Toyota Camry 2.5 Review: The bigger the better

What we like:

Lovely to drive

significantly smoother than it's predecessor

first class cabin

improved interior quality

Toyota's reliability.

What we dislike:

Awkward looking exterior

might be mistaken for an Altis

sunroof should be made a cost option for this premium 2.5-litre variant.

Handling wise, there’s nothing much to report here. If you’re expecting 5 Series’ level, please stop reading. Right now.

Camrys are never known as sporty handlers, but for what it’s worth, it is sufficiently balanced with proper amount of weight and feedback at the steering wheel. You can push it a little, but throw it harder and faster into a corner and you can feel the ugly under-steer monster rearing its head – the drama that follows should be tyres screeching and a moment of panic, that sort.

Deserving praise, the Camry stops strongly – good job on the anchors, Toyota.

So at the end of the day, why should you get the Camry 2.5? After all, smaller-engined alternatives are in abundance, namely VW’s Passat 1.4 (and 1.8 for that matter), Peugeot’s 508 1.6, Citroen’s C5 1.6 and Skoda’s Superb 1.8. Or what about the 2.0-liter Korean i45 and Optima K5 too?

For one, it delivers the sort of driving refinement that none of the above can deliver – Toyota once again comes on top in this aspect. And no matter how the Europeans can promise smoothness for their engine and transmission, none of them can come as close as the Camry’s.

So if you want a reliable, safe and super comfortable executive sedan to live with, simply get this Toyota Camry 2.5.

Forget the 2.0-liter variant even – just close one eye and forgo the eight grand difference. Surprisingly just this once, bigger is indeed better.

Credits: Story and photos by Azfar Hashim