Design
Significant changes are made to the 2007 Toyota Camry’s interior, including larger graphics, easier-to-read gauges, more room, and a new seat fabric that Toyota claims contains a natural moisturizing component.
Toyota reps will tell you that the 2007 Camry’s sheetmetal makes it one of the sexiest sedans on the road, one that will elicit ooohs and aahhs from just about anyone who casts an eye upon it. They lie – kinda. It is better-looking, though just how much is a hotly debated issue among automotive journalists. Some say that it’s just a little less boring than the old version, others say it’s a nice restyle that sheds the Camry’s blah reputation. Here’s the lowdown: decide for yourself. Don’t let some jaded, narcissistic scribe tell you what looks good. Go to a dealership and decide for yourself. If you do that, you’re sure to notice a sharper snout, a bigger Toyota emblem on the grille, a tall beltline and a back end that looks as if BMW’s Chris Bangle has been moonlighting. You’ll also notice enlarged taillights that angle sharply down. Somehow, it works enough to give the Camry has a more sporting, aggressive look – enough to pull it out of the Little House on the Prairie doldrums, and give it a little I Love Lucy spice. Not much of that newfound spice comes through on the inside. Instead, the Camry’s interior is all about function and space, usefulness in the day-to-day. Significant changes made to the interior include larger graphics, easier-to-read gauges, more room, and a new seat fabric that Toyota claims contains a natural moisturizing process named Fraichir, where the fabric is coated with a naturally occurring component called Sericin – reportedly extracted from silkworm cocoons – thus the moisturizing component.
Throughout the cabin, design is intelligently done – without the aid of a moisturizer – from the cupholders in the center console to the large junk bin located on the front console. Control layout is superb, with audio and environmental buttons within easy reach. For the Camry Hybrid, and the XLE trim, those environmental controls are the key to a new and advanced system called Plasmacluster. That’s not a superhero, but an ionizing filter that supposedly eliminates airborne bacteria and germs. Don’t be surprised when it works.
Such execution makes sense, after all, as the Camry made its name as a thoughtfully-designed car. The 2007 model follows up with the same attention to detail, and adds a more comfortable environment, front to back. It’s a strange thing: the tale of the tape says that the Camry is actually mid-pack when it comes to headroom, legroom and other common measurements. Sitting in the car, however, it feels larger and more comfortable. This may have to do with a dash that was moved away from front seat occupants, and an expanded front seat track. Perhaps Toyota has built more usable space inside the Camry, a benefit not necessarily recorded with a tape measure. For example, passenger volume compared to the 2006 model stays virtually the same, 101.8 cu. ft. t o 101.4 cu. ft., which is smaller than the 2006 Honda Accord by about an inch. Excellent fit and finish inside the cabin also adds to that feeling of comfort, and the Camry has that in spades – though materials could be improved in some cases. The fake wood grain, for one – please stop selling that. The brushed aluminum trim is much more appealing. The fuzzy headliner also needs to go, and the hard plastic backing on the front seats – while clearly designed to be durable – looks and feels unattractive. The back seat offers occupants plenty of legroom, and convenient cupholders are located in the fold-down center armrest. For most trims, the Camry offers the typical 60/40 split back seats, though the XLE offers a new reclining seat feature that’s easy to use and quite comfortable. That changes the configuration to 20/40/20, with a fixed pass-through.
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