Toyota Camry

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Hans' parents need a new family hauler but aren't sure where to start.

I’ve owned plenty of Euros and there’s no going back!Owner: John Connor

I purchased my 2021 Camry SL Hybrid following a positive experience in a lower spec rental 2020 Camry Ascent Hybrid. I've never been a huge Camry fan as previous generations never did much for me but this generation surprised me with a super comfortable ride, pretty decent handling and great fuel economy with the hybrid drivetrain. I had been looking at a replacement for my 2015 Nissan Altima and was a tad undecided but after the Camry rental car experience I thought it was worth taking a look at the facelifted 2021 Camry. I was super impressed with the SL spec and signed on the bottom line the same day for one in Frosted White (Pearl). The facelifted model has copped a bit of a price rise and its certainly lowered the value for money equation but overall it still represents decent value for money compared to the other options in the same, now somewhat limited medium to large class. I love the car. Its extremely comfortable and the ride is impressive but at the same time body roll is minimal and the TNGA platform means it does actually handle pretty decently so long as you aren't expecting a sportscar. General equipment levels are high with leather seats, heated and cooled front seats, panoramic sunroof, 9 speaker JBL stereo, 9 inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, powered steering column, 8 way power front seats, 18 inch alloys (huge improvement on the pre facelift model alloys in my eyes), head up display and the updated Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+. The Hybrid drivetrain demonstrates Toyota's experience in this arena and its pretty seamless in the transition between battery and ICE. My daily commute for work is in heavy peak hour traffic (generally 0-40 km/h) and I've been averaging 3.7 L/100km which is hugely impressive for a vehicle of this size. Freeway consumption increases a little to 5.0 L/100km as the ICE is more active in this environment but still a great result. The performance is more than respectable and you can definitely feel the the extra oomph from the battery when you give it some stick. Now to the negatives and there are a few, but not enough to stop me buying it. Firstly the infotainment is a little dated albeit still functional but somewhat circumvented by Apple CarPlay. The car also has 360 degree cameras but the resolution is average. For some reason Toyota removed the wireless charging pad that was in the pre facelift model although as Toyota don't provide wireless CarPlay in any model it was kind of pointless anyway. Beyond that, the panoramic roof eats into headroom. I am just under 6ft and the headliner is close. The back seat is worse than the front thanks to the sloping roof line and the middle rear seat is useless for anyone that's 6ft but the outboard seats are okay. That's about all I can fault with the car and as mentioned earlier none of these things out way the positives. Toyota has a great reputation for reliability but that's always down to ones individual experience so far too early to judge that as I've only done 1200km to date and just had my first inspection service but no problems so far. The build quality is very good and the car feels extremely solid with great attention to detail. Its the small things like the struts that control the boot opening, the internal door frame liners (that so many cars lack now that leave the painted door frame color exposed), the soft touch plastics on the dash top and the door tops on all 4 doors (so many manufacturers have the front doors with soft touch and then the rear doors are hard cheap plastic). Servicing costs are also very low at just $220 for the first four 15,000km services, taking you to 60,000km. There are not many vehicles that can claim running costs like that. Warranty is 5 years which extends to 7 years on drivetrain and transmission if you maintain Toyota service history plus a 10 year warranty on the battery. The car as a whole is hugely impressive and in my opinion vastly underrated. Its perception as just a Taxi or Uber sells it very short. If you don't buy into the whole SUV craze and want a sedan I would suggest its worthy of consideration.

Although the CVT is a bit noise intrusive at times the car is remarkably quiet when cruising. Performance is as brisk as say a VW Jetta but the way the car gathers speed just seems linear rather than stepped. The handling is very good and I guess the weight of the battery pack over the rear wheels helps. Fuel economy in city is outstanding at 4.6 litres per 100. Overtaking from behind a a car in front at 80km hour in 110 zone produced a fair bit of go, likely both EV and Petrol engines combining. Radar and lane departure effective but lane changes do require use of the indicator else the car will put up a short fight with the steering response. The dash is modern and look and feel very slick. Paint on my car is Artic White which is close to Pearlescent and I think adds a bit of class. I had darkest legal tint applied to rear window and doors , extra dark on rear doors and screen and looks great and “pops” out overall colour and finish Locking wheel nuts were extra cost and car has at extra cost parts and labour at $80 to fit each window Toyota slimline weather shield front passenger and driver. Wind noise from around the mirrors is same with it without weather shield. The weather shield does reduce wind force into the car. Interestingly in eco mode a warning pops up on the dash that the window is open and displays a click through control on the dash to close the window. Neat. Apple car play wasn’t installed when I picked up car. So for those Camry owners driven nuts by not being able to connect Apple car play or Android auto it’s not your fault or your phone. It is Toyota’s fault fir an omission so take it back to the dealer. Dealer delivery was great but will observe that the tow bar installation looks like true hack job. See photo. Not good enough. Warning for other Camry owners getting a tow bar. Specify finish to any panel mods and also the load limit on the Hybrid is 400kg. Reverse in the EV mode won’t push more than 400kg.

My father recently replaced his trusty Camry with a Land Rover Discovery Sport. He decided to give the Camry to me. After 6 years of experiencing the car as a passenger, there was something oddly satisfying about the passenger finally becoming the driver... The Camry is great for shopping trips and long cruises with the family, as there is plenty of space for both people and cargo. The air conditioning system is well optimised for Australia’s climate. Fuel consumption is par for the course, though the official figures are somewhat more optimistic than the reality. The ride is fairly smooth and power is adequate for a family’s needs, but driving enthusiasts will have to look elsewhere: it is a 4 cylinder Camry after all! Although the cabin of this car is comfortable enough, it’s best described as “basic.” In particular, one area where the Camry Altise falls short is the infotainment system. While other trim levels of this generation Camry have a colour touch screen, the Altise is left with a teeny tiny monochrome display that you find on calculators. At least this generation of Camry has a CD player if you’re one of those people who can’t get used to newfangled smartphone Bluetooth streaming! Side, curtain and knee airbags are provided, but you won’t find modern active safety features such as AEB in this car. If you need these features, buy a car that was built more recently. Parking this car can be a bit of a chore, due to somewhat limited visibility. Higher trim levels mitigate this via the addition of a reversing camera. I was able to eventually get used to the foot mounted parking brake, but for a while, I found it inelegant. Odd design choice for what is supposed to be a completely ordinary car. This car has served the family well for 6 years without any major issues, and I’m confident it will continue to do its job just fine, whether it’s puttering through the suburbs or embarking on the next big road trip. Spend enough time in one, and you might just be tempted out of a similarly-equipped medium SUV. If you have $15k to spend on a second hand family sedan, a 2013 Camry Altise is a decent choice. Sure, this car has a reputation for being “whitegoods on wheels,” but if you can look past that stigma, you’ll find a comfortable family hauler that will serve you well. That being said, you should seriously consider stumping up the extra coin for the keyless entry, superior infotainment and dual zone climate control in the Atara S (though I personally prefer the styling of the Altise).