CHARLOTTE, NC — Many moons ago Ford attempted to take a page out of Toyota’s playbook — it deliberately made the then new Five Hundred look very Camry-like (read conservative), and simply because of the latter’s popularity. Of course, the Five Hundred crashed and burned horribly. Fast-forward to the 2015 “Bold New” Camry, and Toyota has ditched its traditional conservatism and added a serious dose of style — only the roof panel carries over from the outgoing car.
From the slimmed-down lights and mesh under-bumper grille (XSE) through the sleek side profile to the twin tailpipes, the latest Camry has more substance and road presence than one has come to expect from Toyota — the back end is still a tad bland. That aside, it is, dare I say, a fetching piece, as was witnessed by the fact it earned more interest on the drive route than I can remember any Camry ever garnering.
2015 Toyota Camry
Graeme Fletcher, Driving
The good news is the expressive exterior design flows nicely into the cabin. The materials take a welcome step forward and, as with the exterior, there’s a dash of flare — the accenting red stitching on the sporty XSE is a nice touch. The XSE also earns bolstered leather seats with suede inserts — they are vastly different from the flat pads that defined the previous car. Likewise the instrumentation now includes a Multi-Information Display on the SE and up. The 4.2-inch TFT full-colour screen, which is nestled between the main dials, displays turn-by-turn navigation, incoming call information, fuel economy and cruise control information among other things.
There are a number of trim levels — LE, SE, XSE, XLE for the gas car and LE, SE and XLE for the Hybrid. As you climb the trim ladder so goes the content. All models arrive with the usual power items and a back-up camera. At the top end, the XLE comes fully duded out and includes a neat feature — the addition of a wireless charging pad. Simply lay the phone, which in most cases requires a special case, on the non-slip surface and it begins to charge. Say goodbye to tangled cords.
As for safety, the Camry comes with all the usual stuff including available blind spot monitoring and lane departure warning. Toyota’s Pre-Collision System is also offered on the high-end models. It uses the adaptive cruise control to look for a potential crunch. If it determines the incident is imminent, the system automatically applies the brakes to reduce the severity of any potential injury.
2015 Toyota Camry
Graeme Fletcher, Driving
If Toyota is to be taken to task it is for standing pat on the powertrain front. As before, the lineup employs a 2.5-litre four-cylinder and 3.5L V6. Both soldier on unchanged. The base four makes 178 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque. This is enough for most eventualities, although it takes 9.1 seconds to trot from rest to 100 kilometres an hour. The V6, available on XSE and XLE, adds the missing urgency. With 268 hp and 248 lb.-ft. of torque, it chops the run to 100 km/h to a far more respectable 7.4 seconds.
Both engines are married to the same six-speed manumatic transmission — the sportier XSE model comes with paddle shifters. The nit is whenever the driver slides the shifter over into the sequential position (manual gate) the gearbox drops from sixth to fourth. On the highway at 120 km/h that’s the wrong gear. If it is designed to be a manual mode, why force an automatic shift? The saving grace is the XSE’s paddle shifters worked regardless of whether the shifter was in drive or sequential.
The third powertrain option is the Hybrid. It combines a 2.5L engine with electric motors and a nickel metal-hydride battery. As is common for Toyota the information on the output was sketchy — the only number listed was the net system output of 200 hp. When compared to the regular Camry, the Hybrid’s only real difference is found in the cargo capacity. The Hybrid drops to 370 L from 436 L, which is hardly worth getting worked up about.
2015 Toyota Camry
Graeme Fletcher, Driving
What has changed, and for the better, is the suspension. Where the Camry was once famed for its cossetting ride and marginal handling, the rework brings a far sportier setup. All models get recalibrated springs, shocks and anti-roll bars to go along with upgraded steering. This gives the Camry much better handling characteristics without completely giving up on ride comfort. Revamping the suspension proved to be the hardest sell to management. Thankfully, they saw the light because the Camry is a better car for it. The SE and XSE models earn a tauter setup again.
To drive the handling point home, Toyota had the temerity to turn the Camry loose on a slalom course at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Throughout the run, the Camry’s feel was light and lithe, the steering delivered the right feedback and the handling proved to be remarkably neutral for a front-drive car. The braking is also sharper. The pedal has a noticeably crisper feel that’s easier to modulate when driving quickly. None of this could be said of any previous Camry.
There were also hot laps around the Speedway with a pro at the wheel. Shockingly, the Camry did not embarrass itself honking around the high-banked oval at white-knuckle speeds.
What came through loud and clear from the rework of the 2015 Camry is Toyota wants to attract a younger buyer. The perky look and tighter handling certainly speak to that aspiration. Likewise, the interior brings some welcome upgrades and a smarter overall look and feel. The 2015 Camry starts at $23,850 for the LE and runs to $30,790 for the loaded XLE. The Hybrid starts at $28,410 for the LE and tops out at $34,500 for the XLE.
2015 Toyota Camry
Graeme Fletcher, Driving
