The facelifted eighth-generation Toyota Camry has now been launched in its home market of Japan. The pre-eminent D-segment sedan is relying on subtle visual and technological updates to keep it fresh in its fourth year. As before, the Camry is available in standard and Sports variants with different faces. The former, which our version also wears, gets a more defined centre air intake that juts out from the gaping maw, while the slim upper grille has been slightly tweaked. Meanwhile, the Sports gains bigger fake inlets at the corners, bookended by gloss black accents and underlined by a larger splitter.
The LED taillights also receive darkened
internals, although only on the Sports models does the treatment extend to the
LED headlights. Certain trim levels come with redesigned alloy wheels as well,
with the 18-inch two-tone option looking particularly spiffy. A new Precious
Metal paint finish has been added to the colour palette that includes five monotone
and two dual-tone (Sports only) hues.
Inside, the biggest difference concerns
the infotainment touchscreen, now a nine-inch (one inch larger) freestanding
unit that sits at the top of the dashboard – just like on more recent Toyotas.
There are also some new dashboard trim options.
Safety has also been upgraded with the
introduction of Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+, which adds nighttime pedestrian,
daytime cyclist and cross-junction pedestrian detection for the autonomous
emergency braking system. Other new features include evasive steering assist,
lane centring assist, a corner deceleration function for the adaptive cruise
control, and drive start control that protects against sudden throttle inputs.
No changes mechanically, so the
Japanese-market Camry retains its hybrid powertrain, pairing a 178 PS/221 Nm
2.5 litre Dynamic Force four-cylinder engine with a 120 PS/202 Nm electric
motor. Total system output is rated at 211 PS, while the claimed fuel
consumption figure is 24.3 km per litre on the WLTP cycle.
In Japan, prices for the facelifted Camry
range from 3,485,000 yen to 4,672,000 yen.
