Our Rating
The new Camry SL V6 is miles ahead of the lower end Camry's, with a bucket load of features inside and out, and 300 ponies to give it a chunk of pull! It's an incredibly comfortable ride that handles itself well for its size and has enough space for all five passengers.
-
Engine & Drivetrain
-
Performance
-
Fuel Economy
-
Interior
-
Gadgets & Technology
-
Safety
-
Ride & Comfort
-
Practicality
-
Affordability
-
Behind the Wheel
Engine
The new Camry SL V6 boasts a 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V6 engine that puts out a whopping 224kW of power and 362Nm of torque which provides for plenty of grunt all round!
That’s a 12% increase on the previous Aurion V6 engine!
Performance
I won’t lie, the Camry did impress me.. You’re looking at 6.5-7 seconds for 0-100kmh which is impressive for such a large vehicle! It has a lot of grunt and a lot of kick.
It does handle well enough for its size and form factor, but given that it has all that power going to the front wheels, expect some understeer on those windy roads!
The gearbox is a new 8 speed automatic transmission with sequential shifting which was smooth and seamless!
Fuel Economy
Consumption is stated by Toyota to be 8.9L/100km. Our real world testing returned an average of 10.2L/100km with a mix of city and highway driving.
Interior & Technology
This car was truly luxurious! As the top of the line, it had all the bells and whistles.
The SL has ventilated seats, panoramic full glass roof, 10-inch colour head-up display, powered steering column, driver’s seat memory, electro-chromatic interior mirror and an electric parking brake.
The instrument cluster has a seven-inch Multi-Information Display that provides real-time trip, road and vehicle data while the infotainment unit has an eight-inch colour touchscreen display.
Other features include digital radio, dual-zone climate control, satellite navigation, steering wheel-mounted shift paddles, rear passenger USB outlets and a wireless phone charger.
A cool feature is how the steering wheel will raise itself and move inward when the vehicle is switched off to give the driver more room to exit the car.. Tesla-esque features! The features are almost on par with the Stinger GT which is quite impressive.
Safety
The new Camry SL has a 5 Star ANCAP safety rating.
It has seven airbags, pre-collision safety system, autonomous emergency braking and lane departure alert with steering assist. Active cruise control joins auto high beam and reversing camera systems as standard in the SL, which adds blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert systems along with rain-sensing wipers and parking sensors at the front and rear.
Ride & Comfort
It is an incredibly comfortable ride for 5 people easily. It is spacious and roomy and quiet on the motorway thanks to the low revving of the 8th gear.
It handles well for its size but could do with more suspension.
Warranty & Servicing
The Camry comes with Toyota’s sub-par 3 year/100,000km warranty.
Toyotaβs capped-price servicing positions strongly in the market with 12-month/15,000km service intervals capped at $195 per service for the first dealer visits, and adding up to $975 by the end of the capped-price program.
Pricing
ASCENT 2.5LULP6 SP AUTO $27,690 β 27,790
ASCENT (HYBRID) 2.5LHyb/ULPCVT AUTO $29,990 β 30,090
ASCENT SPORT 2.5LULP6 SP AUTO $29,984 β 30,090
ASCENT SPORT (HYBRID) 2.5LHyb/ULPCVT AUTO $31,990 β 32,090
SL 2.5LULP6 SP AUTO $39,990 β 40,090
SL (HYBRID) 2.5LHyb/ULPCVT AUTO $40,990 β 47,985
SL V6 3.5LULP8 SP AUTO $43,990 β 44,090
SX 2.5LULP6 SP AUTO $33,290 β 33,390
SX V6 3.5LULP8 SP AUTO $37,290 β 37,390
Overall
The Camry SL V6 is a huge step up from the 4 cylinder 2.5-litre, and positions itself strongly in a market that is urging for more performance. It has a wide range of features and feels like a luxurious car, and even looks like one!
ALL our videos of the Camry SL V6:
Full Exterior Tour:
Full Interior Tour:
Exhaust Sound:
POV Test Drive:
All Settings/Modes Head Unit/Dash:
Engine Tour:
