Toyota Camry. Production: St. Petersburg. From 1,212,000 rubles. In terms of design, the Russian Camry is similar to the versions for Asia and the Middle East. In both Americas and Australia, a completely different restyling option is proposed.
ANOTHER LIFE
“No, this is still a car for another life,” I thought once again, watching the Camry’s tail brazenly stick out of a row of strictly marked parking spaces in a crowded Saturday parking lot. shopping center in the suburbs of Madrid. Here such machines are not loved and do not appreciate.
The Camry is a product from a segment that has practically breathed its last breath in the European market. Here, no one needs a big sedan, standing at the junction of the middle and business class, unless, of course, it carries deutsche mark. These are out of competition. Therefore, the Japanese unanimously curtail sales of more or less prestigious passenger cars on the European continent and look to the east. There, where the mysterious Russian soul buys almost everything Japanese and big in bulk.
Yes, in Russia there is a completely different approach to choosing a car. Beloved by Europeans, Auris, Corolla and Verso, even taken together, do not reach the sales level of Camry. The year before last, a plant in St. Petersburg produced 32,700 of these sedans. In 2014, about the same. Even gloomy expectations regarding the coming year do not overshadow the hopes of the Japanese. They believe that the love of Russians for Camry is not capable of destroying any economic troubles. Well, yes, growth will most likely be zero, but a decline should hardly be expected - after all, Toyota presented updated version. In which everything is the same, but a little better.
Don't expect a revolution - it's unpopular in Russia. But there are more than enough small steps to improve the standard of living in the Camry.
STEP BY STEP
First, soundproofing. I won’t say that the changes are dramatic, but the use of a different material in the floor covering and dotted linings on the inner door panels have significantly reduced the resonant component of road noise.
Secondly, in most versions, the wood finish has become darker and has acquired a noble look. Instruments, a climate control unit, a multimedia complex with a touch screen - again, it cannot be said that all this was very annoying in the previous version (Camry is generally made in such a way that it minimizes negative emotions). But after the upgrade, it is clear that the appearance of a large color display on the dashboard, the transition from knobs to keys in the climate control unit and other innovations made the Camry's inner world more relevant. After all, when the plane will offer you new version digital player, you will not refuse, even if you are used to the old one? So here.
And finally, ride comfort. Shock absorbers provide a smoother ride while still being able to effectively dampen impacts from broken road(do not believe it, but in Spain I found one!).
Lower zone heating windshield is now standard equipment, and most expensive versions offer conductive threads for the entire surface. In general, as expected, the best and most relevant innovations (monitoring systems for "blind" zones, automatic switching lights and traffic warnings in reverse) was saved here precisely for the configuration that marks the top of prestige in model line Camry. This is when the well-known 3.5 V6 engine with a capacity of 249 forces pleasantly purrs under the hood, and its torque of 346 N m is regularly transmitted to the front wheels by a six-speed “automatic”. Jerks and jolts from fussy switching are absent here as a class. Not like the most popular, 2.5‑liter Camry, which accounts for about 70% of sales. With her, even if you keep your foot on the pedal evenly, the box is no, no, and it will explode either higher or lower, like a frightened footman who cannot guess the desire of a silent owner. Of course, there is a lot of noise from this nervousness, but little sense.
Taken from two and a half liters of 181 power is enough for all occasions, but judging by the feeling of driving the car and the sound of the engine, the class superiority of the V6 engine is obvious. Moreover, the Camry with the “six” drives a little more confidently in a straight line: there is less laxity in the “zero” - accordingly, less taxiing is required. Yes, and in the comfort of the suspension, there is also a slight, but superiority.
But in fast corners, the less powerful and lighter version with the “four” turned out to be a little more agile. But, although sliding at the limit of grip properties of tires is easily predicted, it is better not to play around with it. And even more so, you should not turn off the stabilization system. This is one of those machines that is perfectly understandable only when it is under the scrutiny of electronics.
Should I disable ESP on wet roads polygon, as all the accumulated skills to bypass the cones went down the drain: the demolition of the front end occurred abruptly and unexpectedly, the car stupidly rushed straight ahead.
On the other hand, this character is great for Camry buyers. They don't care about the driving process at all. They just need to move. With comfort. No wonder the manual gearbox previously offered for the basic version has died out as a completely unnecessary rudiment.
For Camry buyers, the design and appearance of the car are clearly not in the first place. Convenience, prestige and residual value are their top priorities. And what's outside is not so important. The main thing is that the Camry nameplate is present in the place allotted to it.
NEW GENERATION
So I will not dwell on the appearance of the updated Camry - since few people are interested in this. Although ... Among the prospective buyers of the Camry, there is one interesting group that seems to be supposed to be interested in design. These are young and not yet trimmed by life managers who, having paid off a loan for a Focus or a third Mazda, are now ready to take something bigger and richer. Well, you understand - to show that life is good. That's what the lure is for them - Camry with a new two-liter engine with a capacity of 150 forces and a six-speed "automatic". base price- 1,212,000 rubles. A great offer for now!
But that is a cramped and modest Ford, but this is after all Toyota Camry. Almost the same as the secretary of the city ... sorry, the head of the council - only the outer door handles are not shiny, but in body color. Yes, the equipment is better. In the “initial” Camry, the rear sofa does not have electrically adjustable backrests and heating, it is devoid of a three-zone “climate” and curtains on the windows. But this, in fact, relies in most cases only on the most expensive, "director's" Camry V6. Or a car with a 2.5 engine, but in the most fancy configuration "Prestige". And this is logical. I can’t understand one thing: why is the factory navigation also offered exclusively for these prestigious versions? By the way, and Bluetooth too.
Previously, however, there was also an affordable Camry with a two-liter engine, but it was simpler, and even with an ancient four-stage “fluid mechanics”. And the new engine has combined injection (both into the intake manifold and directly into the cylinders), and the ability to work at low loads according to the Atkinson scheme with late closing of the intake valves, which is usually typical for hybrid cars. They say that fuel consumption compared to the previous basic version has decreased by as much as 13%, and the acceleration time to 100 km / h has been reduced by two seconds. There will be something to talk about on Internet forums.
Why such achievements? After all, the power of the new engine has grown only by two forces and the moment has increased slightly. Even in a demonstration race, when starting from a standstill, the newcomer, although he bypassed the old two-liter Camry, was not very confident, as if stammering at the very beginning of acceleration. I think the point is in the six-speed box: it switches more smoothly and imperceptibly, and the gear ratio is chosen more accurately. It's also nice that there is less engine noise in the cabin during intensive acceleration than even in a car with a 2.5-liter engine.
I won’t say anything more yet, since this version will go on sale only in April. And other modifications are already in the showrooms of dealers. Fly, buy. If you are sure that everything will be fine with you.
REMOTE ACCESS
The launch of the new Camry has become the starting point for Toyota to introduce new customer experience technologies. Now, on the website of the brand or on the information portals of dealers, the client is offered not only to configure the car, but also to select accessories for it. Moreover, the selected equipment receives a unique code, which then facilitates ordering a car.
Test drive or MOT is also available by online appointment. The registered operator will call within an hour.
Also, via the Internet, you can sign up for an assessment of the value of your car for subsequent exchange for a new one using the "trade-in" system. Inspection of a used car at a dealership using the iPad application can be completed in 10 minutes, and a full technical diagnostics will take from 23 to 45 minutes. Thus, in just half an hour, you can determine the final cost old car and find out what shines when it is exchanged for a new one.
PLUS: Comfort, prestige; don't go wrong when reselling
MINUS: Some new options have long settled on more affordable machines.
We didn't think it would ever happen. Although, speaking objectively, it should have happened a long time ago. And here's what happened: Toyota Camry has become an interesting car. And if earlier the phrase “Camry driver” drew in the brain of a domesticated taxi driver who moved to the corporate garage of the provincial council of deputies, now it is ... a rather versatile image. And there are enough reasons for that.
Pressing force
It would be too risky to continue to deny the importance of looks in a segment where the Mazda 6 and, after all, the Kia Optima exist. But Toyota took a step forward even more decisively than one might expect. And the Japanese made it a year ago - new camry debuted in January 2017, and in the summer it was released on American market. Now we will have a chance to evaluate their courage with our own eyes.
The first impression of the car is that it has become more squat, crouching to the ground and clinging to it with its wheels. Geometric indicators confirm these subjective feelings: the wheelbase has changed the most, stretching 5 centimeters, to 2,825 mm, while the height has decreased by 3.5 centimeters. The remaining indicators are more homeopathic: plus 3.5 centimeters in total length and 1.5 centimeters in width. This “pressure to the surface” also affected the clearance: it decreased by 5 millimeters, to 155. At the same time, the most noticeable change - the expansion of the wheelbase - did not affect the space of the second row of seats: there, according to Japanese engineers, there was already enough space (and they are not mistaken), but the front doorway stretched out, which is clearly visible when viewed in profile.
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The change in dimensions is a consequence of the use of the new GA-K platform, created within the framework of the TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) architecture. It's a platform for mid-size transverse-engined cars: the Avalon and Lexus ES are built on it, as well as the new RAV4. For us, this is interesting, first of all, by an increase in structural rigidity by about a third and related advantages, such as increased safety and controllability. Moreover, the word "handling" this time will often sound indecent for a story about Camry.
Descriptions appearance can be reduced to a few short phrases: after all, the car is already a year old, and those who were waiting for it have already seen enough of it, and we had. All the clichéd descriptions like “increased aggressiveness”, “predatory look of narrow slanted headlights” and “a swift silhouette that moves forward even when standing still” fit here fully. If you want a real contrast, you should compare the old and new generations in profile: in this case, the transition from “box-shaped” doors and a high roof line to much more elegant outlines with a short front overhang and a rounded roof transition line in rear rack. Behind, the “regular ducktail” of the trunk lid and lights, deliberately deeply reaching into the rear fenders, draw attention to themselves.
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Surprise control point
Having opened the wide door, you sit down in a chair, along the way noting a decent distance from it to the edge of the threshold - the door is well sealed at the bottom, but the pants of short people in the slush may be at risk. The interior meets with the same freshness that emanated from the outside of the car: now there are no boring straight lines left in it, and the driver's work area is fenced off by a wave entering the right side of the central tunnel. Almost everything is new here: the steering wheel, which is called the “new corporate”, dashboard, multimedia system, and so on. Only the screen on the dashboard in the lower trim levels turned out to be familiar, which migrated here from the previous generation of the model. Older versions flaunt a new large trapezoidal display that occupies the entire space between the scale wells. Despite modern trends, the Japanese have remained faithful to classic instruments - there is no fully digital dashboard among the options. But given the size of the notorious display between the scales and the successful organization of information on it, it would be quite justified to say the typical "no - and no need."
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Among the controls, not only the steering wheel has undergone changes: the “handbrake” is now not foot (this is a pun, yes), but electronic, and the Lexus-style gearshift lever walks in a straight line, without bends. The floor gas pedal is a promising and fully justified addition to the overall picture.
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The Media Control Center is noticeably sleeker and slightly more driver-focused. He, along with the climate unit, is inscribed in a boldly outlined glossy sector topped with a slot for CDs. A tangible plus is the preservation of the mechanical volume and frequency controls of the radio station, which are now grouped to the left of the screen, in close proximity to the driver. Large black rectangular keys are gone, giving way to narrow silver ones. Unfortunately, the Android-based head unit, which was previously offered in the Exclusive version, is also a thing of the past - but this is a temporary loss, because work is already underway to introduce Yandex services into the new multimedia system.
The very same multimedia, retaining the name Touch 2, was redesigned, having received an updated interface and design. A 7-inch capacitive touchscreen with good response and speed, in addition to general functions, also displays images from cameras all-round view, and if the screen is eight-inch, this means that there is also a regular navigation. Perhaps, only the screen resolution of 640*480 is not striking, but the picture quality is exhaustive both for controlling musical functions and when displaying pictures from cameras.
As for music, JBL has traditionally designed it for the Camry, and from the novelties of the audio system is the ability to read lossless FLAC and ALAC formats. True, this decision is more marketing than audiophilia, since we have already seen that the ability to reproduce these formats usually does not add hi-fi sound quality.
Under the multimedia touchscreen there is a simple and convenient climate control unit with rotary controls, and under it there is a “place of power”, where there is a USB port with a hinged cover and a platform for wireless charging Qi standard, which has become even larger than before, and is now guaranteed to fit any smartphone up to large phablets. Another pleasant discovery is the opening of a niche under this very wireless charging pad, which moves forward.
The central tunnel, in addition, grouped on itself an electronic handbrake and an automatic machine hold button (Auto Hold), as well as a seat microclimate control unit, in which heating and - optionally - ventilation of the seats are arranged. This block, by the way, being well organized, is not ideal in terms of ergonomics: the keys are located behind the brush lying on the armrest, and to press them, you need to bend it down, taking your eyes off the road and slightly “looking” behind the armrest. You also have to look behind the steering wheel at the bottom left: the key block located at the left knee and including, among other things, the steering wheel heating button, is also not visible with a standard fit. But an unequivocal ergonomic improvement was the move of the cruise control buttons to the right steering wheel spoke: the Japanese still abandoned the steering column lever on the bottom right.
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A small but necessary step forward was made by the seats - both in design and in ease of landing. The landing itself, by the way, now has fewer anatomical restrictions: the steering wheel adjustment for reach (optionally electric) has been increased in the range from 40 to 60 millimeters, and the steering wheel still moves within 40 mm in height.
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Concluding the conversation about the front row of seats, it is worth saying a few words about the finishing materials, in terms of which the Camry has also become better. Almost all areas of tactile contact with the driver and passenger are hidden in leatherette and soft plastic, and the steering wheel and gear selector, of course, are covered with leather. The volumes of silvery plastic and plastic wood, which are unloved by many, have decreased, and the second one can be completely abandoned by choosing gray inserts. However, "wood" now looks more like mother-of-pearl than imitation veneer, and this reduces the degree of rejection with close acquaintance. However, a couple of “solid zones” in the cabin still remained: the inserts with power window keys on the doors are still as glossy and hard as the frame of the cup holders, and the glove box meets a very solid volume, but lacks the “velvet”, rubber or “soft” finishes. -touch”: the plastic here is ordinary and booming.
The second row of seats will be good already in the basic version, but can improve in direct proportion to how much you paid for it. In the initial version, there is a spacious rear sofa with a folding armrest and a decent supply of legroom. For a surcharge, you can get a “bureaucratic” second row of seats with a control unit in the armrest. It displays touch keys for controlling separate electrically adjustable backrests of the rear row seats, seat heating, microclimate for the second row (three-zone climate control, you know), rear curtain with electric drive and even multimedia system. The “cargo” volume is represented here only by flip-out coasters: there is no niche in the armrest itself, and nothing can be placed. But at the back, you can charge two gadgets at once: under the ventilation ducts, there are two USB ports covered with covers.
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Moving from the passenger compartment to the trunk, there are two key facts worth noting here. Firstly, the trunk has not changed much: 493 liters of volume against the previous 506. The loss of 13 liters is compensated by an improvement in the shape of the trunk, which is designed to improve its practical occupancy. For the version with electric rear seat, the volume is, of course, slightly less: 469 liters. And secondly, the trunk lid, having received a change in the design of the lifting mechanism, retained large hinges and the absence of an electric drive in any of the versions.
Surprises - in person
Well, now, having dealt with everything that happened in the cabin, it's time to start the engine of the first of the test cars and go towards a new one - something that could not be obtained before driving a Camry.
Minimum price
Toyota Camry Standard
1 399 000 rubles
At the same time, the motors themselves here are by no means “something that could not be obtained before”. Go to new platform and production architecture is a complex and slow process, and this has also affected the range of powertrains. So far we have implemented only one new motor from the list offered for Camry abroad - the "senior" 3.5-liter. Two less voluminous engines, 2.5- and 2-liter, are already familiar to us from the previous generation (“proven”, as automakers like to call old engines) units. The situation is similar with gearboxes: the new eight-speed automatic relies only on the 3.5-liter engine, while the rest are equipped with the already familiar six-speed.
We begin our acquaintance with the "medium" version - a 2.5-liter 2AR-FE with 181 hp. and 231 Nm. The car meets with silence in the cabin: the insulation of the engine compartment is good, and the engine is not audible at idle. We switch to Drive and drive to Baku roads to understand what the Japanese are so proud of?
And already in the first kilometers it becomes clear: there really is something to be proud of! First of all - a combination of sharp steering and suspension more collected than before. The electric power steering is now located not on the steering shaft, but directly on the rail, which should improve the response to driver commands - but in practice it is hardly possible to feel it, but the fact that the steering wheel has become shorter, having 2.5 turns from lock to lock - completely. Centimeter in diameter lost and steering wheel, which, by the sum of factors, led to the fact that cornering from a simple rolling of the "steering wheel" in the hands turned into an interesting activity. At the same time, the steering wheel is not completely electrically empty, but has a certain force, providing sensible feedback.
The suspension here, of course, is completely different from that on the old car: instead of the “double MacPherson” scheme, now there is a multi-link behind, which the Japanese still call the suspension “on double wishbones". But, as you know, you can name as much as you like and anything, unless you put it in the oven, but the result of this introduction is visible here and now. With the increased mass, the sedan lost in comparative dynamics: it travels up to a hundred with a 2.5-liter engine in 9.9 seconds versus 9 for the old one. But you can bet that if you push them on the track, the new one will “bring” him a few seconds precisely due to a much better tuned chassis, which allows you to more accurately and confidently take turns, as well as a center of gravity that has dropped by 20 mm, which also cannot be underestimated.
The Japanese did what, perhaps, they did not expect from them: by sacrificing smoothness, but not stinting on it, they got a car with reckless handling with virtually no loss of original characteristics. The suspension is more elastic than before, but at the same time it is still energy-intensive and comfortable in the “sofa” mode of operation. To achieve the desired result, you just need to dose the speed correctly: rolled up to the speed bump at 15-20 km / h - and gently and silently rolled over it. I jumped by 30-40 - and with a slight "bump" I hustled further.
Toyota Camry
Claimed consumption per 100 km (2.5 l / 3.5 l)
True, the limits of possibilities should not be exceeded: even without bringing the suspension to a breakdown, you can feel how it begins to transmit more nervous and noisy shock vibrations to the body. And she doesn’t really like sharp unclenching, also responding to it with a light “shoot”. But to its limit, it is very good: filtering fines with high quality and bringing to the attention of the driver only sharp joints, it allows you to drive quickly and almost fearlessly. True, you need to remember that 18-inch wheels with a 45% profile, put on rich versions, are not at all something that you can splash out on all your driving ambitions on a lousy road. But even here there is a solution - we will return to it later.
Nothing new can be said about the nature of the motor and gearbox, even against the background of the notorious increased mass - it feels like they work exactly the same as on the previous generation of the car. I didn’t really like the logic of traction control: the motor-box combination solves almost all incoming requests due to kick-down. As a result, in the first half of the course, the accelerator pedal is almost empty, and when a certain position is reached, the machine understands what they want from them, abruptly drops a couple of gears, throwing up speed to 4 thousand, and begins active acceleration. In conditions when you just wanted to gain another ten kilometers per hour on the track, this does not always seem logical. But if you dose the effort on the pedals even thinner, then you can achieve extremely smooth acceleration with a Buddhist-slow set of revolutions in the same gear.
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Cost per maximum configuration
Toyota Camry Executive Safety (3.5L)
2 341 000 rubles
However, he showed himself very, very well. adaptive cruise control, which is now trained to move in the entire range of speeds up to a complete stop. By setting the distance to the car in front to the minimum value, it is quite possible to use it even in the city crowd, touching the gas pedal only when it's time to move off, and completely forgetting about the need to slow down. The system does not panic if someone changes lanes in front of it, calmly returning to the optimal distance, and doses the braking force well at medium speeds. During the entire time of the test, she saved only once: in a situation when a truck, pursued and slowed down in front, turned off the road, she suddenly screamed that “there are no cars ahead”, gave a short signal and switched off, having lost her life orientation. 
Car selection
Hello robot! Toyota test drive Camry Exclusive
Outside The main epithet for the Camry, which occupies at least 30% of the parking spaces of the average business center or district administration - "popular." And that's it, you can end there, but I have to say a couple of...
14303 7 2 05.10.2016
After a 2.5-liter car, it was extremely interesting to understand how it would live Camry owner who chose the most base motor by 2 liters - especially against the background of the fact that I didn’t have a chance to try out the two-liter version. And as it turned out, the owner of such a version should only be prepared for the fact that he will have to turn the motor more with the corresponding noise consequences. By itself, the two-liter 6AR-FSE is not at all against this state of affairs: it quickly understands what they want from it, and paired with the same 6-speed automatic, it willingly spins up to 6,500 rpm, diligently trying to ensure vigorous acceleration. His efforts, of course, perceptibly seep even through good noise isolation, but the tone is not annoying, and if you are not trying to get maximum dynamics for a minimum of money or just love the sound of the engine, you can make friends with him.
Well, another, and perhaps no less important difference between the two-liter car, was the basic 16-inch wheels with 65% rubber profile. It was on them that we drove along the rustic comb and slightly chipped asphalt, confirming the obvious thesis that if you need to get maximum comfort, then you should give up showiness in favor of efficiency. No, the 18" wheels don't steal the ride - quite the contrary, the 16" adds a bit of it, and if you're looking to get a Camry to do a lot of mixed road driving, you might want to consider the base 205/65 R16 as a way to boost your own. comfort.
But the main discovery, of course, was a 3.5-liter car with a new power unit. It was in it that all sides of the car's potential came together: a gambling chassis, sharp steering and excellent dynamic characteristics. By the way, in terms of numbers, the new 3.5-liter Camry also loses to the old one, gaining the first hundred in 7.7 seconds versus 7.1. In practice, it may be possible to feel this in a direct competitive race - but in real conditions, something else is important.
The new engine itself isn't completely new: it's the 2GR-FKS we know from the Lexus RX and GS and Toyota Highlander, but it's new to the Camry. Its key advantages are Toyota combined system injection D-4D, combining distributed and direct injection, which increases recoil and reduces the likelihood of detonation, as well as the possibility of working on the Atkinson cycle. In practice, this means this: in the USA, this motor has a return of 301 hp, and for our market it has been reduced to a tax-friendly 249 hp. with a full-weight 356 Nm of torque. And in combination with an eight-speed automatic, this allows you to drive much more variably than on the 2.5-liter version. And also, given that the engine is completely identical in hardware to the foreign one, high-quality chip tuning may well increase the power reserve by another 20% (but we didn’t tell you this, because Toyota engines are officially “not sewn”).
Big power and great torque are cut into much thinner pieces here, making the ride not only more dynamic, but also less jerky. From a stop to the floor, the motor, of course, makes the antibuks work, and when driving on a country road, it will always offer a reserve of traction for maneuver. Well, if you need to move evenly, it is much more convenient to dose traction here: it is already available from low speeds, and the motor does not wait for a kickdown, like its “small-capacity” counterparts, but allows you to pick up speed without switching. The kickdown itself here has a noticeable “step” at the end of the pedal stroke, and the eight-speed automatic quite clearly separates simply dynamic acceleration when the pedal is more than half depressed, and the request for maximum traction, dropping a different number of steps depending on this. In general, all these voluminous descriptions are an expression of a simple and ideal scheme “as you pressed it, so it went”, which the new power unit gives out without twitching and nerves.
Against this background, it is doubly interesting that the 3.5-liter engine does not ask for so much in return: the average consumption in the highway mode with variable activity was suspiciously stable at the mark of 9.9 liters per hundred, sometimes even going down to 9.7. In the city, this, of course, transforms into 13-14 liters, but the request seems justified given the dynamics - and the fact that, for example, a 2.5-liter engine on the board computer during the test required only a liter and a half less.
How much do new sensations cost?
Well, now, having made almost all the main conclusions, we can begin to briefly count the money. The amounts have been known for a long time, since sales started, and the Russian price list was made public a month ago. The basic version has become even cheaper than the old Camry: 1,399,000 rubles, but this "Standard" is too poor - in a righteous struggle to reduce the starting price tag, it was even deprived of a leather steering wheel, parking sensors and a rear-view camera, not to mention cruise control , air ionizer and multimedia with a color display. However, the "Standard Plus", which has all this and more, is only a hundred thousand more expensive, and perhaps it should be considered as a real basic equipment machines, making a fair allowance for the rise in price when changing generations. Especially considering that all the driving experience, which we described in such detail above, does not depend on the presence of a heated steering wheel and electric seats.
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A well-equipped "Elegance" costs a little more than 1.8 million rubles - and there will be not only a complete winter package, including full windshield heating, but also the Safety Sense package, which includes the same "road magic" in the form of an adaptive cruise and a traffic sign recognition system. Most cheap option with a 3.5-liter engine will cost 2,166,000 rubles, and the most expensive execution of “Executive Safety” for 2,341,000 is “top plus all additional options”, that is, the most equipped equipment, which includes exclusive options like projection display, paddle shifters and panoramic cameras, as well as “dopas” in the form of an electric steering column, seat memory and a two-position steering wheel, ventilation of the front seats, and so on. In the bottom line, the car naturally went up in price - according to the calculations of the Toyota workers themselves, by 4.5 percent. But in his automotive essence bought a lot more.
In the “number of car per hryvnia spent” category, the thoroughly transformed Korean business sedan (Hyundai Sonata) now looks more attractive than most formal competitors. Should the undisputed class leader (Toyota Camry) be wary of an ambitious newcomer?
According to the popular saying, it makes no sense to look for good where it is already in bulk. But the Koreans still tried, actually displacing the most popular Sonata in Ukraine from the flagship in favor of the model with the i40 nameplate. And everything was with her: a solid appearance, comfortable lounge, worthy stuffing, reasonable prices, finally.
But the "forty" stars from heaven were not enough. Therefore, Her Majesty Sonata was again appointed to the place of the flagship, but not the sixth, but the seventh generation, on a modernized platform, with a significantly increased proportion of high-strength steels in the body structure, a modified suspension, and a stiffer steering column. In general, with everything that should increase the accuracy of control and improve the smoothness of the ride. Moreover, the restyling that happened last spring endowed the Korean car with new headlights, rear lights and a multimedia system, making it more interesting both externally and in terms of equipment. But on the engines no news. The Sonata's combat arsenal is still made up of two 4-cylinder gasoline engines: a 2-liter, 154-horsepower Nu family and a more powerful Theta-II series unit with a displacement of 2.4 liters, developing 171 hp. Both are assisted by a 6-speed hydromechanical automatic. Camry has a 2.5-liter "four" with 181 "horses" and a 6-speed automatic. It would be logical to compare japanese car with the top version of the Sonata, but, alas, it was not available.
Already in the basic version of the "Sonata" there are: a full set of airbags, a radio tape recorder with USB and AUX connectors, a dynamic stabilization system, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, heated exterior mirrors and air conditioning. Discs, however, will be stamped. For comparison: the most available equipment Camry includes alloy wheels and dual zone climate control.
Internal affairs
It's a pity that Toyota interior Camry with its brown plastic woodgrain inserts, motley "tidy" and a modest electronic watch on the dashboard looks a little old-fashioned. But with ergonomics and visibility, complete order.
Seats with good lateral support and large adjustment ranges. In almost all trim levels, even the rear sofa is equipped with heating. The quality of the perforated leather is excellent. True, her light brown color scheme is clearly an amateur. Salon already looks gaudyBut the Korean sedan is not a blunder in terms of organizing the driver's workplace. Buttons, keys where necessary. Control auxiliary systems arranged logically. Multimedia albeit simpler, but in general no worse than most competitors. The seat and steering column have large adjustment ranges, making it easy to find a comfortable fit for people of different builds. And the furnishings, made with an eye on European models, despite noticeable savings on expensive finishing materials - soft, pliable plastic, look more interesting and fresh.
Filler and headrests seats Hyundai noticeably softer than the Camry. Moreover, the 2-liter versions only have dark gray fabric upholstery. And only in the most expensive of them there are electrically adjustable pillows, backrests and lumbar support of the driver's seatAs far as comfort for rear passengers- in both cars, wide sofas that allow three adults to sit down with a large supply of legroom. However, the low slope of the roof of the "Sonata" forces a tall person, more than 185 cm tall, to stoop. In "Toyota" such inconvenience is not noticed.
We open the trunks - that's where there is plenty of space! True, in the Korean sedan, the folded backs of the sofas form noticeable steps, the openings to the cabin are narrow and there are practically no additional devices for attaching luggage, apart from a pair of hooks in the Camry.
There are nuances
Multiple improvements to the platform during the creation of the current Sonata were not in vain. Small joints and bumps on the pavement suspension of the Korean sedan work out properly. Large buildup of the body on longitudinal and transverse waves is not observed. Manageability, though not the most reckless, but quite accurate and reliable. It is noticeable that the car is sharpened more for comfort than for drive. Handy at city speeds, but not the most capable assistant for overtaking on the highway, the 154-horsepower engine fits well into this formula.
The Camry's dashboard is obviously overloaded with small details. Strain your eyes and bright blue backlightSpinning the engine "red hot", you get from it not the expected return, but only annoying noise. With a more powerful 171-horsepower unit, the Sonata is “alive”, but it cannot be said that the difference in dynamics is huge. In addition, with 18-inch wheels, the Korean sedan is much stiffer than cars with smaller diameter wheels.
Reseeding in the Camry, we found a little more, but not adding sharpness and informative steering response, a denser suspension, but also less convincing sound insulation. However, the muscularity of the springs and shock absorbers does not spoil the overall smooth and comfortable ride. Roughness for a Japanese sedan is not a problem. But the rumble of studded tires in the Toyota cabin is heard more clearly than in Korean car. Rulitsya Camry no less reliable than a competitor, but no more exciting. So in this discipline, the rivals have parity. But the motor of the "Japanese" is still more optimally tuned.
An energetic 181-horsepower engine does not need to be spurred on - it is good in almost the entire range of operation. Praise! For a driver who needs not a sporty, but a comfortable sedan, its traction and gas response speed will be quite enough.
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conclusions
Good Sonata - looks bright, richly equipped, rolls comfortably. And yet, it's not perfect. This is about not the most comfortable sofa for tall passengers and outstanding traction characteristics motors. Let's face it, Camry is also not an ideal car - it is clear that it is no longer young, but in a dispute with Sonata it looks more convincing. In addition, a new generation of Camry is on the way, with even more potential. There will be an opportunity - compare.
IIHS Test Results
Neither one nor the other sedan is sold in European countries, and therefore was not “beaten” by Euro methodology NCAP. That, however, does not prevent us from using the test results of an authoritative American organization - the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Americans split the "Sonata" 2018 model year and in almost all disciplines they gave her the highest marks - Good. In frontal impacts with an overlap of 25% and 46% at a speed of 64 km/h, the driver and front passenger dummies did not record life-threatening loads. not at all worse than Hyundai withstood a side impact and protected passengers in a rollover. At the same time, experts recognized those located on back seat attachments for child seats are not the most comfortable, estimating them at an average C grade, that is, Marginal. For the work of lighting devices, Sonata received a four - Acceptable. Nevertheless, even taking into account some punctures, the “Korean” entered the top list of the Top Safety Pick + safety rating.
Toyota, which passed the same tests in 2016, also earned a place in the top rankings, although it avoided hitting an obstacle on the right passenger side. At that time, this test was not introduced into the regulations. In the rest of the “shock” disciplines and during the rollover, Camry worked no worse than its rival. For the efficiency of near and high beam headlights, she received the Acceptable mark, the same final summary was accepted by experts about child seat mounts. That is, they were recognized as slightly more convenient than in the Sonata.
Advantages and disadvantages
Toyota Camry
Spacious interior, roomy trunk, comfortable suspension, competitive prices
Slightly old-fashioned interior, there are many small elements on the instrument panel
Hyundai Sonata
Bright appearance, strict "European" interior, thoughtful ergonomics
Cramped sofa, unremarkable dynamics of a 2-liter engine
| Technical data | |||
| Hyundai | Hyundai | Toyota | |
| Engine, number of cylinders | R4 | R4 | R4 |
| Engine volume, cm 3 | 1999 | 2359 | 2494 |
| Maximum power, hp (rpm) | 154 (6200) | 171 (6000) | 181 (6000) |
| Maximum torque, Nm (rpm) | 198 (4600) | 222 (4000) | 231 (4100) |
| Dimensions, length x width x height, mm | 4855 x 1865 x 1475 | 4850 x 1825 x 1480 | |
| Wheel base, mm | 2805 | 2775 | |
| Acceleration 0–100 km/h, s | 11,1 | 9,9 | 9,0 |
| Maximum speed, km/h | 200 | 205 | 210 |
| Consumption (mixed), l / 100 km | 7,9 | 8,2 | 7,9 |
Yes, it is worth noting that our car was far from being in the richest configuration. Neither in terms of interior equipment, nor even more so in terms of the motor. The very middle: the Elegance version with gasoline engine volume of 2.5 liters. Why did we choose her? Elementary, Watson: she is the best-selling. 181 hp, 6-speed "automatic". It seems that it would be foolish to expect a special agility, but ...
How does she drive?
But no! The tandem of a 2.5-liter engine with a well-tuned "automatic" turned out to be very "combat". Honestly, I did not even expect the Camry to go so cheerfully. Up to this point, my clear favorite in the class of business sedans was the Honda Accord 2.4 - last year I drove it for a couple of months and then it seemed to me that Honda was able to find the ideal settings for this combination of engine and transmission. Now I have to say this: Camry rides at least as well. And the characteristics themselves do not seem to be striking: 231 Nm, 9 s. at 0-100 km/h, 210 km/h top speed. But in the case of Camry, it is not the numbers that matter, but how they are implemented.
Already from the start, the car shows the seriousness of intentions. Like, let's go so that each of the 181 forces will give all the best. At the start, not the slightest delay in the supply of fuel. The reaction to pressing the accelerator is sometimes even excessive: on slippery asphalt, the front-wheel drive wheels often allow slipping. But even here it could be worse, the same Kia Optima at first also pleases with a lightning-fast reaction, but then it quickly “goes out” due to the extended transmission gears and specific engine settings. Camry, on the other hand, energetically turns the engine, shifts gears quickly and in a timely manner - if you need to accelerate faster than the flow, there will be no problems.
Until recently, Zhiguli and Volga were very popular. Only people with a high rank or just rich entrepreneurs moved on such cars. Usually these cars were driven by personal drivers. At the same time, the deputies, in order not to attract special attention to themselves, choose the Toyota Camry, which is not too expensive, but at the same time belongs to the business class. Deputies choose a car according to the following criteria: a serious look and a soft ride. T fully meets these criteria.
The predecessor of the new Toyota Camry had to listen to a lot of angry comments about its outdated exterior. Also, people were worried why the US and Europe could buy this car with completely different optics, due to which the car seems more youthful. The manufacturer obediently fulfilled all the requirements of its customers. The world presentation was held at the end of August in one of the car dealerships in Moscow. After that, the restyled car began to appear in all car dealerships in Russia, by the end of the year the car appeared "on the shelves" in neighboring countries.
At the end of August, many were simply shocked by the updated car. Everyone immediately had a question, how did the manufacturer muster up the courage and radically change the design. To which you can simply answer: “what they fought for, they ran into that.” Therefore, you will have to work with what everyone wanted and waited for. Due to the too long bumper, the length of the car has increased by more than 3 cm. It looks very beautiful and youthful. If you put two cars side by side, then there is a feeling that someone offended the previous Toyota and now it is very angry, so it is ready to tear and throw. It is worth saying that in the white accounting of the body, the car is not perceived as some kind of ferocious. Rear end The car has not changed at all, except that the headlights have changed a little.
The Toyota Camry sedan pleased everyone with a completely updated interior - a completely new steering wheel, the air conditioning unit was changed, and the boring dashboard was replaced with a radically different one. I would like to ask the manufacturer just one single question: what makes you think that blue backlighting is good? Until recently, the dashboard and available screens in the Toyota Camry were beautifully illuminated with a soft greenish tint, which, by the way, has not changed since the Casio calculator was invented, but what will happen now? The whole interior seems to be a huge blue spot, everything around is in metal. Surely, the manufacturers did not make such a “breakthrough” of their own free will, but went on about the buyers who wanted everything to be “expensive, rich”.
But, apparently, manufacturers completely forgot that such a trend appeared in Chinese cars more than 10 years ago, especially in cheap electronic equipment. That is why for everyone such a color scheme causes only negative emotions. It also looks very cheap and unreliable. There is a feeling that at the most inopportune moment everything will get out of control.
Of course, stereotypes and prejudices are very bad. But when you already undertook to make a blue backlight, please, finish it to the end. Now looking at all this, there is only discord. Because some buttons glow blue, the climate control relay is old green, and all the rest are orange. After a couple of days, the owners are tired of such a decision.
Another point is the color scheme of the upholstery. Well, explain how it was possible to start producing cars with a bright interior in the winter period? The first snow or slush and the rugs no longer have a presentation. The most disgusting thing is that when exposed to direct sunlight, the color sharply acquires a shade of mustard. Very few car enthusiasts like these colors. It remains only to believe that in new models this shortcoming will be corrected.
No more shortcomings were found during the test drive of the new Toyota Camry. Even the ergonomics highest level. The steering wheel deserves a lot of praise. It is simply huge, so it makes driving as comfortable as possible. Plus, we also put heated seats and wipers. The seat, although without lateral support, distributes the load well.
The back seat, which is more like a full-fledged sofa. And there are a lot of places between the first row and the second, a basketball player could easily fit there.
I was also pleased with the presence on the main console of a pocket for wireless charger, which is not even in the most popular car brands. But the location of the usb-input is not the most convenient. The lid cannot be closed.
The equipment of the car, which you will see at the end of the article, on the video of the Toyota Camry 2017 test drive, was not the most expensive. The engine and interior equipment were of average cost.
Test drive Toyota Camry video showed that Toyota Camry passed with 2.5 gasoline engine, in the elegans version. This car has become the best-selling, because it has 181 Horsepower, automatic transmission with 6 speeds. Don't expect much from her.
I was especially surprised by how the Toyota Camry drives, it is a powerful and sharp car. Toyota Camry can safely fight for the title best sedan in business class. Acceleration to 100 km per hour is as much as 9 seconds, and the maximum speed is 210 km/h.
At launch, the Toyota Camry claims to be enough powerful car. Front-wheel drive sometimes causes slippage. It's good that the car, even not at the best start, further demonstrates itself as powerful, and able to compete for the championship with any other car.
Personally, I was pleased with the soundproofing of the car. Of course, no one denies that the sound of the engine in the cabin is heard quite clearly, but this sound does not depress either passengers or drivers with its noise. The motor is sensitive to any of the speeds. Toyota Camry has enough power on the freeway and in urban, moderate mode. Consumption in mixed mode is about 13 liters per 100 km.
In order to make the ride even more enjoyable, it would be worth installing a stiffer chassis. But Toyota has other plans, comfort is important to them, and not speed at all. At hard braking the car jerks a lot, and on sharp turns it wants to roll right over.
Even after such noticeable changes, the car cannot be called as comfortable as possible. As he was a "cone carrier" and remained to this day. The driver is comfortable, the passengers are also not offended. Nissan Teana used to have the same functions, but in the latest series, the car has become completely driver-oriented. Honda Accord is perfect for young people who want to shout "get in, ride." The main competitor in the fight for rivalry was and remains Ford Mondeo, the price of which is approximately equal to the Toyota Camry. But unlike Mondeo, Camry is a representative of Toyota. This is what attracts future buyers. We can conclude that the new Camry is not very different from the previous version of this car, and somewhere even inferior to it.
Video test drive Toyota Camry 2016 you can see below.
