By GIL STERN STERN MELAMEDtoyota camery(photo credit: Reuters)
The Camry is one of Toyota’s best-sellers worldwide – after the Corolla, of course – and the company manufactures this model in nine countries around the world. In some markets, such as Turkey, China and Thailand, the Camry is considered a high-end car. In the US, however, which is Toyota’s largest market, the Camry has been the most popular family car (off and on with the Honda Accord) for much of the last two decades.Since the Camry is considered a “large, American-size car” that has a large engine and drives like an American vehicle, it is not surprising that it hasn’t many buyers in Israel. Ironically, more Camrys have been imported by individuals than by the official importer.Meanwhile, a new, more modern Toyota has been created in response to the organizational crisis the company experienced four years ago.Relative to previous Camry models, the new one is more compact and concentrated, but still very conservative and still popular among its hundreds of thousands of loyal American customers.The Camry has an extremely high-quality finish. It has 10 airbags, xenon headlights, keyless ignition, a multimedia navigation system and electric seat adjustment. Since the car is 4.8 meters long, the interior is exceptionally spacious, and three adults can sit comfortably in the back.The front seats are also roomy, since the car was designed to accommodate large-size Americans. The driver’s seat is firm and offers superb back support, and there is ample room for the driver’s left foot.Starting the ignition of hybrid cars using the electric button is confusing, and sometimes it takes a while to get used to this. Since you don’t have to turn the key to switch on the car, it’s not always clear whether the car is running or turned off.In addition, the Camry does not handle winding roads well. The car’s weight is also apparently not distributed well, so it’s not the best car to take on adventures.Not surprisingly, the bottom line is that the Camry is 100-percent a Toyota. Above all, it is a very practical car. Camrys are not very exciting, but they are versatile. People choose to purchase a Camry because it’s a sensible thing to do, not because they were swept away.The Camry Hybrid consumes one liter of gas every 14.54 kilometers, which is not bad at all considering its size. Unfortunately the Camry Hybrid does not receive tax benefits, so its price is high: NIS 240,000. For this amount, you can buy a Lexus Hybrid IS300h. Although the Lexus is smaller, it has a similar (but stronger) hybrid system and feels much more luxurious than the Camry.Translated by Hannah Hochner.
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