Now, more electrifying!

The Toyota Camry has usually had a niche audience in India. Buyers are often in the 40 to 60-year-old category and many of them would also have experienced the comfort and reliability of the car in another market, particularly the US. And more often than not, in the rear seat.

In the American market, the Camry is hugely popular as a family sedan amongst the middle class. However, in India, the Camry was initially overshadowed by the Honda Accord and then both the cars slid into a corner of the market because their prices quickly climbed up into the segment where the big three German brands were also available. The price deterrence was even more in the case of the Camry Hybrid. But when Toyota decided to locally manufacture the Hybrid in 2013, the launch was greeted enthusiastically by buyers. Last year, Toyota sold 523 Camry Hybrids in the Indian market, which was 73 per cent of all Camrys sold here. The only reasons for the popularity of the Camry Hybrid are clearly the promise of exclusivity with Green credentials and that the car is quite loaded with features. It just could also be due to the fact that the other eco-friendly option from Toyota is a much smaller, imported pure hybrid at a higher price tag - the Prius.

The seventh generation Camry gets a facelift now and it is obvious that Toyota is out to try and change the image of the car - make its design younger and make it plusher on the inside to take on the competition in that price segment. The Hybrid too gets the makeover, with its own special ‘Blue’ logo and badging treatment. We got to test drive the new 2015 Camry Hybrid just days before its launch.

It is more than 32 years since the Camry was first introduced and the overall design and character of the car has been focused on being relatively conservative. The new facelift seems like a bit of a departure when viewed from the front. A new, large airdam takes up almost all the space in the front fender and is framed on either side by fog lamps. The bottom of the hexagonal airdam features a three-dimensional chrome bar and the turn indicators have been tucked in to the side of the fender skirts. There is a common design that runs into the grilles of both the bonnet and the airdam.

The headlamps now sport twin projectors, LED daytime running lights, and in the Hybrid, a blue-tinged turn indicator combination. There is more chrome at the front with a connecting bar that runs across from one headlamp to another, and second layer is a thick chrome lip at the edge of the bonnet slab. The bonnet also sports a wide bulge to heighten the impact of the car’s youthful front.

From the side, the Camry is still recognisably a Camry. Two small additions, however, catch the eye. These are what Toyota engineers call the ‘aero-stabilising fins’, which are essentially two-inch long, little finger thick fins in the door mirror housing and the tail-lamps that are meant to improve the car’s aerodynamics. The strong character line and the 17-inch alloys add to the face-lifted Camry’s appeal. The rear of the new Camry Hybrid is very similar to the outgoing model. More chrome additions, the hybrid badging and a recessed exhaust with chrome treatment are some of the other features at the rear. Flip the boot lid open and you get a fairly cavernous luggage area. Some space right behind the rear seat has been taken up by the hybrid’s components.

The Camry’s cabin was always a fairly pleasant place to be. The face-lifted version now gets a plusher cabin. Stitched leather dashboard, perforated, supple leather seats with ventilation, and a chunky steering wheel with multi-function controls make the driver’s seat a good place to be. The dominating centre stack has a touchscreen display and infotainment system, auto climate control and enough storage slots in the centre console. The blue-ringed instrument cluster and the wood and matt aluminium inserts are some of the other highlights of the dashboard. The rear seats get independent air-conditioning with controls positioned on the armrest. To make the rear seat comfier, the backrest can also be inclined by eight degrees.

The Camry Hybrid we test drove sports the 2.5-litre, 4-cylinder, VVT-i petrol engine. It is what is called an Atkinson cycle engine, which manages to squeeze more efficiencies out of every combustion cycle. The car also combines the benefits of a hybrid system - electric motor and nickel-metal hydride battery pack, which charges through regenerative braking.

The engine generates 160PS of peak power and the electric motor offers about 143PS. Together, the hybrid system offers a max output of 303PS. The Camry Hybrid’s drive cycle is similar to other hybrids. There is no engine cranking at start and the initial acceleration is powered by the electric motor and is completely noise-free.

At higher speeds or based on heavy throttle input, the petrol engine also takes over. Unlike some of the other hybrids, the Camry is both a series and parallel assist, combining the outputs of both engine and motor or operating them independently.

We drove the Camry Hybrid in both city traffic and on the expressway. The cabin is very quiet, except for some of the tyre noise creeping in at higher speeds. The real-time display of the engine and hybrid system operating is an interesting feature.

With the hybrid system’s parallel assist and all of its torque available from standstill, the Camry Hybrid is very light-footed. However, the car’s suspension is still a bit too soft and doesn’t seem to induce a lot of confidence when one attempts to corner at high speeds.

It is on its best behaviour on straight lines or at slower speeds, when the accommodating suspension keeps occupants in supreme comfort, even if the tarmac is patchy. Some of the road noise ingress and the lack of grip could also be due to the hard compound in the Yokohama tyres that our test drive car sported.

The Camry Hybrid is a car that is meant for a certain breed of buyer — one who is less intimidated by its price and is willing to pay the differential with the conventional Camry for the sake of the tech under the bonnet. At least, this face-lifted Hybrid gets a lower price tag at ₹31.2 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) thanks to the Government’s incentives under the FAME scheme.