Toyota Camry 2004 Review

What we liked
>> Styling tweaks hit the mark
>> Still quiet and refined
>> Toyota Link safety and security

Not so much
>> No real mechanical changes
>> Small V6 engine needs a rev
>> No traction or stability control available

OVERVIEW
The Camry is a hugely important model for Toyota Australia, not just because it sells so many examples in Australia, but exports tens of thousands overseas as well. Chances are, if you travel to Bahrain or Dubai and get a cab from airport to hotel, it'll be in a Camry built at Toyota's Altona plant on the outskirts of Melbourne.

That's why the local arm of the world's third-biggest car company wants to establish some ownership of the Camry's design. This car was, after all, intended for middle-America and has had to be adapted to many other markets around the globe. This newly-facelifted version might not look an awful lot different to the one it replaces, but represents the start of a brave new world of Australianisation -- or more probably de-Americanisation -- of the Camry for a variety of tastes.

So the restyling has been carried out by Toyota Australia's fledgling design department which has added a new front bumper, headlights, grille and tail lights, as well as some extra interior bits and pieces. The model line-up has been massaged with the entry of a new Grande model which joins the slightly sportier Azura as flagship of the range, and a significant amount of extra equipment has been added with minimal price rises.

And as if to prove the Sportivo concept car from this year's Melbourne Motor Show with its advanced telematics systems was no pipe-dream, a communications system called Toyota Link has been added to both the Azura and Grande. Adding extra security and handy features (such as remote unlocking and even tracking if your Camry is stolen) it might not be a novel idea, but points towards expanded technology of a similar nature in the future.

FEATURES
Toyota's design department makes no secret that it envies Holden's ability to take one basic Commodore and turn it into either a luxury car, a basic fleet hack, a rip-snorting muscle car or even a range of light commercials. While such diversity isn't going to happen in the foreseeable future with the Camry, the starting point has been to at least provide some visual differences between various models.

The basics of the Camry's restyle doesn't involve any sheetmetal changes, but there's no doubt it is a much improved looker. The huge headlights now contain three stacked and staggered circular headlights, the front bumper and air dam has a more square look and a bigger opening, and bold red stripes through the tail lights do a lot to lift the Camry's shape from above the ordinary.

Both the Sportivo and Azura get a body kit which, while looking a bit tacked-on, leaves nobody guessing about their sporting pretensions. Their headlights also get the blacked-out treatment behind the glass, similar to SS Commodore's but their 16-inch alloy wheels look a little small under the car's heavy haunches.

Quite a bit of work has been done to upgrade interiors with the Ateva, Sportivo, Azura and Grande getting new steering wheels including audio controls. The centre console now joins the dashboard between the two front seats, new seat and door trims have been added across the range and the sportier models even get caps on the pedals to make them look like drilled-alloy.

COMFORT
It doesn't matter which Camry model you buy, they all now get cruise control as standard as well as a security alarm. On top of that, all V6 models now have powered driver's seat that adjusts for height, fore-aft and tilt.

Ateva models get climate control air conditioning in place of manual controls, plus a four-spoke leather steering wheel with audio controls. The Sportivo has a three spoke wheel, and the V6 Sportivo gets a black interior with Alcantara seat trim. The Azura has all that, with a mixture of Alcantara and leather. The Grande has the works, with full leather and shares standard Toyota Link with the Azura.

Obviously enough, dimensions remain the same meaning more than adequate rear seat leg room and a huge boot. While it's not as big inside as a Commodore or Falcon, the Camry does offer an almost unique combination of large-car dimensions allied to four-cylinder economy for those worried about consumption, and who like the low price of 2.4-litre models.

SAFETY
Side airbags mounted in the front seats are now optional on every Camry and standard on all Ateva, Sportivo V6, Azura and Grande models. ABS is also standard, but there's no sign of curtain airbags, traction control or stability control although there an argument the latter two are largely unnecessary in a moderately-powered, front drive car.

The big safety story with the upgraded Camry is the Toyota Link system that adds a dedicated cellular link (it's like a mobile phone, without the handset) a GPS tracker, hardware for remote access of some of the car's systems, and a couple of buttons on the rear view mirror.

It means the driver can call for help at any time; hitting a button puts them directly in touch with a call centre. Alternatively, the call centre can be phoned from outside the car which is handy if the keys have been locked inside, the car has been misplaced - imagine a supermarket car park full of other beige Camrys - or stolen. The operator can unlock the car via satellite, or honk its horn for location purposes. If it's stolen, they know where it is, but won't disable the engine in deference to the safety of other road users.

More importantly from a safety point of view, Toyota Link also monitors the car's airbags and if one or more is deployed, the alarm bells start ringing at base. The operator will contact the driver, or attempt to and send for the cavalry if it looks like help is needed.

There are a number of other features embedded in the system which at least brings peace of mind. Toyota Link is standard on the Grande and Azura, but not optional on other models.

MECHANICAL
There has been virtually no hardware updates to the Camry's mechanical package with the exception of unique suspension calibration for the Grande to give it a luxury-oriented -- that's softer and quieter -- ride.

So the 2.4-litre four cylinder (available on Altise, Ateva and Sportivo) and 3.0-litre V6 (also optional for these models, and standard on Grande and Azura) remain untouched. The 2.4-litre puts out 112kW of power, the V6 is good for 141kW and there's a 145kW version for the top-flight models. As before, the Sportivo and Azura get suspension setting tuned for improved steering and handling response.

The standard transmission remains a five-speed manual, although most buyers opt for the four-speed automatic that does service in all four cylinder and V6 models with no changes to ratios or final drive.

COMPETITORS
As before, the Camry covers a wide spread of market sectors, competing with mid-sized four-cylinder imports at the bottom end of its model range, plus mainstream family six-cylinder transport and locally-produced prestige at the upper end of the V6 range.

While that includes the gamut of Ford and Holden's Falcon and Commodore variants, you can throw everything from the Honda Accord to Holden Vectra into the mix; the Mitsubishi Magna and Verada, and then there's Toyota's own Avalon with a similar mechanical package but more room and less style.

The Camry does offer good value given its size and feature levels, mentioned previously. The entry-level Altise 2.4 starts at $27,500 as a manual or $1500 more with automatic, and even the most expensive four cylinder model, the Sportivo automatic, is a $32,500 proposition. Prices of the V6 Sportivo have actually been dropped despite the equipment upgrade, with the manual coming in at $37,500 and the auto $1000 extra.

The addition of Toyota Link to the Azura is offered without a major price rise: just $110 more expensive at $49,100 -- and the new Grande level undercuts Calais and Fairmont Ghia significantly with a $46,000 price tag.

ON THE ROAD
With no mechanical changes to the facelifted Camry it's no surprise that it drives exactly the same as before. That means there's an emphasis on comfort, smoothness and refinement, without the overt chase for power and performance attempted by its three locally-built rivals.

We sampled the Azura, and when not annoying the Toyota Link operator by asking details on location, or testing the lock/unlock feature for the doors -- requests obligingly fulfilled, incidentally -- we were reacquainted with a thoroughly efficient and enjoyable sedan.

This is nominally one of the sportier Camrys, although you'd be hard pressed to pick the extra power or even the mildly firmer suspension. But the engine and automatic are extremely smooth, and performance more than adequate providing the driver doesn't mind using a bit of throttle and plenty of revs. It's about time Toyota increased the engine capacity and added a five-speed to provide a bit more pulling power, as happened in the Camry-based Kluger 4WD wagon.

The interior upgrade has been successful, with a more attractive centre console area that works well with the high-tech, touch-screen navigation system. A bit less fake woodgrain might work better, but the new seat material offers style and grip.

Handling is benign rather than exciting, with gentle understeer that's not going to scare too many drivers but there's no complaints about the ride, which is supple and comfortable.