Toyota Camry: A Review On An Established Brand
We were given a chance to get our hands on the best selling cars inAmerica, the Toyota Camry. The owner, Jack Dawson, a 36-year-old business owner shares with us his experience driving a Camry and also the maintenance fees he paid for the car over the years. Jack purchased the car in 2009 and up to date, the car has run 52,000 km at the time we reviewed it. There are rumors that 200,000 km for a Toyota Camry is nothing, it doesn’t hurt the car. Today, we will test drive the car and see if the rumors are true.
Jack’s Camry is a 2009 model. It is the 2.4V full specs variant which features the 2AZ-FE engine. Jack has a philosophy; if someone wants to spend over a hundred thousand for a car, why not just throw in another thirty thousand to get a better engine, better performance, better interior, and more features? That is the reason he chose the 2.4V instead of the cheaper version 2.0G or 2.0E.
The 2AZ-FE is a 4-cylinder 16-valve DOHC engine with VVT-i. The 2.4-liter engine delivers 167PS of power at 6,000 rpm, and has a maximum torque of 224Nm at 4,000 rpm. Well, that’s all written in the brochure and let’s put our hand on it and see if it is really satisfying.
Toyota Camry 2.4V Road Test
As usual, we will ask the permission from the owner if we are allowed to “rape” the car a little. Jack is an understanding person and he allowed us to do whatever we like with the car. We brought the car to an expressway together with the owner and tried it up till 185 km/h (112 mph). We felt safe up till 165 to 170 km/h on a straight road but we started to feel a little uncomfortable to go beyond this speed with so many cars around. We slowed down when the car reached 185 km/h. The reason is we were testing the car on an expressway but not in the track. However, we felt there is a little leeway from the steering when the speed reached 180 km/h. Other than that, everything else worked perfect; the car performed really well at high speed. It is not only written in the brochure but the car itself proved it.
We test the car again for cornering, parallel/side parking, and also emergency braking. The Camry runs smooth when negotiating sharp corners. The emergency brake is also satisfactory with the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD), and Brake Assist (BA).
As for the parallel parking, drivers below 160cm (5’2) may find it difficult to drive the Camry compared to the Honda Jazz. Although the Camry features front and rear parking sensors with wing mirror, a short person will find it difficult to estimate the position of the car. The XV40 is 4,825mm in length, 1,820mm in width, and 1,470mm in height. For people who are taller than 160cm, it is definitely a joy to own this car.
Toyota Camry Maintenance Cost
Jack has been maintaining the car according to the Owner’s Manual and repair guide. In order to maintain the car in the best condition, Jack sends the car toToyotaservice center based on the maintenance schedule and never walked into any other workshops. According to Jack, here is what he has spent for the car over the years.
| No | Price (RM) | Description |
| 1 | 97.50 | First service |
| 2 | 97.20 | Second basic service |
| 3 | 63.60 | Third basic service |
| 4 | 268.20 | Fourth basic service |
| 5 | 2860 | New set of wheels |
| 6 | 467.20 | Engine oil, oil filter, and basic service |
| 7 | 178.80 | Alignment and balancing |
| 8 | 330 | Safety lock |
| 9 | 150 | Steering lock |
| 10 | 1260 | Four tires |
| 11 | 615.50 | Spark plugs, distributors points, drive belts (including air-cond belts), wiper blades, brake lining and pads, filters, refrigerant, receiver drier, lubricants and fluids. |
| 12 | 275 | Engine oil and oil filters |
| 13 | 206.95 | Engine oil and oil filters |
Fuel Consumption
21 city/31 highway mpg or 8.9 city/13.2 km/liter.
What is good about the car?
It is easy to sell it off when you want to change to another car. The Toyota Camry has a high resale value. It is a popular car and it is also a car that many consumers will think of buying. The cabin ambience is first-class at 130 to 150 km/h. It is also spacious enough to carry six adults comfortably. Spare parts are available almost everywhere across the country; either new or used parts. As for the boot, it is big enough to fit a mid-size bicycle.
What is not so good about the car?
No vehicles are 100% perfect, so are the Camry.Toyota recalled the Camry several times over the years in the U.S. because of some defects. The most recent recall affects the 2007-2010 models. Although the interior is nicely crafted, we notice there are some parts made of low-quality plastics.
Price
- Malaysia: RM175,007.10 for Toyota Camry 2.4 V
- United States: MSRP from $23,000
- Thailand: 1,449,000 baht for Camry 2.4 G; 1,619,000 baht to 1,799,999 baht for Camry Hybrid ECVT; 1,699,000 baht for Camry Hybrid Extremo; 2,909,000 baht for Camry 3.5 Q.
Toyota Camry’s competitor or other similar cars: Honda Accord, Chevrolet Impala, Ford Fusion, Mazda 6, Lincoln MKZ, Toyota Camry Solara, Holden Apollo, Toyota Scepter, and Toyota Vienta.
“My ass is pretty comfortable on the leather seat”, said Jack. Well, it is a wonderful sedan car that even comforts Jack’s ass.
