Review: Toyota XV50 Camry (2011-17)

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• Flexible 2.5-litre 2AR-FE engine
• Spacious interior
• Quiet, well-insulated cabin
• Comfortable ride and competent dynamics
• Steering is accurate…

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• … but lacks feel
• Foot-operated parking brake
• Automatic transmission not always intuitive

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Review: Toyota XV50.I Camry (2011-15)

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Overview

Released in December 2011, the Toyota XV50 Series I (XV50.I) Camry was a mid-size, front-wheel drive sedan. Manufactured in Altona, Australia, the Toyota XV50 Camry was powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that was mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Furthermore, the XV50.I Camry range consisted of Altise, Atara S, Atara SX and Atara SL variants. Please note that the XV50 Camry Hybrid has been reviewed separately.

2AR-FE engine

The Toyota XV50 Camry’s 2.5-litre 2AR-FE four-cylinder petrol engine had a die-cast aluminium engine block and aluminium cylinder head, double overhead camshafts, roller rocker arms, four valves per cylinder, variable intake and exhaust valve timing (Toyota’s ‘dual VVT-i’), an Acoustic Control Induction System (ACIS) and a compression ratio of 10.4:1.

Over the combined ADR 81/02 test cycle, the petrol-engined XV50 Camry models had a fuel consumption of 7.8 litres per 100 km. [su_table responsive=”yes”]

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Dimensions

Compared to the Toyota XV40 Camry , the XV50 Camry was the same length (4815 mm) and had the same wheelbase (2775 mm), but was 10 mm lower (at 1470 mm) and 5 mm wider (1825 mm). Inside, however, there was a 46 mm increase in rear-seat knee room.

Steering and suspension

The XV50 Camry had electric power-assisted steering, coil-over suspension with MacPherson struts front and rear, with L-shaped lower arms at the front and dual transverse links at the rear.

Safety equipment

Standard safety equipment for the Toyota XV50 Camry included dual front airbags, a driver’s knee airbag, front side airbags, full-length curtain airbags, ABS, electronic brake force distribution, brake assist, electronic stability control, traction control and front seatbelts with pretensioners and load limiters. The Atara SL was further equipped with a blind spot monitoring system which used a sub-millimetre radar used to detect vehicles in adjacent lanes and alert the driver if changing lanes.

Brakes

The Toyota XV50 Camry had 296 mm by 28 mm ventilated front brake discs and 286 mm by 10 mm solid rear discs.

ANCAP crash testing

In ANCAP crash testing , the Toyota XV50 Camry received a five star adult occupant protection rating with a score of 36.27 out of 37. In the offset crash test, there was a slight risk of serious leg injury for the front occupants. In the side impact and pole tests, however, maxiumum points were awarded.

Features: Camry Altise

Standard features for the Toyota Camry Altise included 16-inch alloy wheels, a six speaker sound system with CD player, MP3-compatibility, auxiliary inputs (3.5mm/USB/iPod) and Bluetooth audio streaming, air conditioning, cruise control, automatic headlights, steering wheel audio controls, 60/40 split and folding rear seats, remote central locking, power mirrors and windows, a height and reach adjustable steering wheel, height adjustable front seats, two 12 volt power outlets, a trip computer, alarm and immobiliser.

In October 2014, standard features were extended to include a reversing camera and the audio systems were upgraded.

Features: Camry Atara S and Atara SX

The Camry Atara S was further equipped with 17-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control air conditioning, a power adjustable driver’s seat (including lumbar adjustment), front fog lights, reversing camera, leather-wrapped steering wheel and proximity key.

Visually, the Atara variants could be identified by their front sports bumper, mesh grille, side skirts and twin exhausts; the Atara variants also had steering wheel gearshift paddles which included a Sports mode with throttle blipping control for downshifts.

Beyond this, the Camry Atara SX was fitted with sports suspension and plum-coloured leather accented seats. However, the Atara SX and Atara SL were also differentiated by their sports rear bumper rear bumper, rear lip spoiler, sports pedals, black-tinted headlights, body-coloured door handles and rear garnish

Features: Camry Atara SL

The Toyota Camry Atara SL was distinguished by its ten speaker JBL sound system with 5.1-channel surround sound, digital radio receiver (DAB+), seven-inch touch screen with satellite navigation and RDS live traffic updates, power adjustable front seats (with memory settings), black or ivory leather accented trim, rain-sensing wipers, automatic high-beam headlights, rear parking sensors, reverse parking guide, automatically dipping mirrors when reversing, an electrochromatic rear view mirror, powered rear sunshade and woodgrain interior trim.

Toyota Camry Atara R

In October 2012 and August 2013, limited-run Atara R variants were released. Based on the Altise, the Atara R was further equipped with 17-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights, a 6.1-inch display for the sound system and reversing camera (with guidelines), a premium three-spoke steering wheel and special badging. Like the other Atara variants within the Camry range, the Atara R was also fitted with a front sports bumper and grille, side skirts and a dual exhaust diffuser (which contributed to its 135 kW peak power output).

Toyota Camry RZ

Released in June 2014, the Toyota Camry RZ was a limited edition model that was based on the Altise variant but equipped with features reserved for the Atara variants. As such, the Camry RZ was powered by the higher-output (135 kW) petrol engine, fitted with gloss-black 17-inch alloy wheels and sports suspension.

The Camry RZ could be identified by its revised frontal treatment which included front fog lamps with black surrounds, sports headlamps with dark inserts and a unique grille which combined body colour and gloss black elements. Other visual changes included a sports body kit, including side skirts and rear bumper, and a boot lip spoiler in gloss black.

Inside, the Camry RZ had black interior trim, sports combination meters, a premium three-spoke steering wheel and gearshift knob, steering wheel gearshift paddles and a reversing camera monitor.

Brochures

• Brochure: Toyota XV50 Camry Hybrid (November 2012)
• Brochure: Toyota XV50 Camry (May 2014)
• Brochure: Toyota XV50 Camry RZ (May 2014)

Related links

• Press Kit: Toyota XV50 Camry (December 2011)
• Press Kit: Toyota XV50 Camry Hybrid (March 2012)
• Press Release: Toyota XV50.I Aurion Touring (October 2012)
• Press Release: Toyota XV50.I Camry Atara R (October 2012)
• Press Release: Toyota XV50.I Camry Atara R (August 2013)

Review: Toyota XV50.II Camry (2015-17)

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Overview

Released in May 2015, the Toyota XV50 Series II (XV50.II) Camry could be identified by its larger, trapezoidal lower grille, low-profile headlamps and LED daytime running lamps, pronounced side character lines, lower LED tail lamps; the body of the XV50.II Camry was also 10 mm wider. Inside, the XV50.II Camry had new upholsteries, revised instruments and a smaller three-spoke steering wheel.

The Toyota XV50.II Camry introduced a ‘preload’ differential which had a conical spring between the differential case and the side gear. The conical spring applied ‘preload’ in the differential case during light loads and at low differential revolutions, providing torque to limit the speed difference between the driven wheels. According to Toyota, the differential provided smoother acceleration from rest, enhanced steering feel and greater straight-line stability on rough surfaces. [su_table responsive=”yes”]

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Safety equipment

Standard safety equipment for the Toyota XV50.II Camry was unchanged. The XV50.II Camry Atara SL, however, was further equipped with the following active safety technologies:

• Pre-collision safety system: used a millimetre-wave radar sensor in the grille to monitor the distance of potential obstacles in front of the vehicle. If the distance decreased such that a collision was considered a possibility, a buzzer and light would be activated to warn the driver. If the driver did not apply sufficient braking force and the possibility of a collision continued, the system would apply maximum braking force to reduce the vehicle’s speed. Where the system determined that a collision was unavoidable, the brakes would be applied automatically even if the driver had not used the brake pedal (i.e. autonomous emergency braking, or AEB) – such action could reduce impact speed by up to 30 km/h;
• Active cruise control: used the radar sensor in the grille to monitor the distance to vehicle ahead and maintain a safe distance by automatically applying the brakes;
• Lane departure alert: used a windscreen mounted camera to monitor lane markings and detect if the vehicle was about to deviate from its lane without prior activation of the indicators. If so, a warning tone would sound and a message would appear on the multi-information display screen; and,
• Rear cross traffic alert: used the rear radar sensors to detect approaching traffic that may cross the vehicle’s path as it reversed out of a parking space.

Like its XV50.I predecessor, the XV50.II Camry Atara SL continued to be fitted with blind spot monitoring.

Features: Camry Altise

Standard features for the Toyota XV50.II Camry Altise were extended to include a 6.1-inch touch screen and LED daytime running lights; as per the October 2014 update, a reversing camera continued to be fitted as standard. The XV50.II Camry Altise could be identified by its ten-spoke 16-inch alloy wheels.

In May 2016, standard equipment for the Toyota XV50.II Camry was extended to include:

• Rear parking sensors; and,
• ISOFIX attachment points for the rear seats.

Features: Camry Atara S

Relative to the Altise, the Camry Atara S was further equipped with ten-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels, a seven-inch touch screen, ‘Toyota Link’ connected mobility system with voice recognition, dual-zone climate control air conditioning, power adjustable driver’s seat, rear parking sensors, leather-wrapped steering wheel with gearshift paddles, proximity key and push-button start. From June 2015, the Toyota Link system included Pandora internet radio.

From October 2016, the Camry Atara S was fitted with a satellite navigation system as standard.

Features: Camry Atara SX

Positioned as the sports variant within the range, the Camry Atara SX was fitted with wider 18 x 7.5J black five-spoke alloy wheels with Bridgestone 225/45 R18 tyres and leather sports seats. For its sports suspension, changes included:

• shock absorbers with two-piece, high-flow valves and increased low-speed damping resistance;
• increased roll stiffness through unique front springs, a thicker front stabiliser bar and a stiffer rebound stopper;
• a Teflon-lined front stabiliser bush;
• forged aluminium links (instead of steel) between the stabiliser bar and shock absorbers;
  stiffer upper supports; and,
• improved front shock absorber sealing.

The electric power steering was also retuned for greater weight off-centre and a faster 15.9:1 ratio which required 2.85 turns lock-to-lock (compared to 16.9:1 and 3.12 turns lock-to-lock for other Camry variants). The Camry Atara SX could be identified by its sports mesh grille, rear lip spoiler and dark rear bumper diffuser.

Features: Camry Atara SL

The range-topping Camry Atara SL was distinguished by its fifteen-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels, JBL sound system with ten speakers, a GreenEdge amplifier and Matrix 5.1 channel surround system, satellite navigation system with real-time traffic updates, power adjustable front seats, front parking sensors, automatic high beam headlights, rain-sensing wipers and front seat memory settings. Furthermore, the instrument cluster for the Atara SL featured two Optitron meters and a full-colour 4.2-inch TFT display which could display audio, navigation, warning and communication information. The Atara SL was also fitted with a rear-lip spoiler.

From May 2016, the Camry Atara SL was fitted with a wireless phone charger.

2016 Toyota Camry RZ

Based on the Camry Altise, the Toyota Camry RZ was released in June 2016. The Camry RZ was fitted with 18-inch gloss-black alloy wheels, sports suspension (developed in Australia) and twin exhaust system so that it produced the same 135 kW and 235 Nm as the Camry Atara variants; the steering ratio was also increased for more direct steering. Other visual cues for the Toyota Camry RZ included its ‘RZ’ decals and ‘black enhancements’ for the sports mesh radiator grille, headlamp inserts, door mirror casings, boot-lip spoiler and rear diffuser.

Relative to the Camry Altise, standard features for the Camry RZ were extended to include dual-zone climate control air conditioning, parking sensors (front and rear), a premium three-spoke steering wheel, proximity key, push button start, 4.2-inch colour TFT display and ‘RZ’ branded floor mats. Production of the Toyota Camry RZ was limited to 1100 vehicles.

2016 Toyota Camry RZ Special Edition

The Toyota Camry RZ Special Edition was released in November 2016. Based on the Toyota Camry RZ (see above), the Camry RZ Special Edition added a seven-inch touch screen with satellite navigation and SUNA real time traffic updates, voice recognition and a digital radio receiver (DAB+). Production of the Toyota Camry RZ Special Edition was limited to 700 vehicles.

Brochure

• Brochure: Toyota XV50.II Camry and Camry Hybrid (May 2015)

Related links

• Press Kit: Toyota XV50.II Camry (May 2015)
• Toyota Australia: Camry RZ (June 2016)
• Toyota Australia: Toyota Camry
• Wikipedia.org: Toyota XV50 Camry