itself, which is definitely better. It's also the lack of unwanted feedback through the steering wheel. There's still some kickback but it's the good kind that you want so you know what the front wheels are doing. Accompanying that is a pretty stunning job on noise, vibration and harshness. 

On bitumen the Camry wafts along at about 2100rpm at 100km/h with barely a breath of wind or engine noise and just a little tyre roar. On gravel there's still that signature gravel splash under the guards, but even that seems to have diminished a little. So for someone with a lot of city, suburban and freeway miles to cover this is definitely a good jigger. But, to state the obvious: if you have sporting ambitions go for the Sportivo. This is still a car set up for ride over comfort, its basic tendency is still to understeer, the steering's definition still is a bit woolly and you can still light up an inside front tyre on sharp corners as the power, torque, steering and suspension all strive for input. And as whisper quiet and smooth as the drivetrain is - the auto probably only gives way to the Mitsubishi Magna's INVECS II box as far as local cars go - the Camry has now been left well behind in the engine output battle. The most extreme contrast is the new BA Falcon: 182kW, 380Nm and a semi-manual shift for its four-speed auto. That combination has simply re-set the bar for all locally built medium/big six-cylinder sedans. The Camry is the one that could use the semi-manual shift most because on the move across winding mountain roads the engine needs to be kept above 4000rpm for real punch out of corners. And that means shifting back to third or even second gear.

While the Altise can't match the Falcon XT, Commodore Executive or 3.5-litre Magna Executive for performance. Toyota had a pretty good crack with 380N at closing the gap in the equipment stakes. Dual airbags, ABS, air-conditioning, a CD player and power windows all round are additions over the old CSi. In the automatic you also get cruise control as standard - another improvement. The best news is that at introduction the Altise V6 auto's pricing was virtually lineball with the old car. That's a big achievement. Much of it is due to the increasing "Australianisation" of the car with more local content, but a lot of it is hidden under the skin of the car in places that you and I will never have to deal with. But in the case of the Camry, the more things change the more they stay the same. And, like we've observed before, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Other Opinions

Other Opinions

Sydney Morning Herald: "The new Camry has the attributes of the old - and more - and it has grown to become more like a large-medium contender. But will that be enough to prise buyers away from a soon-to-be-revived Ford and a steamroller-strong Holden?"

The Australia: "The Camry is finally a car that lifts itself above the mundane but it still has to be all things to many people. Individualists need not apply."

Mechanical

Mechanical

Engine

The powerplant in the V6 Altise is the familiar 2995cc unit, which is carried over virtually unchanged from the old 660T Camry. A quad-cam 24-valve with the cylinders banked at 90 degrees, it is now available in two slightly different configurations. The Altise and Ateva get the unchanged 141kW/279Nm unit, while the higher-spec Azura and Sportivo get a version boosted by 4kW and 5Nm courtesy of the variable muffler passed over from the Avalon sister-car. It should be noted the quad-cam design actually uses a scissor gear, which means the exhaust cams drive the inlet cams via gears, rather than the latter working off the timing belt driven by the crankshaft.

Suspension

Toyota Australia wanted to put more emphasis on handling and grip with the 380N Camry than its predecessor, although still retain a high level of ride quality. To do that it split the suspension set-up into two streams, the Altise and Ateva gaining a set-up approximating the old Touring model, while the Sportivo and Azura went fimer and more focussed again. The suspension design across the Camry range is the same - MacPherson struts up front and parallel dual links at the rear. Compared to the old car roll stiffness is up about six per cent, while springs in the Altise firm up 10 per cent in the front and 15 per cent in the rear. A lot of attention has also been paid to compression damping, with a 50-80 per cent increase dialled into the Altise. Rebound damping has only been slightly retuned. It's worth remembering these changes have to also take into account the increased kerb weight of Camry, which in this specification is up 60kg.

Electronic System

Enhanced electronics mean the 380N Camry gets a group of new features including integrated keyless entry with increased rolling code security, illuminated entry and alarm, and key operated remote boot entry. The Camry is also boosted by a multi-function display with entry level models getting a clock and three-memory speed alert. Higher grades get those two features plus distance to empty, distance to empty, instantaneous fuel economy, average fuel economy, fuel used and average speed. Audio systems have been completely revised with the adoption of new Fujitsi Ten technology. Despite all these improvements Toyota Australia has not moved to the "data bus" style of electronic control now being introduced by many manufacturers.

Transmission

Like the V6 engine to which they mate, the standard five-speed manual transmission and optional four-speed automatic are carried over. The TE153 manual was new with the previous Camry, just like the 1MZ-FE V6 engine, and retains the same gear ratios even down to the final drive. The manual is only available with Altise and Sportivo models and won't be in big demand with the former, where the A541E auto will be the primary choice. That gearbox, an electronically controlled unit with lock-up torque converter which operates on third and fourth gears, was also introduced with the 660T Camry. The transmission lever uses a lock-out button for fourth gear, enabling selection of third gear without having to move the lever.

Brakes

Brakes are another part of the Camry localisation story, with Toyota using expertise and components developed by PBR here in Australia. The fundamentals of the brake system remain the same - ventilated front discs and solid rears, with the aid of ABS now standard across the range, bar the Altise four-cylinder. It's the actual componentry which PBR has developed and supplied - discs, callipers, brake pads and its Banksia parking brake (pictured), the first time this sytem has been installed on a Toyota and one of the first applications on a front-wheel drive vehicle. Toyota is claiming an improvement in brake performance of up to two metres in a 100-0km/h crash stop, which is a reduction to about about 44 metres. However, at least some of this improvement is based on the use of Dunlop's new 300 silica/carbon tread tyres on 15-inch tyre models. The Bosch four-channel ABS system is carry-over, so no sign of Emergency Brake-force Distribution as is now standard on BA Falcon.

Steering

Increased initial response and reduced kickback were two key Toyota targets for the new Camry's steering. Vital to achieving that was a new power steering rack and pump unit, which has the advantage of allowing mounting bushes to be six times stiffer than the old rack. That means lighter steering effort but the retention of steering feel. The kickback - which shows itself up in the old car most noticebaly on bumpy corners - has been addressed by a hydraulic check valve. The new variable power steering system is also engine speed-sensitive for the first time in Camry. It switches progressively to a lower level of steering assistance above 2500rpm, with the intention of keeping the steering light enough at parking speeds but still offering good weighting and response at speed.

Safety

Safety

Toyota is confidently claiming that the new Camry is improved enough over the old car in terms of construction to move it up from three stars to a four-star crash test result - although any direct reference to the independent NCAP testing regime is judiciously avoided. The car has been tested to Toyota's own GOA (Global Outstanding Assessment) parameters which are designed to be as tough as any current or expected crash test standards. GOA tests endured by Camry included 64km/h offset deformable barrier, rollover, 55km/h side impact and 50km/h rear moving barrier. While the PBR brakes are new (pictured), standard safety equipment includes ABS and dual airbags - although it should be noted that front seat side airbags, which are standard on all other V6 models, can't be had on the Altise.

Data

Data

Engine:

• Type: 2.995-litre 24-valve DOHC all-alloy 90-degree V6

• Location: front-mounted, transverse

• Power: 141kW @ 5200rpm

• Torque: 279Nm @ 4400rpm

• Bore x stroke: 87.5 x 83.0mm

• Compression ratio: 10.5:1
  

Transmission:

• Five-speed manual

• Optional four-speed auto
  

Suspension:

• Front: independent by MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar

• Rear: independent by multi-links, coil springs, anti-roll bar
  

Steering:

• Power-assisted rack and pinion

• Turning circle: 11.6 metres
  

Dimensions:

• Length: 4805mm

• Width: 1795mm

• Height: 1490mm

• Wheelbase: 2720mm

• Front track: 1545mm

• Rear track: 1520mm

• Kerb weight: 1485kg
  

Standard Equipment:

•  ABS

• Twin front airbags 

• Front seatbelt pre-tensioners 

• Air-conditioning 

• Power windows and mirrors 

• Cruise control 

• Trip computer

• Variable intermittent wipers  

• Single-CD audio system 

• Remote central locking

Buy with Confidence

Buy with Confidence

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Legal Disclaimer

Legal Disclaimer

Buying Guides are intended merely as a guide or review for members when considering what products or services they may be interested in bidding on or purchasing. eBay does not make, and nothing in these Buying Guides is intended to constitute, any warranties, guarantees, representations or assurances about the accuracy of the information or content contained in these Buying Guides. Furthermore, eBay does not make, and nothing in these Buying Guides is intended to constitute, any warranties, guarantees, representations or assurances about the nature or performance of the products or services appearing in the Buying Guides. eBay is not affiliated with nor does it endorse the use of any particular product or service.

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