Streets is Real on the Cul De Sac - 2018 Toyota Camry

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YSSMAN

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Well, that certainly came out of nowhere. Toyota wants their street cred back. So, they're turning their hats 45 degrees to the left and throwing on their DC's to put together a Camry that's "more exciting" in more ways than one.

[Jalopnik] [Autoblog]

What have the ad wizards done at Toyota this time? Well, they've increased the size, again. But its only 1.8 inches longer, 0.4 inches wider, more chassis stiffening, re-tuned electric (!!!) steering, and better boosted brakes.

Those scofflaws at Toyota even went further and are offering us the XTREME SPORT EDITION CAMRY, better known as the Camry XSE. STIFFER SUSPENSION. BIGGER WHEELS. MORE RUBBER. BODY KIT. So, that's a thing. They're even going about offering an SE version of the Camry Hybrid. What world are we living in?

Otherwise, its a Camry, and its a modern Toyota. Everything pretty much carries over from the last model, aside from the chassis and styling refreshes inside and out. Same engines, transmissions, and so on. Either way, its a Camry, and they'll sell a bazillion of them. But, are they making a step in the right direction with a new, sportier Camry?
 
I think I may be one of the only people on GTP and definitely on Jalopnik who will say whats wrong with the Camry? Most of it's competition are far from pretty themselves. "more chassis stiffening, re-tuned electric (!!!) steering, and better boosted brakes." Are these not good things? "Everything pretty much carries over from the last model, aside from the chassis and styling refreshes inside and out" Isn't a new chassis and restyling inside and out a major thing?

Why would they change engines and trans if they don't need to and already get decent fuel mileage when they are not doing bad with sales?

I wouldn't buy this Camry but I also don't see the problem with it other than it's popular.
 
So basically it's the "new" Corolla all over again?
Yo you don't diss the guys who choose to lead the Rollalife. At least not our rollas XD


But hey I think it's pretty cool! I'm glad to see Toyota taking a new direction with trying to make their cars cool again. I mean they still got the Prius, but this is a step in the right direction :)
 
If grandpa wants a sporty car, he's going to buy a Corvette or some other muscle car.

Not a Camry.


lolno
 
Give me a break... I've had enough Waku-doki for today :lol: (I work @ Toyota Mexico lol)

Anyway, lets get serious:

I'm not sure if the Camry really needed such a radical change... the current one looks pretty decent and people over here like it very much...

Doesn't look great, but doesn't look bad either... I mean, from my point of view, the Camry is a formal car for formal people... I think they are trying to hard to make it look like something it shouldn't be...
 
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I think I may be one of the only people on GTP and definitely on Jalopnik who will say whats wrong with the Camry?

People who have been around here for a while know that I secretly love mid-size sedans. As much as I hate to admit it, I do like the current-generation Toyota Camry SE, but a single trim on a model that really hasn't been well-received since its debut isn't a good sign. The problem, as I see it, is that the Camry really has been all that great since 2007. When Toyota ditched making a pretty good sedan that had a wide variety of trims that appealed both to the budget conscious, luxury buyers, and sporty folks to pretty beige, marketed, average, basic crap.

At the very least, I think Toyota is feeling the heat from models like the Fusion that are pretty diversified in their trims. Although the "regular" SE model will exist for people who want something a little sporty, adding the XSE to appeal to someone who wants something a little sportier makes absolute sense. Toyota is facing a pretty big uphill battle with the opinion that they are the most un-sporty of brands (even if Nissan is giving them a run for the money, Juke and GT-R not included). This is a good way to turn it around, starting with the younger-middle aged folks. But, I wonder if doing an XSE version of the Corolla would have been a better place to start?
 
I can't argue against anything you just said. I'm not a fan of the Camry but I also don't see it as a bad vehicle or one that's overly bland. For something like this couldn't they have just went the TRD route like they did in 2000? Yeah the Corolla and the Yaris would have been a better place to start but maybe they just wanted to test the waters with their best seller.
 
Most of all buyers of the Camry are older buyers, why not give it a more mature look?

Because perception is reality. The car doesn't need to be sporty, it just needs to look like it is and for enough people to believe that it is. The people buying a new Camry aren't cool young people but Toyota really wants you to believe they are. This is central to the branding and marketing of virtually every car on the market these days.
 
This is an improvement for Toyota. It's like they've conceded. "Our car is still boring and terrible, our interior is still dull and uncomfortable, but at least we've made an effort to not be such an eyesore for everyone else."
 
So they've completely ruined it. The previous one was edgy and cohesive. This one is just completely wrong. There is no language to this design.
 
It's starting to grow on me... the "Normal" version looks pretty clean and nice if you ask me...

Toyota-Camry_2015_1280x960_wallpaper_05.jpg


The XSE??? I don't know... Mixed feelings... maybe that will change once it hits the dealers, just like it did with the Highlander: First time I saw it on paper I hated it... but the real thing is quite impressive...

Toyota-Camry_2015_1280x960_wallpaper_07.jpg


The Interior??? Not much to complain, just a little changes here and there... I like it 👍

Toyota-Camry_2015_1280x960_wallpaper_21.jpg


And it should be fun to drive, the V6 engine/ECT-i 6 speed Transmission Combo from Toyota makes the car very, very responsive... You floor it and the car immediately takes off... it's a little bit scary at times... the car hits 120km/m without effort and it just keeps going faster, and faster... and faster...
 
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And it should be fun to drive, the V6 engine/ECT-i 6 speed Transmission Combo from Toyota makes the car very, very responsive... You floor it and the car immediately takes off... it's a little bit scary at times... the car hits 120km/m without effort and it just keeps going faster, and faster... and faster...

The V6 Camry has been a speed machine since 1998. Sadly, the chassis tune hasn't kept pace. Although the Accord has been reasonably sporty throughout that time, the Camry has gone further downhill. Hopefully, the XSE turns that around a bit, and maybe gets the ball rolling for "fun to drive" mid-size family sedans again, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

I actually found a very nice XV20 Camry for sale near me the other day with the V6 for a pretty good price. Low miles, interesting color of blue inside and out. It'd happily lay down rubber all day and still take me home in peace and quiet. If its still around in a week or two, I should give it a look. A Camry from its heyday wouldn't be a bad deal.
 
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Dear lord, dat maw.

Criticism aside, I see a bit of the flair Toyota was going at for the 2015 Camry. In my eyes, I can see a bit of the Crown Athlete and the Mark X at the front.
 
Well, the thing is, the outgoing Camry didn't look all that bad. But, when placed against an overwhelming majority of the competition, its tepid styling was an even bigger hindrance than what it should have been. Just in that picture, it makes that outgoing model looks like it's phoning it in from 2008... When it came out in 2011. That's a problem.

The 2015 model is definitely a reaction to both the outgoing Hyundai Sonata and the Ford Fusion. Taking the pretty well-accepted styling cues from the "newish" Corolla was a smart move, but again, Toyota dodges the major question at hand: Hey dude, when are we going to get some new parts? Lets face it, aside from mechanical reliability, Toyota is nowhere near class-leading in any one particular way. Not sure where to chalk that one up, here - whether its the home office in Japan, or, their North American overlords not making the investment RE: YO DAWG WE GOTS TO SELL SOME TUNDRAZ.
 

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