The Toyota Camry offers a flagship grade known as the SL – short for Sport Luxury.
You could call this ‘Lexus Lite’, given the amount of equipment it offers for the reasonable $53,990 price tag.
These include grade-exclusives like a panoramic sunroof, a head-up display, leather trim, a driver’s seat memory function, a powered front passenger seat, heated/vented front seats, a powered steering wheel column with heated rim, larger (to 12.3-inches) instrumentation screen, upgraded audio, a digital rear-view mirror, reverse-dip heated exterior mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, camera washers, rear privacy glass and 18-inch alloys.
All build on top of what the mid-series Ascent Sport version offers, including a powered driver’s seat, a wireless charger, 12.3-inch central touchscreen, in-built sat-nav, adaptive cruise control, keyless entry/start, dual-zone climate control and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto.
Explore the 2024 Toyota Camry Range
Designed for North American buyers but made in Japan, the latest Camry is the ninth-gen version since 1983 in Australia. And it’s now a fully hybrid-only model range.
A heavy facelift of the previous version released in 2017, it has a beefed-up body featuring a restyled front end, different tail-lights, a fresh dashboard, improved safety, revised suspension and steering, and an updated powertrain complete with an overhauled hybrid system.
Power comes courtesy of a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, mated to a pair of electric motor generators and a lithium-ion battery pack, and driving the front wheels via an electronic continuously variable transmission (e-CVT).
Economy is an SL strong suit, as it is in all Camrys, averaging just 4.0 litres per 100km (and 91g/km of carbon dioxide emissions), though Toyota says 95 RON premium unleaded petrol is recommended. Conversely, the flagship can zip to 100km/h from standstill in an impressive 7.2 seconds.
Finally, a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty is included, with intervals every 12 months or 15,000km, at $255 per service.
