Automotive News
Car Review: 2015 Toyota Camry
By Frank S. Washington
AboutThatCar.com
PONTE VEDRA, Fla., – The Toyota Camry has been
the bestselling car in the United States for 12 years. Yes,
10.2 million have been sold and more than half – 6.6 mil-
lion – are still on the road. So why change it? We never
got a definitive answer. Only explanations such as we
made it more premium, more fun to drive or more emo-
tional were tossed around but that doesn’t really answer
the question. That tells what was done, not why it was
done.
A reasonable guess is that the competition is getting
better and in an effort to stay in front of the pack it was
decided to improve the Toyota Camry now rather than
later when it might be too late. The oomph remained the
same. There was four cylinder-engine that made 178
horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque. It got 25 mpg
in city driving, 35 mpg on the highway and 28 mpg com-
bined.
The V6 made 268 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of
torque. It got 21 mpg in the city, 31 mpg on the highway
and 25 mpg combined. Both engines were mated to six
speed automatic transmissions. The Hybrid still put out a
combined 200 horsepower generated by its electric motor
and 2.5-liter four cylinder engine.
That is about all that went unchanged on the 2015 Toy-
ota Camry. The automaker made about 2,000 adjustments
on the latest model. All of the changes were designed to
smooth, elevation was nonexistent and surfaces were
pretty homogenous.
Toyota also wanted a Camry that was more expressive.
So they gave the 2015 edition a new bumper and an atten-
tion grabbing grille. The character line was more
prominent and it
extended from the
front fender flares
through the doors and
through the rear quar-
ter panels. The car did
look good and the
design was expressive;
that was something really new for any Toyota.
It would be foolish to make these sorts of changes to the
substructure and to the exterior of the Camry without
improving the interior. Designers restyled the center
stack, they installed a 4.2-inch TFT screen between the
gauges and they installed some soft touch surfaces on the
dash.
A quick tactile test revealed that they could have been
softer but it was a step in the right direction. And as with
any competent mid-size sedan, the back seat was spacious
The competition is getting better and in an effort
to stay in front of the pack it was decided to
improve the Toyota Camry now rather than later
improve the car’s riding characteristics, styling and its
interaction with drivers and passengers.
To improve the 2015 Camry’s ride, Toyota reinforced
the body structure with more spot wells to better rigidity.
They stiffened the suspension and widened the track to
get more responsive handling. On short test routes here
the car did handle better, turn-ins were crisper and the
suspension seemed sturdier. It was hard to tell whether
resistance to noise, vibration and harshness had been
improved; in this part of the country the roads were
and capable of carrying average size adults in comfort.
Toyota upped the ante in equipment, too. The 2015
Camry can be outfitted with a wireless charging system
for cell phones. It also tightened the seals on windows and
doors and increased insulation to make an already quiet
Camry quieter. It worked; we never heard the engine or
the transmission during normal surface street driving; no
matter what trim line we tested, all that was heard was the
sound of the car cutting through the wind.
There are five versions of the 2015 Toyota Camry,
including the hybrid. The LE with a four-cylinder engine
starts at $22,970, the SE starts at $23,840 with a four
cylinder engine, the XLE with a four cylinder starts at
$26,150 and the XSE with a four cylinder engine starts at
$26,150. Only the XLE and XSE can be equipped with
the six cylinder engine and they both start at $31,370. The
Hybrid comes in three trim lines the LE, the SE and the
XLE. Starting prices are $26,790, $27,995 and $29,980,
respectively. Prices do not include the $825 freight
charge.
With the new Camry, Toyota has served notice that it is
becoming more aggressive in its styling, engineering and
equipment. That could be bad news for its competitors.
2014
continued from page 3
Barriers to Housing
and Jobs
Portland activists from the
Urban League, Oregon
Action and the AFL-CIO
are building a ballot meas-
ure campaign to eliminate
job and housing discrimina-
tion against people with
arrest and conviction histo-
ries by “banning the box.”
AUGUST
Three Shootings Sun-
day Leave a Young
Mom Dead and Four
Men Injured
Three shootings over the
weekend left a young moth-
er dead and four people
injured. The Medical exam-
iner says the homicide
victim Ervaeua Herring, 21,
was in the early stages of
pregnancy when she was
killed by gunfire.
City Inks Alberta Stree
t Grocery Deal With Na
tural Grocers
Mayor Charlie Hales
announced this morning
that the streetcorner lot that
tore communities apart over
a proposed Trader Joe’s
store will be the home of
Golden, Colo.-based Natu-
ral Grocers, an affordably-
priced national chain known
for “free nutrition education
and healthy food.”
SEPTEMBER
Dr Steven Fritz Hus-
band to Portland
Commissioner Amanda
Fritz Dies in Car Crash
“I remember Dr. Fritz for
his compassion, intelligence
and his deep care for all the
people he worked with,”
Silvis said. “Everyone here
at The Skanner feels very
sad for Commissioner
Fritz’s loss.”
Videos Show Portland
Officers Arresting and
Tasing Boy
Police tased a 16-year-old
boy in North Portland early
Sunday and charged him
with two counts of assault,
disorderly conduct, harass-
ment, resisting arrest and
interfering with a police
officer.
OCTOBER
Development Wraps
Black History and
Career Education into
Preservation Project
A corner lot on Northeast
Martin Luther King Boule-
vard at Shaver St. is on track
to become a soul food cart
court and an education cen-
ter where youth can learn
about Black History.
Portland’s Gang Task
Force Renamed Com-
munity Peace
Collaborative
Portland’s gang task force
has changed its name.
About 100 people in atten-
dance Sept. 26, voted to
rename the task force Com-
munity Peace Collaborative,
with the tag line: A Coali-
tion for Violence Prevention
and Achievement.
NOVEMBER
Almost-Forgotten Law
Revived by Nonprofit
Watchdog Group
While SB 111 mandated
local law enforcement juris-
dictions send their data on
use of force incidents to the
Department of Justice, all
the data has been instead
forwarded to the Oregon
Department of Human
Resources and combined
into the state’s overall Ore-
gon
Violent
Death
Reporting System – defeat-
ing the purpose of creating
an information set allowing
public scrutiny on trends in
police use of force against
citizens.
Oregon’s ‘Forever
Crimes’ Law Hurts
Black Families
Oregon Statute 342.143
lists 69 crimes that disquali-
fy you from working in an
Oregon school. Anyone
who has committed one of
these “Forever Crimes” is
barred from working with
students forever. No matter
how long ago the crime was
committed, or how much
good the person has done
since, “Forever Crimes”
never go away.
DECEMBER
Geneva Knauls, 1935-
2014
One of the most beloved
women in Northeast Port-
land, Geneva Knauls of
Geneva’s Shear Perfection,
has died. A businesswoman
for decades and a supporter
of many, many grassroots
projects and organizations,
Mrs. Knauls died Saturday,
Dec. 20, 2014 at 9:22 p.m.,
just days before her birthday
on Christmas Eve.
Moms Host Party for
Portland Police
Along with Youth Servic-
es Division Captain Chris
Uehara, Officer Julia Rico
and about a dozen others,
Sheldon found himself in a
tiny, steaming-hot apart-
ment
last
Thursday
afternoon watching incom-
ing Portland Police Chief
Larry O’Dea repair a broken
down old dining room table.
Ella’s Kitchen
formerly Soup & Soap
SOUL
FOOD
...one taste will bring you back.
BREAKFAST • LUNCH SPECIALS
DINNER • SEAFOOD • DESSERT
“Finally!! I found a great cozy
soul food spot in Portland”
“Something about Ella’s catfish is magical”
“The mac and cheese was real mac and cheese
like momma used to (or should’ve made)”
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK, 9 AM - 6 PM
3505 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR
503-927-6708
add 25¢ for each to go meal
January 7, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 13