2022 Toyota Camry

Toyota Camry 2021-2022 Review

One of the last fighters in a dying segment – it’s the Toyota Camry, and for a very long time it represented the most prestigious and most expensive model you could buy with a Toyota badge in Malaysia. As Toyota’s D-segment offering, it still represents what the company views as the pinnacle of styling, refinement, and comfort in a mass market context.

That being said, Toyota hasn’t gone all-in with this generation of the Camry – they offer it but more to keep up appearances and remind us that they can. At one point in time you could get four to five different variants of the Camry, but now we’ve got just a singular powertrain offering for a singular variant.

This generation of the Camry is an impressive step up from its predecessors, being the first of its kind to sit atop the TNGA platform, and perhaps the first to have fun-to-drive characteristics in mind. Unfortunately it does not get the more complex hybrid powertrain, nor does it get the Dynamic Force Engine that is available in some other markets and with the Toyota RAV4 SUV.

In addition to this, the Camry is now common across a global market, instead of having different variants in different parts of the world. This means that the Camry we have is near-identical to the one sold in the United States, albeit with a few cosmetic differences. It’s a bit of a double edged sword – on the one hand it means much higher build quality and better design, but on the other it bumps up prices by a fair amount.

Toyota Camry 2021-2022 Specifications

The engine that beats at the heart of the Toyota Camry is but a singular unit – the 2AR-FE which powered even the previous generation Camry 2.5-litre models. This mill isn’t the most modern unit – that would still be the Dynamic Force Engines that are still pretty limited within our local range. This means that the Camry gets 184 PS and 235 Nm of torque, sent to the front wheels through a six-speed conventional automatic transmission with sequential mode.

One of the standout elements of the Toyota Camry is the platform on which it sits – the much applauded TNGA platform that first made it to the Toyota C-HR, and went on to form the backbone of the Toyota Corolla and Toyota RAV4 as well. It packs a regular MacPherson strut front suspension design, with double wishbones at the rear – a setup that is common among both high performance cars and luxury vehicles alike.

The platform is what provides the Camry with such impressive handling, and equally impressive ride comfort. It steers with incredible precision without an ounce of twitchiness or instability, and the rear end has a remarkable amount of grip with excellent body roll modulation. This also allows it to soak up bumps and undulations in the road with supple compliance, smoothening out your journeys.

Toyota Camry 2021-2022 Exterior

Even if you weren’t putting as much care into the way that the Toyota Camry drives and handles, it is undeniable that this generation of Camry is head and shoulders above the rest from a design standpoint. It is sleek and sharp without looking shouty and aggressive, a perfect balance between sportiness and classiness. There may have been some interesting marketing materials at lunch, but the term Beautiful Monster really isn’t that far off how the Camry looks. There are LED lights form tip to tail – the headlamps, daytime running lights, front fog lamps, rear fog lamps, and rear combination lamps. 18-inch rims sit at each corner, really filling out the wheel wells and complementing the sleek body shape.

Toyota Camry 2021-2022 Interior

The inside of the Toyota Camry has to be enjoyable for all occupants – whether you’re the driver, front passenger, or those lucky enough to be sitting in the back. Smooth black leather is what covers most of the surfaces in the vehicle, including the steering wheel with power tilt and telescoping adjustability. There is more than enough legroom to stretch out in the back, allowing you to remain in comfort for the duration of your journey.

Toyota Camry 2021-2022 Safety Features

Being one of the most complex models in the Toyota range, the Toyota Camry undoubtedly has to come with a serious set of safety systems. Toyota Safety Sense is here with quite nearly the entire suite, with the Pre-collision System (autonomous emergency braking), Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist (lane keep assist), Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, and automatic high beams.

More traditional items like Vehicle Stability Control and Traction Control (electronic stability and traction control), ABS with EBD, hill-start assist, and a blind spot monitor with rear cross traffic alert are also included as part of the package – and Toyota is right to package these items because the Camry’s lack of safety elements was one of its largest criticisms two generations prior.

Toyota Camry 2021-2022 Strengths & Weakness

Understanding the strengths of the modern Toyota product can be a little difficult when there are so many competitive offerings on the market. They don’t make the most powerful cars, nor do they make the sportiest, but there is undoubtedly a level of refinement and comfort that the Toyota Camry possesses which is a level above the rest.

There is also the handling aspect to consider, being one of the best driving experiences you can get if you really chase that sort of edge in a vehicle. Unfortunately that isn’t the case for most people, and ultimately on paper the Camry is a car that loses out to its competitors especially when you bring price into the equation.

Toyota Camry 2021-2022 Price

The singular variant of the Toyota Camry is the Camry 2.5V, and it goes for RM 188,763.00 with the current sales tax exemptions in place. At launch it was much closer to the RM 200,000 mark, and this revised pricing makes it more palatable.

Toyota Camry 2021-2022 Features

If there is one area of the Toyota Camry that is a little lacking, it is in the eight-inch display audio head unit that is embedded in the centre console. It isn’t quite the fancy high-tech unit you find in some vehicles, nor is it an aftermarket system that is more flexible in operation and compatible with modern smart devices. Beyond this, there is still plenty to discover.

Both the driver and passenger seats are eight-way power adjustable, with lumbar support and memory for the driver’s side. The passenger side has a shoulder switch for operation by a rear passenger, and a collapsing headrest for when you really need that extra space. There are powered sun shades for the rear window, and manual shades for the rear side window.

Dual zone automatic climate control, keyless entry and start, illumination for the room, door, footwell, inner door handle, and instrument panel, an Optitron instrument cluster with a seven-inch colour TFT display, and a ten-inch colour heads up display are all part of the package. There’s also a wireless charger, portable tyre pump, and a digital video recorder to boot.

Toyota Camry 2021-2022 Fuel Consumption

The sole variant of the Toyota Camry powered by that 2.5-litre powertrain is quoted to return 13.5 kilometres per litre, which gives it a rough range of close to 800 kilometres thanks to its 60-litre fuel tank. That being said, your mileage will definitely vary depending on your driving style.