8th Gen Toyota Camry (XV70)

[inlinesix]

@RadX

[Lala81]

Drove the camry hybrid for 1000 km in my recent trip.

What i liked
- suspension is bit on the firmer side compared to my car, but did quite a lot of twisty roads along GOR and especially while going through the Otways area. Not much body roll. Best thing i like about this car. Much improved over previous camry generations. TNGA platform really improved the toyota ride by quite a bit
- excellent FC. My total petrol bill was about $77 aud through the trip. 20km/L due to the crappy speed limits there.
- Good visibility all round
- decent pickup with the hybrid system
- decent cabin. No issues. Good legroom, good deeper boot (better than my car sigh). Can fit 2 large, 1 carry on and some bags (probably can squeeze another carry on, no problem)
- The safety tech not bad. ACC though i find the braking too abrupt for ACC. So i usually brake myself. Dont think encountered rear cross traffic alert. It did autonomous braking once but i think i can brake harder myself. And i also dunno when it engages so best is brake yourself lah

 

What i don't like
- steering feel is acceptable...... but nowhere as responsive as my car. Predictable but bit dead.
-  The accelerator pedal is the stiff type. I would prefer a more sensitive accelerator pedal. And when u release it fully, it clicks slightly. haha i was annoyed by that sound.
- not a fan of CVT still even though pickup is smooth but ok lah, it's perfectly suited for the really boring aussie driving
- The driver seat  is not as comfortable as my car, particularly the lumbar support. Found myself having more backaches.

 

Car is very suited for long cruises and it actually does pretty well compared to older Camrys on twisty roads. I was driving on really twisty gravel roads with turns every <100m, so i definitely kept to the 40kph limit. So at that speed, u won't encounter any understeer which i would expect if u drive like the Europeans.

The FC is pretty amazing if u live in the big countries. 

 

 

Edited November 29, 2019 by Lala81

[Lala81]

But when it comes down to it, i really missed driving my own car. Even though the power delivery is weaker. Cos the way the CVT delivers the power is meh....

Edited November 29, 2019 by Lala81

[Hotnyh]

I've driven about 1000km in my hybrid too and recently was in Margaret River and drove a Passat Variant 1.8T from Perth. 

I actually found the Camry to feel more solid on the move than the Passat though I'd have to give to the Passat's doors sounding better.

The FC of my hybrid has been ranging from a worst of 12.2km/L (short 5km trips in bad traffic and the engine running to recharge the battery) to 23km/L on longer runs. Most of the time in city traffic I get 16-18km/L. 

I agree about the stiff gas pedal and the click sound. I have it too but doesn't bother me much.

At low speeds the steering is given so much assist that it does feel very light and dead. It does weight up nicely as you speed up though. Not the most talkative steering but small issue when one is driving for economy most of the time. 

I find the seats to be very comfortable though my wife preferred the Passat's. 

ICE is better in the Passat though the satnav. GPS was a bit unfriendly to use compared to Google Maps (Carplay, Android Auto). The option to use Car Play or AA was always there though.

I've only filled my car once since getting it! And the range predicted still says > 300km left to go! Amazing. It was less than half full when I took delivery. Guess I'm not going to get rebates from my petrol company anymore...

I've found performance to be more than adequate for Singapore. Most of the time I can use ECO mode without issues and keep up with traffic. It is more fun to use the Normal or Sports mode though as there is a lot more instant torque. Engine is pretty quiet most of the time but can sound droney if you press harder. The Camry is smoother in heavy traffic than the Passat's DSG but the VW wins when at higher speeds. Guess it's the DQ200 gearbox? If it stays reliable, it felt pretty good 95% of the time. 

 

 

Edited November 29, 2019 by Hotnyh

[Lala81]

1 hour ago, Hotnyh said:

I've driven about 1000km in my hybrid too and recently was in Margaret River and drove a Passat Variant 1.8T from Perth. 

I actually found the Camry to feel more solid on the move than the Passat though I'd have to give to the Passat's doors sounding better.

The FC of my hybrid has been ranging from a worst of 12.2km/L (short 5km trips in bad traffic and the engine running to recharge the battery) to 23km/L on longer runs. Most of the time in city traffic I get 16-18km/L. 

I agree about the stiff gas pedal and the click sound. I have it too but doesn't bother me much.

At low speeds the steering is given so much assist that it does feel very light and dead. It does weight up nicely as you speed up though. Not the most talkative steering but small issue when one is driving for economy most of the time. 

I find the seats to be very comfortable though my wife preferred the Passat's. 

ICE is better in the Passat though the satnav. GPS was a bit unfriendly to use compared to Google Maps (Carplay, Android Auto). The option to use Car Play or AA was always there though.

I've only filled my car once since getting it! And the range predicted still says > 300km left to go! Amazing. It was less than half full when I took delivery. Guess I'm not going to get rebates from my petrol company anymore...

I've found performance to be more than adequate for Singapore. Most of the time I can use ECO mode without issues and keep up with traffic. It is more fun to use the Normal or Sports mode though as there is a lot more instant torque. Engine is pretty quiet most of the time but can sound droney if you press harder. The Camry is smoother in heavy traffic than the Passat's DSG but the VW wins when at higher speeds. Guess it's the DQ200 gearbox? If it stays reliable, it felt pretty good 95% of the time. 

 

 

The cushioning on my driver's seat is just bit better. So i can feel the difference for the camry hybrid. But it's not very uncomfortable. But if u keep driving for the longer distances, i will get backache (though the beds there are also softer and may contribute to my back issue).

The weight of the steering when at highway speeds is bit too heavy. Feels a bit unnatural. Not a big deal but i prefer my car where the steering feel changes at higher speed is lesser.

[Hotnyh]

I don't have nice long empty stretches of highway to enjoy here so I don't feel that much difference I guess but the Camry isn't really a driver's car even in this iteration so I don't have super high expectations. It's not bad, but not great. For most drives in our stop/ start traffic I have no complaints. 

[Lala81]

16 hours ago, Hotnyh said:

I don't have nice long empty stretches of highway to enjoy here so I don't feel that much difference I guess but the Camry isn't really a driver's car even in this iteration so I don't have super high expectations. It's not bad, but not great. For most drives in our stop/ start traffic I have no complaints. 

I think it has really improved quite a bit over the previous generations. The lack of sales in the sedan market has forced toyota to up their game. It's still going to be an all purpose car for the everyday man. So everything must be down right in the middle. 

Forgot to mention, one thing i really like about the car is the look. Mine was a bright blue paintwork. Not something i would buy myself, but looks great if u do all the paint protection and keep it clean. Haha my car looked like it been through the desert after doing all the gravel roads for 2 hrs at Otway.

[Lala81]

18 hours ago, Hotnyh said:

ICE is better in the Passat though the satnav. GPS was a bit unfriendly to use compared to Google Maps (Carplay, Android Auto). The option to use Car Play or AA was always there though.

I've found performance to be more than adequate for Singapore. Most of the time I can use ECO mode without issues and keep up with traffic. It is more fun to use the Normal or Sports mode though as there is a lot more instant torque. Engine is pretty quiet most of the time but can sound droney if you press harder. The Camry is smoother in heavy traffic than the Passat's DSG but the VW wins when at higher speeds. Guess it's the DQ200 gearbox? If it stays reliable, it felt pretty good 95% of the time. 

 

 

I hardly played around with the ICE. The buttons are not intuitive at all. Increasing volume on the steering wheel is right/left instead of up/down. And changing FM stations, somehow the buttons on steering wheel changes Source. But my wife did it on the headunit itself.

The ACC was pretty easy to figure out.

I just put into normal or sport. Never eco haha

[Hamburger]

Strange that I test drove it for 5 mins and could not wait to get out.

 

The driving position is uncomfortable no matter how I adjust it and the seat, like most Toyota, is the worst in the market.

 

It did one thing good though. I appreciated my car more from there.

 

No offence to owners out there, just my cheap 2cts. 

 

[Smieky]

Hi I just got a Camry Hybrid sports from Vin car, I just realize that the front do not have parking sensor,, anyone knows where I can get original 2 Matt color sensor to install to the car??  

[Melody288]

2 hours ago, Smieky said:

Hi I just got a Camry Hybrid sports from Vin car, I just realize that the front do not have parking sensor,, anyone knows where I can get original 2 Matt color sensor to install to the car??  

Re attached foto, there's front/side sensors. 

[BernardShen]

Hi, newbie here.  Just to check is there any difference in ride, NVH between G and Ascent Sports model?

[Watwheels]

What BM is selling the 2.0L version engine is from the previous gen. Only the 2.5L is the latest dynamic force engine and 8sp direct shift auto. The exterior looks modern but the interior dash to me feels dated. Toyota seats are hard and not comfy. 

Actually they should put the 2.0L turbo mated to the 6sp auto from the Lexus. It will suit the sedan more that the suv(Harrier).

But at 150K+ there are plenty of other cars(better) to choose from. This segment imo is too competitive and not many will want to choose a sedan.

[Lala81]

On 11/30/2019 at 10:20 AM, Hamburger said:

Strange that I test drove it for 5 mins and could not wait to get out.

 

The driving position is uncomfortable no matter how I adjust it and the seat, like most Toyota, is the worst in the market.

 

It did one thing good though. I appreciated my car more from there.

 

No offence to owners out there, just my cheap 2cts. 

 

lol hyundai elantra driver seat is worse... 

[Lala81]

40 minutes ago, Watwheels said:

What BM is selling the 2.0L version engine is from the previous gen. Only the 2.5L is the latest dynamic force engine and 8sp direct shift auto. The exterior looks modern but the interior dash to me feels dated. Toyota seats are hard and not comfy. 

Actually they should put the 2.0L turbo mated to the 6sp auto from the Lexus. It will suit the sedan more that the suv(Harrier).

But at 150K+ there are plenty of other cars(better) to choose from. This segment imo is too competitive and not many will want to choose a sedan.

Actually given it's target audience in USA and other countries. I think the camry hybrid is probably the best engine for it. 

A 2.5L should be adequate for it's target audience of usual fuss free commuters. But the hybrid with it's great mpg is what most of the target audience wants.

Edited December 4, 2019 by Lala81

[Cheefarn]

21 minutes ago, Lala81 said:

Actually given it's target audience in USA and other countries. I think the camry hybrid is probably the best engine for it. 

A 2.5L should be adequate for it's target audience of usual fuss free commuters. But the hybrid with it's great mpg is what most of the target audience wants.

Just buy a Camry hybrid from most PI. You have a choice of lower specced but still have nice looking factory HU Aussie market Camry hybrid or the everything including kitchen sink JDM Camry hybrid that can shame BM XV70 2.5 anytime. And it offers better build quality too. 

Its just that JDM ones will have a big 2DIN hole just like BM's one

[Hotnyh]

I've no problem feeling comfortable in the Camry. I simply could not get comfortable in the 2007 Vios no matter how I adjusted the seat/ steering. 
I agree that the steering wheel buttons for the ICE are a bit odd and not the most logical but I've become used to it. 

As for the parking sensors, they are at the 4 corners of the car. If you are close to a wall even directly in front or behind you, they will sound an alarm. Some extra more central sensors would be good though. 

Not sure if the Ascent Sports has different settings for the suspension compared with the normal Ascent or G models. From what I've seen on youtube, the S (sports) models in the USA do come with a slightly stiffer set up. 

My car has got a small rattle from the left front door I think. It's intermittent so hard to pin down. Argh.

 

[pat3g]

Brought a Camry hybrid from a PI. I’ve to paid for my own repair for the shock absorber even though it was mentioned that it comes with three years warranty. The PI just doesn’t wants to honour the warranty . So buyers just take note.

Edited December 10, 2019 by pat3g