1 Nov 2017
After 30 years of being built in Australia, the Camry returned to being an imported model in 2017 after Toyota shut its Australian manufacturing operations.
This time sourced from Japan, the eighth-generation Camry was underpinned by the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) that also formed the basis of the C-HR crossover and the Prius hybrid.
Once again offered in four-cylinder petrol (carried over from the previous generation) and petrol-electric hybrid (this time a new-gen system), the Camry was also offered with a 224kW/362Nm V6 borrowed from the Kluger SUV paired with an eight-speed auto.
Previously, the Aurion was offered as the alternative for buyers wanting a V6, but this model has been discontinued.
Toyota changed the names of some of the variants, with Altise and Atara ditched in favour of Ascent, Ascent Sport, SX and SL.
The interior was completely new and introduced a modern look, new tech features and a much quieter cabin thanks to improvements to noise, vibration and harshness levels.
More safety features and more overall standard gear improved the value equation which was hlped by the fact that pricing remained around the same as the previous version.
But it was the dramatic improvements to ride and handling that finally earned the Camry praise for becoming something of a driver’s car.
