We recently published a review on the BMW 120 M Sport hatchback, and asked the question: are hatchbacks dead? The 120 M Sport proved they sure aren’t, and that leads to the same sort of question for the new Toyota Camry; are sedans dead?
The new-for-2024 Camry gets some much-needed updates. I’m not saying Toyota hasn’t been giving it some love, but it does feel like it’s just left on the shelf at times. This is maybe part of the entire development lifecycle of the Camry; their target market likes the Camry as it is, so don’t change it too much.
So, are sedans dead in the water? We spent a couple of weeks and 500km behind the wheel of the 2025 Toyota Camry ZR to find the answer.
What We Like and Dislike About The 2024 Toyota Camry ZR
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Price vs. features Refinement Performance Design Proper AC controls Luxurious interior Boot capacity Hybrid system refinement Fuel economy Ride quality Driver assist systems that work Visibility | Very dark inside SatNav issues in our test car Some infotainment graphics are chunky |
What’s In The 2024 Toyota Camry Range?
It’s great to see Toyota offering 3 models of Camry for our market, and true to Toyota’s commitments, all of them are hybrid. All are powered by Toyota’s 2.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine that manages a combined 170kW of power and 221Nm of torque, when you include the hybrid system. The Camry uses a constantly variable transmission (CVT).
Fuel economy is listed at 5.0L/100km.
The Camry is listed with a tow rating of just 400Kg (braked or unbraked), not that will affect many buyers.
- Camry Hybrid GX $49,990
- Camry Hybrid SX $52,990
- Camry Hybrid ZR $57,990 (tested)
2024 Toyota Camry Colour Range
- Glacier White
- Frosted White
- Silver Pearl
- Precious Metal
- Eclipse (black)
- Scarlet Flare
- Polished Bronze
- Deep Sea Blue
There is no cost to change the colour of your new Camry.
For a full list of specs and options available for the 2024 TOYOTA CAMRY ZR, head on over to Toyota New Zealand’s website.
How Does The 2024 Toyota Camry ZR Compare To Its Competition?
Well, this hasn’t happened for a while. Other than the BYD Seal (sedan) that’s an EV, and Lexus’ own version of the Camry (and naturally, it’s a lot more $), the Camry stands alone in its segment.
| Make/ Model | Engine | Power/ Torque kW/Nm | Seats | Fuel L/100km | Boot Space litres | Price |
| Toyota Camry Hybrid ZR | 2.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol hybrid | 170/221 | 5 | 5.0 | 521 | $57,990 |
Please note that DriveLife does its best to ensure the information above is correct at the time of publication, however, prices, specifications and models can change over time. Please bear that in mind when comparing models in the comparison table.
First Impressions Of The 2024 Toyota Camry ZR
Who remembers the days of old when Camrys were boring to look at? Not any more. Just check out our test car, finished in Polished Bronze. It turned heads almost everywhere I drove.
While it’s not a massive departure from the previous Camry, the designers have really nailed the front end of the car to give it a modern and yet futuristic look, without going crazy on grille size. Around the rear, it’s a replica of the front-end design, and done just as well.
Overall, the Camry has shaken it’s ‘boring’ image, and is now the belle of the ball.
What’s The Interior Like In The 2024 Toyota Camry ZR?
Since we’re testing the top-spec ZR model, that means lots of creature comforts inside the Camry. You can expect to find things like 3-stage heated and cooled seats, an electrically adjustable steering wheel, a Qi wireless phone charger, dual-zone air conditioning, an electric panoramic sunroof with an electric blind, a 3-stage heated steering wheel, and a heads-up display (HUD). The heated steering wheel has an Auto function, so you can ignore it, and it will turn itself on if it feels the need to.
Not only is the ZR highly specced, it feels quite luxurious inside, and you could be forgiven for thinking you were inside a Lexus. So many padded surfaces exist, and the driver-focused centre console is something different and quite cool.
As a testament to their target buyers, all the aircon controls are actual buttons, and all nicely laid out. This includes the already-mentioned heated steering wheel and heated/ventilated seats – all proper buttons and so easy/safe to use on the move. There’s also an actual volume knob (as well as steering wheel controls).
I expected to find a CD player, but I guess that proves it’s not a Lexus, after all. Another item that feels old school but works beautifully is the standard, easy to use gear lever. No buttons or dials or selector knobs for changing gears, just pull the button in and move the lever down. It’s brilliant.
In the front, there’s one of the biggest centre console cubbies I’ve ever seen, so much room for taxi drivers to store all their stuff. One slight pain was the door pockets; the drink bottle holder is angled, and if you stick a drink bottle in it, the bottle covers the rest of the door pocket, which isn’t huge anyway. Perhaps as a nod to the Camry’s intended role, our test car was fitted with thick rubber mats front and rear, although there were carpet mats in the boot.
Contrary to the popularity of a single, one piece dashboard/centre display, the new Camry has two separate screens for this, and they work just fine. For connectivity, there are three USB-C ports in the front, and another two USB-C ports for rear-seat passengers. Those in the rear seat get access to a decent amount of head, leg, and shoulder room, as well as two air vents in the centre console.
If there’s one drawback of the interior, it’s that it’s completely black, and feels very dark – unless you leave the sunroof blind open. A dash of beige or ivory inside the car would have made all the difference.
The boot is a good 521 litres in size, with an actual spare wheel under the floor. The boot opening is wide, and at the rear of the boot it’s full width, showing the car’s size. I can’t imagine any complaints about the boot being too small in the new Camry. Surprisingly, even though we tested the top-spec ZR model, the boot is not electrically operated.
What’s The 2024 Toyota Camry ZR Like To Drive?
It’s been a long 10 years since I last drove a Camry, but I had fond memories of that car; it was far better than I had expected, and I could only imagine the new model should be better.
Straight off, the car impresses. Silent – as the car always starts off in EV mode – but touch that accelerator a bit harder, and there’s an absolutely seamless transition as the 2.5-litre petrol engine kicks in to assist.
You can use the EV button on the centre console to force the Camry hybrid to stay in EV mode, but that might not last long; at around 30km/h, the car will automatically move the car to hybrid mode, and the engine will start. It’s the same scenario if you push the gas pedal just that little bit too hard. Still, simply leaving the car to do its own thing is the best solution. Drive it, ignore the EV button, and electronics will do their thing and switch the car between EV and hybrid mode when its needed. Note the Camry is not a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), so there’s no need and no way to plug it in to charge it up. It’s ‘self-charging’, as numerous car brands like to claim.
If there’s one other instant impression of driving the new Toyota Camry, it’s the ride quality – it is outstanding. Smooth, compliant, perfect. It’s a highlight of the car, and makes the car even more suited to its intended purpose of delivering passengers to their destination.
There is some wind noise from the A-pillars in the car; it’s not bad, but other marques have really lifted the bar in the whole wind/road noise department, and the new Camry is not as good as others in this respect. The engine is pretty quiet on the whole, but up some of Wellington’s hills – and Wellington is mostly hills – it could sound a little noisy. The tyres too are noisy on coarse-chip seal, but that’s something nearly all tyres struggle with.
As well as that EV button to play with if you want to, you get to choose from three pretty standard drive modes; Eco, Normal, Sport. These work exactly as you’d expect, and with 221Nm of torque, you can cruise along very comfortably in Eco mode, with plenty of performance still in reserve. It’s a real shame the Camry doesn’t remember your drive mode when you get back into the car for your next trip, as I expect just leaving it in Eco mode 24/7 would be the perfect solution for a lot of drivers. You can also shift the gear lever to the right, and this engages a manual mode for the transmission. It’s a constantly variable transmission, but the car will attempt fake gear changes and actually, it does a pretty good job of that, giving the driver the impression of a ‘real’ automatic gearbox.
The Camry is fitted with brake auto-hold, a feature I always use. Like Eco mode, the Camry doesn’t remember that you had auto-hold turned on the last time you used the car, and that can cause a few scary moments when you lift your foot off the brake at a stop sign, expecting the car to remain stationary. This is one area where the Chinese brands have it all over Japanese and Korean brands; all the Chinese brands allow a huge range of customisations in the infotainment system, and more often than not keep brake auto-hold turned on is one of those options. Not a huge issue, but one of those ones that frustrates me a little.
That’s a first-world problem, however, as generally the Camry is extremely easy to live with day-to day. That includes things like the driver attention monitoring system, and that’s one area where Toyota wipes the floor with anything from China. The driver attention monitoring system in the new Camry is faultless; it only told me off a few times, and that was because I wasn’t focussed on the road. That meant I could laugh, look at the speedo, look at the outside mirrors – all without being told off, as often happens on brands from China.
One thing the car does remember is the heated and cooled seats. If you have them on and then get out and lock the car, they will come on again when you get back it. I like that, it’s a small but appreciated feature.
Other things that help the Camry as a commuter is the heads-up display in the ZR model; it’s clear and crisp, with info like the current speed limit, your current speed, audio, and SatNav directions right there on the windscreen.
I did have some issues with using SatNav in my time with the new Camry. I was going around SH58, and SatNav suggested I take the Spinnaker Drive turn, but that road has been closed for almost 2 years. There was another time on the way to the city – running late, of course – when the car told me that SH1 was going to be the best route, taking around 17 minutes. However, there was a huge traffic jam and the drive took me over 40 minutes. I checked while stopped, and traffic updates were enabled, and even the screen in the car didn’t show the stopped traffic on the map.
While the infotainment system is a welcome upgrade over the previous generation, some of the graphics are still a little Mine Craft. For example, in some other brands, the energy flow diagram shows lightning flowing between the engine and battery, the wheels turn, and other funky and yet very clear graphics. Not so much in the Camry, it’s all chunky and a little boring.
Weirdly, at times when the car’s engine was running, this graphic would not show it it running. The same graphic can be shown on the dashboard, and it was the same – the engine would be running, but the graphic wouldn’t show it – but it did at other times. Again, first world problems, but the OCD in me struggled a little. Overall however, the infotainment system is fairly quick between screens; in just a few minutes, you will be a whizz at finding what you need.
The Camry’s adaptive cruise control is pretty well spot-on; it’s smooth to the point where you don’t notice it doing its thing, and that’s a good sign.
While the Camry isn’t a car you’d expect to be a corner-carver, it does just fine. You can feel its bulk around tighter bends, but it remains composed and has generally good handling, until the point where it reaches understeer. For most drivers, they will be more than happy with the Camry’s overall handling, especially when you consider its ride quality. The brakes, while plenty powerful enough, can feel a bit wooden to use, but it’s not bad enough for me to note in our ‘What we don’t like’ section.
Visibility is excellent, with a huge front windscreen and large side windows. Motorway travel is all too easy, and of course there’s blind spot monitoring to help keep you safe. Driving the car on the motorway is such a pleasure, it’s another one of those times you wonder “do I really need an SUV?”.
Toyota suggests that the Camry Hybrid should use 5.0L/100km of fuel, and we managed to get very close to that, at 5.2L/100km. For the size of this sedan, that’s an excellent result, and goes to show that Toyota’s experience in making hybrid systems work well, has paid off.
*Many thanks to Manor Park Golf Course for allowing us to take photos at their course.
READ ON TO CHECK OUT OUR SUMMARY OF THE 2024 TOYOTA CAMRY ZR.
2024 Toyota Camry ZR – Specifications
| Vehicle Type | Front-wheel drive, large 4-door sedan |
| Starting Price | $57,990 |
| Price as Tested | $57,990 |
| Engine | 2.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol with hybrid assist |
| Power, Torque kW/Nm | 170 (combined)/221 |
| Transmission | Electronically-controlled Continuously Variable Transmission |
| Spare Wheel | Space-saver |
| Kerb Weight, Kg | 1,565 |
| Length x Width x Height mm | 4920x1840x1445 |
| Boot Space / Cargo Capacity, Litres | 524 |
| Fuel tank capacity, litres | 50 (91 octane) |
| Fuel Economy, L/100km | Advertised Spec – Combined – 5.0 Real-World Test – Combined – 5.2 Low Usage: 0-6 / Medium Usage 6-12 / High Usage 12+ |
| Towing Capacity Kg, unbraked/braked | 400/400 |
| Turning circle metres | 11.4 Small: 6-10m / Medium 10-12m / Large 12m+ |
| Warranty | 5 year Warranty 5 years free WoF checks 5 years Roadside Assistance |
| Safety information | ANCAP Rating – 5 stars – Link Rightcar.govt.nz – 5 Stars – QQZ41 |
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