M/T: 2020 Toyota Camry TRD

[kevm14]

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/toyota/ ... 569D0C32F5

So incredibly boring. Stock V6: untouched. Not that I expected anything interesting but I did click to confirm my bias.

[bill25]

TRD is a weird thing to call your good version of a vehicle.

[Bob]

If you think this is bad, check the Avalon TRD.

[kevm14]

So here's the full review: https://www.motortrend.com/cars/toyota/ ... C4040AF3FA

In theory there was potential. Stiffer suspension, a factory cat-back that apparently sounds decent, and built on the cheapest model in the lineup providing the cheapest way into a V6 Camry evidently. Not all bad on paper. But in execution, not too compelling, and that's putting it mildly.

Make sure to pronounce "TRD" as "turd" in your head while reading this.

In 2017, we tested a Camry XSE with the V-6, and it logged a 5.8-second 0-60 run. Surely the spiced-up Camry would be at least a little quicker to 60 than it's less focused V-6 brethren, right? Wrong. The TRD's 0-60 time is still 5.8 seconds. Over the quarter mile, the TRD was actually a tenth of a second slower than our last 2018 XSE V-6 test car. The TRD covered the quarter in 14.4 seconds, with a slightly higher trap speed of 99.8 mph (compared to 14.3 and 99.6 in the XSE).

More disappointment:

We expected more from the TRD around our figure eight. After all, the lion's share of the changes were to the chassis. At 26.5 seconds, the TRD shaved 0.2 second off the time set by the V-6-powered Camry XSE we tested more than two years ago. Testing director Kim Reynolds noted understeer, and again, we think summer tires likely would have helped neutralize the persistent push up front and even bring the TRD on par with the Accord Sport's 26.4-second time.

Not sure what engine that Accord Sport uses (it used to be just the regular 4 cylinder) but it's probably less than the Camry V6 either way.

Here's the verdict:

The TRD's second and much more apparent flaw during normal driving is its ride. The stiffened chassis means the car is too easily upset by midcorner bumps, and every rut in the road makes its way into the cabin. The understeer Reynolds detected at the track is still present during faster driving, and the ride is almost too uncomfortable for the daily commute.

Dan Gardner showed us what a Toyota TRD sedan could truly be. Using the Avalon TRD as his base, he added sticky Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3R tires and even lighter wheels. He then added even more power via a new intake system, bumping the V-6 to 330 hp. Perhaps most important, he cured the understeer with the addition of a custom differential.

The changes Gardner made to his Avalon are what Toyota should have been willing to do to the Camry. But it didn't. What we're left with is a car that is on the wrong side of both uncomfortable and sporty—and a missed opportunity for TRD.

If you don't mind being jiggled around in your seat all day, you could daily drive it. But the trade-off for that stiff ride should be something truly fun to drive with minimal understeer, and that's still missing despite the TRD treatment. It's hard to recommend the Camry TRD when the exhaust note is the best thing about it, and it's even harder when you realize cars like the Accord strike a much better balance between sportiness and comfort.

I mean this class hasn't really been relevant since the 1990s in a real way. The Accord has sort of single handedly kept the flame burning (sometimes dimly) at least.