The members of LE know that I drive an ES Hybrid and that I have sworn that I will only drive hybrid-electric or battery-electric vehicles from now on. I have driven non-electrified vehicles in the past seven years since I started driving my ES, but they were short-term rentals during vacation or business trips (none of which were Toyota or Lexus vehicles), and one-day loaners while my car was in for service; they have not been daily drivers.
But now, because my ES is in the shop, I have a rental car, a 2021 Camry SE, as a daily driver. I have had it a week now, enough time to give me some good impressions of the Camry as a day-to-day vehicle.
My 2015 ES and the Camry are natural comparisons. My ES is powered by the electrified version of the 2.5-litre 2AR 4-cylinder engine; the 2020 Camry is powered by the non-electrified 2.5-litre A25A-FKS 4-cylinder, the replacement for the 2AR-FE engine. I have wanted to drive a vehicle with this engine, preferably the Camry.
My first impression upon picking up the Camry earlier this week was that it has a key, a real, honest-to-goodness ignition key. I was surprised. It has a spring-loaded switchblade-type key blade that retracts into the fob, which makes the fob thicker and heavier than the keyless fob of my ES. Members here know of my dislike of the keyless lock and ignition system but I have not yet decided if I like this key. I think I prefer the old-style, non-retractable key with the transmitter built into the key head.
My second impression was not surprising but frustrating nevertheless. This Camry SE has a gloomy, dour, all-black interior that gives a low-quality feeling. I wish that automotive brands selling in Canada would offer more interior colours than black; mass-market cars used to offer more choices for interior colours, but in the past few years, the only choice -- unless you are willing to pay more for a higher (or highest) trim level -- is black.
One other surprise is how unrefined the power windows are. The switches, despite the presence of the one-touch up-down feature like in my ES, do not operate smoothly. When activated, the window quickly shoots up or down, and does not slow upon reaching full-up or -down (like the window will crash into its stop).
Something else I have found is that there is no way to switch radio stations without going through a multi-step process of first selecting the Audio screen on the infotainment display and then searching for the station preset I had earlier programmed in. (At least I have not yet found a way to do it with the push-button controls on the steering wheel.) Has anyone found an easier way to switch radio stations? Having to use the infotainment screen takes my eyes off the road for a moment, a moment that could mean being hit by some idiot speeding out of a sidestreet.
But I want to concentrate on how the non-hybrid Camry drives, compared to my ES Hybrid.
At first start of the engine, with the windows open (or standing outside the car), it sounds rather rough. It is not a particularly refined-sounding engine at idle.
At part-throttle, slowly and steadily accelerating away from a stop, the powertrain is smooth and the frequent shifts of the 8-speed transmission barely noticeable; but at full throttle, either from a stop or at slow speed, the throttle hesitates and the transmission has to shift, and then the upshifts as I continue to accelerate are noticeable, with a noticeable hesitation in the engine and the acceleration, at each shift.
This is so very different from my Hybrid, which has maximum torque available immediately and provides turbine-like smoothness with no gearshifts, and no drops in RPM and torque delivery that come with each shift. Accelerating from a slow speed or a stop is so much smoother and nicer in my Hybrid.
Aside from the driveability of the non-hybrid powertrain compared to a hybrid powertrain, the A25A engine in the Camry is also loud. No, it is not loud as an old Honda Civic is loud, but it has a low-frequency bass drone while driving that is not only heard but felt also. At times (if I let off the throttle a bit), the engine also feels like it is working against engine braking, the feeling you get when you downshift, the car slows, and the engine gets loud and rough.
Steady-speed driving, however, as I said earlier, is smooth and relatively quiet. I am assuming that steady-state high speed driving (I have not yet taken it out on the highway) would also be relatively smooth and quiet.
The ride of the new GA-K platform and multilink rear suspension in the newer Camry, however, is better than the MacPherson strut rear suspension in my older ES. The Camry SE does not feel sporty -- it rides a bit soft (but then I do not know how the Camry without the sport-tuned suspension of the SE rides) -- but it does handle imperfections on the road like rough pavement and off-level manhole covers much better than my ES. I knew this from the 2019 ES 350 loaner I drove a few weeks ago. The new, stiffer platform and more-sophisticated rear suspension are great improvements for Toyota's mid-size cars.
I also found the driver seat more comfortable than in my ES, due to the greater powered adjustability of the seat. I can adjust the seat quite high, which I like, giving me a better sense of control of the vehicle; I am not short but I hate the sitting-in-a-bathtub feeling and the lower beltline (taller greenhouse) of this Camry also helps. I can also adjust the height of the front of the seat cushion with greater independence from the height of the rear of the seat cushion; this gives me great thigh support even at higher seat heights. (In my ES, the rear of the seat cushion can only go so high before it prevents the front of the seat cushion from going higher, so I have the (bad) choice of sitting high up but with no thigh support, or having some bit of thigh support but limiting how high I can adjust the seat cushion.)
So, what is the bottom line? Could I get used to driving a Camry as my daily driver?
I like the new platform and more sophisticated rear suspension. I would want to drive the Camry Hybrid, however. Driving this 4-cylinder, non-electrified Camry has proven to me that I want to drive an electrified vehicle, either a hybrid-electric, or a plug-in hybrid or full electric vehicle; I am finding it difficult to return to a car with a traditional powertrain. I want the refined, turbine-like smoothness of an electrified vehicle.
I would also seriously consider paying more to get a brighter, seemingly higher-quality interior. The black (SofTex) interior is gloomy, dour and gives the impression of low-rent, low-quality surroundings that will heat up too quickly under the summer sun. That would mean paying for features that I may not need or want, but I may have to bite the bullet, just to get a brighter interior.
But now, because my ES is in the shop, I have a rental car, a 2021 Camry SE, as a daily driver. I have had it a week now, enough time to give me some good impressions of the Camry as a day-to-day vehicle.
My 2015 ES and the Camry are natural comparisons. My ES is powered by the electrified version of the 2.5-litre 2AR 4-cylinder engine; the 2020 Camry is powered by the non-electrified 2.5-litre A25A-FKS 4-cylinder, the replacement for the 2AR-FE engine. I have wanted to drive a vehicle with this engine, preferably the Camry.
My first impression upon picking up the Camry earlier this week was that it has a key, a real, honest-to-goodness ignition key. I was surprised. It has a spring-loaded switchblade-type key blade that retracts into the fob, which makes the fob thicker and heavier than the keyless fob of my ES. Members here know of my dislike of the keyless lock and ignition system but I have not yet decided if I like this key. I think I prefer the old-style, non-retractable key with the transmitter built into the key head.
My second impression was not surprising but frustrating nevertheless. This Camry SE has a gloomy, dour, all-black interior that gives a low-quality feeling. I wish that automotive brands selling in Canada would offer more interior colours than black; mass-market cars used to offer more choices for interior colours, but in the past few years, the only choice -- unless you are willing to pay more for a higher (or highest) trim level -- is black.
One other surprise is how unrefined the power windows are. The switches, despite the presence of the one-touch up-down feature like in my ES, do not operate smoothly. When activated, the window quickly shoots up or down, and does not slow upon reaching full-up or -down (like the window will crash into its stop).
Something else I have found is that there is no way to switch radio stations without going through a multi-step process of first selecting the Audio screen on the infotainment display and then searching for the station preset I had earlier programmed in. (At least I have not yet found a way to do it with the push-button controls on the steering wheel.) Has anyone found an easier way to switch radio stations? Having to use the infotainment screen takes my eyes off the road for a moment, a moment that could mean being hit by some idiot speeding out of a sidestreet.
But I want to concentrate on how the non-hybrid Camry drives, compared to my ES Hybrid.
At first start of the engine, with the windows open (or standing outside the car), it sounds rather rough. It is not a particularly refined-sounding engine at idle.
At part-throttle, slowly and steadily accelerating away from a stop, the powertrain is smooth and the frequent shifts of the 8-speed transmission barely noticeable; but at full throttle, either from a stop or at slow speed, the throttle hesitates and the transmission has to shift, and then the upshifts as I continue to accelerate are noticeable, with a noticeable hesitation in the engine and the acceleration, at each shift.
This is so very different from my Hybrid, which has maximum torque available immediately and provides turbine-like smoothness with no gearshifts, and no drops in RPM and torque delivery that come with each shift. Accelerating from a slow speed or a stop is so much smoother and nicer in my Hybrid.
Aside from the driveability of the non-hybrid powertrain compared to a hybrid powertrain, the A25A engine in the Camry is also loud. No, it is not loud as an old Honda Civic is loud, but it has a low-frequency bass drone while driving that is not only heard but felt also. At times (if I let off the throttle a bit), the engine also feels like it is working against engine braking, the feeling you get when you downshift, the car slows, and the engine gets loud and rough.
Steady-speed driving, however, as I said earlier, is smooth and relatively quiet. I am assuming that steady-state high speed driving (I have not yet taken it out on the highway) would also be relatively smooth and quiet.
The ride of the new GA-K platform and multilink rear suspension in the newer Camry, however, is better than the MacPherson strut rear suspension in my older ES. The Camry SE does not feel sporty -- it rides a bit soft (but then I do not know how the Camry without the sport-tuned suspension of the SE rides) -- but it does handle imperfections on the road like rough pavement and off-level manhole covers much better than my ES. I knew this from the 2019 ES 350 loaner I drove a few weeks ago. The new, stiffer platform and more-sophisticated rear suspension are great improvements for Toyota's mid-size cars.
I also found the driver seat more comfortable than in my ES, due to the greater powered adjustability of the seat. I can adjust the seat quite high, which I like, giving me a better sense of control of the vehicle; I am not short but I hate the sitting-in-a-bathtub feeling and the lower beltline (taller greenhouse) of this Camry also helps. I can also adjust the height of the front of the seat cushion with greater independence from the height of the rear of the seat cushion; this gives me great thigh support even at higher seat heights. (In my ES, the rear of the seat cushion can only go so high before it prevents the front of the seat cushion from going higher, so I have the (bad) choice of sitting high up but with no thigh support, or having some bit of thigh support but limiting how high I can adjust the seat cushion.)
So, what is the bottom line? Could I get used to driving a Camry as my daily driver?
I like the new platform and more sophisticated rear suspension. I would want to drive the Camry Hybrid, however. Driving this 4-cylinder, non-electrified Camry has proven to me that I want to drive an electrified vehicle, either a hybrid-electric, or a plug-in hybrid or full electric vehicle; I am finding it difficult to return to a car with a traditional powertrain. I want the refined, turbine-like smoothness of an electrified vehicle.
I would also seriously consider paying more to get a brighter, seemingly higher-quality interior. The black (SofTex) interior is gloomy, dour and gives the impression of low-rent, low-quality surroundings that will heat up too quickly under the summer sun. That would mean paying for features that I may not need or want, but I may have to bite the bullet, just to get a brighter interior.
