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The 2012 Camry's single biggest improvement is its interior. Rather than an exercise in computer-aided ergonomics, the cabin's styling looks as though it was created by a human -- a stylist, even -- able to convince the bean counters to splurge a little. There's an unnecessary, but hugely welcome, band of contrasting thread stitched into the Camry's attractive, horizontally themed upper dash. The center stack pours down over the middle of the dashboard, riding atop the rest of the soft-touch material. It feels several classes richer than the last Camry's cabin, and the elegant styling sacrifices nothing in terms of usability.


Moreover, the Camry's liquid-butter driving experience is better than ever. Road and wind noise are noticeably reduced, and the overall structure feels more rigid, with less impact noise and apparent chassis flex over big bumps. The improvements come despite a significant weight loss (about 110 pounds versus last year's Camry) and additional equipment, including three more air bags, for a total of ten. The only evidence of weight (or cost) savings we could find is that the Camry now has but one automatic power window -- all four of last year's windows had auto up/down.


The powertrains -- a 2.5-liter four-cylinder and a 3.5-liter V-6, both mated to a six-speed automatic -- carry over with slight revisions (including incrementally taller final-drive ratios) that have resulted in dramatic improvements in fuel economy. The 268-hp V-6 model is expected to score EPA ratings of 21 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway, which equal the four-cylinder Camry of a couple years ago and nearly match the Sonata's 2.0-liter turbo four. The new four-cylinder Camry, meanwhile, jumps to the top of the class with expected 25/35 mpg ratings.

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Test Results:

Acceleration
0-30 (sec): 3.2 (3.2 w/TC on)
0-45 (sec): 5.5 (5.7 w/TC on)
0-60 (sec): 8.6 (8.8 w/TC on)
0-60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec): 8.3 (8.5 w/TC on)
0-75 (sec): 12.6 (13.1 w/TC on)
1/4-Mile (sec @ mph): 16.3 @ 86.6 (16.5 @ 85.6 w/TC on)

Acceleration comments: Strong for a naturally aspirated four-cylinder, revs hard. But for some reason (perhaps our California PZEV car?), was 0.5 second slower to 60 than the last four-cylinder Camry we tested. Sport mode (with power braking) was quickest, as it lets the car rev to 6,200 rpm instead of 5,800, and shifts quickly. Manual shifting is via console lever (pull back for downshifts) or paddles. Does not hold gears to rev limiter. Sort of blips the throttle on downshifts.

Braking:
30-0 (ft): 31
60-0 (ft): 123

Braking comments: Very firm pedal and not too much ABS commotion or tire squeal. Moderate nosedive, but the rear tires would lock up enough to cause the rear to kick slightly to the right each time. First stop was 124 feet. Shortest was fifth stop at 123 feet.

Handling
Slalom (mph): 64.6 (63.9 w/TC on)
Skid Pad Lateral Acceleration (g): 0.81 (0.80 w/TC on)

Slalom comments: This is a Camry? Seriously, it's not that bad at all. Steering has some feel, even if the effort is a bit artificially heavy. Suspension has good damping and it corners pretty flat. The tires are the letdown, as they give up and start sliding pretty easily. The Camry needs to be manhandled, thrown around the cones, to reach its max time. But with ESC on, you need to be very smooth to keep the system from stabbing the brakes. Thankfully, the intervention point is pretty high.

Skid pad comments: Good steering effort around the skid pad, could actually feel what the front tires were up to. Still, not much you could do about it, though. It just wants to understeer. ESC has high limits when on. But it's rather abrupt about cutting in when it does come on.

Db @ Idle: 39.4
Db @ Full Throttle: 69.7
Db @ 70 mph Cruise: 63.7

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With January sales showing a 56-percent increase year-over-year, the Camry is enjoying a bit of a hot streak, and the model owes much of its current success to the SE trim. SE models accounted for only 7 percent of total sales in the previous-generation Camry, but in the wake of the car's 2012 redesign (which recast the SE as the line's most performance-oriented trim, with larger tires and a sport-tuned suspension), SE sales have swelled to 35 percent of the Camry's mix.

During an interview on Monday at the recent National Automobile Dealers Convention in Las Vegas, Bob Carter, Toyota's group vice president of U.S. sales, said that the manufacturer plans to exploit the SE's popularity by bumping it up to 40-42 percent of total Camry production. Carter noted that the SE is especially popular with younger female buyers, and their presence has lowered the average age of all Camry buyers to 45 -- a figure that's lower than the segment average.

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Kyle Busch, whose 104 career wins across all three of its top series make him one of NASCAR’s top drivers, is now hoping to head to the winner’s circle in a different kind of race: the Toyota Racing Dream Build Challenge (www.ToyotaRacingDreamBuild.com). Busch, one of four racing stand-outs pitted against each other in the vehicle-modification build competition, took on a 2012 Toyota Camry SE and remade it into the “Rowdy Edition” Camry, named for his “Rowdy” handle on the racing circuit. The Rowdy Edition Camry is all about style and substance.

“Our approach to the build [was] to make a car with the stance, attitude and handling of a road-race car while retaining the functionality of a production Camry,” Busch said.

The modifications were carried out at Detroit Speed & Engineering (DSE) in Mooresville, N.C., under Busch’s supervision.

Among the body modifications that the Camry received to realize the proper “Rowdy” image were a hand-formed, custom wide-body kit; custom front and rear belly pans; DSE-designed and fabricated front air splitter and rear air diffuser; and a custom, true dual exhaust system.

“This looks like something we should run at Daytona and Talladega,” Busch said.

Since the official “Rowdy” colors are black, red, and white, they are predominant on both the exterior and inside, where black and red leather Lexus IS F bucket seats were installed to complete the look.

The "Rowdy Edition" Camry will premiere, along with its competitors in the Toyota Racing Dream Build Challenge, at Toyota's press conference at the Special Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas on Oct. 30 at 11 a.m. local time.

NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer produced a Tekked-Out Prius, NHRA Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria converted a Tundra pickup truck into a beastly desert pre-runner, and NHRA Top Fuel points leader Antron Brown modified a Sequoia for maximum speed. All four are competing for the Toyota Racing Dream Build Challenge title and a $50,000 check from Toyota to the driver’s chosen charity. A win by Busch will benefit the Kyle Busch Foundation, whose mission is to empower young men and women by fostering life experiences and helping them achieve their goals.

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December 19, 2013

Toyota Motor Corp.’s Camry, headed for its 12th consecutive year as the best-selling car in the U.S., returned to Consumer Reports’ recommended list after showing improvement on an insurance-industry crash test.

The magazine, based in Yonkers, New York, excluded Camry in October after the 2013 model sedan received a poor rating in a new front-end test by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The 2014 Camry with a strengthened frame received an “acceptable” rating when retested, prompting Arlington, Virginia-based IIHS to give Camrys built after November its second-highest total rating in a report released today.

“The Consumer Reports recommendation is certainly a big thing for Toyota,” said Jake Fisher, the magazine’s director of automotive testing, in a phone interview. Fisher said he wasn’t aware of any vehicle returning to the recommended list faster than Camry.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/201...er-crash-tests

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Today I learned that 50 American families come home with a new Toyota Camry every hour. As such, my last act before I officially defect to North Korea will be to tell you about the heavily refreshed 2015 Toyota Camry. It's all about "attitude" now, Toyota says.

Even though Americans are as addicted to buying Camrys as we are to abusing prescription pain medication, Toyota has decided just three years into the life cycle of the new Camry to revise it nearly completely. The exterior has been almost totally redone; the only body panel the new car shares with the old one is its roof.

Toyota wants the new Camry to be more "emotional," more "fun to drive," and more "waku doki," a Japanese term that means "heart-racing excitement." For them, that includes products like the new Avalon, Highlander and RAV4. So, yeah.

Honestly, it's not unattractive from most angles, and in the visual department it's probably one of the least-boring Camrys ever made. I can't decide how I feel about the new grille. It's kind of Lexus spindle-y, but not.

As part of the 2015 Camry's sporting mission, it will have a twin-turbo V8 engine and rear-wheel drive a new trim level called XSE with 18 inch alloy wheels and an enhanced suspension. It boasts more responsive handling than the old Camry, so if you see someone in an XSE, note that they haven't given up entirely just yet, but they are close.

In addition, the Camry Hybrid now gets an SE trim, because as Toyota's Bill Fay said at the press conference, "You can still have a little fun while being environmentally conscious."

In other news, there is no news on the next Supra.

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