New Camry no price increase but bigger engine

[Jim Goose]

Toyota resists price increases for new Camry
Barry Park
December 7, 2011 - 1:33PM

Toyota resists price increases for new Camry
Barry Park
December 7, 2011 - 1:33PM

Comments 16

Camry gets more power

Toyota's mid-size best seller has a new engine and more technology.

Australia's best-selling mid-size car gets more power, better fuel efficiency for same money.

Toyota is looking to woo family buyers back to its locally-built Camry with more power, reduced fuel consumption and no price hike.

The seventh generation comes with a new 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine that produces 133kW of power and 231Nm of torque in base form, up from 117kW and 218Nm on the previous model.

More expensive models get a fuel exhaust system that lifts power and torque marginally.


The new engine is matched to a new six-speed automatic transmission, which cuts fuel use from 8.8L/100km to 7.8L/100km - a 13 per cent reduction. The manual transmission has been dropped.

The new range is clearly split into fleet and private buyer models for the first time, with the base model Altise separated from more expensive Atara models by a new grille, sideskirts and different exhausts.

Atara models will come in S, SX and SL versions.

Toyota says interior space has grown, and the drive experience has sharpened up with tweaks to the suspension, aerodynamics and brakes to help with roadholding.

The entry-level Altise keeps both its $30,490 price tag and the 16-inch alloys it added late last year, although, oddly, buyers can opt to replace the wheels with a set of steel rims for an extra $100. For another $500 they can also add a reversing camera.

All models now get seven airbags including a driver's knee airbag, Bluetooth streaming, seatbelt reminders for all seats, a full trip computer and - in a first for the Camry - electrically assisted power steering.

The $33,490 Atara S - up by $1000 on the Ateva it replaces - introduces a more upmarket look including chrome exterior trim, foglamps, and a sports bumper grille, dual-zone air-conditioning, reversing camera, keyless entry and start, and an electric-adjust driver's seat as standard fit-out. Options include leather seats and a sunroof.

Stepping up to the $35,990 Atara SX - a $2000 jump over the Sportivo it replaces - adds leather trim, stiffer suspension and a rear-lip spoiler, among other bits of go-fast trim.

Where the Sportivo, which had a body-stiffening brace behind the rear seat that meant the rear seats could not split-fold, the SX lacks the brace and keeps the same rear-seat functionality as the rest of the range. The only option for the SX is a sunroof.

The range-topping $39,990 Atara SL, which replaces the Grande, also comes without a price rise.

It gains leather-accented interior with plastic wood, a premium 10-speaker audio system that includes a digital radio, satellite navigation with live traffic updates, a monitor that can warn if another vehicle is driving in the car's blind spot, automatic wipers, and automatic headlights that even dip the high beam if another car is in sight.

It gains reversing sensors as well as a more up-market reversing camera that shows the course of the car. Again, the only option is a sunroof.

Toyota says the Atara name, unique to the Australian market, means ''crown'' in Hebrew.

Unlike the previous locally made 2.4-litre version, the new 2.5-litre unit will be imported until an update of Toyota's Victorian casting plant comes on stream late next year.

The hybrid version won't be available until the first quarter of next year.Camry gets more power

Toyota's mid-size best seller has a new engine and more technology.


Australia's best-selling mid-size car gets more power, better fuel efficiency for same money.

Toyota is looking to woo family buyers back to its locally-built Camry with more power, reduced fuel consumption and no price hike.

The seventh generation comes with a new 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine that produces 133kW of power and 231Nm of torque in base form, up from 117kW and 218Nm on the previous model.


The new engine is matched to a new six-speed automatic transmission, which cuts fuel use from 8.8L/100km to 7.8L/100km - a 13 per cent reduction. The manual transmission has been dropped.

The new range is clearly split into fleet and private buyer models for the first time, with the base model Altise separated from more expensive Atara models by a new grille, sideskirts and different exhausts.

Atara models will come in S, SX and SL versions.

Toyota says interior space has grown, and the drive experience has sharpened up with tweaks to the suspension, aerodynamics and brakes to help with roadholding.

The entry-level Altise keeps both its $30,490 price tag and the 16-inch alloys it added late last year, although, oddly, buyers can opt to replace the wheels with a set of steel rims for an extra $100. For another $500 they can also add a reversing camera.

All models now get seven airbags including a driver's knee airbag, Bluetooth streaming, seatbelt reminders for all seats, a full trip computer and - in a first for the Camry - electrically assisted power steering.

The $33,490 Atara S - up by $1000 on the Ateva it replaces - introduces a more upmarket look including chrome exterior trim, foglamps, and a sports bumper grille, dual-zone air-conditioning, reversing camera, keyless entry and start, and an electric-adjust driver's seat as standard fit-out. Options include leather seats and a sunroof.

Stepping up to the $35,990 Atara SX - a $2000 jump over the Sportivo it replaces - adds leather trim, stiffer suspension and a rear-lip spoiler, among other bits of go-fast trim.

Where the Sportivo, which had a body-stiffening brace behind the rear seat that meant the rear seats could not split-fold, the SX lacks the brace and keeps the same rear-seat functionality as the rest of the range. The only option for the SX is a sunroof.

The range-topping $39,990 Atara SL, which replaces the Grande, also comes without a price rise.

It gains leather-accented interior with plastic wood, a premium 10-speaker audio system that includes a digital radio, satellite navigation with live traffic updates, a monitor that can warn if another vehicle is driving in the car's blind spot, automatic wipers, and automatic headlights that even dip the high beam if another car is in sight.

It gains reversing sensors as well as a more up-market reversing camera that shows the course of the car. Again, the only option is a sunroof.

Toyota says the Atara name, unique to the Australian market, means ''crown'' in Hebrew.

Unlike the previous locally made 2.4-litre version, the new 2.5-litre unit will be imported until an update of Toyota's Victorian casting plant comes on stream late next year.

The hybrid version won't be available until the first quarter of next year.