{"id":20736,"date":"2017-06-21T15:34:37","date_gmt":"2017-06-21T19:34:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=20736"},"modified":"2017-06-27T15:35:59","modified_gmt":"2017-06-27T19:35:59","slug":"payne-toyota-transforms-the-camry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2017\/06\/payne-toyota-transforms-the-camry","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Toyota transforms the Camry"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/9ddb467e530c282d9c101d355e6531a65fc7e7f3\/c=504-0-3528-2268&amp;r=x404&amp;c=534x401\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/06\/21\/DetroitNews\/B99545501Z.1_20170621173955_000_GBE1HGQU1.1-0.jpg\" alt=\"camryI4_fr3-4\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><p>If Broadway were to remake the classic \u201cPygmalion,\u201d they might consider casting Akio Toyoda as Professor Henry Higgins. The charismatic Toyota CEO has transformed his Eliza Doolittle \u2014 the common Camry \u2014 into an elegant, mainstream sedan.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/story\/business\/autos\/detroit-auto-show\/2017\/01\/09\/detroit-auto-show-naias-north-american-international-auto-show-detroit-cobo-center-toyota-camry\/96350536\/\">Toyoda wowed the Detroit Auto Show in January<\/a> with Miss Camry\u2019s new face and upscale dress. Showing off his star pupil\u2019s new wardrobe options, Toyoda said: \u201cour customers have a choice: sexy or really sexy.\u201d Give him Higgins\u2019 top hat and cane.<\/p>\n<p>But Eliza \u2014 er, Camry \u2014 is more than just a pretty figure. This gal can dance.<\/p>\n<p>You might figure that out by the company the 2018 Camry keeps. My last Camry media drive was in Florida on roads as flat as a senior-center ballroom. With Eliza we went to the twisted roads of Newburg, Oregon, where you can\u2019t get from point A to B without negotiating at least two ess curves and a plunging hairpin. NASCAR superstar Kyle Busch \u2014 whose Toyota racer has advertised Camry\u2019s new face all year \u2014 showed up to wax eloquent about Toyoda\u2019s pride and joy.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Duly inspired, your humble scribe and his media peers then whipped Camry around Oregon like a rag doll.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Such un-Camry-like behavior is now possible thanks to first complete reinvention of Toyota\u2019s best-selling mid-sizer since 1982, according to Chief Engineer Masato Katsumato. That was when Camry first went on sale in the States.<\/p>\n<p>Taking a page from the Honda Civic \u2014 another Japanese icon recently remade after a detour down Vanilla Lane \u2014 the Toyota has gone back to basics with its new, global TNGA, front-wheel drive platform. Built stiffer, longer, lower and wider for increased athleticism the TNGA gift will keep on giving as it anchors cars from the Camry to Prius to Lexus ES sedan. Properly planted, the Camry then gets a double-wishbone rear suspension \u2014right out of the sports car bin \u2014 that give it all the right moves.<\/p>\n<p>The result is a Camry that \u2014 while short of tight class competitors like the Mazda 6 \u2014 is truly fun to drive.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ad-position-348\" class=\"partner-outstream\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-mi-detroit-C1561-outstream_video-news-opinion-350\" class=\"ad-slot\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_7103\/mi-detroit-C1561\/outstream_video\/news\/opinion_0__container__\"><iframe id=\"google_ads_iframe_7103\/mi-detroit-C1561\/outstream_video\/news\/opinion_0\" title=\"3rd party ad content\" name=\"google_ads_iframe_7103\/mi-detroit-C1561\/outstream_video\/news\/opinion_0\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Interestingly, Camry has achieved this ZOOM ZOOM quotient the Mazda way \u2014 without changing its engine lineup. Where other manufacturers \u2014 Ford, VW, Chevy, Honda \u2014 have gone turbo four-banger to improve fuel economy while not sacrificing zip, Mazda and Toyota have stuck to normally aspirated four- and six-cylinder engines. If it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe (EPA-rated) mileage can be better for a smaller engine than higher-displacement engine. But in the real world that is not true,\u201d says Camry chief engineer Masato Katsumata \u201cFrom the U.S. customer point of view, they don\u2019t like the turbo lag.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What <em>was<\/em> broke was the annoying, six-speed automatic transmission gate. Camry has flushed it for a superb, silky 8-speed unit that is mated to both engines.<\/p>\n<p>The sippy, 34-mpg, 2.5-liter four is plenty competent (and less noisy thanks to a quieter cabin), but your motorhead reviewer prefers the six with its 301 ponies, 267 pound-feet of torque and best-in-class 26-mpg. With her nimble dance moves, Eliza now practically explodes out of corners with the six\u2019s urging. Toyota expects the V-6 to only make up 6 percent of sales given it\u2019s only be available in the XSE sport-trim level. Pity \u2014 a V-6 in Camry\u2019s standard, L-grade trim would be a sport sedan bargain.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of bargains, let\u2019s talk Camry\u2019s Hybrid LE.<\/p>\n<p>While sister Prius has been a hot-seller, Camry\u2019s hybrid has gone unloved, accounting for just 5 percent of sales. Determined to get the hybrid in customers\u2019 hands, Toyota gives the standard LE grade its best lithium-ion battery (higher grades get the old nickel-hydride hardware). Meaning that \u2014 for just $28,000 you can get Prius-like, best-in-class 52-mpg fuel economy while more expensive, nickel-hydride models get just 46.<\/p>\n<p>And if you want Prius fuel economy without its whacky, white toilet-bowl interior, Camry is your horse. Its interior is a very nice place to be.<\/p>\n<p>Camry\u2019s new, sculpted skin has rightly gotten attention. Indeed, like a Kardashian on Saturday night, the S-model Camry has gone overboard on the makeup. Hey, you\u2019ve got to turn the customer\u2019s heads and the Camry was so bland it was rivaling the old, 2010 Chevy Impala as the homely Queen of the Rental Fleets.<\/p>\n<p>Once inside the Camry, however, the car\u2019s transformation really hits home. A signature silver, ess-curve bezel bisects the console, cradling the excellent infotainment screen (can we get this in Lexus instead of the dreaded mouse, please?) while not compromising center console cup \u2019n\u2019 cubby room. Dressed in soft vinyl and piano-black plastic, the dash is modern \u2014 as is an available, Cadillac-like heads-up display.<\/p>\n<p>The infotainment and instrument screens are another clean-sheet remake. Lamentably, Toyota does not adopt the popular Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone apps. Happily, it has provided an alternative (that\u2019s <em>almost<\/em> as good) and is available and standard. Called Entune 3.0, it requires a \u201cScout\u201d app downloaded to your phone similar to the aforementioned apps. Also standard is Toyota Safety Sense which provides excellent driver safety assist systems plus 4G Wi-Fi \u2014 impressive value for a $23,000 car.<\/p>\n<p>The egalitarian attitude extends to all Camry\u2019s trim levels.<\/p>\n<p>The Camry is the first car I\u2019ve seen that doesn\u2019t advertise how much money you spent on it. There is no external badging (unless you buy the hybrid model), two equally attractive grille options \u2014 and you can choose dual or quad exhaust pipes no matter which engine is under the hood.<\/p>\n<p>Still, despite Toyota\u2019s alphabet soup of trims \u2014 L, LE, SE, XSE, XYZ and OMG (kidding about those last two) \u2014 you\u2019ll have to buy that pricier XSE to get that V-6 or more than one USB port. But overall, Camry offers lots of choice.<\/p>\n<p>All of those choices, including the hybrid, will be at dealers later this summer. It sounds like a Herculean effort even for Toyota\u2019s legendary manufacturing gurus. For all its new-found style, Toyota\u2019s franchise is still built on bullet-proof reliability. I hope it\u2019s not lost in the wardrobe changes.<\/p>\n<p>Allow Professor Toyoda to take a bow. In a segment it has long been a sales leader, Camry had fallen behind the Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata and Mazda 6 in emotional appeal. Beginning this July, Camry is back with a first-class product.<\/p>\n<p>Miss Doolittle has been transformed.<\/p>\n<p>Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2018 Toyota Camry<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>VEHICLE TYPE<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>FRONT-ENGINE, FRONT-WHEEL DRIVE, FIVE-PASSENGER SEDAN<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Powerplant<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder; 3.5-liter V-6; hybrid, 2.5-liter<\/p>\n<p>inline-4 with electric-motor assist<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Transmission<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Eight-speed automatic (4-cyl and V-6); continuously<\/p>\n<p>variable transmission (hybrid)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Weight<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>3,241-3,57 pounds (4-cyl V-6); 3,571 (hybrid)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Price<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>$24,380 (L-trim with 4-cyl); $35,835 (XSE V-6)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Power<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>203 horsepower, 184 pound-feet torque (4-cyl); 301<\/p>\n<p>horsepower, 267 pound-feet torque (V-6); 208<\/p>\n<p>horsepower (hybrid)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Performance<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>0-60 mph, 5.7 seconds (Car and Driver est. for V-6).<\/p>\n<p>Top speed: 130 mph (V-6)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Fuel<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>economy<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>EPA est. mpg: 29 city\/41 highway\/34 combined (4-cylinder<\/p>\n<p>L-trim); 22 city\/33 highway\/26 combined (V-6 XLE trim);<\/p>\n<p>51 city\/53 highway\/52 combined (hybrid, LE trim)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Report card<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>HIGHS<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>ATHLETIC HANDLING; STANDARD FEATURES GALORE<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Lows<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Too much facial plastic surgery; AWD, please<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Overall:<\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If Broadway were to remake the classic \u201cPygmalion,\u201d they might consider casting Akio Toyoda as Professor Henry Higgins. The charismatic Toyota CEO has transformed his Eliza Doolittle \u2014 the common Camry \u2014 into an elegant, mainstream sedan. Toyoda wowed the Detroit Auto Show in January with Miss Camry\u2019s new face and upscale dress. Showing off [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20736"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20736"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20736\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20737,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20736\/revisions\/20737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}