First Look: 2012 Toyota Camry

We take a look at the all-new 2012 Toyota Camry and outline the changes made to Americas best-selling car.

Transcript

00:00 Is the 2012 Toyota Camry new and special enough to vanquish the Hyundai Sonata?

00:15 Camrys traditionally run two cycles on one platform, and this is act two of the current

00:19 architecture.

00:21 Same wheelbase, and about the same overall length.

00:25 The engines are carry over, with enough efficiency improvements to ensure that when the EPA

00:29 completes testing, the Camry 4, Hybrid, and V6 all will be best, or tied for best, in

00:36 class.

00:37 The old manual transmission offered in the Camry SE is gone.

00:41 The 6-speed automatic has increased torque converter lockup, and the Camrys have lost

00:45 weight and moved to low-rolling resistance tires to boost fuel economy.

00:50 The Camry has been around since 1982, and has led U.S. passenger car sales for 13 of

00:56 the last 14 years.

00:58 Besides being a best-seller, it has arguably been the best car in the class for 20 years,

01:04 so improvements tend to be incremental, not phenomenal.

01:08 The new Camry has a vaguely Corolla-esque look, especially in the side surfacing.

01:14 Toyota calls the new Camry's profile a "dynamic wedge shape."

01:19 The corners combine with the integrated rear lip spoiler for better aerodynamic efficiency.

01:25 Toyota says consumers want a simple ordering process, so it's reduced the number of order

01:29 combos, excluding paint colors, from 1,246 to just 36.

01:37 Count on the 2012 Camry to deliver the kind of drive you'd expect.

01:41 It's smooth, comfortable, quiet, and otherwise unremarkable.

01:47 The Camry Hybrids are now available in LE and XLE trim, and should be priced against

01:53 the VW Passat SE and SEL diesels in the $27,000 to $33,000 range.

02:00 The cloth seat fabrics are kind of nice, and there are some contrasting seat inserts that

02:04 are pleasant and won't look kitschy or outdated in a few years.

02:09 And then there's a stitched, layered leather appearance dashboard cover.

02:13 Toyota expects 50% of the new Camry sales to come from repeat buyers.

02:17 If it is sold just to current Camry owners, it would continue to outsell Kia Optima, Subaru

02:23 Legacy, and Mazda6 combined.

02:26 What it does with the Camry beyond that may not matter much, as Toyota expects the Prius

02:30 line to become its best seller by the end of the decade.

02:33 [Music]

02:37 (rock music)