Seventh Generation Camry Keeps its Cool

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The Camry’s latest generation got a more aggressive style and bumped up its cool factor.

The 2009 Camry is the model’s seventh generation with an aggressive re-styling that made the family sedan more attractive to younger, hipper drivers.

In the V-6, 268 horsepower XLE, style is matched with performance. Acceleration is quick for city driving, and less pronounced at highway speeds—but the car will happily gear down and jump to passing speed with a bit of encouragement.

The braking is smooth and confident, slowing the car nicely without noticeable jarring thanks to the combination of ABS, Electronic Brake Distribution and Brake Assist, which detects “panic braking” and boosts braking power.

The Camry also handles very well for a family-minded sedan and feels much smaller than it actually is. While it certainly doesn’t feel like a sports car, it does convey a confident willingness to hug a freeway exit.

Inside the XLE, which features the Camry’s most expensive trim package, is a subdued but luxurious combination of faux wood highlights and leather. The JBL stereo has a rich, full sound and includes an in-dash six-CD changer, Bluetooth, and an MP3 jack.

First time drivers may have a moment of confusion when they get their keys and find there isn’t a key, per se. The remote control’s vicinity activates Toyota’s Smart Key System, which allows the car to start with the push of a button.

The dashboard, stereo, and climate controls are all intuitive enough to offer their full range of services without resorting to the cars manual. Dual climate control offers the driver and passenger individual temperature controls and rear-seat passengers reported solid air-conditioning from vents in the floor.

The steering wheel includes audio and climate controls as well as a button to activate the hands-free Bluetooth speakerphone.

Comfy and spacious, the Camry fits its family-minded market well, but minus the fold-down rear seats for those oversized loads. There is however a pass through behind the fold-down centre arm rest for narrower items like skis and curtain roads, or perhaps even a few 2x4s.

The details are well thought out, like a trunk that pops a few inches to make it easy to lift it with arms full of groceries, or an extra-deep glove box that can hold more than you should ever need to put in there. During our test drive the XLE met its advertised mileage, using about 8.3 L/100km in a mix of highway and city driving, with somewhat aggressive driving and the air conditioning consistently on.

It’s hard to find something to criticize about the car, which is probably why the Camry is consistently one of the best-selling cars in the North America with strong resale value.

The only consideration is whether at  $35,020 the XLE is worth the $11,620 price jump from the $23,400, four-cylinder, 158 horsepower base model LE. If you’ve got the money and want the luxury and performance, go for it, but for the “financially challenged” the LE’s slightly better fuel economy (around 1L/100km better) and significantly lower price make the leap hard to justify.