Toyota Camry - Moment of Truth

The aggressively styled sixth-generation Toyota Camry, packed with gadgets and gizmos and armed to the teeth with cutting-edge automotive technology, is ready for blast off. For the Honda Accord, Skoda Laura, and even the Mercedes-Benz C-class, this hot new Camry certainly isn't the best thing that could have happened to them?

Story: Sameer Kumar Photography: Mohammed Afsar

IF A BUNCH OF BUG-EYED aliens landed on planet Earth one day, and wanted to take one of our cars back home, to learn something about how we earthlings get around, I wouldn't be surprised if they chose a Camry. Sure, Camrys aren't the prettiest, ?ashiest, most powerful or fastest of all cars, but they pretty much still signify the modern family saloon at its best. It's big, safe, comfortable and reliable. It's guaranteed to start up every single day and run without complaint till kingdom come. And until last month, you were sure to walk past one without noticing anything much at all, because the last Camry - the ?fth-generation car that was launched in India in 2002 - had about as much style and individuality as an aloo tikki McBurger. Like the burger, the old Camry got the job done. And unlike the burger, it was spacious, powerful and, because it was being imported as a CBU, a bit expensive.

However, its leather-lined luxury notwithstanding, the old Camry's styling was a bit nondescript. I don't know of anybody who'd be salivating at the prospect of driving one or being seen in one. But now, all that's changed, because Toyota have seen the light and they're hitting back with an all-new Camry, which seems to be a radical departure from what we've come to expect over the years.

It's an overcast afternoon in Delhi and walking up to the new Camry for the ?rst time brings a smile to my face. Unlike the old one, this Camry has so much presence. For the ?rst time in two decades, Toyota have made the Camry look overtly aggressive rather than mild and subdued, and I quite like the makeover. Stand out, rather than blend in, seems to be the Camry's new mantra, which should be just right for a car that costs about Rs 21.50 lakh. The stance is low and hunkered down and at ?st glance, the lines (especially the rear three-quarter view) remind me of some recent BMW 5 and 7-series cars. At the front, the new grille, which I thought looked a bit dubious in pictures, actually works all right in the metal. And it's ?anked by wedge-shaped 'intelligent HID' (High Intensity Discharge) headlamps, which look very cool.

The car's overall length has not been increased, but the wheelbase is longer than the old car's, which means reduced overhangs, front and rear. This Camry, which is almost as big as a Lexus GS, is wider than the old one and sits slightly lower, all of which add up towards making it look more purposeful. The higher waistline, twin exhausts and 16-inch alloys, wearing 215/60 R16 rubber, also hint at the fact that quite unlike me, the Camry's been hitting the gym regularly - the ?ab's all gone, and the shape is now chiselled and muscular.

Source: Car India April 2006.