Auto Shows

2007 Toyota Camry Auto Show Photo

This is the 800-pound gorilla at the Detroit auto show. Toyota sold 432,000 of these in '05, and promised the sixth-generation Camry would shed its vanilla image in favor of something much more expressive. Well, okay, if you think of junior Avalon as more expressive. But this new 2007 Toyota Camry sedan is way better looking, -- even if too familiar looking -- than the car it replaces this March. It looks more of one piece, a more integrated design, and it has a wider stance, lower roofline (a good new trend in cars), and shorter front and rear overhangs. Big news is expansion of the Toyota Integrated Hybrid powertrain franchise. Its new Accord hybrid-fighting motivation comes from a 2.4-liter four-cylinder gas-electric engine/motor rated 192 horsepower, equal to the current 3.0-liter Camry V-6's level. Toyota says it'll reach 60 mph from a standstill in less than nine seconds, and that its 43 city/37 highway EPA mpg equals a 600-plus-mile range, with an ATZEV emissions rating. That 3.0 V-6 is out of the 2007 Toyota Camry lineup by the way. Standard engine remains the 158-horsepower 2.4-liter inline four with a five-speed manual or automatic, 24/34 EPA mpg, and PZEV low-emissions rating. The new 3.5-liter V-6, which is mated to a six-speed automatic, is rated 268 horsepower, 22/31 mpg and ULEV in the Camry. The 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid is a separate trim level, added to CE, LE, XLE and SE. The latter is the sport model, with a black-mesh grille, front and rear spoilers, 17-inch wheels, sport-tuned suspension, a v-shaped brace behind the rear seat and more bracing on the chassis. Roll stiffness is up 20 percent over other Camrys, with spring rates up 15 percent and with firmer shocks and bushings. The new Camry's interior also has benefited from the industrywide coveting of Volkswagen interiors. The handsome Camry interior is available in a new fabric called Fraichir, gathered from silkworm cocoons, which Toyota says is easy on the skin and has healing properties. And there's a Plasmacluster air filtration system that it says helps neutralize airborne contaminants. That should really appeal to the hybrid crowd.

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