Facelifted Toyota Camry hits the road

THE facelifted Toyota Camry mid-size sedan range is now on sale in Australia priced from $30,990 plus on-road costs – and only one of the five variants comes without a hybrid drivetrain.

Prices are up between $1700 and $4200 across the board, with Toyota in return upgrading standard safety technologies by adding road sign recognition, lane-centring assistance, intersection collision avoidance, emergency steering assist and Toyota’s Connected Services telematics system.

The latter can automatically alert emergency services with vehicle location data in the event of an accident serious enough to activate the airbags and includes a stolen vehicle tracking function. Manual emergency requests can also be made using an onboard SOS button.

On the entry-level Ascent petrol – the only variant now available with a non-hybrid option – a useful 19kW/22Nm increase in power and torque comes courtesy of its upgraded 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 152kW and 243Nm.

With direct injection and a high 13:1 compression ratio, the engine can still operate on 91 RON regular unleaded and returns 6.8 litres per 100km on the official combined cycle, down from 7.8L/100km in its predecessor, helped by the switch from a six- to eight-speed automatic transmission.

A total system output of 160kW remains for the hybrid, as do fuel consumption figures between 4.2L/100km and 4.5L/100km depending on the variant, while the sports-oriented SX variant gets a hybrid for the first time with this facelift and consumes 4.7L/100km.

On the subject of Camry SX, all V6 engines have been dumped along with all four-cylinder petrols apart from the Ascent, consolidating the range from nine variants to five.

Styling updates include a new grille and front bumper design that on the base Ascent features horizontal slats and a honeycomb mesh on other variants, which also get a different lower bumper design with full-width chin spoiler and additional trim pieces that subtly mimic the Lexus ‘spindle grille’.

Going for the Ascent hybrid costs an extra $2500 over the petrol. In addition to fuel-saving benefits, the electrified version gains dual-zone climate control over the petrol’s basic manual air-conditioning set-up, as well as keyless entry and start. But the hybrid has a space-saver spare wheel instead of the petrol’s full-size alloy item.

Equipment is otherwise identical for the Ascent variants, with the urethane steering wheel and cloth seats befitting a base model. Adjustment of both is manual, with electric lumbar support for the driver. The instrument panel has a 4.2-inch trip computer display.

The 7.0-inch touchscreen media system has six speakers, voice recognition, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration, DAB+ digital radio reception, Bluetooth and compatibility with the myToyota app system enabling access to Waze navigation, Stitcher audio streaming, WebEx conference calling and provides vision from the reversing camera and guidelines.

Just one USB socket and one 12V power outlet is provided. Headlights, tail-lights and daytime running lights are all LED.

In addition to the facelift’s upgraded safety and driver assistance tech are carry-over autonomous emergency braking, pedestrian and daylight cyclist detection, adaptive cruise control and auto high beam systems. The Camry has seven airbags and two sets of ISOFIX child seat anchorages.

For $36,290 plus on-roads the Ascent Sport adds three driving modes, electric folding door mirrors, bigger 7.0-inch instrument panel and 9.0-inch media screens – the latter with in-built satellite navigation – and a leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel.

Safety and driver assistance tech gains blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and parking sensors.

The now-hybrid SX ($39,190 + ORC) has sports suspension, upgraded LED exterior lighting, leather sports seats, paddle-shifters and leather trim on the centre console and door armrests. Its sportier nature is expressed via its unique grille and 19-inch black alloy wheels.

At the top of the Camry tree is the $46,990 plus on-roads SL, which has a head-up display, heated and ventilated front seats, surround-view monitor, nine-speaker JBL premium audio, panoramic glass roof, a powered boot lid, self-dimming rearview mirror and 18-inch alloys.

Declining sedan popularity and the impending switch to an updated Camry has seen the nameplate take a 30 per cent sales dive with 2668 leaving showrooms to the end of March this year, following an 18.1 per cent slump in pandemic-torn 2020.

But the Camry still dominates the medium sedan segment – itself down 31.8 per cent year-to-date – by a vast margin, with the next best-seller being the Mazda6 on 359 deliveries to the end of March and the Skoda Octavia five units behind.

As a whole, Toyota is up 12.9 per cent this year with 56,513 deliveries.

2021 Toyota Camry pricing*

*Excludes on-road costs