They’ve gone so hard advertising the Camry as a sporty sedan. Available with 300hp v6, AWD, and even a TRD trim. The latest generation had great reviews and praised for engaging and responsive driving while still being comfortable.
It could’ve been a competitor to the WRX, with a more refined interior, arguably better looking exterior, Toyota reliability, and avoiding the vape-bro stereotype. Except that they didn’t even have AWD as an option on the TRD. Granted, the AWD on the Camry can only send up to 50% power to the rear, and is much less useful in real world scenarios than the WRX, I think just having the badge helps when you’re marketing yourself as a sporty sedan. And most people who care about 300hp don’t want it all going to the front wheels.
My first thought was not wanting to compete with the Lexus IS 350, but there’s a > $10,000 price difference, and the Lexus is marketed as more of a sporty luxury car.
Now the latest news is that 2025 Camries will be hybrid only, with optional AWD and 232hp, and a CVT transmission. Are they going to stick with the commercials featuring spirited driving, or abandon that market?
What other sporty daily driver sedans are out there?
Side note, found this great commercial from the 1989 v6 Camry
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You are gravely confused about the identity of the Camry.
It used to be a super-boring appliance sedan. But it has now much more decent handling and doesn’t feel like a complete econocar anymore from the SE trim and up. Adding a dash of “sportiness” does not make a car sporty. And the V6 is more for luxury than sport. Only car ignoramuses buy V6 Accords/Camrys thinking they are driving a sports car, or even sporty car. A little zip and nos as shitty handling as in the past do not change the nature of the car. It’s no-nonsense transportation. Mentioning the WRX in the same sentence as the Camry makes no sense.
Nobody is going to advertise their car as slow and boring. Like Nissan had their altimas going around a race track in an ad (which is pretty representative of their drivers).
Why should the Camry compete with a car it outsells 12 times over?
Competitor to Accord/Sonata I guess
Its boring crap, I say that as a Toyota fan.
its marketing fluff for people who dont know much better tbh. the identity of the camry is the practical sedan that lasts forever without paying up for a lexus
My first thought was not wanting to compete with the Lexus IS 350, but there’s a > $10,000 price difference, and the Lexus is marketed as more of a sporty luxury car.
nah the IS competes with 3 series and that ilk. camry is much more on the practical side and wins price wise.
It’s an e-CVT which is much different than your regular old CVT
They might still release a sportier trim, no real surprise (even if they want to later) that it wouldn’t be here at launch.
The Camry is more like a Subaru Legacy direct competitor. It is too big to compete with the WRX.
Am I the only one who thinks the redesign looks really good? Kinda surprised by the negative reactions.
They cant keep up with the hybrid production and demand, proceeds to make one of their most popular cars hybrid smh
It’s an affordable, people-moving, efficient, and utilitarian vehicle for someone who dislikes SUVs or CUVs. It is not sporty, and it’s not intended to be. The marketing department must try and get every demographic they can, so claiming it has sportiness is one way to scratch that itch.
It’s just a regular car for regular people, with different trim levels that appeal to people looking for slightly different things. Why the hell does it need to compete with a WRX?
They’re probably gonna abandon that market just like their rival, the Honda accord. The honda accord had a small sleeper hit of the 2.0L turbo, and when honda announced they were getting rid of it, the Internet went crazy over the loss, calling the new one worse. And do you know what happened? I see the new accord everywhere, way more than any other car that came out in the last year. The Toyota Camry is likely going to follow Honda’s footsteps.
Ok the Camry isn’t sporty like the civic type r. The wheel base is too long and it doesn’t engineering to make it a sports car. It could be a good GT car for sure but that’s the Lexus side now.
It’s a nice family sedan with plenty of space and the Toyota reliability. It can do almost anything a normal family would want to - long distance trips, grocery hauls, slap in some cross bars and take it to ski resorts etc.
They handle like shit but I understand where the money was spent in designing it. Sedans are dying and a typical us family would prefer a venza or highlander.