No more V6 for the Camry as Toyota pushes for reduced emissions

Monday, 17 May 2021

Toyota has given the Camry a new face but ditched the V6.

Toyota has given the Camry a nosejob and ditched the thirstier V6 engine to reduce its carbon footprint.

“Globally Toyota is pushing the adoption of its mainstream hybrid electric models as a major CO2 reduction strategy in developed markets prior to the availability of battery electric vehicles (BEV),” said Steve Prangnell, Toyota New Zealand’s General Manager of New Vehicle Sales and Product Planning.

The interior has been given a slight update too, with a new touchscreen as well as a panoramic sunroof on ZR models.

“Toyota New Zealand is fully committed to supporting this locally as well. With only 4.2 per cent of global automotive sales being EVs or PHEVs in 2020, hybrids are the mainstream option to reduce CO2 and Toyota offers a hybrid in almost every vehicle across our range.”

While medium and large sedans have fallen out of favour over the past decade or so in favour of SUVs, Toyota is seeing enough interest from fleet buyers, like government and rental companies, to update the Camry.

Transport Minister Michael Wood speaks at the release of the Ministry of Transport’s green paper (first published May 14, 2021).

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Factor in an updated Safety Sense package and pricing barely breaking the $50k mark and the Camry becomes a viable option for fleet owners and those wanting a large sedan without the environmental impact.

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Dropping the V6 means the only powertrain option for Camry buyers is the 2.5-litre hybrid, producing a system output of 160kW while only using 4.5 litres per 100km and spitting out 103 grams of CO2 per km, according to Toyota. All are paired with an electronically controlled CVT transmission, sending power to the front wheels.

All Camrys have a new face, which looks like a riff on Lexus’ spindle grille with some plastic strips thrown in.

There are large (fake) corner intakes, slightly redesigned headlights, new “twisted V-shaped” alloy wheels ranging from 17 to 19 inches, a rear lip spoiler and, on ZR variants, a sliding sunroof and sharkfin antenna. SX and ZR models also get sports tuned suspension.

Inside is wired Apple/Android phone mirroring as standard, along with paddle shifters, sports front seats with red or black leather accents and the seven-inch floating display from the RAV4 on the GX (nine inches for the SX and ZR).

The ZR also receives new black wood interior ornamentation, front seat heaters, a JBL premium audio system and three additional speakers including a 26.5cm rear subwoofer.

All Camrys get an updated Safety Sense package, including pedestrian and cyclist detection, emergency steering assist, intersection turn assist, lane tracing assist, road sign assist and the adaptive cruise control system can now reduce its speed for curves.

Pricing starts at $42,490 for the entry GX, $46,990 for the SX and $50,990 for the ZR.