2012 toyota Camry Se

2012 Toyota Camry Se: While the 2012 Toyota Camry lacks the instantaneous appeal of some rivals, a number of vital, step-by-step improvements make it a deserving contender for any family-car shopper.

The five-seat car comes in L, LE, XLE and sport-tuned SE trims. A four-cylinder engine is typical, with a V-6 optional on the SE and also XLE. I evaluated the much-improved Camry Hybrid individually. The new Camry will not go on sale till October, but I drove most variations at a media preview.


2012 Toyota Camry Se


That Thing's New?

Toyota explains the Camry as all-new-- 7th generation, redesigned inside out-- however the styling recommends a milder upgrade. The automobile's size, width and wheelbase remain the exact same. The headlights look more reshaped compared to reimagined. The boomerang taillights add something fresh, but the side account resembles the old Camry.

The Camry SE has sporty body treatments and 17- or 18-inch alloy wheels, versus 16-inch steel wheels on the base version. Much better incorporated than the outbound Camry SE-- whose slapped-on expansions had all the makings of a price cut nose job-- it's the clearest redesign of the lot, if you can follow its face. I see the late-2000s Acura TL, some Mazda6 as well as a lot of woodchuck.

Overhauled Inside

The upgraded cabin feels richer, if less regular, than in the past. Dressed with stitched fake natural leather as well as a chrome-flanked, raised center panel, the dash has great deals of upscale eye candy. The high quality surpasses view alone-- the environment manages really feel better and the gearshift crisper relocating from Park to Drive.

I favor the last Camry's cushy seats to the new variation's, which are a touch firmer. Still, the vehicle driver's seat has good modification range, as well as the center console does not encroach on hip or knee room. Though the backseat is not as spacious as a Volkswagen Passat's or Honda Accord's, it fits adults great, with excellent headroom as well as a hump-free floor. The Camry XLE sheds its lying backseat, however all trims get a 60/40-split folding backseat. The previous generation's SE as well as XLE backseats didn't fold.

A couple of areas get the short shrift: affordable rear door panels, a worn headliner, say goodbye to one-touch power windows throughout. On the whole, however, cabin high quality feels competitive, if short of the Kia Optima and also Passat. As well as the Camry's practicality-- large storage cubbies, visibility unconfined by a descending roofline or thick home window columns-- ought to draw buyers.

Trunk quantity measures 15.4 cubic feet, up from in 2014's 15.0 cubic feet (14.5 in some trims) as well as defeating the Accord. If trunk room is high up on your listing, check out the Hyundai Sonata and Ford Blend. Both automobiles leading 16 cubic feet.

The Complaint is Hold

The prior generation Camry fasted: qualified with the 178-horsepower four-cylinder, muscular with the 268-hp V-6. That carries over for 2012, together with a 2 mpg improvement for each and every variation in consolidated city/highway gas mileage, inning accordance with EPA quotes. At 28 mpg with the four-cylinder and 25 mpg with the 6, the Camry leads all rivals however the Sonata. Credit history Toyota for slimming most versions down more than 100 extra pounds, tweaking the drivetrain, adding fuel-saving electrical power steering as well as equipping the Camry with lower-rolling-resistance tires.

I'm sold on 4 of the 5 adjustments. Like the majority of family-car automatics, the Camry's six-speed stumbles on multi-gear downshifts, however it upshifts efficiently and typically kicks down soon enough. (Toyota has actually dropped last year's standard transmission.) Exactly what's more, the Camry outsteers its precursor. I drove 2011 and 2012 Camry LEs back-to-back, as well as the old vehicle's comatose guiding responses as well as highway discomposure have actually diminished. The 2012 Camry's wheel still goes numb throughout fast lane changes-- the Accord and also Combination maneuver much better-- yet it really feels extra positive than it did.

The tires, nonetheless, are anything yet. The Camry LE has Michelin Power Saver Green-X all-seasons, whose lower rolling resistance enhances gas mileage. Alas, it comes with a high price. Prod the accelerator, as well as the front wheels rotate away. On sweeping contours, the tires damage from the line early, reined in just when the typical digital security system calls order. The outgoing Camry used run-of-the-mill Michelin Energy MXV4s. Where they stuck, the Power Savers stray. Most awful of all, I observed this after hrs of moderate driving with temperatures in the 80s. On a blustery winter day, I are afraid the Energy Savers would certainly make out also worse.

The Camry XLE as well as four-cylinder SE wear 17-inch Michelin Primacy MXV4s. They, as well, lack much hold. The V-6 SE has 18s and also Michelin Primacy MXM4s, which-- ultimately!-- play good. They suit the SE, which enhances its discordant predecessor. The last SE managed also improperly to justify its uneven flight. I drove the two generations back-to-back, and the brand-new one leans even more however deals with much better-- sharper balance, elegant wandering, better steering feedback. I just want Toyota had actually functioned similar magic with the suspension. It does not jar as a lot with gaps and ruts, however little bumps are really felt in a fatiguing, ever-present rhythm. Some competitors-- the Suzuki Kizashi particularly-- find far better ground in between trip and handling. The Camry SE has improved, however it's not there yet.

Run-of-the-mill Camry trims ride a touch firmer than in the past, however general comfort still excites. So do the brakes. Toyota exchanged in somewhat bigger four-wheel discs for 2012, as well as the direct feedback improves the Camry standard.

Safety, Quality & Rates

Since this writing, the Camry has yet to be crash-tested. There are 10 typical airbags. As needed of all 2012 versions, a digital stability system and also antilock brakes are basic. An unseen area warning system is optional on the XLE. Toyota has yet to value the auto, but authorities told me the popular LE version will not stray a lot from its 2011 price-- $22,700 with the automatic-- and also the expense of the SE and XLE "will certainly be significantly reduced" compared to their predecessors. Those trims were about $24,000 and also $26,500, specifically, with transmissions.

Do not expect to discover a Camry L conveniently. Toyota says the base trim will certainly consist of less than 5 percent of all sales-- mostly to commercial fleets, not customers. Conventional functions consist of cooling, cruise ship control, power devices, Bluetooth as well as an iPod-compatible stereo. Mainline Camry trims include steering-wheel audio controls, remote keyless entry and also a touch-screen stereo with Bluetooth audio streaming. Inspect all the alternatives, and also the Camry could have heated leather upholstery, power pole position, a moonroof, JBL sound, two different navigating systems (see the images to contrast) as well as Toyota's Entune multimedia system, which we detail below.

Camry in the marketplace

Toyota chose short conclusions with the brand-new Camry: Squeeze out an additional 2 mpg, improve the guiding and handling, enhance the brakes. Some customers could wish the carmaker had opted to toss a designing long ball, as Kia and Hyundai did. Toyota could lose out on some brand-new customers since the redesign looks as well mild.

Yet I'm unsure the Camry required a designing overhaul; after all, its precursor had actually aged well. The carmaker needs to restore the nameplate's credibility for bulletproof dependability, which has actually sunk to merely OK in recent times. The interior is a couple of flubs except family-car quality, as well as the skateboard tires mar an or else improved driving experience. But the sensibilities remain, and overall the Camry has actually boosted significantly. It remains, more than ever, a poster cars and truck for your right mind.