10 Things You Need To Know About The All-New 2018 Toyota Camry

2018 Toyota Camry at Detroit Auto Show unveil by Andy Bornhop ・ Photo by Andy Bornhop

Just how important is the Camry to Toyota? Consider this: The Camry has been the best-selling car in the U.S. for the last 15 years, with about one car per minute rolling out of the Kentucky plant, which is the largest Toyota assembly facility in the world. Since 1982, some 10 million Camrys have been sold in the U.S., and the new 8th-generation Camry, just revealed at the Detroit auto show, has been tasked with building on that incredible sales success. Only time will tell if this lower, sleeker, and wider Camry will succeed. Let’s take a look at 10 things you need to know about the new 2018 Toyota Camry.

1) It's an All-New Vehicle

The 2018 Toyota Camry is new from the ground up, and it’s based on a TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) chassis designed to please traditional midsize sedan buyers while also being fun to drive. The head of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, present at Detroit, calls the new Camry “a place where practical can be passionate.” Bob Carter, Toyota’s U.S. boss, is nearly as succinct, calling the 2018 Camry “the most captivating midsize sedan we’ve ever produced.”

Photo by Toyota

2) Three Design Goals

Good design is increasingly important in today’s car world, and Toyota had three goals regarding the look of the new 2018 Camry: 1) a firm, wide stance to highlight the car’s lower center of gravity, 2) a practical but emotionally styled greenhouse, and 3) a sporty and upscale image inside and out. Whatever your feelings about the look of the new 2018 Camry, this much is clear: Toyota has gone bold with its immensely popular mainstream sedan, and its spindle-esque grille shows a clear stylistic link to those of its Lexus brethren.

Photo by Toyota

3) It's Lower and Wider

Consistent with the goal of making the Camry more of a driver’s car and less of a boring everyday appliance, Toyota has widened the 2018 model and lowered its center of gravity, which helps the car negotiate corners with added stability and composure. The hood, interestingly, is 1.6 inches lower than that of the 2017 Camry, and, more important, the hip points front and rear are lower. In other words, the Camry driver and front passenger now sit about an inch closer to the ground, and folks in the back seat are 1.2 inches closer to the road than before. Although this may seem at odds with a world increasingly populated by high-riding SUVs and crossovers, Toyota is serious about making its Camry have better driving dynamics, even to the point of equipping it with a new multilink rear suspension. The new Camry’s chief engineer, Masato Katsumata, is a former rally driver. Just sayin’.

Photo by Toyota

4) Three Available Powertrains

As in 2017, the Camry will be available with a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, a 3.5-liter V6, or a hybrid gasoline/electric powertrain. Although the gasoline engines are the same displacement as before, both are completely new designs. The 4-cylinder, tuned for better torque, higher power, and improved fuel economy, is a long-stroke design with high compression and variable valve timing. Toyota says it has a thermal efficiency of 40 percent, a world-class figure. The engine mates to a new 8-speed automatic transmission with a torque converter that locks for added efficiency in gears two through eight. The V6, says Toyota, will represent only about 10 percent of the Camry mix in the U.S., about the same as the Camry Hybrid, which employs the new 2.5 and a continuously variable transmission with sportier tuning.

Photo by Toyota

5) Toyota Safety Sense: Standard Across Camry Lineup

This is a big deal: Toyota Safety Sense will be standard. That means all 2018 Camrys will come with pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, full-speed range dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assist, and automatic high beams. And although some upmarket models will have a blind-spot monitor and rear cross-traffic alert as standard, all 2018 Camrys are equipped with 10 airbags, a backup camera, and Toyota’s Star Safety System, which adds vehicle stability control, traction control, electronic brake-force distribution, brake assist, and anti-lock braking to the already abundant safety features found in Toyota’s new midsize sedan.

Photo by Toyota

6) It's Better Connected

Another big deal: All 2018 Toyota Camrys will feature Entune 3.0, a connectivity and entertainment platform with navigation and App Suite Connect. All 4-cylinder and hybrid Camrys will be equipped with Connected Navigation Scout GPS Link with Moving Maps, while V6 models will offer a new Dynamic Navigation system that provides over-the-air map downloads of recently added roads (and points of interest) not contained in the existing head unit map. With Entune 3.0, you can start or unlock your Camry remotely, find it in a crowded lot, get vehicle status notifications, and (with the available Service Connect) even get up-to-date vehicle information or maintenance alerts. And with the available WiFi Connect, five mobile devices can connect using 4G LTE… one for each person in Toyota's new midsize family sedan.

Photo by Toyota

7) Four Camry Models

For 2018, there again will be four Toyota Camry models: LE, XLE, SE, and XSE. As the “S” stands for “Sport,” the SE and XSE models have been made to look quite a bit sportier than the other Camrys, thanks to sculpted rocker panels, a small lip spoiler, an aggressive front bumper, and a restyled rear with an integrated lower diffuser. Additionally, the XSE wears black 19-in. alloy wheels with a machined finish. Toyota says the lower front bumper has been influenced by a catamaran, and the rear of the Camry is highlighted by its distinctive corner lines and smoke-tinted lamps. Camry designers, led by Ian Cartabiano of Toyota’s CALTY design facility in Irvine, California, wanted to make the new sport models easily distinguishable from other Camrys from as far as 200 yards away. They've succeeded.

Photo by Toyota

8) The Inside Scoop

Toyota wanted a functional and futuristic interior for the 2018 Camry, where a 10-inch head-up display and a panoramic roof will be available. The new Camry has a driver-focused interior, and the car’s lower cowl, along with its thinner A-pillars, makes for an improved forward view. The most noticeable design element inside the 5-seat 2018 Camry is a character line that flows down from the instrument cluster and bisects the center console. High-quality, soft-touch materials abound, and the mix of tones is much more pleasant than a monochromatic look. Also, reengineered seats have improved ergonomics, and there’s more room in the back seat because of the Camry’s 2.0-in.-longer wheelbase, which also allowed Toyota to make the aperture for the rear doors larger to aid ingress/egress.

Photo by Toyota

9) Screens, Screens, More Screens

The human-machine interface in the 2018 Camry is facilitated by three interlinked screens. In addition to the available head-up display, the new Camry sports a 7-inch multi-information display inside the instrument cluster, plus an audio/navigation display that also controls the Camry’s heating, venting, and air conditioning. This last screen seamlessly integrates into the Camry’s center console in flush, high-tech fashion, and it has touchscreen icons that look just like those on your smartphone.

Photo by Toyota

10) The Camry Hybrid

While we don’t have many details on the new Camry Hybrid, it will be available when the standard 2018 Camry goes on sale this summer. Further, it will likely have two different types of batteries. Those Camry Hybrids seeking the absolute best efficiency (close to that of the Prius) will be equipped with a lithium-ion battery, whereas the more standard Camry Hybrid models will have a more conventional (and much less expensive) nickel-metal hydride pack.

With either battery, however, there’s good news: The trunk of the Camry Hybrid is just as large as that of the standard Camry, thanks to Toyota repositioning the battery under the rear seat. This new battery location, which improves the car’s weight distribution, has led chief engineer Katsumata to declare the Hybrid the most entertaining new Camry to drive with gusto on a racetrack.

Maybe there's some truth to this new Camry being considered a true a driver’s car…

Photo by Toyota