Toyota Camry

As it is already crystal clear that this hybrid is a luxury chariot, once you get into this car, you'll not feel like getting out of it. The interior of the latest Camry is too elegant and soothing to your eyes. The neat design of the dashboard harmoniously blends thoughtful functionality with contemporary looks. Adding more premium, the car comes equipped with a retractable sunshade. Keeping in mind the comfort of not only the front row passengers, Camry, for the first time, offers three-zone climate control to ensure individual controls for rear row passengers as well. Both the front seats are 10 ways electrically adjustable and the rear seats are two ways electrically adjustable. 

For the rear passengers, the armrest has been kitted out with a touchscreen which has various functions like adjustment of the seat, ac, sunshade, and infotainment screen. Front row passengers can also take the fun of ventilated seats that are not there for the rear passengers. Additionally, the hybrid setup and the powerful suspension tuning lead to a cocooning experience of the cabin and its ride quality among the passengers. 

The latest-gen Toyota Camry is on sale in India in just one engine variant that features a 2.5 liters four-cylinder petrol-hybrid engine. The electric motor gets its juice from a Nickel Metal Hydride, 245 Volt battery placed under the floor pan. It is the combination of this petrol motor and electric hybrid engineering that the Camry performs amazingly. The combination of both the powerhouses makes up for a great pickup from the standstill. Additionally, the hybrid motor helps in increasing the fuel economy of the Camry. 

The 178-bhp motor paired with an e-CVT gearbox is a potential workhorse with plenty of mid-range torque. It produces a maximum torque of 221 nm at 3600 rpm and a maximum power of 176 bhp at 5700 rpm. This car has an ARAI-rated fuel mileage of 19.16 kmpl, which is amazing for a car of this size and power. If you need to drive through the city or move at a considerable speed, the driver can easily shift to the electric-only mode to save fuel as the electric motor installed in the sedan gets charged on its own while driving, which is a very attractive feature that boosts the efficiency. Also, the NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness) levels are too low and one can enjoy a near-silent experience seated inside this stately car. 

Toyota has re-engineered the Camry in one of the most efficient ways. The new Camry is now 25mm lower than its predecessor. This led to an increment of up to 50mm in the wheelbase, hence, making up more interior space for the passengers. The bulky battery pack that was earlier located behind the rear bench is now positioned below the rear seat, which means it’s located within the wheelbase of the vehicle. This has had a direct effect on lowering the center of gravity. Plus, the car offers a wide track both at the front and the rear, though the wider track at the rear has further helped the car achieve better dynamics. 

The Camry offers a magic carpet ride as it pretty much glides over every sort of road imperfection. While the massive 18-inch rims lead to a slightly firm ride at the low speed, things never get uncomfortable for the occupants and the softly-sprung sedan can gobble up all sorts of undulations all day long. The body roll is pretty well contained and there's enough grip on offer even taking tight corners at high speeds. The steering is very direct and weighs up with speed. The turning radius, however, is now 5.8-meter, which means three-point turns require some planning.  

Safety is something that Toyota Motor Corporation has taken seriously and things aren’t different with the latest-gen Camry. There is a bag full of active and safety features, including an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Hill Hold Control, Traction Control System (TC/TCS), and Limited Slip Differential (LSD). Furthermore, the car comes with 9-airbags as standard dual-stage SRS driver and front passenger airbags, as well as front and rear side curtain airbags.

The Toyota Camry has bagged a full 5-star rating in ANCAP crash tests. The latest-gen Camry was launched in Australia in November 2018 and the same model was released in New Zealand in March 2018. Later on, in 2019, the same version came to us through the import route. As the Indian spec Camry holds its blueprint from its international siblings, the safety of the Camry remains highly unquestionable. However, Toyota is working on enhancing its safety engineering to make its passenger cars, even more, safer than before.