- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.4i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
112kW, 218Nm
- Fuel
Petrol 8.9L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
4/5 star (2002)
2006 Toyota Camry Sportivo review
The Sportivo's staid, middle-of-the-road image is changing, writes CAMERON MCGAVIN.
Cardie-off Camry
Camry equals cardigan. It's not what a company wants to hear about its products, but in the case of Toyota's evergreen mid-sizer it's a slur that's been mighty hard to refute for many years.
With the launch of the sixth-generation model, though, there seems to have been a fundamental shift.
Car companies are no strangers to gilding the lily but the undeniably handsome new exterior is a good start for a car proclaimed to have the best semi-prestige imports in its sights.
For keen drivers, the news is even better. Toyota Australia has had more input into the suspension calibration this time (several other countries, including the US, will run our set-up), and the result is a Camry that steers more sweetly than before.
The Sportivo tested here takes the sports caper to a whole new level. Where the outgoing model was little more than a bodykit special, the new one's unique spring, damper and stabiliser-bar settings, 17-inch wheels, Michelin tyres and extra body bracing give it capabilities all of its own. Even the Sportivo's extra underbody panels have been aero-tuned to reduce lift. Do those aero bits make a difference? We can't say for sure, but the suspension's very good.
The previous Sportivo was distinctly unmemorable when cornering aggressively. In the new model, turn the wheel, which has more feedback and precision, and the Sportivo obeys your commands, retaining its benign composure as speeds rise. It's agile yet supremely predictable, with front-wheel-drive woes such as wheelspin or torque steer very well contained.
The Sportivo ride is firmer than its more utilitarian siblings but is still adequately damped, coping effortlessly with a host of surfaces, including broken tarmac and lumpy dirt roads. Noise levels are down, though tyre roar does intrude on coarse-chip roads.
If there's a disappointment, it's the carry-over 2.4-litre, four-cylinder engine. While power is up 5 kW to 117 kW, the Toyota four fails to match the outputs of its main rivals, the Mazda6 (122 kW) and the Honda Accord Euro (140 kW). Manual models also fall short with only five gears to its rivals' six.
While there's nothing really wrong with the Sportivo's on-road performance - it's respectably strong and flexible around town - it lacks the refinement, charm and all-round effervescence of its rivals. And alongside the Honda's superb six-speed manual, the Camry's five-speeder feels a tad clunky and agricultural.
Fuel economy, meanwhile, is good rather than brilliant. Toyota claims an official average of 8.9 L/100 km for manual models, but the best we could manage over our test loop was 10.4 L/100 km.
The Sportivo's cabin now has more leg and kneeroom in the rear, more width, and extra front-seat space while keeping the exterior dimensions about the same size as before. Comfort levels are high, there's ample adjustability and the ambience is subtly stylish, although some cheap-looking plastics disappoint.
And with six airbags, anti-lock brakes, 17-inch alloys, climate control, power-adjustable sports seats, leather-shod steering wheel and six-CD sound, the Sportivo represents a lot of car for $33,000. Only the lack of stability control disappoints.
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So has the Camry finally thrown off the cardigan? Well, if it had a great engine and gearbox and a little more cabin polish it would be an unequivocal yes. But we are at least now starting to see some skin.