Tested - 2010 Toyota Camry

By Kevin Ransom

Well, where to begin when assessing the consumer appeal of a vehicle that has been the best-selling passenger car in the U.S. for 11 of the past 12 years? Clearly, with that kind of domination, Camry is doing something right – in terms of quality, reliability, efficiency, customer satisfaction, etc

For the 2010 model year, Toyota has rolled out a Camry and Camry Hybrid that boast new exterior styling, a new four-cylinder powertrain and new safety, audio and convenience features. Plus, all Camry gas-powered models are now equipped with Vehicle Stability Control (VCS) with traction control (TRAC) as standard equipment.

The Camry is available in four trim levels – the basic Camry, plus the LE, SE, and XLE.

In three of those grades, as standard equipment, the Camry gets a new 2.5-liter, 169-horsepower, four-cylinder engine with  variable valve timing with intelligence (VVT-i) – a plant that replaces the previous 158-horsepower 2.4-liter engine. The engine in the SE grade, meanwhile, has been tweaked to produce a few more ponies – 179, to be exact. And this new engine can be hitched to a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic tranny with the sequential shift mode.

But, for those who want more power, Camry still offers the 3.5-liter V6 as an option.

As for its new body styling, the exterior changes (for the non-Hybrid edition) include a handsome new grille and front bumper, a larger and more prominent lower intake, more expansive  projector headlamps and re-vamped tail lamps. The Camry and LE grades also get  restyled and spiffier standard wheel covers. The XLE grade receives a new 16-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels, and the SE grade adds new 17-inch alloy wheels.  

On the Camry Hybrid, meanwhile, new the exterior enhancements include a distinctive grille and front bumper, a wider lower intake, restyled fog lights and 16-inch alloy wheels.

Moving inside, the cabin now offers an auto up/down power windows with jam protection on all four doors, while the basic Camry and LE grades offer an optional audio system that comes with a new USB port for auxiliary music sources, Bluetooth capability, integrated satellite radio, a new CD player, MP3 and streaming music capability.

The Hybrid model gets a newly-designed designed gauge cluster and Fraichir cloth seating surfaces, which were already standard on the four-cylinder Camry XLE model. The Fraichir process blends silk-protein and synthetic fibers, yielding a surface that is more gentle to the skin. And the Camry XLE and SE four-cylinder automatic jobs are now available with the Smart Key System, featuring push button start and remote illuminated entry.

The aforementioned optional DOHC 3.5-liter V6 -- available in the LE, SE and XLE grades – adds a significant performance boost, now delivering 268 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 248 lb.-ft. of peak torque at 4,700 rpm. The V6 engine’s chain-driven camshafts utilize Dual Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (Dual VVT-i), which is designed to provide optimal efficiency at various engine speeds, by controlling valve timing on both the intake and exhaust camshafts.

I test-drove the SE edition, which was tweaked to provide sportier performance and handling. In addition to benefiting from the added ponies (as described above), its chassis was modified to increase the SE’s tortional rigidity and improve its underbody aerodynamics – specifically, by smoothing and speeding up the airflow under the vehicle.  Plus, its springs, shock absorbers and bushings were all tuned to deliver firmer and sportier performance than the other Camry grades – not to mention a lower ride height 

As a result, my Camry SE edition had more of a “fun-to-drive” quality than your typical mid-size family sedan. The engine delivered plenty of pep, and I got a few surprised glances from nearby motorists when I was navigating this family sedan so robustly through twists and turns -- or when doing the freeway-slalom maneuver.

These V6 Camry models come equipped exclusively with a six-speed automatic transmission that allows drivers to go with the sequential mode for manual shifting when more power is needed – or if you’re just a family-sedan owner who might just feel the need to cut loose now and then. The sequential-mode manual-shifting feature employs “intelligent control,” which adjusts shifting response according to driver input.

If you’re a family-sedan buyer, a smooth, comfortable ride is a higher priority than high-flying performance or sporty, heart-tripping handling, and the Camry continues to deliver on that front. That’s due in part to the four-wheel independent suspension – with  MacPherson struts in front and a dual-link struts in the rear.

The basic Camry, LE, XLE and Hybrid models ride on standard 16-inch wheels of either steel (Camry and LE) or aluminum (XLE and Hybrid), while the sporty SE model comes with standard aluminum 17-inch wheels. All Camry models are equipped with four-wheel disc brakes.

If you’re driving a family sedan, you probably have a family, so you might be more attuned to safety features. Well, the Camry uses high-strength steel to reinforce the B-pillars and rocker panels – and to generally assist in minimizing overall “vehicle body deformation” in side collisions. The seat frames also help absorb side collision loads. And, dual-stage advanced SRS front airbags, seat-mounted side airbags, side curtain airbags and a driver's knee airbag are standard on all Camry models. 

Other safety features are Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA) – the latter of which was created to determine when the driver is attempting emergency braking. If that’s the case, and the driver has not employed enough brake pressure to trigger the anti-lock brake system, the BA feature adds more braking power until the driver removes his or her foot from the brake pedal.

In addition to some of the aforementioned new standard features, the top-line XLE edition provides an upgraded dual-zone automatic climate control system with steering-wheel controls -- plus a Plasmacluster ionizer technology to help reduce airborne mold spores, microbes, fungi, odors, germs and bacteria inside the passenger cabin. In addition, the XLE comes with a premium 440-watt JBL audio system with Bluetooth technology,  wood-style trim,  power glass moonroof, reclining rear seats; fog lamps; and aluminum wheels.

The V6 Camry XLE also comes equipped with standard leather-trimmed seats, and rear-seat passengers also get dedicated personal reading lamps on moonroof-equipped Camry models.

A wise man once said that nothing succeeds like success. And after besting the competition for 11 of the last 12 years, the Camry still sets the standard in the mid-sized family-sedan market.