This latest iteration of Toyota Camry brings with it a fresh face and an all-hybrid powertrain lineup.
While there are many who may lament the death of the sedan, it would appear for this news to not have reached Toyota yet. Such is because the Japanese automaker has recently revealed a new 9th iteration of its Camry in North America, with a sleek new look and an all-hybrid powertrain lineup.
Now just before delving into the details regarding this new Camry however, it is worth highlighting that this latest 9th iteration is instead a heavily revised version of the outgoing model. Toyota nevertheless hopes that despite being based upon the same TNGA-K platform as its predecessor, this latest iteration still brings enough to the table to likely continues to hold on to its place as the fifth-best-selling vehicle over there for years to come.
And starting with the biggest thing that is new with the Camry, this 9th generation model now brings to the party an exterior aesthetic that looks a lot like a fusion between the latest Toyota Crown and Prius. Up front on this large sedan features C-shaped LED headlights flanking an equally large lower grille (with different designs depending on trim level), while its rear is finished off with a sleeker set of boomerang-style LED taillights.
Moving on inside meanwhile, the new Camry nets a more contemporary dashboard layout that houses central infotainment screen and digital instrument cluster that could measure up to 12.3-inches. Other notable tech highlights that could be had within this new Toyota include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, a 10-inch heads up display and a 9-speaker JBL sound system.
These new Camrys also come with the Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 suite of tech as standard, which includes a pre-collision system, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure assist, road sign assist, automatic high beam, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Higher tiers of this Toyota sedan further adds an optional Premium Plus Package, which brings with it traffic-jam assist, front cross-traffic alert, lane-change assist, panoramic view monitor, and front and rear parking assist with automatic braking.
Missing though from this new Camry is to be the ability to have a V6 under the hood, as this latest iteration will instead only be offered as a hybrid for both its front and all-wheel drive variants that utilise the same basic 2.5-litre four cylinder as its ICE component. The difference between the two though is for the front wheel drive to feature only 2 electric motors and generate a combined 228 PS, while the all-wheel drive trim nets a third rear-mounted motor that incidentally also marginally boosts total power output to 232 PS.
Toyota has yet to disclose the capacity of the on-board lithium-ion drive battery yet, nor whether there will soon be a hot TRD variant to come too. What is however known is for this new Camry’s hybrid system to be tuned to reduce engine revs, which in combination with the reworked suspension with new shocks and revised tuning should equate to a comfier and more relaxing driving experience.
This new Camry has been slated to arrive at dealerships in North America come the spring of 2024, with prices to also be announced closer to launch. No word yet though on when exactly this latest model will make its way to Malaysia, or for that matter even arrive at all.
