Test Drive: 2015 Toyota Camry XSE V6

By Kevin Harrison

I have a friend who is overweight and is tired of it. Health reasons aside, she very much does not like continually being associated with being overweight.

She is the constant punch line of jokes from her friends and is the object of constant stares and ridicule from strangers.

For the most part she accepts who she is and, crucially, loves who she is, but she is tired of all the negative attention. She knows she’s a good person and is tired of the stigma that is attached to her.

So, over the past few months she has signed up for a diet plan and is already seeing results.

I drove over to see her last week in the Toyota’s new Camry and my jaw dropped at how noticeable her weight loss has been on this new diet plan. She still has a ways to go to reach her ideal weight goals, but the results remain fortuitous.

After I visited her, I got back into the Camry and then it hit me: the 2015 Toyota Camry is exactly like my friend.

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You see, the Camry has always been a family favourite. They were reliable, efficient, high quality transportation that was always there for you. However, as the Camry transitioned each model year, a stigma became attached to the Camry and subsequently the entire Toyota line up. That stigma could be described in one word: boring.

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Admittedly, us automotive journalists are likely largely responsible for that stigma, although this author always made a point to try to refrain from becoming a cliché by mentioning the word in Toyota reviews.

In fact, when Toyota redesigned the Camry for the 2011 model year, I quite liked the XLE version I had.

For 2015, Toyota had the Camry slotted for a refresh.

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Refreshes give the automaker the opportunity to, you guess it, offer up fresh styling cues, add more options or standard equipment, tweak engines or suspensions etc. all in the name of keeping the product relevant until a completely new model arrives.

Toyota has a history of simply adding a few new colour options and mild styling tweaks when refreshing current product.

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But as it turns out, like my Weight Watchers obsessed friend, Toyota was tired of being stigmatized. They hated being associated with boring and sensible, especially when companies like Mazda, Ford, and Hyundai are pushing the boundaries with style.

So rather than being very Toyota-like with the mid-cycle refresh of the Camry, they went all out. As in the 2015 Camry is pretty much a complete redesign rather than a refresh.

I had the opportunity to drive the 2014 model year in the fall last year and a mere four months later this is supposedly the same car.

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When the 2015 Camry was delivered to me, I experienced the same feeling that I had when I saw my friend after being o weight watchers. The difference is astounding.

The front end has a completely new look with rounded off edges, an aggressive, almost Lexus-like front grille, LED daytime running lights which almost look like side markers and a shapely front hood. My XSE tester (which is a new trim level for 2015) is the “sportiest” of the bunch with 18-inch wheels, and dual exhaust tips out back. And speaking of out back, the rear end has been completely redesigned as well. However that’s where Toyota loses it for me. The rear end styling is rather, um, uh, sedated? I’m trying not to use the B-word here, but there is nothing interested about the tail light design, which is too close in appearance with the lesser Corolla, and the chrome-like trim at the back does it no favours. One thing I did like was the large, but tasteful rear lip spoiler. Also, that blue paint is even more stunning in person.

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Inside, the Camry gets more styling updates with the most obvious being red stitching on the seats and suede-like inserts on the seats with leather bolsters. The material is firm yet comfortable, however it does seem to attract lost of dust and fabric.

The layout is conservative (in a good way), which seems a bit out of place for the sportiest trim level, but everything is of high quality with the exception of the gear knob which felt oddly flimsy and wasn’t attached properly.

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Also, the interior dimensions of the Camry remain unchanged so I am puzzled as to why rear seat legroom felt a bit more cramped than I remember in the pre-refresh XLE I had a few years ago, however, despite that feeling, interior room is still quite good.

My tester came with Toyota’s 3.5 litre V6 which produces a healthy 268 horsepower and 248 pound foot torque. The 2011 model year XLE I tried had the 4-cylinder engine and it was so refined, smooth and adequately powerful that I wondered why anyone would bother with the V6. Well, now I know. Power is definitely not wanting with this unit, in fact, it feels as if it produces more power than the official numbers suggest.

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This is a very good way of combating the b-word stigma, and is especially smart to have in the sportiest trim level, however the six-speed automatic kills the testosterone boost of the V6 slightly. Shifts are smooth and thankfully come in at the right times (unlike some automatics geared for fuel efficiency) but the shifts lack gusto. In a car the looks the way the XSE does, sounds the way the XSE does and hustles the way the Camry does, I’d expect more of an engaging transmission. And no, no manual is available, so get that idea out of your head right now.

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Steering feel remains numb and light, however it is still improved over the old XLE. Braking fine, but again, it does not have the sporting credentials one might expect in this trim level. But the good news is Toyota has stiffened the structure of the Camry and has tuned the suspension. The end result is a more noticeable and un-Camry-like drive in the corners. While it isn’t as sharp as some of its competitors it is composed and it is palpable and much improved over the old Camry.

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Fuel consumption numbers are rated at 11.0 L/100 kms and 9.5 L/100 kms highway. My real world mixed driving consumption came in at 12.8 L/100 kms, which is off the mark, however it should be stated that I had the Camry when pretty much all of North America experienced that Arctic cold snap for a week, which likely would affect efficiency.

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After asking a few fellow automotive journalists about their thoughts on the new Camry, it was unanimously agreed that this is the best Camry yet. However, like my overweight friend, there is still a long ways to go before they reach their goal.

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One thing is for sure; it is definitely more difficult to use the b-word with the Camry XSE. Like my friend, Toyota should keep at it. At this rate they’ll get rid of the b-word association before the know it.

Price As Tested: $35,370

Pros:

  • Much better exterior styling
  • Improved driving dynamics
  • High quality, uncomplicated interior

Cons:

  • Rear end styling doesn’t match up with front end
  • Interior feels smaller
  • Transmission not as performance oriented as engine

Immediate Competition:

  • Buick Regal
  • Chevrolet Malibu
  • Ford Fusion
  • Honda Accord
  • Hyundai Sonata
  • Kia Optima
  • Mazda6
  • Nissan Altima
  • Subaru Legacy
  • Volkswagen Passat

 

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