Toyota is hoping to inject some vigor and flair into the best-selling car in America. With the midsize-car market shrinking thanks to affordable gas and a generational shift toward crossovers, the Camry has lost ground for the second consecutive year. While it is undeniably clear that something needs to be done to recapture buyers’ attention, the methodology behind Toyota’s response is more enthusiastic than sound.
The company says the 2018 Camry has a new “emotionally-charged design,” but the mood its designers tapped into must have been bitter sadness. It is an almost unfortunately futuristic modeling of a car. Following some of the Prius’ head-scratching styling cues, the Camry’s new look stands to be extremely polarizing.
Its face is exaggerated and slightly hostile, though the merkinized grille seems to be covering up a damaged — or perhaps missing — piece of bumper. Thankfully, appearances aren’t everything.
While Toyota could have lifted the Camry and made it crossover adjacent, it ended up taking things in the opposite direction. The midsize is now about an inch lower across the board. Thanks to the Toyota New Global Architecture, the Camry now possesses a lower hood height, roof line, hip point, and shoulder line, resulting in a lower center of gravity.
The automaker praises the TNGA platform as “a structural reform movement for the entire company that will result in cars that are more dynamic, athletic, and fun to drive.” Toyota also believes that “drivers will notice the dramatic improvements within the first few seconds of driving.”
That’s a pretty bold statement coming from steady-as-she-goes Toyota.
2018 Camrys will be available with a 3.5-liter V6 and a substantially improved 2.5-liter inline-four. Toyota says the updated base 2.5-liter will have superior power and torque ratings compared to its predecessor, thanks to higher-compression, intelligent variable valve-timing, and a 40-percent improvement on thermal regulation. Expect a significant increase in fuel economy. Both motors come paired with a new 8-speed Direct-Shift automatic transmission.
Next-generation Toyota Camry Hybrids make use of the same inline-four motor mated to the THS II hybrid-electric system and a CVT that can mimic a six-speed DTC — the SE model even comes with paddle shifters.
Controversial looks notwithstanding, the next Camry should offer a better drive and more comfortable ride. Toyota is also stepping up the model’s standard safety with ten airbags, range-dynamic cruise control, pedestrian detection, and lane departure warning with assisted steering.
Coming in four trim levels, the SE and XSE models have stylistic differences from the LE and XLE that you could spot from orbit. The sport variants swap the limited’s already massive grille and begin tacking on lower bumper accents, a diffuser, mesh, and just about anything else that will stick to the front of that thing. SE and XSE trims also have larger wheels, unique rocker panels, different rear bumpers, and smoke-tinted taillights.
Toyota claims the interior will be spacious, with all of the important gauges angled toward the driver. Some models will include a trio of connected displays, including a 10-inch HUD, seven-inch multimedia display, and an eight-inch screen for navigation, climate,and audio controls.
While the Camry remains the best-selling car in America and the fourth-best-selling vehicle overall, its sales still slid by over 9.5 percent last year. Re-branding Toyota’s highest-volume car as a source of excitement is a gamble. While attempting to add to the Camry’s appeal, Toyota runs the risk of alienating previous devotees.
[Images: Toyota]
The silver one reminds me of that picture of Jeremy Clarkson driving the Ariel Atom at speed. To me, the red one is less offensive.
Looks great! We’ll see whether it lives up to the hype (probably not). But the double wishbone suspension is a little disconcerting, historically double wishbone suspension systems wore out faster than multi-link or macpherson struts.
Where did you dig that info on DWS?
It’s a bunch of heresy, mostly shop talk and press releases that explain why cars for the third world get torsion beam / macpherson suspension (yeah, I know, solid axle and all).
But in places with cobblestone roads at best, you see very few double wishbone cars (e.g 90s Hondas) and a ton of things with more simple suspension systems (e.g Priuses, Corollas, Nissan Sunnys). There’s gotta be a reason for that and survivorship seems reasonable enough. You’d think cash starved people would figure out ‘the good deal’ and apparently double wishbone isn’t.
Considering that many cabs and police cars have run DWs I kinda doubt your claim, tuning/quality/use play a bigger factor in durability than just struts/wishbones.
What? Some Crown Vics from like 03-11s? The double wishbone suspensions in them kicked so much butt that Ford decided to put double wishbones on the Taurus and the Explorer, right?
My 03 Accord has original suspension with 130k on the clock. Changed the Mazda structs and control arms at 140k. Both are very reasonable so far.
Try driving 130k on a 3rd world “road” with your accord and then compare it to a corolla.
“Try driving 130k on a 3rd world “road” with your accord and then compare it to a corolla.”
This is not especially relevant to my purchase decisions though.
Agreed that my cars probably take a lot less abuse here in the U.S. but we also drive much faster than other countries and probably more miles.
I have not driven an accord in a third world country (I’m Dominican) but I have driven Sentras, 190Es, and Corollas with 200K+ miles. Most people choose not to or can’t afford replacement shocks so cars just drive around with soft suspensions. Rent is under $200 bucks a month, less then the cost of new shocks, and most people make under $500 a month. Soft works well when you don’t back 8 people in the car like we do and drive under 40 MPH.
Mechanics down there learn to repair a lot of car parts like bushings using thick rubber and pressing it back into the old bushing location for under $30. Maintaining a car past 200k is the norm. Corollas have a incredible reputation for reliability (not the 1998-2002 so much though) it is by far the most common car.
Ford still uses double-wishbones on its trucks, the Explore/Taurus has its roots in a Volvo platform (and they switched to struts decades ago due to being cheaper to manufacturer). I believe the Dodge Charger uses wishbones as well.
I’m not saying that struts are better/worse than wishbones, both have their uses. If wishbones were “historically weaker than struts”, Toyota wouldnt be using them.
Dodge advertises a “independent front suspension” and “five point rear suspension” on the charger.
And Toyota has used double wishbone suspension and it seems to have more issues down the road than their strut suspension, I know because the lower control arm bushing on my 01 was redesigned 3 times (premature wear on the first two designs apparently). It’s unusual for a Toyota car with a torsion beam / strut suspension to need as much attention as the double wishbone Toyota cars. And in the cars that aren’t price constainted, Toyota has moved to more exotic setups.
If they were designed with the same resource constraints, I’d bet money on a double wishbone setup or a multi link setup needing more attention than a torsion beam / strut set up. Mark my words people will have more problems with this Camrys suspension than the suspension of the cars currently on the lot. And I’d bet they’re not exporting this suspension calibration to South Africa or Russia.
Toyota’s traditional Mac-strut front and multi-link rear has rightly earned a reputation for durability and relative simplicity, I’d be weary to see them change things up. My old Civic wagon’s front end was shot by 160k (control arm bushings, ball joints), and in the Central NY locale older Hondas were all known for needing ball joints at some point. By comparison my 208k mile ES300 is all original and tight as a drum. Anecdotal, yes but this scenario plays out again and again.
On the topic of how these things hold up in harsh locales (Siberia in my case) I will say that I have a cousin with a totally ragged out ’92 Corona that’s got a rattly front end that he claims he had just rebuilt with new bushings and struts. Conversely I have an uncle in the next village over with a late-90s Honda Partner, he keeps it in better mechanical upkeep, but last time I was over there he was in the middle of, you guessed it, control arm replacement. The Toyotas are definitely a better fit in terms of durability and overall lower cost of repairs (only one balljoint to replace per-side in front, no balljoints out back), but over there ultimately EVERYTHING needs suspension work, yes even Land Cruisers and such. It’s more a question of how frequent/infrequent do things wear out, and how easy/cheaply they can be repaired. The Toyotas win big in that regard.
I will also add that many Toyota trucks use a double wishbone front end, and aside from an unfortunate lower balljoint failure mode on the first gen trucks (things last just fine, but lower balljoints are in tension and therefor hard to diagnose for wear), there is nothing lacking in durability.
Still offering a 3.5 V6 and XSE? I thought they were going 2.0T.
The grill on the white one is hideous, but I don’t mind the red XSE. The B&B will be happy to see no DLO fail, but I’m sure ire at the grill and rear tailight treatment will overwhelm it.
Interior photos on other sites are very promising if the materials are up to par. Quad pipes on the XSE need to go, however. The 3.5 + XSE is good but it isn’t nearly that good.
Holy sh@t – a new car with a lower beltline. You might actually be able to see out it!
Agreed, keeping the V6 is good news. Styling from these photos look OK to good. Not as overstyled as the Lexus LS. So Toyota does know restraint. No CVT is also a good move.
Looking at interior photos the dashboard looks a bit of an angular mess.
World’s first horizontal baleen filters on that silver one!
“drivers will notice the dramatic improvements within the first few seconds of driving.”
At the first pothole on the test drive? Brilliant, Aky.
“… the Camry now possesses a lower hood height, roof line, hip point, and shoulder line, resulting in a lower center of gravity.”
Camry goes niche.
Is the V6 going to have the 295hp rating from the Highlander?
“Camry goes niche.”
Akio’s quest fulfilled.
“Uh-we arreddy purenty richu.. I wantto sutureeto creddo!”
i love it!
WE uhh so richuuu that we maku frowny downy car on all lineup. Injectuuu sportyness SUGIO!
Toyota has been triggered and is lashing out without even more Predatory Grills on Lexi and Angry-Aggressive faces on most new Toyotas.
RAHHHH! HISSSSSSS! MAWWWWWHH!
What is really stupid is I bet that 50% (or more) of that grill is actually fake since larger openings = less MPG. When will grill-less-ness make a comeback? I know: once we have reached peak grill which sadly appears to be a few years away still.
Most modern cars have the front bumper just behind their fake grilles, grille-less cars simple look too bland (or even weird) to the average car buyer despite any possible slight mpg gains.
I’d love to know what it will cost to replace that uglyass front end in the event of a 5 MPH impact.
And people wonder why insurance rates keep soaring every year.
Feds used to reign in this sort of thing.
hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2015/11/09/bumper-cars
28-Cars, thanks for that link. That article is a good read and brought back memories. Back in those days I was an insurance adjuster and appraised many wrecks with those old 5mph bumpers. As I recall the GM versions had a shock-absorber type bumper bracket which bolted to the frame rail ends. Those “5mph impacts without any damage” were wishful thinking.
Styling like this is the real reason for the sales decline, not the push towards crossovers. Nightmare.
I’m sure thats a factor, their most successful Camry generations generally had modest if not dull styling.
THIS.
I think in hindsight and a full 20 years of clarity, most would agree at this point the ’96 Camry was the pinnacle of the model. The ’97 started the process of decontenting and a continued move to more fussy design. I think the current Camry is an improvement over the previous gen, that included gaffes like the badges on “crooked” to follow the lines of the sheet metal on the rear clip. Yeck!
I won’t dismiss that is a weapons grade appliance on wheels, but the entire class keeps getting better around it and the Camry has inched closer to the rest of the class at the same time.
I’d say the 1994 Camry was the actual pinnacle, before the ’95 refresh that gave it a cheaper-looking rear tail lamp design and several other cheaper, yet less-appealing touches (such as trimming back the front turn signal lights).
I agree. The 1992 We had was nicer than a ’95, even though they were the same generation. They deleted things like the puddle lamps in the door for 1994. Cheaper interior fabric and I think the carpet was slightly downgraded as well. The best of gen 3 were 1992-93. Although, they did upgrade the transmissions and V6 for ’94. I think the 92-93 Interiors were a little nicer. My 1999 is decent, but doesn’t really compare in terms of overall attention to detail.
I’m assuming the silver one is an XLE. I like it. Credit to Toyota for keeping the V6, and more importantly, a volume knob.
I see all models come with a pre-crashed front end. That’ll save time and hassel! Leave it to Toyota to come up with one less thing to worry about.
“Mom! You’re gonna hit that cart!”
“Its okay honey, nobody will notice the damage.”
I love how all the “sporty” Toyota packages include only visual enhancement, nothing in the way of increased performance over the non-sporty model with the same drivetrain. Its perfect for the typical mindless Toyota drone. Who needs more performance when you have nothing to do but cruise at 5 mph under in the left-most lane until making a frantic dash with no signal across all lanes to make your exit? You just gotta look like you give a phuck about how it drives.
No joke, the first time I saw a Lexus NX in person I thought the front spoiler or something had fallen off. If older Toyotas have anything over the recent ones its styling. This includes the original derpy-Citation Camry, it may be ugly but at least its not angry!
On a side note, didnt you own a Camry at one point JohnT?
The overbite on the NX is ridiculous.
Needs braces.
It reminds me of that dog meme that says SSTEPHUN.
Speaking of mindless drones, John’s here with another canned stereotype about Toyotas and their owners and a “precrashed” front end joke that’s only been fielded a couple dozen times on this website alone. Finally, truth spoken to power.
If it deeply offends you that the Camry outsells competitors for reasons your discerning car guy brain cannot comprehend, you could, you know, help defeat Satan and restore balance to the universe by popping for a new Fusion or something. They’re really nice, and they look kind of like Aston Martins.
As an added bonus, you’d hold a lot more water than the guy who owns a 25-year old car sniping endlessly about why people are idiots for buying a new Toyota when a left-brain spreadsheet refutes that pretty well.
Oh snaaaap, fetch. I like you.
The only problem is that it doesn’t have the signature Toyota dimple in the front bumper fascia, and there doesn’t seem to be any room for one.
Well, there’s still room for it in the back bumper fascia.
Funny you mention the pre-crashed front end. A female coworker bought a 4Runner and when another female coworker saw her pulling up in it she asked me if she’d already wrecked the front end. She was totally serious.
As Fetch said, john, I don’t get this rant.
Here Toyota has lowered the center of gravity, improved the suspension technology and upped the power. The hottest version of this car will probably rip off quarter-miles around 13 seconds in an era when several competitors have ditched their V6’s entirely. This doesn’t sound to me like an abandonment of performance.
I’m baffled as well. It’s a continuing pattern of rants that aren’t based in logical reason or consistency. For some reason he has a real emotional problem with Toyota and has to lash out with stuff like this and it seems to be getting worse.
There’s been a V6 SE Camry for 10 years now that has been more than badging and the current XSE feels sharper and more responsive than the Accord. The Camry is hardly more expensive than much of the competition yet resale remains above average and reliability is still a strong point. The outgoing 4 cylinder was strangely competitive given its age and the V6 has yet to be surpassed in real world performance. It’s roomy, it’s functional, it’s pretty cheap to own and operate. It makes sense that people still buy them, but none of this matters if you have some weird brand hatred.
John’s’s free to correct me, but I could’ve sworn thst he lost a friend/family member in a silver/grey Camry, it’d explain his anger.
Even then I don’t mind the rants, he should at least man up and respond to the few conversations he starts.
They should make all Camry’s with dented in rear bumper caps too as a sort of styling cue. Heck the majority of the existing ones on the road already are bashed in from there elderly drivers so it would keep up with the bashed in front grille look.
The red one might be one my favorite interpretation of the Lexus “spindle grille. It’s definitely polarizing, especially for the mid-size market, but I like it.
The silver one seems to be the next evolution of the Avalon’s current styling. Which coupled with the fact that they kept the V6, makes me think Toyota doesn’t see the need for the Avalon anymore.
Good! Maybe they’ll dump it for the Mark X. Now, that would be impressive. Just leave the gaping mouth, pre-crashed front end styling on this pig.
I’m no fan of the spindle grill, but I agree, this is the least offensive interpretation of it.
Agree. While no one could fault Toyota’s engineering, the entire population of their design studio should be subjected to a compendium of the worst tortures extant, then fired.
Will they improve the auto-headlights (assuming it has any)? Be it couldy/rainy or snow, its a bit silly how many Lexus/Yotas I see with their lights off.
I think part of the problem is the switch setup, at least on the Prius. Off isn’t a momentary position like it is on GM’s automatic headlight cars.
Possibly, but even then couldn’t you manually turn the lights on?
“Its face is exaggerated and slightly hostile, though the merkinized grille seems to be covering up a damaged — or perhaps missing — piece of bumper.”
You are on the cutting edge of linguistics, mate, creating a verb out of a noun that almost no one even knows exists.
And for those who haven’t Googled it yet, a merkin is a “pubic wig”, word origin is Burning Man. I really don’t want to know the details.
As for the Camry, it looks like its say in the sun is fading, unless Toyota fires its kooky stylists and hires some new ones with genuine talent and good taste.
Word origin is “Burning Man”? Are you kidding me? How can you be that bad at Google?
Hmm, has Burning Man really been around since 1450?
Trust a Merkin to assume that anything odd originates in Merka.
(Clue:doubletroll)
It almost feels like the 1996 Taurus all over again in its own way…..
I’m getting mighty sick of the “IT NEEDS TO BE SPORTIER” crowd being heard in regards to this model, because they’re never gonna buy a Camry no matter how good it is. Anyway, my 2015 Mazda6 (which isn’t anywhere near as sporty as you’d think) has had enough problems (some minor, some quite major) that heck, I guess the Camry is on my shopping list now, simply for continuing to offer a monster of a V6 with a conventional auto. I mean, they’re the only ones left doing that, which is pretty shocking.
Is it shocking?
Toyota has really conservative designs – the Corolla used the exact same 4 speed automatic transmission (A245E) from 1993-2009. The vast majority of their engines were designed during the Bush administration. And the Camry is getting its first ‘all new’ wheel base since 2001? Heck, the V6 came out for MY2007, in the past 11 years they’ve squeezed 22 horsepower out of the engine.
“the Corolla used the exact same 4 speed automatic transmission (A245E) from 1993-2009. The vast majority of their engines were designed during the Bush administration. And the Camry is getting its first ‘all new’ wheel base since 2001?” And?
I fail to see the problem. Toyotas are cockroaches. Many people want to put gas in their cockroaches and go unimpeded for 200k+ miles. I’m ok with that.
Yeah. Part of me want to bash them for using old tech, but they somehow stay pretty competitive with it, in terms of acceleration and mpg. I was in a newer Corolla and was dismayed with the interior meshes however.
Interiors of newer Corollas are a sad place to be. My sister bought a 2013 brand new. I really don’t like that interior. I haven’t ever bothered to sit in the current gen, but Im sure its only marginally improved. Drives ok, good MPG, but totally cheapened out. Makes a ’97 Corolla LE appear almost Lexus-like.
It’s not a problem? It’s more surprising when Toyota changes things up rather than keeps something that’s tried and true.
Jack track tested and endorsed a Camry 2.5L. I dont think they are nearly as bad as the media makes them out to be. I would take one if I were shopping this category over any other entry. Real transmission. Fast as heck v6 and will go 300k milea without much drama.
I rented about 20 cars last year. The Camry was easily the best of them. I never really saw myself as a Toyota buyer, but I would be fine with an XSE.
If Honda ditches the V6 in the Accord, I may end up with one of these next time around myself. (XLE V6 with a TRD swaybar, assuming the XSE gets the pano/ugly roof. Still has a tint “brow” on top of the windshield–me likey. And unlike what Honda seems to be doing, there’s still a real, beefy-looking inside mirror in there instead of that goofy-a$$ed, klown-looking, “smiley” Gentex rimless one.) It even appears to have a C-pillar without DLO-fail, instead of a “floating” one!
You mean that 268 HP monster that got clobbered at a stop light by my W-body Impala with it’s 300 HP 3.6?
Which has been fleet for years so he couldn’t buy one even if he wanted too?
Up to now, I haven’t been bothered by the giant grilles on newer cars. But *this* bothers me.
I mean, these are very deceptive perspectives, but it looks worse to me in every way than the outgoing one, even after the 2015 refresh. but at least Toyota’s keeping the N/A V6, because the V6 Camry is a gem.
You know, it’s actually less hideous than I was expecting. The teaser shots of the C-pillar and the silly fake vents below the taillights had me expecting the worse but…I don’t completely hate this. The front clip is completely ridiculous, but not really surprising as it’s another exaggeration of the general (dumb) theme Toyota’s been using for the last decade – they’ve done better but they’ve also done worse.
Toyota could take a dump in a box and mark it “Camry” and it would still outsell everyone else. They’ve been confusing “ugly” with “not boring” for years while consistently under-delivering on promises of cars that don’t drive like a Buick LeSabre. But as long as their products retain their perceived superior reliability and durability over the stuff from Detroit, it just doesn’t matter to the people who actually buy these.
“You know, it’s actually less hideous than I was expecting”
I like your one line review :)
The front end treatment on the red one works. The other one…not so much.
“Toyota runs the risk of alienating previous devotees.”
These devotees are dying out. Toyota can’t much longer continue discount itself into sales numbers
Mmmmmmmm if they do use the same programing on the V6 from the Highlander (kissing 300 hp) this could actually be on my radar.
The 1961 Plymouth returns….
But the 1961 Plymouth had class. This???
No CVT and a V6 are definitely a win. The interior also looks much improved over the current model. Let’s also hope they fixed the ride quality issues with this new platform.
“Let’s also hope they fixed the ride quality issues with this new platform.”
I didn’t realize there were any? I’ve driven my fiance’s ’12 SE extensively, as well as a ’13 XLE Hybrid and most recently a rental ’15 XLE. The SE’s definitely tuned stiffer than the XLEs, but even then it is not at all uncomfortable over broken pavement.
@gtemnykh: If you drive the current Camry back to back with nearly any of its competitors it shows up just how far behind they are in ride and handling. The last SE rental I had seemed as rough and noisy as the Mazda6 but with none of the sharpness and entertainment.
I haven’t driven a new 6 for comparison, but I will say that the ’12 SE Camry compares favorably in terms of ride/handling balance to most other midsizers I’ve driven (’14ish Fusion SE, ’16 Sonata SE) and even a class up (’15 Taurus SEL, ’15 Impala LT). To be fair I think the Impala was shortchanged by cheapo firestone tires that made it more harsh than I was expecting.
The steering and at the limit handling were numb and uncontrolled on my 2014.5 rental SE so I agree a bit with this.
Relative to…
Don’t really see what’s hideous about this. Pretty conservative by modern toyota standards. Way less hideous than most modern Mercedes and GM designs, those are the current kings of ugly in my mind. Toyotas and Lexuses are just trying too hard rather than ugly, the Furai, tundra, and post-facelift Corolla being the exception.
V6 = win
Now hopefully Honda follows suit and doesn’t ditch the 3.5 for a 2.0T in the 2018 Accord.
Meh. The only reason I am considering the Civic is 1.5T + 6MT.
Amen!
Unfortunately, Honda didn’t even finish the Civic stuff yet, so we’ll probably have to wait until Chicago, or longer, to get an inkling of the revised Accord. (They dropped a Coupe “concept,” a production car in all but rubber-band tires and useless side mirrors, at NAIAS 2013.)
One of the main reasons my wife and I bought our 2017 Accord was the 3.5 V6. It is far better than any of the 2.0T engines in other midsize sedans.
As stated above, the Camry goes on my short list if Honda ditches the V6! Full-boat XLE V6 with select TRD handling pieces. (Just as long as the pano sunroof isn’t a requirement in that trim!)
Just did a 10-50 pull on the way home from work to avoid a potential hazard; 2/3rds throttle, and my Accord didn’t even shift out of 2nd gear! Good luck doing THAT with a gerbil wheel under the hood!
Recent Toyota grille treatments look like enormous moustaches. The pic reminds me of the Thompsons.
Now that we have the expected snark with any mention of Camry, how does it ride, drive. How often does it break and how much do maintenance and repair cost? Seat comfort? Noise? MPG? We will see. For many in the market for a mid size, these are more important than snark and styling.
Styling derives from 2015-17 model. Should not surprise 2015-17 owners. Is a new platform. Most of time, new is good. Reverse kink at “A” pillar front window to lower belt line is a practical change. Says cowl is lower. I hope lower belt line as has lower hip point. Lower hip point might push some to an SUV. But hip point might still be higher than some competitors. A 96 Accord feels like sitting on the ground compared to some.
Lower roof for better MPG like Prius. Increasing MPG a necessity for manufacturers. Higher MPG 4 cyl with 8 spd AT good for MPG. Not a CVT.
Might still have front strut suspension as rear is double wishbone and press release does not give front details.
I would not buy a first year model but would consider 2nd year to get initial issues solved as a general custom.
I’m really liking the interior. I am tired of so much symmetry with every other car.
I like an improved chassis, engine and transmission. It also looks better then before. In 3 years it will be 50% off like everything else and I’ll look at it, even the V6.
I like it, kind of.
Not too hot on the front end, or the fake rear bumper cover vents, but I’m glad they didn’t absolutely ruin it. They were certainly capable of that.
Regardless of how it looks, I’m betting this 300 hp V6 with an 8 speed auto is going to destroy the 2.0L turbos in the class and match the Fusion Sport’s acceleration, all while getting better mileage than any of them.
Another thing, both the 4 cylinder and V6 have both port and direct injection.
They’re not messing around with carbon build up.
A huge improvement over prior models. I think it looks grounded to the ground.
Personally, I like it, except for the oversized grill. This new design means Toyota will take market share away from all other manufacturers. This Camry and the new Accord will hurt Fusion and Malibu sales.
Question on Camry decline – is Camry still the leader for rental agencies in terms of volume (not percentage, but total vehicles). The last time I saw numbers was last year (for 2015) and it was around 60K or 65K units – can’t recall the exact number.
A point has been made year after year that when you take away fleet from Camry, the Accord is the RETAIL leader in the class. If fleet sales remain the same, then the decline is worse (percentage of total goes up). If the total number of fleet has gone down, then it could be driving the decline, and that really isn’t a bad thing.
I would guess with the 200 being euthanized, the 200 is now the class leader for lowest ATP – I know Camry was last year (2015).
65k? That doesn’t sound right. The Altima is the real rental pig, Camrys aren’t nearly as common in my experience.
Looks like a riff on the Kia Optima. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
I like the proportions, like the new suspension, and really like the use of the 2GR-FKS (I’m assuming). If the new one is as light as the old one it’s going to be the quickest thing in the class save the 500-pound-heavier Fusion Sport.
I don’t like an interior that still looks cheap even in loaded form under extravagant press lighting. It looks like the new Camry will continue the existing one’s tradition of feeling like a base Corolla inside.
The “Fusion Sport”? I have never seen nor heard of such a vehicle. I live my life in Manhattan, Boston, and Newport Beach. So, I looked it up on the web. What part of the country does the Fusion Sport exist on the roads?
This is a really genuinely smart thing to do, they’ve lost a tremendous amount of Gen-X consumers to the Optima and more “outgoing” Crossovers, they need to try to attract design focused consumers, the late 30’s Graphic Designer’s and so forth that remember the Camry reliability and can now attach design to it. It’s risky and they tried doing this at Lexus in 2013 when the average buyer’s age was 62. Not sure if it worked over there.
The current Camry has very good rear seat head and leg room. That and the 200K mile reliability are the two reasons it is best in class and a sales leader. I sat in the rear seat of the Fusion and I could not believe the head room problem in that vehicle. Hopefully, Toyota did not fall into the “rear seat” trap that ruined the Fusion … Fusion has a cramped back seat with a shortage of headroom.
Hmmm…. beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess. I like it. I’m starting to go numb to extreme grills. The side profile and rear end are really nice; interior looks good; V6 version is probably going to run a high 13 second quarter mile.
The more I look at this, the more I love it. Kudos to Toyota for actually doing something different.
The way midsize saloons (versus crossovers) are trending, all of the automakers should convert them into sports sedans.
Red one is the best looking Pontiac Sunfire I’ve ever seen.
3.5 V6, lower CG and belt line, 8 speed, DW suspension improved interior room… looks OK in SE to me… Ping! on radar.
It’ll continue to sell fine. They made it bland in all the right ways.