Isn't it time to re-think Camry?

It's fashionable to mock the Toyota Camry, but there was a time when it resisted such easy derision.

Toyota's SV11 Camry of 1983 puzzled many Aussies. Here was a Toyota featuring technically advanced specification, a liftback body and some sense of visual occasion. That first Camry was front-wheel drive, powered by a two-litre DOHC engine with an alloy head and fuel injection, coupled to an overdrive (four-speed) automatic transmission option.

Other Toyota models were exclusively rear-wheel drive, powered by stodgy engines and wrapped in bodywork more conservative than Cory Bernardi.

The locally-manufactured Camry SV21 series which followed in 1987 retreated into orthodoxy – sedan and wagon only, looks were an acquired taste, carburettor induction and SOHC for some engines. Bargain-basement pricing, to keep sales volume up and workers at the Altona plant gainfully employed, led to the Camry’s reputation as a fleet queen – a boring car for armies of sales reps.

With a new model on the way, however, Camry could pull itself out of its three-decade rut. And here's why...

It has style

Maybe it's a style you don't like, but few would say the all-new Camry is 'generic', 'inoffensive' or 'bland' – those three adjectives which are historically associated with 'Toyota' in the same way milk and Quik blend together.

From different angles there are plenty of prestige-brand cues and details. Around the flanks there's a shout-out to Alfa Romeo's Giulia with its rising hipline, a 'Hofmeister'-style kink and a 'Bangle-butt' boot.

Most of the complaints concerning the new Camry's looks fixate on the frontal style, but as polarising as it looks now, after it has been seen a few thousand times on local roads the pundits will probably be wishing it was even more 'left field'.

It corners

The new Camry is underpinned by TNGA – Toyota's New Global Architecture – a modular platform providing 30 per cent more torsional rigidity for a more 'tunable' chassis. At the rear, the new Camry is suspended by a multi-link system which replaces the Chapman struts of the previous model. And the front struts have been revised.

We've driven the new Camry in North America and it undeniably musters plenty of cornering grip. It's also stable in a straight line and easy to place on the road. There was a touch of torque steer in evidence on the wet roads of Oregon, but given how much power the Camry Hybrid tested could deliver to the front wheels, clearly the chassis is very adept.

It performs

Even the Camry Hybrid goes quite hard – yes, that fuel-sipping model much beloved by taxi operators who rarely drive it for optimal efficiency but still see figures below 7L/100km in urban driving. Its power delivery is softened by the continuously variable transmission, but let her rip and the Hybrid hauls hard in the mid-range.

The Camry to fire-up enthusiasts will be the V6 model, which we'll get to drive on local roads in November. Picture a refined, high-revving Toyota V6, producing let's say 70 or so more kilowatts than the combined power of the Hybrid. Now consider that engine, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission – and presumably with something like the current Camry's pre-load differential to punt power and torque to the road. There will be little in the medium passenger car segment to match it for the price.

It's comfortable

The all-new Camry is even quieter and more refined than the current model. There's barely a murmur from the Hybrid's four-cylinder engine as it restarts and it's practically inaudible until revs reach above 1500rpm. Wind noise suppression is remarkable, the seats are redesigned for impressive comfort and support, and the interior design straddles that fine line between aesthetics and functionality.

In keeping with every other Toyota since the year dot, operation of the Camry's switchgear, instrumentation and comfort/convenience systems won't tax the intellectual resources of a toddler. Yet the dash and centre fascia manage to look more interesting and better integrated.

It won't sell in huge numbers to fleets

Toyota is expected to pitch the new Camry upmarket, which means it will no longer be a medium car selling at small-car prices. Pricing will be competitive – but must be measured against other mid-sized passenger cars, not Hyundai i30, Mazda3 and Kia Cerato.

If Camry fleet sales diminish, which seems likely, there'll be fewer visible on the roads. When it is visible, its styling will set it apart from the rest of the medium-car pack.

Resale values could be stronger, if more private buyers opt for Camry as a percentage of the total.

Finally, and this is something that doesn't need rethinking, The Camry will run for years without trouble, just like Toyotas generally. There are bound to be disgruntled Toyota owners out there who can lay claim to multiple breakdowns, build quality problems and faults from the factory. The same can be said of most brands.

But in the main, Toyota owners are content with their purchase, which is easy to drive, relatively fuel efficient – especially so in the case of the Hybrid – and as reliable as the sun rising in the morning. Much of that is true of most mainstream cars from Japanese and Korean manufacturers, of course, and Toyota's three-year warranty isn't in the same league as other brands – but perhaps Toyota doesn't have a point to prove.