My 305 BHP Toyota Camry TRD: Ownership experience of a V6 family car

I'm not a fan of the spoiler but it's not too loud like the ones found in Subaru WRX STi.

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Toyota Camry - The first thing that comes to mind when anyone comes across this name is it's an excellent choice for families who are looking for a boring, reliable, and fuel-efficient vehicle. I recently relocated to the USA and was looking for a similar family car to commute around.

Unlike my previous stint in the US where the market was ruled by buyers with excellent choice of cars with any given brand, it's a seller's market now. Even though the chip shortage is no longer a thing, it's extremely difficult to find a car of choice. Waiting periods of multiple months are common. The one thing that has eased is the markups by the dealerships. While some dealers do add markups, most of them now honour the MSRP and don't add absurd markups. It's better not to talk about the used car market. The prices of used cars are still astronomical. It doesn't make any sense to go with a used car with the rates that are quoted. We are living in some strange times.

My apartment is located right next to a Toyota dealership called Westboro Toyota in Massachusetts. I walked into the showroom on a Friday after booking an appointment and could hardly see any display/demo cars. There was just one Tundra that was on display but otherwise, it was quite empty. A friendly sales manager called Alex greeted me and asked about my needs. I used to drive a Seltos in India. While I absolutely loved the car in India due to the sheer practicality it provides (the ground clearance which could just tackle all the giant speed breakers in India), I wasn't looking for any cars with a high GC here. I had decided to buy a sedan and had studied a bit on the various variants of Camry before arriving in the US. Alex checked the inventory and said there are no stocks of Camry but there are a couple of them allocated to this dealer and will be arriving in a couple of weeks. One was a base variant LE, which has a 2.5L Inline 4 producing 203 hp @ 6,600 rpm, 184 lb-ft @ 5,000 rpm and another was a TRD variant, which has a 3.5-Liter V6 DOHC D-4S producing 301 hp @ 6600 rpm, 267 lb-ft @ 4700 rpm.

They had only a LE variant for test drives and Alex took me for a quick drive in it. It was boring. I was not at all interested in this engine and checked with Alex if they had any Camry with a V6 engine for a TD. Unfortunately, they didn't have any V6 variant for TD, but Alex promised that the performance is great. Since I instantly felt bored with the LE variant and was in dire need of a car, I asked Alex to book the TRD V6 for me. He agreed to sell it for MSRP with some accessories added and assured me that I wouldn't be wrong with the choice. I paid the advance and was told that the vehicle is currently on a train and will reach the dealership in another couple of weeks. They shared the VIN number of the car along with the spec sheet. I was told that the colour of the car is Underground (Grey). The wait then started.

I watched a lot of videos on the TRD variant on YouTube while waiting for the car to arrive. I got a call from Alex exactly after 2 weeks that the car was just unloaded from the trailer, and I could drop by the dealership anytime to do a PDI before finalizing the car. Since I stayed next door, I just walked into the dealership and saw the car parked. Instantly fell in love with the car

First sight of the car, fresh from the factory:

I gave a green signal to Alex after performing the PDI and he immediately started working on finances and other stuff. I paid the down payment and was told that the car can be picked up once the plates arrived from RMV (Registry of Motor Vehicles). Since it was a Friday evening, they promised the delivery on Monday. The endless wait of 2 days started, which felt like 2 years. I got a call from Alex on Monday at noon that the car is ready to pick up. I immediately walked into the dealership and the car was ready with the plates.

I was handed over the keys and documents and I was on my way in no time. Took out of the car into an Interstate Highway and I had a big grin on my face

TRD specific changes:

V6 engine is offered in three variants: TRD, XLE & XSE. XSE is the topmost variant with all the bells & whistles. I was leaning towards XSE but the dealer mentioned that I can expect an XSE only towards the end of September. I enquired with a few more Toyota dealers and the answers were the same.

TRD V6 variant is loosely based on the SE variant, but it gains some unique features compared to the non-TRD V6 models like bigger brakes, stiffer suspension, and lowered body. The complete list of changes that are unique to the TRD model can be seen below.

Performance:

• TRD track-tuned front and rear coil springs, shock absorbers and stabilizer bars.
• 12.9-inch front disc brakes with dual-piston calipers.
• Increased-thickness underbody braces and added rear seat V-bracing.
• TRD gloss-black front splitter, side aero skirts, and rear diffuser with red pinstriping.
• TRD gloss-black pedestal rear spoiler.
• TRD cat-back dual exhaust with polished stainless steel tips.
• About half-an inch lowered than the non-TRD models.
• Active Cornering Assist.
• Lighter body
• Low-profile tires (P235/40R19)

Visual:

• Red-painted front and rear calipers.
• Black rear Toyota emblem and "CAMRY" lettering.
• TRD badge.
• TRD instrumentation with red-illuminated accents.
• Red-stitched instrument panel and shift boot.
• Black leather shift knob with red stitching and debossed TRD logo.
• TRD start-up animation.
• Sport SofTex-trimmed front seats with red seatbelts and stitching, red-stitched TRD headrest logo.
• Black floor mats with red Camry TRD logo and red outline.
• Aluminium sport pedals.
• TRD Premium Audio with JBL.
• 19-inch x 8.5-inch TRD matte-black alloy wheels with the TRD logo on the centre cap.

But the TRD model loses some features compared to the non-TRD V6 models:

• Moonroof.
• Heated seats & steering.
• Rear foldable seats.
• Rear AC vents.
• Rear seat armrest.
• Rear adjustable headrests.
• Auto-dimming IRVM.

The missing rear AC vents sounded like a major dealbreaker for me but later realized that the AC is powerful and cools the entire cabin in no time. The rest of the deleted features were not a dealbreaker for me.

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