2018 Toyota Camry: First Impressions and Photo Gallery

CARS.COM — The 2018 Toyota Camry’s redesign means this mid-size sedan is no longer an inoffensively styled entry in an extremely competitive class. On display at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the Camry’s all-new interior and exterior styling make a strong first impression. In the sporty XSE trim, the new Camry has aggressive exterior styling with the kind of sculpted grooves and curvy fenders typical of a dedicated performance sedan.

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Overall interior size remains familiar, but the rest is not. Interior styling and function get an attractive overhaul. There’s an abundance of soft-touch materials in the right places — even on the dashboard. Most of the door panel material is covered in soft-touch, high-quality padding that competing vehicles often leave drab and low quality.

The layout of the dashboard and center console are also improved with an asymmetrical design that’s not only pleasing to the eye, but creates more openness in the driver’s seat, allowing more space for the driver’s right knee than the outgoing Camry. The center console below the climate controls has a big pad for wireless charging that also retracts to reveal storage underneath. A sizable center console offers additional room for devices.

Toyota’s next-generation multimedia system thankfully doesn’t switch to touch-sensitive buttons but instead uses stylish, thin horizontal tactile buttons for menu, audio, map functions and more. At a time when automakers are replacing volume knobs and tuning dials, the Camry has good old-fashioned dials and remains stylish and techy looking. Adding Apple CarPlay and Android Auto would be icing on the cake, but that’s not in the foreseeable future.

The next big question is if the racy new look also means improved driving dynamics, which is another trait of the outgoing Camry that failed to stand out in the crowd. Toyota says it has, and we’ll know for sure closer to when the 2018 Camry goes on sale in late summer.