Top Motorist

2017 Toyota Camry SE - Review

The Toyota Camry has always been regarded as a huge sales success and an excellent value-for-money vehicle purchase. However, the new 2017 Toyota Camry has underwhelmed this year with their prized sedan. It’s not all a loss; the Camry has some new features and technology that does impress, but as a whole, the vehicle didn’t stand out from the others in its competitive class. In my opinion, I still think it has a way to go regarding a featured wow factor and price, thus being ranked below the 2017 Honda Accord and the 2017 Mazda 6.

I give credit to Toyota for their stylish exterior features giving the Camry somewhat of a performance look. The front end of the vehicle looks okay, however, the gaping mouth look of the grille that cascades downwards makes me uncomfortable. Similar to a person with braces smiling with your mouth open; not appealing. The black mesh look is a recommended option. It’s apparent that Toyota focused on making the Camry incredibly spacious. It’s comfortable and roomy for all passengers. It features leather seats throughout and a featured moonroof which is always a nice touch.

Some of the Features the new 2017 Toyota Camry offers are a Hybrid Synergy Drive®. This allows for the optimum output of both gas and electric capabilities while maintaining fuel efficiency (5.6/6.2 City/Hwy for 200hp). It had smooth handling that is common in the top sedan cars; however, it lacked the sportier tight handling where you find in the Mazda 6 and Honda Accord. Multiple safety features highlight the Toyota Camry by having a blind-spot notification, rear crossing traffic alert, and back-up camera. An underrated and unique feature is the Qi-compatible wireless charger. This gives you the ability to lay down your smartphone on a non-slip charging pad as you drive. This was an interesting concept, but then again USB cords do the same thing.

Overall the Toyota Camry wasn’t an exciting ride; it may be nice for someone who is willing to have fuel efficiency and reliability over drivability. That may also be a person who eats there hamburgers plain. It constantly felt like something was severely lacking in this vehicle. I’m hoping to see an increase in performance for next year’s model while maintaining or improving its fuel efficiency. When putting the vehicle into park, you experience a beeping alert that the door is in fact open. Well, I found this very pointless and annoying. I am aware my door is open because I need to exit this boring vehicle, I do not need a loud constant beeping to remind me. Perhaps if the door is left open after a certain amount of time it could beep and let me know, that might be helpful in that sense.