The all-new 2018 Toyota Camry is now on sale in Australia. This is the freshly imported version, following the closure of Toyota Australia’s local manufacturing which included the Camry.
You have to admit, the new model looks pretty flash, especially in racy SX guise. Four main variant grades are being offered locally, spanning from the Ascent, Ascent Sport, SX, and SL, with three different engine options.
Kicking off the range is the 2.5-litre four-cylinder, available in all trim levels, producing 133kW and 231Nm, hooked up to a six-speed automatic. There’s also a hybrid version with combined power boosted to 160kW (up from 151kW in the outgoing version).
At the top is the exciting new 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V6. This effectively comes in to replace the Aurion, producing a stout 224kW of power and 362Nm of torque. It’s connected up to an eight-speed automatic (a first for a Camry).
Details on 0-100km/h performance hasn’t been mentioned, but we’ll be sure to put it to the test as soon as we can. Fuel economy has been confirmed, however, with average figures ranging from 4.2L/100km and 4.5L/100km for the hybrid (depending on trim), to 7.8-8.3L/100km for the 2.5, and then 8.7-8.9L/100km for the V6.
Toyota has made plenty of major changes to the new model for improved fuel economy, more advanced safety, and sharpened chassis dynamics. This latter claim comes thanks to the implementation of the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA). This platform will eventually be used on most of Toyota’s passenger vehicle range having debuted on the latest Prius.
There’s also a number of Camry firsts, including fully independent rear suspension, optional 19-inch alloy wheels, different drive modes, LED headlights, an electric park brake, 10-inch head-up display, and an opening panoramic glass roof option.
As standard all models come with (at minimum) a 7.0-inch touch-screen multimedia interface with Toyota Link, LED headlights, a 4.2-inch LCD screen for the instrument cluster, and power lumber support. Going for the hybrid Ascent adds dual-zone climate control, keyless entry, and drive mode selection.
We’ll go over more of the finer details in reviews in the near future. The new model is on sale now though with prices starting from the following, with price changes over the equivalent outgoing model or Aurion V6 in brackets (excludes on-roads):
2.5L
2018 Toyota Camry Ascent – $27,690 (up $1200)
2018 Toyota Camry Ascent Sport – $29,990 (down $200)
2018 Toyota Camry SL – $33,290 (down $200)
2018 Toyota Camry SX – $39,990 (up $2550)
Hybrid
2018 Toyota Camry Ascent – $29,990 (down $500)
2018 Toyota Camry Ascent Sport – $31,990 (down $1200)
2018 Toyota Camry SL – $40,990 (up $550)
V6
2018 Toyota Camry SL – $37,290 (down $6700)
2018 Toyota Camry SX – $43,990 (down $6450)
