Honda Accord Or Nissan Altima: Which One Does V-6 Better?
A decade ago, both the Honda Accord and Nissan Altima were offered in base four-cylinder versions... Read More
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Around The Web
It feels several classes richer than the last Camry's cabin
Gone is last year's frozen wave of plastic. Gone is the uninspired center stack. Gone are the mouse-fur seats.
Remember your dentist's office waiting room? No? That's the Camry's interior.
The [seat] material feels fine to the touch, but incorporates some fairly strange-looking insert patterns.
The Camry hybrid blows the old one away when it comes to refinement.
QUALITY | 9 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
It feels several classes richer than the last Camry's cabin
Automobile Magazine
Gone is last year's frozen wave of plastic. Gone is the uninspired center stack. Gone are the mouse-fur seats.
Edmunds' Inside Line
Remember your dentist's office waiting room? No? That's the Camry's interior.
Motor Trend
The [seat] material feels fine to the touch, but incorporates some fairly strange-looking insert patterns.
Autoblog
The Camry hybrid blows the old one away when it comes to refinement.
Popular Mechanics
Front seats have also been redesigned to get more rear knee and legroom, and the back of the center console was reshaped. In back, there's enough space even for taller adults, though three might still be tight for shoulder space sitting back there. We aren't at all enthused about the spongy, flat seats in the most affordable Camry models, as they seemed to lack side support; the perches that come with the SE are a huge improvement—more snug, firm, and supportive in corners.
Cabin noise has also been better hushed in the 2012 Camry. Toyota has cut a total of about 150 pounds in the Camry's structure, mostly by migrating to high-strength steel and other advanced materials; but at the same time, they've increased sound insulation, and even added things like sandwiched metal layers at the firewall.
Materials and trims aren't any revelation, but they no longer look and feel the chintziest in this class of mid-size sedans. If anything, they're a little more traditional-looking and conservative, with a look borrowed from recently redone truck models like the 4Runner and Land Cruiser.
The trunk in Camrys is very roomy, though families heading home from IKEA will likely be let down when it comes time to haul a long piece of furniture or assembly kit home; the rear seatbacks don't fold all the way flat, and the opening back there allows a narrow angle all the way through. But positively, Camry Hybrid models no longer sacrifice rear seating comfort or trunk space. The entire battery assembly is considerably smaller, and 150 pounds lighter, and it's been moved forward about 5.5 inches, which increases trunk space significantly, from 10.6 cubic feet to 13.1.
Conclusion
The 2012 Camry is quiet, spacious, and comfortable—especially if you get the SE's upgraded seats.
