Toyota News: Toyota Introduces Camry and Avalon with All-Wheel Drive

[ocnblu]

Articles are stating the Encore GX is more than competitively priced with the original version they will continue to sell.  Perhaps the Trax and Encore will be rebated into the entry level positions now held by Cruze, Sonic, and the late, lamented Verano.

The Trailblazer, if priced reasonably (hopefully a lesson has been learnt with Blazer's sky-high MSRP) could be made to fill a lot of shoes over at Chevy stores.

Maybe... if the incentives/lease deals are right, a base Trax FWD could be mom's next car, instead of a Venue.

[trinacriabob]

I was looking around to see what the next Camry might look like.  If you look at 2022, the price on the basic 4 cylinder LE keeps going up.  Before discounts, you're looking at a MSRP of about $26K to $27K.

I had a rented Camry in February.  Some may dog it all they want, but I was surprised to see how nicely the 2.5 liter 4 cyl. (normally aspirated) drove with an 8 speed automatic with smooth, purposeful shifts.  And that, with that "big" of an engine and no turbo, the great highway fuel mileage it pulled in.

So I found this one image, and one link points to it as being a design 2017 and another link points to it as being the future.  Here it is:

Well look at that.  It looks more Alfa Romeo up front than appliance.  The front is a big improvement.  The sweep on the side is reminiscent of the Verano.  The roof shape is like that of the very first Aurora.  And, then, the rear sail panel / C-pillar is sort of messy, like that of the current Nissan Altima.  It's hard to comment on the rear fascia because you can't see it.

This is the direction the next Camry design should be going.  I like this front end. 

I think there are three things on the current car that need to go away:  1) the chunky multi-layered lower plastic grille - awful, 2) the rear sail panel curvature that looks like it belongs on a '72 Caprice,  and 3) the annoying 45 degree diagonal in the center stack, made even worse by a "laptop left open" infotainment center.  Don't be hitting the next redesign with the ugly stick. 

What needs to stay is a proven, normally aspirated 4 cylinder engine with decent displacement and their nicely calibrated 8 speed automatic transmission.