2015 Toyota Camry First Drive Review

by Lyndon Bell

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October 17, 2014

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7 min. Reading Time

For those of you who’ve always wondered, the word Camry is derived from a phonetic transcription of the Japanese word kanmuri, which means “little crown”.

It can also mean “beyond compare”.

Other cars come and go, but the subject of this 2015 Toyota Camry first drive review soldiers on, year after year, remaining one of America’s best selling cars. On average, some 400,000 Camrys find their way onto somebody’s driveway each year. What’s more on average, Toyota builds a new Camry every 54 seconds.

Given the last version of the car was introduced in 2011, a reworked one appearing a mere three years later is something of an anomaly in the car industry. However, Toyota is very serious about keeping Camry at the top of the sales heap. To that end, a host of changes have been wrought. Every exterior panel is new, save the roof, the interior has been completely reworked, a host of new smart safety features have been incorporated, and there are even two new sporty variants of the car.

And yet, one very innate aspect of the car remains completely unchanged.

What aspect are we talking about?

Read on…

Models And Pricing

For the 2015 model year, Toyota is offering Camry with both four- and six-cylinder engines, as well as a hybrid powertrain. There will also be four trim levels; LE, SE, XLE, and XSE. Four-cylinder engines can be fitted to all four trim levels.

The V6 option is available only for Camry XSE and XLE. Camry Hybrid is also offered with the SE trim package for the first time this year. The XSE designation is new for the 2015 model year as well, combining the luxury features of the XLE with the suspension tuning, and other sporty elements of Camry SE.

Pricing for the four-cylinder models starts at $22,970 for Camry LE. Toyota adds a destination charge of $825, for a total of $23,795. Camry SE starts at $24,665 with destination charges added, while XLE and XSE both come in at $26,975 with destination.

Camry Hybrid in LE trim starts at $27,615 with destination, the SE Hybrid commands $28,820 with destination, and the starting price of Camry Hybrid XLE is set at $30,805, also with destination charges added.

The V6-powered XLE and XSE models both start at $32,195, including destination charges.

Design

Toyota’s Camry comes to market for the 2015 model year with an all-new look. Every body panel is changed from the 2014 version of the car—save the roof. The grille is larger and more expressive. To our eye, it’s a bit much, but clearly that’s the corporate look for Toyota models these days and they’re sticking with it.

The headlight array is sleeker, and daytime running lights are faired into the lower corners of the front fascia, sharing space with the turn signals.

Tapering downward, the subtly sculpted hood gives Camry a more wind cheating appearance and character. The hood flows into a steeply raked windshield, improving aerodynamics, while lending a more sporty appearance. The flared front and rear fenders, emphasize the car’s new wider track, while also adding a bit of aggression to the design.

The sides of the Toyota contribute to the premium look of the redesign. A prominent shoulder line ascends from the trailing edge of the front fender and sweeps toward the tail of the Camry, incorporating the four door handles on its way back. The new wheels blend cohesively, while also serving as jewelry for the new design.

At the rear, the LED taillights seemingly wrap around the corners of the car, adding a sense of elegance to the new Camry’s departing view. Overall, the car is slightly longer than before. A subtle tail spoiler emphasizes the overall rake of the Camry, while also serving to improve its aerodynamics. Interestingly, even though the design is all-new, the look is unquestionably a Camry.

Features And Controls

The standard features list for the 2015 Toyota Camry includes a set of 16-inch steel wheels, automatic headlights, heated mirrors, air-conditioning, keyless entry, a rearview camera, cruise control, an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, a 60/40-split folding rear seat, and cloth upholstery, along with Bluetooth telephony and audio streaming. The 6.1-inch Entune touchscreen electronics interface hosts a six-speaker sound system supporting a CD player, an auxiliary audio input jack, and a USB/iPod port.

Moving up to Camry SE adds a set of 17-inch alloy wheels, a sport-tuned suspension system, a sporty fabric and simulated leather upholstery treatment, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, and a sport-oriented instrument package.

Camry XSE adds 18-inch alloy wheels, a set of LED running lamps, leather and simulated suede upholstery for the seats and door panels, heated front seats with more aggressively sculpted side bolstering, a four-way power adjustable passenger seat, a dual-zone automatic climate control system, satellite radio, and HD radio.

Camry XLE shares the features of XSE, but is biased more toward comfort than sport. Consequently, it makes do with 17-inch wheels, a softer suspension setup, and full leather upholstery.

To get niceties such as keyless entry and start, as well as an auto-dimming rearview mirror with the four-cylinder engines, one must order the Convenience Package. However, these are already folded into the V6 packages—along with LED headlights, a noise-reducing windshield, a sunroof, a seven-inch Entune touchscreen interface, navigation, wireless smartphone charging, and smartphone-integration apps. All of which can be had as options with the four-cylinder engine in XLE and XSE packages.

Comfort And Cargo

The Camry’s spacious new interior treatment places a great deal of emphasis on soft touch materials and French stitching, particularly for the more upscale XLE and XSE models. The interior feels more spacious, and satin chrome trim bits add to the ambiance.

The multi-tiered dash treatment imbues visual interest, as it looks like it should reside in a considerably more expensive car. The huge touchscreen monitor in the center stack competes with the steering wheel for dominance of the design, but not in a negative way.

Good-sized knobs control the key functions of the audio system, just as God and Motorola intended. We are a little bugged you have to go to the touchscreen—or use voice command—to activate the navigation system. Sometimes you just want to see the map for a moment, so it’d be nice if there were a button for direct access of that function.

Buttons on the steering wheel interact with the audio system, telephone, and the multi-information display between the speedometer and the tachometer. The main features of the climate control system are readily evident as well. The storage bin at the bottom of the center stack contains a 12v power port, a USB port, and houses the optional wireless charging system for select smartphones.

Our drive time was spent behind the wheel of the new XSE V6 model, and we found its comfort quite substantial over a long day of driving. The seats are firm, nicely bolstered, and provide fatigue-free support. Legroom, headroom, and shoulder room are abundant in all seating positions. Camry is configured to carry five, but is most comfortable for four. The trunk offers 15.4 cubic feet of cargo space.

Safety Features And Crash Test Ratings

The slate of available safety features includes a pre-collision system, adaptive cruise control, lane departure alert, auto high beams for the headlights, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross traffic alert.

Naturally, the 2015 Camry comes standard with the Toyota STAR Safety System, which includes vehicle stability control (VSC), traction control (TRAC), an anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), and brake assist (BA). STAR also features Toyota’s smart stop technology brake-override system.

If you order one of the XLE Camry models, you can get the Toyota Safety

Connect telematics system (with a one-year complimentary trial subscription), which incorporates automatic collision notification, stolen vehicle location, an emergency assistance button (SOS), and 24-hour roadside assistance.

Camry’s airbag count stands at ten, and includes dual-stage advanced SRS front airbags, front and rear seat-mounted side airbags, side curtain airbags, and knee airbags for the driver and front passenger.

In Insurance Institute of Highway Safety crash testing, Camry scored the organization’s highest ranking (“Good”) all around, including moderate and small overlap frontal crashes. This is a marked improvement over the previous version of the Camry.

Engines And Fuel Economy

Toyota’s 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine returns for duty in the 2015 Camry, as does its 3.5-liter V6 colleague. While practically everything else about the 2015 Camry is new. The powertrains remain unchanged. When questioned about this, Toyota’s engineering spokespeople basically said they didn’t need to be changed. With that said, the powertrain change for 2015 is the addition of conical spring to the differential to reduce slop in the drivetrain and make the car feel tighter under propulsion.

The 2.5-liter inline four makes 178 horsepower and 170 ft-lbs of torque. Fitted to the vast majority of Camry models sold, it’s paired with front-wheel drive and a six-speed automatic transmission. Thus configured, Camry returns an estimated 25 miles per gallon in the city, 35 on the highway, and 28 combined.

The 3.5-liter V6 makes 268 horsepower and 248 ft-lbs of torque. Its powertrain also employs front-wheel drive and the six-speed automatic. Fuel economy for this combination is rated at 21 in the city, 31 on the highway, and 25 combined.

The hybrid powertrain is good for a system output of 200 horsepower. It teams a 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine with an electric motor, and a continuously variable transmission. Fuel economy is rated at 39 miles per gallon on the highway, 43 in the city, and 41 combined.

Driving Impressions

Toyota’s engineering team reinforced Camry’s body structure to increase torsional rigidity and to improve its performance in the small overlap frontal crash test. They also added a great deal of sound deadening material (including an acoustically optimized windshield on upper level models) to make the Camry drive more quietly than before.

The steering and suspension systems were reworked to improve tracking and straight-line stability. The electronic power steering system was recalibrated to feel tighter on center, spring rates were increased, and rebound springs were added to the rear suspension system to help resist body roll when cornering. On SE and XSE models, the shocks use a digressive valve to improve handling when asked to corner sharply—without degrading the ride quality in steady state driving.

On the road, all the changes add up to a Camry that drives like a considerably more expensive car than it is. Seated at the steering wheel, visibility is good all around, the control layout is highly intuitive, and everything operates with a feel of substance.

The engines are buttery smooth, the transmission shifts practically imperceptibly, and the steering is nicely accurate, if somewhat devoid of feel. The engineering team also prescribed a new brake booster. The pedal is firm, and the braking system readily responds to modulation.

All in all, this is the best driving version of the Toyota Camry ever offered.

Final Thoughts

Which is not to say the new Toyota Camry SE or XSE is ready to go screaming through anybody’s canyons intimidating Audi A4s and BMW 3 Series cars. Yes, it’s competent—engaging even—but whatever letters you put after the word Camry; you’re still driving a Camry.

That ain’t a bad thing—particularly when you consider what it means.

Building upon an outstanding reputation for reliability, low cost of ownership, and reasonable fuel economy with a newfound premium attitude and a quieter and yet more dynamic driving experience, the new 2015 Toyota Camry models are clearly poised to remain among the best selling cars in the United States.

Bottom line; Toyota’s new Camry is clearly designed to avoid offending anyone, but it also avoids coming across as vanilla in the manner of its forebears.

Nice job Toyota.