The Topped-Out TRD

We’ve already done some early coverage of the upcoming Toyota Camry TRD and its message that the sedan market is far from dead. I know, I know, this is a car-enthusiast blog, yeah? Well, there is a lot to be enthusiastic about when your daily driver is the finely tuned 301-hp V6 that can blast your neighbors at the stoplight and get you to work or the gym in record time, comfort, and reliability.

The Camry, like the Honda Accord, Chevrolet Impala, and Ford Flavor of the Year - I mean seriously, is it the Taurus, the Five-Hundred, the Fusion...? - is the flagship workhorse of the Toyota sedan line. It’s hard to imagine a world without the Camry, but with the way SUVs and crossovers have all but drowned the market, many manufacturers are eliminating sedans altogether, Ford being one of them. So, it was high time Toyota did something to liven of the market and add some pep and power to the affordable family four-door market, and the Camry is shaping up to be the best thing that doesn’t have a Subaru emblem.

The TRD has the SE’s 301-hp V6 with a whole host of improvements. It receives significantly wider wheels, a lowered rise height, a stronger chassis, and an anti-roll bar but forgoes the leather of the top Camry model and the Avalon. And the body kit is just a thing of beauty. A lot has been said about how nice the lines of the current Camry flow together and create an aggressive, almost-futuristic look for an everyday driver, but the added aero kit brings that much more style. And let’s not forget the tuned exhaust that ensures no one will miss that hot new ride tearing off from the stoplight.

Amazingly, the Camry TRD actually costs less than the SE by almost $4000, and it’s almost $12,000 cheaper than the comparably equipped Avalon TRD that just recycles the same engine. Honestly, if you’re in the market for a new sedan, there is no reason NOT to go with the TRD.

That is, of course, unless you don’t like things that are awesome.

-Trey Fennell