Limited edition Toyota Camry RZ checks in

TOYOTA has released the limited-edition Camry RZ and says its 86 sports coupe and Corolla ZR hatch provided the inspiration for its production.

The Camry RZ comes in the same Inferno Orange paint as the 86 and the Corolla hatch and it gains a sporty front-end treatment with black surrounds on the front fog-lights and darkened inserts for the headlights, while the grille combines gloss black elements with the colour of the car.

Priced at $31,990, plus on-road costs, the Camry RZ features equipment usually reserved for the up-spec Atara SX, which costs $35,990 before on-roads.

This includes sports suspension, a sport body kit which incorporates side skirts and the rear bumper, RZ decals, and a lip-spoiler on the boot-lid in gloss black.

A dual exhaust system, which is only available on the Atara variant has also been fitted the Camry RZ.

Toyota says this actually increases the power output of the 2.5-litre four cylinder petrol engine from 133kW to 135kW.

A six-speed automatic transmission comes standard and the Camry RZ also gets the Atara’s 17-inch alloy wheels in a gloss black finish.

The Japanese car-maker has included more Atara gear in the cabin, from the reversing camera to the three spoke steering wheel, the sports instrument meters and gear-shift knob.

The RZ could be one of the final hurrahs for the current-generation Camry, with the facelifted family favourite – revealed at the New York motor show in April – set to go on sale locally next year.

As previously reported, the facelfited Camry will be the final vehicle Toyota will build at its Altona production facility in Melbourne's west, before the company shuts its local manufacturing operation in 2017.

The Camry is still the best selling mid-size car under $60,000 in Australia, with 7740 sales for the first five months of 2014 easily eclipsing runner-up the Mazda6 on 2626 sales in the same period, followed by the Ford Mondeo with 1388 units sold.