[karan561]

Had called in the all new Camry for a test drive at my office & spent about 1 hour 15 mins with the car.



The interior is very modern and up to date, but not futuristic. Have a feeling these interiors will look outdated very soon. BUT the quality is top notch & feels built to last.

Drove the car in all electric mode as well and it felt expectedly smooth just like any EV would.

Combined power from the Hybrid feels adequate for our Indian conditions but definitely not a surplus.

Ride quality even with 18"ers (235/45) felt excellent.

Cooled seats (only for the front passengers) worked charmingly well.

CVT is well a CVT, not much of a performer but can live with it.

Lack of a tachometer feels odd.

Steering is great as well as the indicator stalks felt very premium to operate.

Rear seat space is good but comfort is excellent.



This time around the LOOKS of the Camry will be another selling point as definitely it surely is very attractive in flesh.



Speaking of sales, it will need a price correction for it to be considered and achieve respectable sales numbers it deserves.

[GTO]

Just wrapped up a fun weekend with the Camry.



Honk in the Camry and you'll hear a "distinctly European" (Skoda-style) horn. That alone tells you where Toyota has been drawing its inspiration from. The doors feel s-o-l-i-d (a lot more heft than my 530d doors), the EPS tuning is nicer and even the suspension felt more mature than the outgoing car's. The cabin is spacious & has top quality materials. Lots of nice features like the cooled seats, wireless phone charging etc. Some hidden features too = when I was taking a high speed corner, a prompt came up on the MID asking "would you like to roll up the open windows?".

In "Sport" mode, the car is quick and feels like a proper 200+ BHP ride. And despite driving it fast, she still gave me 13 kmpl in the city (15 kmpl should be easy with a lighter foot). The engine + hybrid tuning is very good, and even the CVT is competent. You can get a healthy amount of engine braking with the paddles! High speed composure & grip levels are better than you'd expect in a Camry, but not as planted as the Germans. However, the gap has diminished. No longer is the Camry an "old mans car" or even "boring". The size & styling give it lots of street presence too.

I can certainly see why many people would buy it. Would I? Nope. I'd pick the elegant Passat over the Camry. The VW's Highline Connect variant is like 8 - 9 lakhs cheaper than the Camry OTR Mumbai & I like the Passat more.

I also could never live with that ugly grille at the front. Looks are very, very important to me and I find that bumper effect grossly overdone. Toyota's designers really need to rein it in.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by GTO

I can certainly see why many people would buy it. Would I? Nope. I'd pick the elegant Passat over the Camry. The VW's Highline Connect variant is like 8 - 9 lakhs cheaper than the Camry OTR Mumbai & I like the Passat more.

GTO: we need you to carry out a sporty TD of the Passat over Mumbai + suburban roads to get a comparable idea of Passat vs Superb vs Camry.

Possible?

[Axe77]

I also had a short test drive of the Camry on Sunday - basically one circuit over the two Lower Parel flyovers.

I was very impressed by the car overall. Peppy enough when you want it, nice build and ride quality. Only the steering was not as sharp as I like but then I'm spoilt with the BMW as my benchmark.

All in all, when the time comes, I would be very happy to flip my GT to a brand new Camry with an 8 - 10 year ownership outlook - I mean it would certainly be in the shortest of short lists. Its peppy enough for my requirements, incredibly comfortable (I am 80% or more chauffeur driven), and I can make do with fitting my bike bag or my bike in the rear seat (my own peculiar usage requirements).

PS: OT but took the Tiger to the TD since I was returning from Shaman Triumph - that bike definitely grabs some eyeballs wherever it goes. The security was really sweet and went out of their way to keep a watch on the bike while I was at TD & in the showroom.

[V.Narayan]

Had a short test drive over the weekend. I think the rear seat suspension comfort has been improved. The interiors too are a little more polished than the last Camry though I did not quite fancy the faux silver wood sort of finish. The front grill. Well the front grill.... <clears throat, looks around, takes in a deep breath>

.....it reminds me of American locomotives of the 1930s and 1940s.



Given that Toyota & Lexus are on a rampage on who can design the most frightening frontis piece I suggest for the next model they use this guys as inspiration.


Dear Toyota,

When a Toyota loyalist like me starts gasping at your designs you know its time to shift gears.

Yours mournfully,
V.Narayan

[kslives]

Originally Posted by gk1234

Since you intend to drive, why don’t you check out the VW Passat? I would have recommended the Superb too, but since you’ve already disqualified the Kodiaq for the reason noted, it didn’t make sense to recommend the flagship Skoda sedan. The Passat, on the other hand, is significantly cheaper than the Camry, is plenty spacious, has that sweet, sweet DSG-TDi combo and top class interior quality to boot. Sure, you’re trading in the tested Toyota after service for all this, but I still think the Passat is well worth your consideration.

Couldn't agree more. I just picked up a new Passat last month after driving a BMW 320d (e90) for 6.5 years. I must say, the car is a brilliant package and I was worried about the service. My car just came back from the 1st service yesterday and must say, VW is making a lot of efforts to improve their image when it comes to ASS.

At the end - you can be assured of a really good car (top notch quality overall) at a good price with 4yrs standard WARRANTY (extendable to 7) and a more transparent ASS experience.

[discoverwild]

Saw one a couple of days ago. While the side profile looked good and large, the front was startling to say the least. Initially, I thought someone modified the front end of a Corolla.

[Aditya]

I had a day with the Camry when we had it on test. It is certainly very impressive. The front end is polarizing for sure. But, if you choose the right colour, it can grow on you. The car's build quality is very close to the Germans now, but we found a couple of areas where the interior fit and finish could be better. In fact, on a car so expensive, I found these two mistakes unacceptable (to put it mildly). Coming to the interior space, there's an ocean of it. What is not cool is that if you are on the taller side, you'll find the the rear seat placed low. Most people will not complain though. The equipment and features are suitable for a car of this segment, but why has Toyota not provided Android Auto / Apple CarPlay?

On the other hand, the hybrid powertrain won me over. There is enough power available at all times. The car does not feel rapid, but is a comfortable long distance cruiser. In Sport mode though, it can really get a move on. The fuel efficiency on offer is the icing on the cake. Coming to the handling, it's not quite a Jag XE, but it's not a boat like the old Camry either. For what it is supposed to do, it is good enough.

The Camry's price is a bit of a downer. However, I am not particularly a diesel fan and I also believe that hybrids powertrains are the way forward. Add to that Toyota's legendary reliability and fine after sales service and you have a very impressive package.

[navin]

Originally Posted by GTO

I can certainly see why many people would buy it. Would I? Nope. I'd pick the elegant Passat over the Camry. The VW's Highline Connect variant is like 8 - 9 lakhs cheaper than the Camry OTR Mumbai & I like the Passat more.

The Camry feels more refined and luxurious than the Passat. Granted it is 8L more but for me the difference is worth it.

Originally Posted by Aditya

The equipment and features are suitable for a car of this segment, but why has Toyota not provided Android Auto / Apple CarPlay?

The Camry's price is a bit of a downer.

Yeah the omission of Car Play and Android Auto is indeed shocking. I would also love to have seen wireless charging available in the rear arm rest.

The other oddity I found in the 2019 Camry was the use for 2 tweeters (an upper tweeter or super tweeter on the A pillar and a lower tweeter - almost an upper midrange - on the dash) firing at 90 degrees from each other. This should result in a rather vague soundstage. Granted that I have not had a chance to listen to the system on anything other than FM radio (not the best source). One more point to note: what Toyota defines as a subwoofer is in actuality a single 7" woofer with a minuscule magnet (you can see this from the trunk) that produces little below 50Hz and has almost no bass authority or definition. That huge grill you see in the rear desk is just window dressing!
To quote myself "...and then there is the ICE. It deserves to be shot. The people responsible for implementing this should be shot. No shooting them would be too easy. They should be stuffed in the Camry and force fed Kenny G over the ICE."
source: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ip-review.html (The Fat Cat's new treads - Toyota Camry Initial Ownership Review)

The 2012 Camry sold for about 30L. The 2019 version sells for about 40L. That is a 33% increase over 7 years. Most other luxury marques have seen higher increases than that over the past 7 years.

Disclaimer: I use a 2012 Camry and the quality of service that car has given me has made a Toyota fan out of me. I hope that I can contain that and keep my posts more cerebral than just wild gushing.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by navin

Yeah the omission of Car Play and Android Auto is indeed shocking. I would also love to have seen wireless charging available in the rear arm rest.
The 2012 Camry sold for about 30L. The 2019 version sells for about 40L.

Well you have not seen other products from Toyota then, None of their premium offerings including Land-Cruiser or Lexus LX gets Carplay/ Android Auto. LS was supposed to get for MY-2019 and I think new ES probably has. Wireless charging on the rear arm is a nice and practical feature, I think only S class & Maybach currently has. But it should trickle down on lower segments.

In my opinion, Toyota has priced the car very well and currently there are Zero Discounts and about 2 month wait list. They are not able to produce enough, maybe they underestimated the demand.

[navin]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Well you have not seen other products from Toyota then, None of their premium offerings including Land-Cruiser or Lexus LX gets Carplay/ Android Auto.

In my opinion, Toyota has priced the car very well and currently there are Zero Discounts and about 2 month wait list. They are not able to produce enough, maybe they underestimated the demand.

You are right. I should have clarified that no other Toyota car (other than perhaps the ES - I haven't seen one yet) has Airplay/Android Auto. Still I find this a glaring omission for any car in 2019. If Maruti and Hyundai can offer this (Creta, Verna, Dzire, Ciaz, etc.) why cant everyone else.

The wait list in my view is strategic. 2 months is just long enough for someone to tolerate before they consider another sedan in the same category and it adds a sense of "desire". After the Yaris debacle I think Toyota is treading more carefully this time hence the more aggressive pricing.

Wireless charging is not really expensive. Qi chargers are less than Rs. 1,000 ($15) now.

[Vid6639]

Mod Note: Our Camry Report has been taken live at this link. Please continue the discussion over on the new thread. Thanks!

Originally Posted by navin

You are right. I should have clarified that no other Toyota car (other than perhaps the ES - I haven't seen one yet) has Airplay/Android Auto. Still I find this a glaring omission for any car in 2019. If Maruti and Hyundai can offer this (Creta, Verna, Dzire, Ciaz, etc.) why cant everyone else.

Toyota had taken a stand against both Apple Carplay and Android Auto. They lifted the Apple carplay restriction last year and cleared it for their cars.

However they were not happy with google intervention in Android Auto and had decided against it till they were sure Android Auto was suitable for their cars.

This was only cleared last month:
https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/7/18...tacoma-4runner