2017 Toyota Camry vs 2018

What's the difference?

Yes, it will be hard to shake the longstanding 'vanilla' reputation, and some will hate the fact it's no longer built in Australia. But those who do jump into the driver's seat of the all-new Camry will be pleasantly surprised.

A Camry that is fun to drive - and a hybrid, no less? You'd better believe it. The changes to this 2018 Camry have made it a genuine contender in its (admittedly shrinking) segment. Whether that translates to sales remains to be seen, but if you are considering a mid-size sedan, the addition of EV Mode to the Hybrid Ascent Sport must surely make it among the best of the Camry bunch. 

There's two designs to choose from, standard or sporty, and both look like the current car in the same way the Hulk looks like Bruce Banner. There are similarities there, sure, but everything's gotten bigger, more distorted, and more aggressive. 

The grille on the standard car, for example, which used to sit safely in the middle of the bonnet, now extends not just to the natural edges of the car, but beyond them, with the Camry taking on snowplough dimensions when viewed front-on.

Sharp creasing now carves a new shape into the bodywork, which meets a newly designed rear-end, of which the crazy squiggle of the rear lights are a particular standout.

For our money, though, the Sport model is the far more resolved package. That massive grille is just the wrong side of sensible, pinched in the middle but extending out to the four corners of the bonnet, giving the Camry a proud and jutting jawline that looks more than a little like a smiling alien from Predator.

The bonnet split that frames the badge now stretches all the way to the edges of the car, joining new and thinner headlights that sweep back into the body. Viewed rear on, you'll find flared rear arches, four exhaust tips and a little spoiler on the boot lid. 

Either way, though, you'll find the roof is 25mm lower, while the bonnet is now 40mm lower - both of which give Australia's most sensible car a lower, sleeker, faster profile. Very un-Camry indeed.

Inside, the Camry's a huge departure from the vehicles currently prowling Australian roads. Toyota's keen to shift the Camry into a more premium space, and the cabin is definitely a reflection of that.

Beyond that though, it's just kind of cool. Especially the smooth and swirling dash that looks architecturally designed, and gently points the key controls toward the driver.

Look around though, and there are still some cut-price nasties, not least of which is the hard plastic strip that houses the power-window buttons that looks like it's been transported from the early 2000s.

It looks…. interesting. And this might be the first time that description has ever been used as a compliment. 

You’ll remember the old Camry, I’m sure. The one that mean people said looked like something that should be sold in Harvey Norman and used to keep drinks cold? Well, this one doesn’t.

For one, the grille has been reimagined. There’s still a family resemblance, but it’s now a two-tier design that pinches in the middle before stretching out to each corner of the front-end. The headlights are thin and sharply angled, sweeping back into the bodywork, and a network of raised contours now lines the bonnet. 

Side-on, new body skirting links the simple alloy wheels, while the rear view is all fancy tail-lights, integrated boot spoiler and dual exhaust tips mounted on the lower left. It’s a genuinely nice, genuinely premium-feeling exterior treatment from Toyota.

There are more changes inside, too, where a new, swirling, modern-feeling dash houses the key screen and controls, and where the cheaper hard plastics are mostly disguised by soft-touch materials to give an impression that's approaching premium.

The Camry is still officially a medium-sized sedan, but its ever-growing dimensions must surely be pushing the boundaries. 

This new model is between 30mm and 46mm longer overall, and the wheelbase is up 50mm, than the current model. They don't sound like massive gains, but the result is a genuinely huge cabin, especially in the backseat where legroom is impressive, even behind tall front-seat riders. 

Up front, there are two cupholders in the central storage area, along with a host of USB and power sources hidden on the driver's side of the cabin. Backseat riders share another two cupholders hidden in the pull-down divider that separates the rear seat, and there's room in every door for bottles.

A design change has seen the hybrid battery storage shifted from the boot to under the rear seat, unlocking an extra 30 litres in storage in the spacious boot, but detailed storage information is not yet available.

At 4905mm long and 1840mm wide, this new Camry is bigger than the car it replaces, and it sits on a 50mm longer wheelbase. And while that doesn’t sound like much, there is plenty of room in the cabin of this 2018 model.

The front seats aren't cramped, but the space is most noticeable in the back seat, where there’s plenty of legroom on offer behind all but the most NBA-ready of drivers.

Up front, there are two cupholders in the central storage area, along with the usual USB and power connections. Backseat riders get their own air vents, and they share another two cupholders hidden in a pull-down divider that separates the rear seat.

There's room in every door for bottles, and two ISOFIX attachment points - one in each window seat in the back. 

The hybrid batteries have been moved from the boot to a new position under the rear seat, where they no longer cut into storage space. The result is a 30-litre jump in boot space, to 524 litres with the rear seats in place.

The Ascent Sport Hybrid is a crisp $31,990, which would also buy you an entry-level Mazda6 or a Hyundai Sonata Active.

In the Toyota, that investment earns you 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and DRLs, auto high-beam lights and keyless entry. Inside, expect cloth seats, standard navigation, dual-zone climate, a better steering wheel and gear shift than in the cheaper models, and a powered driver’s seat.

Your technology is handled by a 7.0-inch touchscreen that pairs with a six-speaker stereo. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are not available, unfortunately, but you do get Bluetooth and the Toyota Link mirroring system, as well as a second, smaller screen in the driver's binnacle.

The Camry will arrive with three engines, though we've only tested one, which begins with the four-cylinder, 2.5-litre entry-level petrol engine carried over from the current model, and tops out with a new V6 option that will produce 222kW at 6600rpm and 356Nm at 4700rpm, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

But nestled in the middle of those two is the new hybrid unit we've tested here, which is the engine Toyota thinks will become the best-selling option in Australia - helped along by fleet sales from Government departments eager to shrink their environmental footprint. 

The 2.5-litre hybrid will produce 131kW at 5700rpm and 221Nm at 5200rpm (modest enough increases on the current model), and is paired with a CVT auto. The electric motor can add as much as 88KW and 202Nm, but the hybrid set-up means maximum power from both the electric motor and petrol engine is never available all at once, and the engine's maximum output is listed at 155kW.

This is a new set-up for the Camry, with the engine, motor and battery combination a fresh design from Toyota. The 2.5-litre hybrid will produce 131kW at 5700rpm and 221Nm at 5200rpm (up by about 13kW/10Nm), and is paired with a CVT auto. The electric motor can add as much as 88KW, but maximum power from both the electric motor and petrol engine is never available together, and the engine's maximum output is listed at 160kW.

Fuel figures are yet to be officially confirmed for all but the hybrid engine, which will sip a miserly 4.5L/100km on the claimed combined cycle, helped by a new 'coasting' function which slips out of gear when it can (like when you're approaching a traffic light) to save fuel.

Toyota claims an impressive 4.2L/100km on the combined cycle, with emissions pegged at 96g/km of CO2. The Camry’s 60-litre tank demands 95RON fuel.

It's hard to think of a city less suited to the sensible shoe-wearing Toyota Camry than the hipster heartland of Portland, Oregon - a city filled with people that devour the weird and wonderful with the same ferocious appetite they apply to flannelette clothing and deconstructed soy lattes.

And yet it's here, in the hills 40km from the centre of town, that Toyota throws us the keys to its newest hybrid. Clearly, then, this is no ordinary Camry. 

The Camry of old was all about practicality, dependability and fuel economy, but Toyota's engineers now glow with pride when they talk about a 30 per-cent increase in torsional rigidity, or the new double-wishbone rear suspension. Phrases like "lower centre of gravity" and "engaging drive" pepper the media briefing.

And while a relentless downpour, combined with fog so thick it clung to you like spiderwebs, meant truly putting this new and surprisingly agile Camry to the test was reserved for folks a whole lot braver than me, if our brief test drive on some twisting rural roads is any indication, then signs are hugely positive for this new Camry.

The revised suspension will be offered in two tunes; a softer, more billowy standard setting, and a sportier version that is right on the money in terms of striking a balance between sporty and supple, while still soaking up dodgy road surfaces with little fuss. And it's the latter than best showcases the engineering work that's gone into this new Camry.

Even in the wet, when the tyres were only too happy to relinquish their grip on the road surface below, it's easy to tell that this will be the best-driving Camry yet - even if that's not the tallest mountain to climb. 

Is it the sportiest, most athletic offering you could spend what will likely be $30,000 and up on? No. But that's not what its customers are likely to actually want, and it does feels connected to the road now in a way it hasn't in the past. The steering has an open line of communication with the front wheels, too, and the Camry feels agile enough in bends.

The hybrid Camry was the only vehicle available to test, but it will be joined in Australia by a V6-powered version that will make better use of these new found dynamics, and at a glance, seems more suited to Australia's palate.

But those who opt for the hybrid (and Toyota's hoping that's lots of you, given they're tipping it to become the best seller), will find it surprisingly capable of getting up to speed. Stay light with the pedal and you can waft around in a pure EV mode for limited distances, too.

But all this talk of dynamics is likely a moot point for the Camry's target audience, most of whom are are unlikely to set off in search of a mountain pass, the red mist gathering in their line of sight. Fortunately, then, the Camry remains quiet (except for the occasional drone of the CVT) and comfortable on the road in everyday driving.

And while our test drive was too brief and too wet to deliver any kind of definitive verdict, it did paint a rosy picture for the Camry's local launch in November.

Much has been made of Toyota’s mission to make this the sportiest-ever Camry (though to be fair, the bar was set low enough you’d need a limbo world champion to scoot under it), so let’s jump straight to it. Short answer? It is. 

A new global platform (along with a company-wide push for more exciting cars) has given this Japan-built Camry new-found dynamics - aided by what Toyota says is a 30 per cent increase in torsional rigidity across the range.

And yes, it's even good in the hybrid version. In fact, hit the new 'EV Mode' button, which will see you running exclusively on battery power, and the hybrid-powered Sport is positively zippy, sending plenty of torque to the tyres from the moment you touch the accelerator, and genuinely pouncing away from the kerb when you plant your foot. Travel too fast or too far and the petrol engine will kick in automatically, but it’s a cool new feature, and one we found ourselves using often.

Remember, the mission here is not to make the Camry actually sporty, just sporty... for a Camry. And so while the hybrid model never feels like a performance car, its impressively balanced suspension (supple enough over all but the worst surfaces, but equally feeling connected to the road beneath the tyres) and the sorted chassis combine to give a new-found confidence to the driver. 

It's quiet (and more so in EV Mode) and comfortable, too, and you won't need to squeeze your offspring into the backseat. And so while the world has turned to SUVs of all sizes, we found ourselves more than a little bit enamoured with the perks of this mid-size sedan.

The Hybrid Ascent Sport's safety story starts with seven airbags, a reversing camera and the usual suite of braking and traction aids. You'll also find auto emergency braking (AEB), lane-departure warning (with assist) and cruise control, but it does miss out on blind-spot monitoring and rear-cross traffic alert at this trim level. 

The Camry range was awarded the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating when crash tested in 2017.

While specifics are yet to be confirmed, expect the Camry to be covered by Toyota's standard three-year/100,000km warranty. But in good news for customers, we're expecting the Camry to score the same service intervals as its C-HR sibling, extending the time between service centre visits to 12 months or 15,000km, instead of the six months or 10,000kms on most other Toyota cars.

Toyota offers a three-year/100,000km warranty, and the Camry will require a trip to the service centre every 12 months or 15,000km. Once there, though, Toyota's capped-price servicing program will help keep the costs down, with maintenance limited to $195 per service for the first five years or 75,000km.