2016 Toyota Camry RZ REVIEW | Well-Balanced Steering And Handling With A Little More Style And Zing
TO DISTORT A QUOTE FROM A WELL-KNOWN BRITISH SPY: THE TOYOTA CAMRY RZ IS "STIRRED NOT SHAKEN". So while it's not the full-blown TRD-enhanced projectile, the RZ's sporty exterior still manages to get some looks in the carpark.
It emerges from Toyota’s production line in Altona, Victoria, and, dig a little, and you’ll discover there are some suspension mods down below and a smidge of extra grunt to round-out this special edition.
Sales? You want to talk sales? Well, this year, like any of the previous 23 years, Toyota Camry will pocket Australia’s numero-uno ranking for mid-size cars at a doddle – already, year-to-date to the end of August, we’re talking sales of 14,535 units, a market share of 46.9 percent and a lead over second-best Mazda6 of 11,526.
Of course Toyota's Camry (including the hybrid version) dominates government and fleet sales – in fact Mazda doesn’t compete in that area – but, hey, sales are sales.
As for post-2017 when Toyota shutters its Port Melbourne assembly plant, well, there’s nothing official but you’d get short odds on the Toyota plant in Thailand (which already supplies the HiLux and Fortuner here) taking over as supplier to the Australian market.
Vehicle Style: Mid-sized Sedan
Price: $28,490 (plus on-roads)
Engine/trans: 135kW/235Nm 2.5 litre 4cyl petrol | 6-spd automatic
Fuel Economy claimed: 7.9 l/100km | tested: 9.0 l/100km
OVERVIEW
As we write, spy photos of the all-new Toyota Camry – said to be due in North America early next year as a 2018 model – point to a more muscled-up look in-line with company President Akio Toyoda’s directive to put more passion into the brand.
With the RZ, Toyota Australia has beaten the rest of the Camry world to the punch – exterior enhancements (mesh grille, halogen headlight inserts, door mirror casings, rear diffuser and bootlid spoiler all in black), 18-inch alloy wheels with low-profile 45-series tyres as well as sports suspension, sharper steering and twin exhausts certainly give the limited edition model some pep.