{"id":25366,"date":"2020-05-14T15:02:31","date_gmt":"2020-05-14T19:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=25366"},"modified":"2020-05-14T15:02:31","modified_gmt":"2020-05-14T19:02:31","slug":"payne-thats-a-camry-wicked-trd-trim-transforms-toyotas-family-sedan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2020\/05\/payne-thats-a-camry-wicked-trd-trim-transforms-toyotas-family-sedan","title":{"rendered":"Payne: That&#8217;s a Camry? Wicked TRD trim transforms Toyota&#8217;s family sedan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/05\/12\/PDTN\/203b341b-578e-40e8-8e43-00f324cd2f8a-camry_fr3-4.JPG?width=520&amp;height=390&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2020 Toyota Camry TRD adds aggressive looks, chassis tuning, and 301 ponies to the sedan lineup.\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">The 2020 Toyota Camry TRD is so wicked looking you\u2019ll be tempted to get in over your head.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">I sauntered on to Woodward Avenue one recent Sunday at the wheel of the hottest Camry ever. Growly V-6. Massive black trunk wing. Torch red paint. Black roof, side skirts, front splitter\u00a0and rear diffuser. Lowered 0.6 inches. Black locomotive cow catcher grille. Wheel wells engorged with huge, 19-inch rims\u00a0\u2014\u00a0black, of course.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-StKiVI2ZyfE\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/05\/12\/PDTN\/176da0e3-0493-4dc1-beaa-34e76f08b550-camry_fr.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Charged by Chairman Akio Toyoda to make his cars more racy, designers of the 2020 Toyota Camry TRD went wild on an aggressive grille.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/05\/12\/PDTN\/176da0e3-0493-4dc1-beaa-34e76f08b550-camry_fr.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/05\/12\/PDTN\/176da0e3-0493-4dc1-beaa-34e76f08b550-camry_fr.JPG\" \/>Charged by Chairman Akio Toyoda to make his cars more racy, designers of the 2020 Toyota Camry TRD went wild on an aggressive grille.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">A hearse-black, 396-horsepower, all-wheel-drive Mercedes-AMG E 43 rolled up next to me at a stoplight. I looked at him. He looked at me. The light turned green.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The German rocket ship was gone before my front tires had stopped chirping from wheel spin. The global auto hierarchy is still intact.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">But the point is that the Mercedes King of Beasts felt the need to assert its authority over &#8230; a Camry. Take a bow, Toyota. Next time, maybe the engineers will give you an engine upgrade to fight back with.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ad-position-71\" class=\"partner-placement partner-spike partner-placement-visible\" data-ad-placement=\"native-article_link\" data-ad-sizes=\"[&quot;fluid&quot;,[3,3], [2,6]]\" data-monetization-id=\"native-article_link\" data-monetization-sizes=\"fluid,3,3,2,6\">The Camry TRD is the latest in a wave of Toyota and Lexis products drawn to make the somnolent Japanese brands more compelling \u2014 by order of the chairman of the board himself, Akio Toyoda. Think Toyota Supra, Lexus RX, Lexus 500. And now a wave of TRD badges \u2014 which once designated off-road performance for the Tacoma TRD pickup \u2014 now applied to everything from the ginormous Sequoia SUV to our Camry tester.<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The mid-size Camry TRD is a sexy beast, but, to be honest, I would have preferred a pocket rocket.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Something to compete against the compact Honda Civic Type R hot hatch, VW Golf GTI\u00a0and Subaru WRX. Toyota had that chance with the wee Corolla XSE that I tested last year. Painted in eye-searing Blue Flame with hot wheels and a boomerang grille, the hatchback had all the elements to be a contender \u2014 except a driveline.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-StKiVI3iBRo\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/05\/12\/PDTN\/31ef80b6-5881-4601-abd6-2c7b9da63eb9-camry_light.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"With a snarly exhaust, the 2020 Toyota Camry TRD wants you to punch it at a Woodward stoplight.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/05\/12\/PDTN\/31ef80b6-5881-4601-abd6-2c7b9da63eb9-camry_light.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/05\/12\/PDTN\/31ef80b6-5881-4601-abd6-2c7b9da63eb9-camry_light.JPG\" \/>With a snarly exhaust, the 2020 Toyota Camry TRD wants you to punch it at a Woodward stoplight.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Toyota was content to make the XSE a head-turning trim version of the volume-selling compact with the same 168-horse hamster wheel underneath. A manual made it fun to drive, but it\u2019s hardly in the league of a Golf GTI.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Like XSE, Camry TRD also uses standard Camry equipment rather than stepping up to a unique driveline the way the Civic Type R does with its 306-horse turbocharged-4 or GTI\u2019s wonderful\u00a0220-horse turbo-4. At least Toyota stuffed Camry with the model\u2019s more powerful option \u2014 the 3.5-liter V-6 and not the standard 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder sewing machine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The TRD may not belch flames \u2014 but with 301 ponies under the hood and an exterior that rivals the Subaru WRX STI for outrageousness, it\u2019ll have to do.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">After picking up my pride \u2014 and restoring the Camry\u2019s doors that had been blown off by the Merc-AMG \u2014 I continued down Woodward, but with more humility. A 550-horsepower, 2011 Mustang GT500 sauntered by. I didn\u2019t even try to provoke him. Then a 365-horse BMW M2.\u00a0<em>No mas.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">But then a 300-horse, 2007 Subaru WRX STI blew by me. I took the bait.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">This was more in the TRD\u2019s wheelhouse. Sure, the third-generation, compact-class Subie had all-wheel drive and was lighter by 200 pounds,\u00a0but the mid-size Camry is 13 years newer with a modern, 8-speed automatic transmission and more tire. Oh, it was on.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The rowdy \u2019Ru properly led me into a Michigan turn. We rolled northbound on Woodward. He slowed so I could tuck under his rear bumper. Then we floored it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The rolling start helped me put the power down through the front wheels in order to keep up with the instant grip of his AWD. As he rowed his stick shift, I kept my foot buried as the smooth-shifting, auto 8-speed did its thing. Nearly a dead heat with the Subaru pulling away at 60. A later check of car specs confirmed the STI does 0-60 mph in 5.2 seconds versus my TRD\u2019s 5.6.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The Camry is vanilla no more. Make mine cherry red with hot fudge sauce on top.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">That sweetness carried into the twisties of northern Oakland County which I explored later that day. When the current-gen Camry debuted in 2018 it was noticeably tighter than its predecessor. TRD turns that inherent goodness up a notch. While there were no Subies to harass, the sporty Camry was surprisingly good through the curves.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-StKiVI3BIVk\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/05\/12\/PDTN\/ac9dd7a2-78ac-453f-85a4-d60364336a0b-camry_rr-woodward.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Not a hot hatch. But with lots of interior room and 301 horses, the 2020 Toyota Camry TRD is a performance steal at $23k.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/05\/12\/PDTN\/ac9dd7a2-78ac-453f-85a4-d60364336a0b-camry_rr-woodward.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/05\/12\/PDTN\/ac9dd7a2-78ac-453f-85a4-d60364336a0b-camry_rr-woodward.JPG\" \/>Not a hot hatch. But with lots of interior room and 301 horses, the 2020 Toyota Camry TRD is a performance steal at $23k.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Seems that Dr. Akio Frankenstein dragged the Camry into his basement lab and swapped in stiffer springs, updated shocks\u00a0and larger-diameter anti-roll bars for an increase in TRD\u2019s resistance to body roll by 44% in front, 67% in back. The gym-training didn\u2019t stop there.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The TRD adds stiffer underbody braces and a V-brace behind the rear seats to keep that butt firm. Heck, even the custom-to-TRD, matte-black, 19-inch hoofs are three pounds lighter than the standard 19-inchers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">That\u2019s a lot of engineering effort not to add a more capable engine \u2014 though I\u2019m not sure\u00a0there are more capable V-6s in Toyota\u2019s stable. The twin-turbo, 354-horse, twin-motor hybrid unit out of the Lexus LS would be pricey and the wonderful, 335-horse inline-6 in the Supra is, well, a BMW product.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">So Toyota makes the Camry TRD attractive the old-fashioned way: affordability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">My tester was $32,950. That\u2019s right, just $33K.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">That\u2019s the same price as a much smaller\u00a0220-horse GTI, for example. Honey, I grew the pocket rocket. Which comes with certain advantages like more rear seat room. Typical of Asian automakers these days, Camry TRD also comes stuffed with standard features to complement its bodacious exterior: auto high beams, auto pre-collision braking, auto lane assist, adaptive cruise control.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-StKiVI30P_Y\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/05\/12\/PDTN\/1a45f856-3734-46a4-8ef7-4525761d673b-camry_side-dodge.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Woodward cruisers. The 302 horse 2020 Toyota Camry TRD gives up a lot of ponies to the 707-horse Dodge Challenger Hellcat - but it has two more doors and looks sharp.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/05\/12\/PDTN\/1a45f856-3734-46a4-8ef7-4525761d673b-camry_side-dodge.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/05\/12\/PDTN\/1a45f856-3734-46a4-8ef7-4525761d673b-camry_side-dodge.JPG\" \/>Woodward cruisers. The 302 horse 2020 Toyota Camry TRD gives up a lot of ponies to the 707-horse Dodge Challenger Hellcat &#8211; but it has two more doors and looks sharp.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The real thing \u2014 not the cheap adaptive cruise I had in a recent $67,000 Sequoia that turned off under 30 mph. Whoa, bessy! Toyota is learning fast, and that includes standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto navigation which you\u2019d have to pay extra for on an Alfa Guilia Quadrifoglio costing twice a much.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Speaking of twice as much, I parked the Camry next to a $60,000\u00a0Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat in Birmingham and the owner came out of his store to check it out. \u201cWhat is\u00a0<em>that<\/em>?\u201d he said. If Camry is getting the attention of Hellcat owners, it\u2019s doing something right. Naturally, he wanted to know what was under the hood.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">I fired up the Camry with a rumble and he gave a thumbs up. But I didn\u2019t challenge him to a drag race.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-StKiVI29r5c\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/05\/12\/PDTN\/8d9175a5-715f-4634-834e-c7fb33a88682-camry_fr-woodward.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Detroit News auto columnist Henry Payne trolled Woodward avenue looking for trouble in the 2020 Toyota Camry TRD -which adds aggressive looks, chassis tuning, and 301 ponies to its sedan lineup.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/05\/12\/PDTN\/8d9175a5-715f-4634-834e-c7fb33a88682-camry_fr-woodward.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/05\/12\/PDTN\/8d9175a5-715f-4634-834e-c7fb33a88682-camry_fr-woodward.JPG\" \/>Detroit News auto columnist Henry Payne trolled Woodward avenue looking for trouble in the 2020 Toyota Camry TRD -which adds aggressive looks, chassis tuning, and 301 ponies to its sedan lineup.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"presto-h3\">2020 Toyota Camry TRD<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Vehicle type: Front-engine, front-wheel drive, 5-passenger sedan<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Price: $31,995, including $955\u00a0destination charge ($32,950 as tested)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Powerplant: 3.5-liter V-6<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Power:\u00a0301 horsepower, 267 pound-feet of torque<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Transmission: 8-speed automatic<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.8 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 135 mph<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Weight: 3,572 pounds<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Fuel economy: EPA 22 city\/ 31 highway\/ 25 combined<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Report card<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Highs: Cool black trim; pocket rocket specs with mid-size roominess<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Lows: Polarizing front grille; more power, please<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Overall: 3\u00a0stars<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2020 Toyota Camry TRD is so wicked looking you\u2019ll be tempted to get in over your head. I sauntered on to Woodward Avenue one recent Sunday at the wheel of the hottest Camry ever. Growly V-6. Massive black trunk wing. Torch red paint. Black roof, side skirts, front splitter\u00a0and rear diffuser. Lowered 0.6 inches. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25366"}],"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\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25366"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25366\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25367,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25366\/revisions\/25367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}