2007 Toyota Camry Preview

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That’s sound, if not particularly articulate, advice. Advice that Toyota claims it has ignored for its complete redesign of the sixth-generation, 2007 Toyota Camry, which was unveiled at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. But in reality, the company has taken it to heart more than ever. The Toyota Camry ain’t broke because it’s the best-selling midsize sedan on the market. In the years since 1983, when the Camry first arrived in America, it has proven itself a dependable mode of transportation, constructed of quality materials yet providing value to the car’s 6.5 million buyers during its 23-year lifespan. The one thing the Camry isn’t, according to Toyota spokespeople, is exciting. To combat the Camry’s tendency to induce naps, Toyota is trying to shake things up with the redesigned 2007 model. Toyota says that the styling pushes the envelope, but the important thing is that like each of its predecessors, the 2007 Toyota Camry is a car you buy today, drive for 10 years, and sell without concern that it’s going to go out of style. And it’s likely to retain a healthy chunk of its value, too, especially if you follow the scheduled maintenance intervals.

What it is

The 2007 Toyota Camry is a roomy four-door family sedan offered in base CE, popular LE, upscale XLE, sporty SE, and Hybrid trim levels. It offered with four- and six-cylinder engines, as well as a new gasoline/electric hybrid powertrain that blends a four-cylinder gasoline engine with electric motors.

Why it matters

For years, the Toyota Camry has been the best-selling car in the country. It is the most important model in Toyota’s lineup, critical to the Japanese automaker’s future success. Upon first inspection, the 2007 Toyota Camry will help the company to increase market share in North America.

What’s under the hood

The standard engine in the CE, LE, XLE, and SE is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder making 158 horsepower (155 horses for PZEV-rated motors). It’s connected to a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission, and gets 24 mpg regardless of transmission choice. The manual transmission gets 34 mpg on the highway, while the automatic musters 33 mpg. If you want more power than the four-cylinder engine can provide, choose a 2007 Toyota Camry equipped with the available 3.5-liter V6. It generates 268 horsepower, runs on regular unleaded fuel like the four-cylinder, and carries a ULEV rating. The V6 is connected to a six-speed automatic transmission, and is expected to deliver 22 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway. The 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid combines a four-cylinder engine with an electric assist motor to create a combined 192 horsepower – about the same motive force as found in the outgoing V6 versions. Fuel economy ratings are 43 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway, and Toyota says the Hybrid model will go 600 miles on a single tank of fuel.

What’s inside

Safety, quality, and spaciousness are current hallmarks of the Toyota Camry that are carried over in the new 2007 version. The front seats are redesigned for added comfort, and feature increased seat track travel to better accommodate taller drivers. Whiplash Injury Lessening (WIL) seat design, side-impact airbags for the front seats, side-curtain airbags for all outboard seating positions, and even a driver’s knee airbag come standard. Other Camry goodies include Sericin-coated Fraichir seat fabric on the XLE four-cylinder model, Plasmacluster ionizer technology in the dual-zone automatic climate control system, and a 440-watt JBL audio system with Bluetooth wireless communications capability. Suffice it to say that, as it always has with every redesign of America’s favorite family sedan, Toyota is providing more car for the money than ever in the new 2007 Camry.

What it looks like

Toyota says that the 2007 Camry’s styling pushes the envelope, but only that odd-looking grille, which makes it look like the hood melted and dripped down the front of the car, is even close to adventurous. The rest of the car is contemporary but generic, handsome and inoffensive like every Camry since the 1992 model debuted and redefined the family sedan. Ditto for the interior, which could double in a luxury car except for the Toyota logo emblazoned on the steering wheel hub.

What Toyota says

Don Esmond, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., noted during the 2007 Toyota Camry’s introduction that the car has “evolved into the quintessential family sedan.” Esmond further explained that “Camry owners love their Camrys, recommend them to friends and family,” and often hand them down to sons and daughters. The one thing causing Camry owners dissatisfaction, according to Esmond, is the car’s vanilla image.

What we think

We think the 2007 Toyota Camry is still vanilla, but a tastier version, like the difference between non-fat Vanilla and slow-churned French Vanilla. Unquestionably, the Camry will be a big hit, and Toyota’s decision to base the Hybrid model on a four-cylinder rather than a six-cylinder is downright smart. Hybrid buyers don’t care about acceleration, they want improved fuel economy and lower emissions.

When you can buy it

The 2007 Toyota Camry goes on sale in March, and pricing will be announced closer to its arrival in showrooms.

Key specifications

Engine Size and Type: 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder (standard); 3.5-liter V6 (optional); Hybrid Synergy Drive with 2.4-liter four-cylinder and electric assist motor Engine Horsepower: 158 at 6,000 rpm (2.4L); 268 at 6,200 rpm (3.5L); 192 combined (Hybrid) Engine Torque: 161 lb.-ft. at 4,000 rpm (2.4L); 248 lb.-ft. at 4,700 rpm (3.5L) Transmission: Five-speed manual (standard 2.4L); Five-speed automatic (optional 2.4L); Six-speed automatic (standard 3.5L); CVT (Hybrid) Curb weight, lbs.: 3,285 (2.4L); 3,440 (3.5L); 3,637 (Hybrid) Estimated Fuel Economy (city/highway): 25/34 mpg (2.4L manual); 24/33 mpg (2.4L auto.); 22/31 mpg (3.5L); 43/37 mpg (Hybrid) Length: 189.2 inches Width: 71.7 inches Wheelbase: 109.3 inches Height: 57.5 inches Leg room (front/rear): 41.6/38.3 inches Head room (front/rear): 38.8/37.8 inches (37.9 in front with XLE) Max. Seating Capacity: Five Max. Cargo Volume: 15.0 cubic feet (14.5 for SE, XLE) Competitors: Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Impala, Chevrolet Malibu, Chrysler 300, Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Charger, Dodge Stratus, Ford Five Hundred, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Honda Accord Hybrid, Hyundai Azera, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Amanti, Kia Optima, Mazda 6, Mercury Milan, Mercury Montego, Nissan Altima, Nissan Maxima, Pontiac G6, Pontiac Grand Prix, Saturn Aura, Subaru Legacy, Suzuki Verona, Volkswagen Passat

Photos courtesy of Toyota Motor Sales USA