ON FRONT PAG E N O R T H E AST V I C TO R I A , A L P S A N D H I G H CO U N T RY
NOVEMBER 13 - 19, 2015
> available online - www.nemedia.com.au
ATARA SX: This model is the stand-out Camry in performance and has looks to match.
Camry crowned
with a touch of Aussie larrikin By DEREK OGDEN responsive Camry yet. Announcing the arrival of the Atara SX are black five-spoke alloy wheels – the first 18-inchers on a Camry Down Under – and wide low-profile tyres. Complementing these is a new sports suspension delivering impressive body control and ride comfort, while a reworked electric power steering system comes with a faster gear ratio for a more connected driving feel. Camry’s global chief engineer Masato Katsumata praised the work of the Australian engineers who developed the
18-inch sports package, which is also optional on Atara SL with silver wheels. “It is amazing that this Aussie knowhow makes Camry much more fun to drive – what we call ‘waku-doki’ – without affecting the ride comfort expected of a Camry,” he says. Extended to seven variants, the new more aggressive look Toyota’s pricing starts at $26,490 for the Altise petrol and tops out at $40,440 for the Atara SL petrol / electric hybrid. The Atara SX (the test vehicle), with its touch of the Aussie larrikin, can be had for $31,990. Calty, responsible for such ground-breaking
designs as the 1989 Celica, 1992 Lexus SC 400, 1993 Supra, 2003 FJ Cruiser Concept, 2007 FT-HS, 2012 Lexus LF-LC and the 2014 FT-1 Concept, led in production design for the 2015 Camry and it shows. With only the roof panel carried over, the Camry has come late to the deep set mesh radiator grille / lower air intake favoured by such trendsetters as Audi and Lexus, with the Atara SX snout weighing in with, jaws gaping, a snout reminiscent of a shark on the attack. Sharp headlights complement the raw look, while LED daytime running lamps, integrated into the bumper, tone things down a touch.
Continued page 2 N21d11337-V20/4615
THE Camry, its name derived from the Japanese kan-muri meaning ‘crown’, has been coming and going in Australia since 1983, sometimes attracting the not-so regal tag of the ‘white goods’ of the automobile industry. Not any more. Led by Toyota’s North American design centre Calty, Camry’s 2015 upgrade sees a bumper-to-bumper makeover and the arrival of a dynamic sports version, the Atara SX, the latter all down to a bunch of Aussies. This dynamic SX package, conceived and put together by Toyota’s Australian-based engineers, has created the most agile and
ONE MILE
NEW
MAZDA 3’S
MOTORS ABN 44 048 105 609 – LMCT 1060
Paul Davenport 0408 057 837 Michael Henderson 0418 512 531 Kylie Stevenson 0428 215 677 Noel Gilbert 0438 597 200
(03) 5721 5677 10 Templeton Street, Wangaratta www.onemilemotors.com.au