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Pros :
| More-interesting styling |
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Improved fuel economy |
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Standard ABS |
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Sporty SE much improved |
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Hybrid refinement | Cons :
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Folding backseat on CE and LE only |
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Trunk pass-thru on SE, XLE and Hybrid |
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Stability system is optional |
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No manual transmission with V-6 |
Review : When Toyota redesigned the current Camry midsize sedan for the 2002 model year, the TV commercials took an oooooh, aaaaaah, styling-that-moves-you approach. After a while they stopped that. It turned out U.S. consumers weren't particularly moved by the styling. It was different, yes, but still conservative — some would say bland, boring.
This didn't stop the Camry from being the best-selling car in the country for the intervening years. But there's tough competition in the field, and it's now clear that bold styling sells. Bland may now be riskier than taking a chance on a strong design statement. Finally, Toyota has heard the call.
The 2007 models hit dealerships in March 2006 equipped with upgraded drivetrains and other refinements. Roughly three months later, hybrid versions built right here in the U.S. hit the streets. The trim levels, in ascending value, are CE, LE, the sporty SE and the premium XLE.
Unfortunately, the Camry Hybrid follows the current formula: It's a hybrid equivalent of the Camry's top, XLE, trim level. So first you have to pony up the cash for the most expensive trim, then pay whatever premium is on top of that for the hybrid aspect. Someday hybrid technology will be a drivetrain option on any trim level, but not until costs come down dramatically.
The Camry redesign isn't a complete, bumper-to-bumper reengineering job, but it's substantial. The wheelbase has gained about two inches, though Toyota says the turning diameter has decreased to 36.1 feet from 36.7 feet (V-6 models). The car's nose is blunter and sportier, and it trades the 2006 model's organic shapes for more sculpted, angular forms. The tail recalls the Avalon full-size sedan, and the fenders have shoulders that give the trunk lid a hump — a style introduced on recent BMWs but stolen and executed better by other manufacturers, including Lexus on the GS 300/430 sedan.
Standard wheels now measure 16 rather than 15 inches, and the Camry SE has 17-inch aluminum wheels and summer performance tires (all-season tires are an option). It also has an exclusive black honeycomb grille, ground effects and tinted headlight lenses.
Interior changes for the 2007 model include close to half an inch more backseat legroom. In the top, XLE, trim level, the backrests recline 8 degrees farther, but they don't fold to extend cargo space into the cabin. Likewise, the Camry SE's seats don't fold due to a V-shaped brace intended to stiffen the car's structure, improving handling. The Camry Hybrid has a small, off-center pass-thru, but that's more than the Honda Accord Hybrid has. The CE and LE trims have split, folding backseats.
New for 2007, Toyota has added a telescoping function to the Camry's tilt steering wheel. New standard upholstery fabric is treated by the Fraichir process, which Toyota describes as "coated with a naturally occurring component called Sericin, which is extracted from silkworm cocoons and refined. This substance is used because it contains a natural moisturizing component." If there is a way to market this feature without making it seem gross, Toyota clearly hasn't found it.
The SE trim level gets its own sport-trimmed interior in darker colors, amber gauges and a three-spoke steering wheel.
Another development in the XLE and Camry Hybrid is a ventilation system that uses "Plasmacluster ionizer technology to help reduce airborne mold spores, microbes, fungi, odors, germs and bacteria inside the passenger cabin." Perhaps it can do something about that Sericin stuff.
The base, four-cylinder engine is the same size at 2.4 liters, but Toyota says it is significantly improved. It generates 158 horsepower and 161 pounds-feet of torque. With it, a five-speed-manual transmission is standard and a five-speed automatic is optional. The optional 3.5-liter V-6, already in service in the Avalon, is an upsized version of the current Camry's 3.3-liter. It produces 268 hp and 248 pounds-feet of torque. Paired with a new six-speed-automatic transmission, it's claimed to provide a 40 percent increase in acceleration over the 2006 Camry V6. The transmission can be shifted manually, and it has a gear train with a Ravigneaux-type compound planetary gear for reduced size, weight and friction. (We don't know what that means, but how could a car with this be boring?)
The Camry Hybrid's version of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive is similar to that of the Prius in that it uses a four-cylinder, not a V-6, along with an electric motor. Here the system generates a combined 187 hp. Toyota says this allows the car to accelerate to 60 mph in less than 9 seconds.
EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings for the cars are 24/34 mpg (city/highway) for the four-cylinder manual, 24/33 for the four-cylinder automatic, 22/31 for the V-6 and 40/38 for the hybrid.
The hybrid comes with an additional eight-year/100,000-mile warranty that covers all hybrid components, including the high-voltage battery.
Suspension changes abound, especially in the SE, which in the past has been firmer than the other trims in terms of ride quality, but has not been much of a performer. Now it has firmer springs, shock absorbers, stabilizer bars and bushings to improve handling and limit body roll. The other trim levels also boast improved suspension components.
Safety features are plentiful. All trim levels have four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, brake assist and electronic brake-force distribution. Airbags include dual-stage frontal bags, front seat-mounted side-impact airbags, side curtain-type airbags and a driver's knee airbag, the latter intended to keep the occupant from sliding down and forward (submarining) in a collision. The seats are designed to mitigate whiplash injuries. Traction control and an electronic stability system are a single option available on any trim level.
Press Release : Dealers have a slim 10-day supply of the redesigned 2007 Toyota Camry, which hit dealerships in March. The Georgetown, Ky., plant is running overtime and weekend shifts. Sales executives are begging for the Japanese Camry plant to export more. The car has no incentives.
"Customers are following the car carriers to the dealership," says Toby Hynes, president of Gulf States Toyota, which distributes vehicles to 148 Toyota dealerships. "This is not just selected dealers. It's every dealer in every market that is short of product."
The 2007 redesign gave the Camry more attractive styling, more interior room and more power. A hybrid version is now available. And rising gasoline prices are pushing customers away from trucks and toward cars.
If Toyota's manufacturing plants keep up with demand, there is a strong chance that the Camry could be the first car to top 450,000 sales since the Chevrolet Impala in 1978.
The Camry has been America's best-selling car every year but one since 1997.
Sales, transaction prices up
Since the March launch of the redesigned model, Toyota has sold 205,615 Camrys, including the still-to-be-redesigned Camry Solara coupe, up 3.1 percent from the March-July period of last year, according to the Automotive News Data Center. Sedan sales account for 90 percent of the total.
A 3.1 percent increase is modest, considering redesigns typically boost demand. But dealers say they could sell many more if stock were available. And the average transaction price of the Camry is rising, from $22,378 in April to $22,558 in July, according to the Power Information Network.
Meanwhile, many light-truck segments are faltering with $3-per-gallon gasoline. Full-sized SUVs fell 29.5 percent in the five-month period.
Mid-sized cars are flat, down 0.4 percent in the March-July period.
Before the redesign, the Camry was a loss-leader for Toyota dealers; dealers ordered them to become eligible for hotter, more profitable models. The cars often sold for below dealer invoice.
"There were years in the not-distant past when you were content to lose a grand a unit on Camry, because you'd make it up on other products," says Fritz Hitchcock, a multiline dealer in Puente Hills, Calif.
"Now we're getting within $500 of sticker, and we can make a buck on them. You'd have to be asleep at the switch not to be selling these."
As Toyota factories rush to fill Camry orders, the launch has encountered a speed bump. Internet chat sites such as Edmunds.com, MSN Autos and Yahoo! Autos list hundreds of customer complaints about 2007 Camry powertrains hesitating under low-speed acceleration. That echoes problems suffered in the launch of last year's redesigned Avalon, which shares many components with the Camry.
In response to these complaints, Toyota has issued several technical service bulletins for the 2007 Camry powertrain, a spokesman said. The bulletins address transmission malfunctions, spiking RPMs and harsh downshifts.
Toyota's success around the world has caused a substantial review of the company's vaunted quality procedures.
Executives are pondering whether Toyota's rapid growth is undermining vehicle quality, forcing a reevaluation of the automaker's launch strategy.
More room, more pizazz
In the redesign, Toyota accurately gauged consumer demands for a more upscale interior, more rear-seat room and more power, dealers say.
Its exterior design also is more appealing. In a review, AutoWeek described the Camry as having "more interesting surface treatments, shapes, lines and details."
Even in domestic-friendly Michigan, Toyota dealers are sold out of Camrys.
"Customers aren't treating this like a core volume car. They're acting like it's a niche car," says Rosario Criscuolo, owner of Spartan Toyota in Lansing, Mich.
"The only reason we are discounting off sticker price is so we can help people get out of a negative equity situation when they finance," Criscuolo says. A customer has negative equity when he owes more on his car loan than the car is worth.
Another Camry advantage is a strong residual value from Automotive Lease Guide, he says. After three years, the Camry retains 62 to 64 percent of its sticker price, depending on the trim level. The residual, the value of a vehicle at the end of a lease, allows Toyota to offer low monthly lease payments.
Mid-sized cars continue to account for more than half of the vehicles traded in to get a Camry. However, SUVs have increased from 13.3 to 15.6 percent of vehicles traded in, according to PIN data. During the March-July period, the Ford Explorer was the fifth-most traded-in vehicle for a Camry, up from eighth in the same period of 2005, the PIN data states.
"We're seeing a lot of SUVs coming in on trades, from Envoys to Explorers and Navigators," Criscuolo said. "They are getting out of domestic SUVs and into our car. Now we're going to retain them."
More stock coming
Some inventory relief will come this fall when the Georgetown plant begins building 48,000 Camry Hybrid models, about one-eighth of Camry production at the plant. That will free up Toyota's Japanese export allocation for more standard Camrys, while the Japanese hybrid plant can concentrate on Prius production.
Next spring the Subaru plant in Indiana will begin building Camrys at a rate of 100,000 units per year. But that will not be incremental production, cautions Toyota manufacturing spokesman Dan Sieger. Those units will be used to decrease the number of Camry exports from Japan.
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