2007 Toyota Camry

oceana142

Does anyone know of any concept pictures or other development news regarding the 2007 Camry, which should be a brand new model? 24 months is not that far away! Thank you.

kdhspyder

If the new XLE V6 is far above $30K w/Navi I'd be shocked.

It's $29900 now. Granted there is much more in the new model but it can't be $33K.. Thats Avalon XLS territory

alpha01

is historically VERY tight lipped regarding the redesigns of its major models, as is Honda with the Civic and Accord. You wont see the Camry debut at any auto show, for example. Unless theres some type of paradigm shift among the top brass, this board will likely be dead until this time in 2006.

What you can expect is a structural stiffening, but continuation on the Gen 5 platform, just as the Gen 3 and Gen 4 shared the same platform. Toyota's new 3.5L V6, perhaps detuned somewhat from its Avalon iteration, seems a likely V6 upgrade from the current 3.0L/3.3L strategy, as all that Ive read indicates the 3.3L is short term solution to the market's growing emphasis on power and torque, and it has been confirmed that the 3.0L will cease production with this iteration of Camry. Id expect a boost in the power of the 4cylinder as well, from the current 160 to at least 170, if Toyota is smart.

~alpha

lexi4life

Said to have sportier or more agressive exterior styling and personnality. The engine used will probably be the future 3.5 of the next avalon, with a bit less power (next avalon: 270-280 so I presume the next camry's engine will do 250-260 hp. With Honda's Accord and Nissan's Altima that respectively have 240 and 250 hp, the current camry is a bit underpowered and I think toyota wants to solve this "problem" because some people buy a car over another just because it has more horsepower. If you want to know what it's gonna look like, well just have a look at the new solara, it was designed like that so that the next camry and the current solara have the same general styling. But they won't be identical!

bklynguy

here are some features I think could make it into the next camry:

2.5L 4cylinder (170-175 hp)
3.5L 6cylinder (240-250 hp)
hybrid engine (confirmed)
smart entry and start system
Dual Climate Control
Side Airbags standard
Dynamic Laser Cruise Control
folding side-mirrors
Power Rear Sunshade
Adaptive Front Lighting System (XLE)
HID headlamps (SE,XLE)
LED brakelamps
Bluetooth (option in current Prius)
Navigation & CD changer in dash (only single
CD player avail. now with nav system)

lexi4life

This stuff about the camry getting the 3.5 isn't realistic. If the camry gets it in the future, the next ES will surely do. And the next GS, "higher" in the lexus brand, will get a 3 liter engine, from what lexus says. So the cheaper ES would get a bigger engine than the more expensive GS? Oh yeah, sure... The only thing that could "work" would be putting the 3.5 in almost every lexus/ toyota products: the GS could get a retuned version of this 3.5, making more horsepower than the ES that would also have more horsepower than the camry but not the avalon, because it is a lexus. Siennas, Highlanders and Solara would also get it? What will arrive to the 3 liter 245 hp? Only put in the next IS?

alpha01

I suppose only time will tell, but your post ignores many facts- such as 1) the Camry is produced alongside the Avalon at TMMK, and the Avalon's 3.5L engine will be produced there as well. By cutting down engine lines, Toyota can increase economies of scale, and hence, using the 3.3L as a stopgap eventually giving way to the 3.5L in the Camry and Solara would make sense. The 3.0L in the Camry LE and XLE V6s is slated for termination, which will probably coincide with the next-gen Avalon's introduction (since the current model also uses the 3.0L). 2) Toyota historically uses different engines for its front/AWD platforms than it does for its rear/4WD platforms. As long as the IS stays RWD, I think its unlikely that you'll see the 3.5L in that model. 3) The next GS is not out yet. We'll see what happens with the engines, but again, I dont see how Toyota is going to drop in the 3.5L. Anything is possible, though. With MB and BMW entry engines producing around the 245hp mark, I dont really see what the big issue is, especially if the GS can come to market with an excellent, repsonsive transmission that maximizes performance and fuel efficiency.

My point: Its definitely not out of the realm of possibility for Toyota to put the 3.5L engine in the next Camry.

~alpha

hittindabowl

The camry will be the sames as it is now and will always be boring, ugly. and underpowered. Bassicly dont expect it to have more power than anything other than the ford, and even ford is starting to get there act together. The camry is the a fleet car the us. It does do it job well. It a great car for people who aren't passtionate about there driving experience. It's for people who think of driving as a chore.

alpha01

is not underpowered, and has not been since the debut of this generation.

~alpha

carlisimo

It'll be boring, but I have high hopes that it won't be ugly.

As for underpowered... isn't 250hp around the current sane limit for a fwd car? And how many Camry drivers drag race anyway? The 4-cyl engine seems to be plenty for most people...

lexi4life

It's probably gonna be boring, but not necessarly ugly. Toyota sees that other car makers such as mazda and nissan offer a nicer product in this category (6 and Altima) and perhaps they decided to finally offer something original. As for the stuff about lack of power, the Camry isn't underpowered at all and I think that 250-260 should be the maximum automakers should put in their FWD cars.

carguy58

Toyota won;t make a sporty looking Camry. They just won't do it. Toyota has to sell 400,000 Camry's a year while Mazda sells 70,000 6's and Nissan sells 150,000 Altima's a year. Toyota is mass market. I would like to see Toyota go back to the 1987-1991 and 1992-1996 bodystyles in some form or another. The 1997-2001 and 2002+ Camry;s like look the they lost their Japanese styling roots. The 97 camry still had some Japanese touches its style but not as much as the 87 and 92 models had. The 02 model really has no Japanese styling touches. Yeah Camry might be boring but the 92-96 model still looks better than most cars from that time period right about now.

ch1133

Why would people need several hundred horses car to be able to drive in bumper to bumper trafic...i'snt that how it is today.

I am perfectly happy driving a 4 cyl Highlander

badgerfan

No other manufacturer is able to consistently expose so much tailpipe as Toyota. They've been doing it on all three of the last generations of Camry, and it seems to be getting lower and lower with each iteration. I guess this must be a much in demand styling feature! :-)

Seriously I can't understand why they haven't been able to tuck it up somewhere. With Toyota's supposed attention to detail, it seems this would be a trivial problem to solve, but it seems to get no attention, or it would have been fixed at least 5-6 years ago.

ian721

Someone posted on this earlier. S/he had asked his/her service manager about it, and the guy said that it's just easier and cheaper for Toyota to do it that way, and not thread the exhaust pipe over the rear axle.

Too bad, because I agree that it looks stupid.

alpha01

Most people dont notice/care. It has never been an issue on our 2002 Camry.

~alpha

badgerfan

Well, even my wife, who is not an automobile enthusiast at all, noticed it when we were following a Camry last year. Some of them seem to hang much lower than others and this one was a particular low hanger, probably due some assembly or manufacturing variations, but she asked me "What was with the exhaust pipe on that car?" (with no prompting from me).

toycash

That exhaust position allows more space inside the car, too. That's how Toyota gets a full size spare and a 17 cu. ft. trunk, while the Accord has a doughnut and only 14 cu. ft.

ian721

Really? Because with all that space between the pipe and the underbody you could expand the trunk another 7 or 8 cu. ft. if you wanted. And it wouldn't be that hard to fit the pipe under the axle even with the 17 cu ft trunk.

daniels2

I wonder if Toy will ever bring back the Camry wagon? We have a 2002 sedan and have been looking at wagons for a 2nd car. With Camry's legendary reliability, comfort and just plain good looks, I'd seriously consider waiting if Toyota did decide to make a wagon.
Scott

bklynguy

I think its unlikely that Toyota will bring back the Camry wagon with the next generation. Most people today usually upgrade from sedan to SUV/Minivan for extra space, not enough interest in wagons for Toyota to even consider it. Then again, the matrix is like a wagon.

danielj6

If Toyota revives the wagon, that'll be my next car. There's a market for a sport wagon of sorts. Something to compete with Subaru's Outback, Dodge's Magnum, Volvo and BMW.

I believe that The Camry wagon was discontinued around 1996 or so. It was a handsome vehicle indeed. I'll be standing in line to get one, although I'm really doing well with my Corolla.
I prefer a wagon over a sedan.

It seems to me that Toyota may be hesitant to reintroduce the wagon as it may overshadow the Highlander, high wagon/suv combo.

bklynguy

I would go for the Subaru Outback. The interior is really nice.

lena132

When purchasing my 1995 Camry, we never really wanted the wagon. In fact, my husband thought it looked like a herse. So we got the sedan instead and we still have it. Of course, 70,000 miles and 2 kids later, we needed a bigger vehicle. That's why I have a Sienna XLE Limited now.

Judging on the market, there's already a lot of crossover SUVs on the market that wagons aren't really needed.

If they ever introduce it again, I wouldn't really look at it since, again, I have a minivan already. But I want to trade my old Camry in but I'll sure miss it.

lexi4life

So anyway, since Toyota will build 2 new V6 in the future (3.0 and 3.5) for Toyota/Lexus cars, I think we might see the future Camry get the 3.0. It is rated at 245 hp, and 250 hp is usually the sane limit for an FWD car so that could work perfectly well. And if it needed more hp (to compete with future Altimas and Accords), they'd just need to boost it a bit to 255. But do customers really need that much hp anyway? So I expect all other cars related to the camry to get it too, except for the RX and ES from Lexus because they need more hp (so that customers don't want to buy a loaded Camry or Highlander instead). I know it perhaps seems weird to go from a 3.3 to a 3.0 but that sounds more realistic than a 3.5. But Avalon, RX, ES, IS and GS could get the 3.5.

norne

good point. I don't think toyo would bring back the camry station wagon when they already have the Highlander in the lineup.

What would be interesting to see is how well the new mazda6 wagon will do??? If mazda6 wagon is a hit, than maybe toyo will reconsider??

boomsama

I thought Toyota wanted to style their cars more "european" like?

bullseye

The 2 V6 families that you are referring to are seperate for FWD and RWD applications. The DI V6 family (currently used in Japan's RWD Toyota Crown Royal and Crown Athlete) are currently only in 2.5L and 3.0L forms and will be used in Lexus RWD cars such as the next GS and the next IS ranges. There is a rumour that a 3.5L variation of the same DI engine will be used as the optional engine in the next IS which appears late next year. But the GS will show up with the 3.0L tuned for 245-252 HP. The rumored reason is that Lexus wants to push the V8 models of the GS (There will be 2 V8s with the second showing up in 2 yrs after its introduced as an optional engine on the next LS). The second thing is that due to DI, the engine has a very strong and broad power curve and coupled with the very efficient 6AT is capable enough to rival higher displacement engines from competitors while offering class leading fuel economy. Also, Lexus is trying to differentiate itself from its parent both in terms of design and driving feel and engine choices are being made not with respect to Toyota but with respect to its European rivals.

Toyota's FWD V6 engine family is completely seperate. Right now there are 3.0 and 3.3L variants. The next Avalon is expected to introduce another engine (3.5L). It is yet unclear if this engine will belong to some existing engine family or will be all-new. Will know more when the Avalon is launched next Jan/Feb. The Avalon will have nothing in common with the next GS, not in platform and not in driving feel. Avalon will continue to be on a FWD Camry chassis but its been stretched considerably and will have AWD available. Camry platform mates will see this new 3.5L engine in select applications like the next Lexus RX and ES. The current 3.0 vvti engine will be completely phased out within 2 yrs. The 3.3L will remain in conjunction with the new 3.5L.

Much of this info is the result of magazine and internet rumors coupled with press interviews of Toyota and Lexus officials. Nothing is official but most of this information is expected to hold true. Hope this helps clarify the picture.

danielj6

In my opinion Toyota will come back with a wagon. Market trends and conditions are causing several if not numerous car manufacturers to put out a wagon (some call it a sportwagon). I don't think Toyota can ignore that niche of the market.

I'm sure they (Toyota's fat cats) thought about it. Their dilemma,however,appears to be re introducing the wagon without overshadowing the Sienna and the Highlander, two great vehicles.

Owning a station wagon is a matter of personal taste, no doubt. I've had a Mercury Sable s. w. up until May. Ford will have to labor long and hard to match Toyota and others.

Chrysler shares Toyota's dilemma. Making a wagon without stealing sales from the Pacifica and their minivans. Subaru and Volvo don't yet have minivans, so it appears to be less of a quandary for them to improve upon their line of wagons.

I agree with you norne that the Mazda6 wagon may push Toyota to bring a wagon. Currently I'm my second Toyota and trust their dependability and quality. I'd get a Camry wagon any day, but with a 6 cylinder motor and maybe all wheel drive or traction control. I'd want outside heated mirrors as well as curtain airbags, but no leather please. Don't need seating for 8 either.

alpha01

Everything you report is precisely as I've read/heard it regarding Toyota's application of V6 engines in its front/AWD and rear/AWD current and upcoming platforms. Thanks for such a clear, concise, summary, great job!

My only contention is that I feel the phase out of the FWD/AWD 3.0L V6 that first debuted in the 1992 Camry/ES is going to be much sooner. I was under the impression that once the next gen Avalon production starts, that model will be using the 3.5L as you state, but Toyota will phase out production of the 3.0L at that time, as the Camry LE/XLE will then be the ONLY North American models using that engine, so TMMK will switch to production of the 3.5L and the 3.3L, which is used in the Solara and Camry SE that are also produced there. Of course, this is just speculation...

~alpha

lexi4life

Well, I've heard something totally different. The 2 new V6 would be built for FWD, FWD based AWD AND RWD cars. So then Toyota/Lexus could use them in all the cars they'd want without mattering about power transmission.

gundagai

Do you think that the 06 camry will come with a awd? together with stability and traction control ? this would be awesome for me,as the older you get the more safety conscious you become.if this is so will postpone trading 98 v6 on an 05 and wait another year,whats the latest news??

lexi4life

The next Camry will probably appear in summer 2006 as a 2007 model. So this year will be the last year of the Camry (2006 model) before it gets totally redesigned. I don't think it's gonna get AWD, since Toyota has dropped this option a long time ago, in 1992. They probably had difficulties selling those AWD models and didn't made enough money with them so simply dropped them. But stability control and traction control could be available for sure. If I were you, I'd wait until the new 2007 Camry appears, if you want THE latest model. Anyway if you're satisfied with your current Camry I don't think it will be difficult for you to wait 1 1/2 year to get a 2007; I don't see why you'd have to buy a 2005 now if your current car is still good for you.

gundagai

thank you for that info.the only reason i would trade up to a 2005 would be to get the stability and traction control.had thought about the subaru legacy for the awd. thinking of the snow and icy roads of british columbia. the 05 models with sc and tc are scarce.dealer has only rec 2 cars and one was a special order.by the time they get them in, winter will be over and i can wait another year.has anyone experience with sc and tc in the winter??

alpha01

In which region of the country do you live? I'd say that all Camry XLE V6s and most Camry SE V6s in the Greater NY area have the VSC option.

 

~alpha

otis12

Is it true that all Camrys will get the 3.3 V6 for MY'06?

gundagai

In canada toyota offers two options for the V6 xle.package B has the sc tc leather seats ,moonroof.the other option does not come with sc and tc. why they are different?? the camry v6's here come from japan.still awaiting to hear how the sc package works in the winter.Anyone??

callmedrfill

Look to see if the Avalon ges AWD in it's mid-gen facelift. 280 HP, plus competition from the Ford 500 may force them to add it by '08. Then a good year of sales there could bring it late in the next Camry generation.

 

   My question is, with the Hybrid option coming this fall, will that carry over to the 2007 from the launch, or will it go on hiatus and be reintroduced later. Will the hybrid stay with Camry continously, given changes in the engine bays between new cars, different engines being available.

 

   Can Toyota get a 175-180 HP 4cyl with 25cty-32hwyMPG? I think economy is more of a priority with Camry than HP. Toyota would gladly trade 10HP for 2MPG.

 

   I even think a 245HP 6cyl might be too high for Camry. Many Toyota execs over the years have accurately stated HP is a pretty low priority with their Camry customers.

 

   Accord powered up and LOST market share AND sales.

 

   I'd expect Toyota to concentrate more on efficient transmissions, maybe a CVT.

 

    

   DrFill

jchan2

I think Camry customers are more concerned with efficiency than high horsepower numbers.

lexi4life

Well since the old Avalon production stopped I don't think they're gonna keep the 3.0 in the Camry so that's probably true; when the previous Avalon was still in production, they didn't want to build the 3.0 just for the needs of the Avalon so they kept it in the Camry too, it probably lowered the costs but then it's the opposite situation: they probably won't want to build the 3.0 just for the Camry so it's just gonna disappear. But the 3.3 is also an old engine, a modified and upgraded version of the 3.0, that is put into Toyota vehicles until the 2 new V6 come (3.0, 245+ hp and 3.5, 280+ hp)

peterpan

You should go to a Toyota dealer on a rainy/snowy day, and ask to test drive a Camry with VSC.

 

Go to an empty parking lot and do tighter and tighter figure-8 left and right turns at 20-30 MPH, with the VSC feature turned OFF then ON, for comparison. VSC should be very handy on slippery, tight curves and hilly roads.

 

I test drove a RWD Lexus IS300 on wet pavement which skidded all over, but was unable to make the FWD ES330, which has the same engine/xmission/suspension as the Camry V6, to skid at all due to the understeering inherent in the FWD. In fact the FWD ES330 really did not like to turn!!! On slippery road it may slip in rather than skid out.

 

I was also unable to make a RWD Lexus GS300 to skid in tight turns at high speed at all in many attempts. The VSC never had to cut in. The car held onto the road like glue with Bridgestone Potanza RE92 all-season tires.

boomsama

The next Camry is expected to be 4cylinder only. Well that's what they said about Australia anyway.

carman123

There is no chance that it will be 4-cyl only in the USA.

boomsama

In Australia (apparently) the only Toyota V6 Sedan will be the Avalon. Whilst the camry will only have the Camry. I guess it sort of stops overlappaing and them stealing sales from each other.

210delray

Well, have to agree with carman123, there's no way the next Camry won't have a V6 in the US. The Avalon competes in an entirely different market.

one91mr2

Well it is entirely possible to see the 3.5L in the IS and GS. The 4.0L (1GR) 4Runner/Tacoma V6 is in the same engine family as the 3.5L (2GR), 3.0L (3GR:IS/GS), and 2.5L (4GR) that you'll be seeing.

 

I doubt they'll use the 3.5L 2GR-FE in the next gen Camry. Instead, you'll probably see a Hybrid Synergy Drive V6 model similar to what will be in the RX400h/Highland Hybrid. 3.3L 3MZ-FE + HSD = 270hp and 600-700 miles to the tank. More than enough.

jchan2

There is no chance whatsoever that the US will not get a V6 Camry.

callmedrfill

Will the Hybrid wait for the next generation model?

Will Toyota give Honda the Hybrid midsize market for almost 2 years to itself?

I doubt it. I say it will show up for '06.

Keep in mind, one91, that the RX's power comes from three engines, including a rear motor for 4WD.

Camry won't get that set up. All engines will be up front.

DrFill

jchan2

Toyota would wait. They have the Prius after all, which is classified as a Midsize car by the EPA.

boomsama

Toyota Australia is replacing the V6 with a turbocharged version of the 2.4L 4 cylinder with 241hp.

kigga251

Yo whats good everyone... I am a proud owner of a 1997 v6 camry. lots of mods body kit intake exhaust lowering kit bla bla bla bla.. Has 190,000 miles and runs perfect.. gotta love toyota. ANY WAY the question is would a automatic camry supercharger work properly on an es300? with the non vvti engine