5 Key highlights of the 2018 Toyota Camry

The Toyota Camry has a tough job. It has to maintain its legacy of selling in huge numbers year after year in the face of constantly increasing competition. It has been in the UAE market since 1992 and since then the competition has gotten tougher and tougher - not just from similar family sedans but also crossovers and SUVs. It has to constantly improve its models to stay relevant and yet stay familiar to not detract its old customers. Thankfully, the new Camry has risen up to the challenge with a whole host of new features while improving the qualities that made it a great choice in the first place.

1) A new design focus

Following the new Toyota philosophy, the Camry has decided it wants to be more aggressive. At least the design wants us to feel that way. It sits an inch closer to the ground and is longer and wider by around the same amount. Even the seating position is similarly close to the ground. This lower stance combined with the thin upper and fat lower grill and sculpted back bumper gives it a sleek front and rear. The side design elements also benefit from the longer stance and most importantly do not look overdone, a trait that is, unfortunately, becoming a staple in this segment. The interior also gains more space from a 4.8 cm longer wheelbase.

2) Sharper handling

The Camry was never sporty. Toyota however, has still tried to improve its drivability by making the car 30% stiffer than the outgoing model. Being based on the new TNGA platform, it also gains control arm rear suspension. These features should improve the drivability, making it a fast family sedan if not an outright sports sedan.

3) Improved Safety features

The Safety Sense suite that was introduced in 2017 still comes as standard on all Camrys. The new system now comes with added pedestrian detection in the forward collision detection system along with the adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warnings with active lane control, and automatic high beams, which were present before. The pedestrian detection function should help with avoiding low-speed collisions with both standing and approaching pedestrians.

4) Improved connectivity in the cabin

The Camry now has a redesigned interior that isolates the driver from the passenger with a curvy piece going around the center console. This is a rather unusual design choice for a family sedan and points towards its sporty inclinations. The center console also houses a 4.2” TFT display that has the newest edition of the Entune multimedia interface. Depending on the trim level, this system can connect to the apps on the driver’s smartphone, allowing them different navigation options and remote control of the car’s doors, monitoring guest drivers, finding their cars in parking lots and receive notifications about the car’s status.

5) Improved performance and efficiency

There are two engines on offer. The base models come with 16 valves 2.5-litre 4 cylinder petrol engine with direct injection and Dual VVTi to produce a measly 178 hp at 600 rpm and 230 Nm of torque at 4100 rpm. Thankfully though, the 3.5-litre V6 is still an option and generates a more formidable 298 hp and 353 Nm of torque. Despite the power, the V6 controls its thirst and manages an economy figure of 14.2 kmpl, largely because of its D-4S fuel injection system.  

Do these new improvements make the Camry a better competitor to its rivals like the Mazda 6 and the Nissan Altima? Is the Camry setting its sights too high by trying to be sportier? We cannot say for sure. We can, however, be sure about the fact that the 2018 version of the Camry is a better Camry in every way. It is everything that one wants from a Camry and delivers on its three-decade-old promise of reliability and value.