Toyata carmy

The Camry had to keep an eye on its core 40-year-old buyers. That meant no Darth Vader masks, no funny shapes, no Bulgarian beards and definitely no flame surfacing. It had to be modern but not daunting, funky but elegant, forward-looking but not a leap too far. In short, it had to be a Camry, but unlike any before. The result is a shape that’s reassuringly familiar in its silhouette, but startling in the details, surfacing and generally extremely handsome. It’s an angular, masculine shape now, broad-shouldered and squint-eyed, much more dramatic and distinctive than the long, feminine, oval-eyed (and very American) old car, clearly aggressive and attention-grabby.

Some find the Camry too aggressive now, or too Oriental, but most agree that Toyota’s new ‘L-Finesse’ design language works well. The smooth, muscular surfacing is particularly pleasant, as is the clean cut of the greenhouse, and the sharp, dipping head – and tail lamps – look great too. Interestingly, the C-pillar marks a family resemblance between two generations of cars. The C-pillar in the current Corolla and upcoming one are virtually the same, and the new Camry’s C-pillar is clearly a development of the one on the old car. Clever!

However, there’s no such thing as a perfect design though – call them blemishes, the snout-like grille is slightly oddand so too the unnecessary BMW 7-Series-reminiscent Bangle-butt detract.

The car is fine in photographs and better on the road. The surfaces fill out, the subtle fretwork along the bonnet shines in the sun, giving the car serious presence. In our Big Test, against Skoda’s Superb and Honda’s Accord, the Camry prevailed in the debate on looks. Ultimately, though, the punters decide whether a car looks good or not. The ringing endorsement is that new Camrys have sold so well in India, despite a higher price.