UMW Toyota has launched the latest generation of Toyota Camry to Malaysian market at the end of last week. Codenamed XV50, the new Camry wears an all-new outlook both to the interior and exterior, and received one new set of drivetrain too. This time around for the 7th generation, Toyota Camry is assembled locally, as opposed to Thai-CBU for the XV40 generation. Like the previous generation too, Toyota is offering two variants for the 2.0L, namely 2.0E and 2.0G. The range topper is now 2.5V, displacing the previous flagship 2.4V. Prices are RM149,900, RM157,900 and RM180,900 respectively for the variant listed above.
Compared to the current XV40 Toyota Camry, it seems that Toyota has goes for another major shift in styling philosophy again. Some are deemed progression while some are not so. The XV50 Camry has eschewed the current car detailing, instead leaving a spartan-kind of look. The front end is dominated by the angular hood leading edge that is very sharp, lending a strong presence, majestic even. This is accentuates further by the strong edgy headlamp and a prestigious looking radiator grille. Toyota has put some effort is cheering up the grille by incorporating some indenting on the outer edge of the slats, giving it a more chiselled look.
The rear end meanwhile has ditched the current car shapely taillight. In comes a relatively simple item, with simple internals too. At least, the clear lens part is aligned with the trunk lid garnish, unlike our home grown Preve. Anyway, despite the look, it is actually LED item. There is also a faint character line running along the belt line of the door, continues until near the taillight before splitting into two, one that dives down along the taillight housing towards the bumper, while the other one joins the trunk lip edge. The rear end can somehow me summarized as quite simplistic in looks with minimum garnishing to spice up the look. Judging by the target market of the Camry, it is considered as an OK move.
In terms of dimension, the new Camry is 4,825mm long, 1,825mm wide and 1,470mm tall. The wheelbase is 2,775mm. Compared to the old Camry, the new one is 5mm wider while the rest of other exterior dimension is carried over. Despite the similar dimension with its predecessor, the new car is more spacious inside such as 13mm more rear legroom, thanks to repackaged cabin and re-sculpted seat back. Boot volume now stands at 515L, which is 11L more than before.
In chassis department, the new Camry rides on a rehashed platform, so it continues to ride on McPherson struts up front and dual-link at the back. Braking is assured by the ventilated disc at the front, while the rear wheel is stopped by the solid disc. Power steering is electrically-assisted item for an added economy and efficiency. The 2.0L car is shod with 215/60 R16 while the range topper 2.5V is loaded with 215/55 R17 tyres and rim combo.
In terms powertrain, the new Camry range is a mixture of an outgoing (which already can be said even the XV40) and the new. The range starter is 2.0L 1AZ-FE engine punching out a trusty 148PS@6,000rpm and 190Nm@4,000rpm of power and torque. The drive is channelled via the antique 4 speed automatic gearbox. I honestly think if Toyota really needs to contain the cost, they should reconsider using the older 3 speed auto, drum brakes and material colored bumper! On the brighter side, the range topper is powered by a new 2AR-FE 2,494cc 4 cylinder engine. Kicking out 181PS@6,000rpm of power and healthy 231Nm of torque at 4,100rpm, this version is mated to 2012-spec 6 speed automatic transmission. More details and photo after the jump.
