Looking at the grey Camry LE with its two-tone grey interior, I can’t help but think that we’ve come to expect too much. Too often, we think the Camry should have something of the divine. And the Accord. And the Fusion. And the Malibu. We’ve come to believe these mid-size sedans should be nothing short of extraordinary.
Yet, these cars were created for the masses, to be sold to hundreds of thousands of consumers cast in the same mould and living in the four corners of our continent. So how can you give them an in-your-face attitude that everyone and their neighbour will love?
In light of this, our Camry LE, a basic model that’s as grey inside as out, becomes more appealing, more desirable even, exactly because it accomplishes its mission. While its profile no longer goes unnoticed, it doesn’t revolutionize modern automotive styling. Its spacious cabin benefits from a relatively complete set of standard equipment. In addition, its overall performance (acceleration and fuel consumption) is good, considering the fact that the oil companies enjoy playing yo-yo with gas prices on an almost daily basis.
More visual punch
In 2007, Toyota corrected one of the issues that has been the bane of the Camry since its introduction in 1983. The automaker gave it more distinctive traits. You simply have to think back to the models from the 90s to remember… that you don’t remember them. At the time, Camry rimed with blah. A common trait of more than one mid-size sedan of the day, admittedly.
At the turn of the new millennium, in a seemingly concerted effort automakers launched new, more elegant, more stimulating generations of cars. Even GM caught that train. Imagine!
Today’s Camry is the kind of car you either love or hate – not too much of either, mind you. After all, it’s still a mass-produced consumer good. The light visual updates worked on it for 2010 (new grill, new taillights) are in keeping with this principle.
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| The Toyota Camry LE is the entry-level model of the lineup. That being said, it’s far from ill equipped. |
Yet, these cars were created for the masses, to be sold to hundreds of thousands of consumers cast in the same mould and living in the four corners of our continent. So how can you give them an in-your-face attitude that everyone and their neighbour will love?
In light of this, our Camry LE, a basic model that’s as grey inside as out, becomes more appealing, more desirable even, exactly because it accomplishes its mission. While its profile no longer goes unnoticed, it doesn’t revolutionize modern automotive styling. Its spacious cabin benefits from a relatively complete set of standard equipment. In addition, its overall performance (acceleration and fuel consumption) is good, considering the fact that the oil companies enjoy playing yo-yo with gas prices on an almost daily basis.
More visual punch
In 2007, Toyota corrected one of the issues that has been the bane of the Camry since its introduction in 1983. The automaker gave it more distinctive traits. You simply have to think back to the models from the 90s to remember… that you don’t remember them. At the time, Camry rimed with blah. A common trait of more than one mid-size sedan of the day, admittedly.
At the turn of the new millennium, in a seemingly concerted effort automakers launched new, more elegant, more stimulating generations of cars. Even GM caught that train. Imagine!
Today’s Camry is the kind of car you either love or hate – not too much of either, mind you. After all, it’s still a mass-produced consumer good. The light visual updates worked on it for 2010 (new grill, new taillights) are in keeping with this principle.
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| The 2010 version inherits a redesigned grille. |