Toyota Camry: Success from behind the wheel than the backseat

For Toyota Motor, the Camry was the benchmark of an executive car to be chauffeur-driven. 

 

Until... the company realized a plethora of executives are of the hands-on variety who's rather drive than be chauffeured about town or out of town.

 

This realization is being realized with the base model 2.5G. Starting with the body shape, the 2.5G appears more of an evolution than a revolution from the previous Camry. The overall look screams limousine, despite a sharp front chin spoiler, a seemingly short but block-like rear end, and a rear bumper design that can accommodate twin tailpipes. Compared with the top end 3.5Q which totes twin pipes, the 2.5G sports has just one. 

 

There is no platform sharing anymore with the new Camry — stamped with chassis code XV50 — unlike the XV40 that has multiple design cues from its cousin Lexus ES series. 

 

Still, the XV50’s cabin remains influenced by Lexus as reflected by the blue backlighting on the instrument binnacle. The contrast between the backlight and the black-on-white gauges pays homage to the Lexus ES series/XV40 platform. The controls are logically placed for an intuitive feel, whether it’s the power window or side mirrors or airconditioning or audio entertainment cluster. 

 

At the lowest blower setting the aircon is Arctic-cold, but the blower speed and ventilation direction buttons should be bigger — people in tropical countries like to fiddle with the blower speed more than the thermostat. The audio entertainment has a rare and lucid treble-bass combo — that’s uncommon for executive cars — and can handle external MP3 players. 

 

Storage is in abundance, particularly the cargo bay that can fit a large travel bag or two with the rear backrests upright. 

 

About the only annoying part is the imitation cherry wood trim that seems an eyesore in an overall aesthetically pleasing interior. Wouldn't it be better if Toyota goes for black walnut wood as everything in the interior seems just about intuitive, easy-to-read-and-reach, easy on the eyes and ergonomic for occupants?

 

On the tarmac you’ll see why the XV50 deserves to be driven, and why the 2.5G is the best Camry for everyday use. At the “(D)rive” mode the six-speed slushbox or automatic transmission (a/t) is willing to downshift at half-throttle. For best results it’s better to use the manual mode. Simply toss the a/t stick to the left, and pull to downshift or push to upshift. You remain in the powerband’s lower area longer via the manual mode, as the shift points are higher. Plus, you can get away with fourth gear for emergency change lane moves on flat land, but on inclines it’s best to use second gear. As the 2.5G Camry is a great everyday vehicle, you should get the 273 hp/346 NM 3.5Q V6 if you’re frequently rushing to and from the provinces for work. 

 

An executive car is meant more as a city cruiser than a corner carver, and the new Camry is no different. On turns the ride sometimes wallows, but not as pronounced as in the XV40. It doesn’t feel boat-like navigating the corner, but the lateral roll is noticeable. 

 

The suspension and noise damping are Lexus-level superb — you just don’t feel what’s happening underneath the floor even if you run the wheels through nasty bumps on the road close to the EDSA-Buendia southbound area. At full throttle all you hear inside the cabin is a muffled roar. 

 

More good news — the steering has feedback. While the XV40 steering disconnects you from the road despite its light feel, the XV50 has a meatier touch, willing to respond to steering wheel inputs. The brakes grab hard at the slightest tap of the pedal.

Exterior lighting is bright due to a high intensity discharge setup, and there are rear bumper-mounted parking sensors to aid in parallel parking or long backing. The ugly part about the sensors? They get drowned out by an irritating reverse-gear activated chime. Oh, and one should slow down when taking the Camry over humps and dips — the front chin spoiler sits low and could easily get scraped over steep angles of approach and departure.

 

Even at base model, the current Toyota Camry aims — and succeeds — in getting the owner behind the wheel instead of riding as a backseat driver. — VS, GMA News