Before the current-generation Camry appeared last year, any version that Toyota had tried installing red-colored seatbelts in and passing off as "track tuned" would have left us falling out of our chairs laughing. Now that Toyota's mid-size sedan is again decent to drive (and not a wallflower) for the first time in decades, those ludicrous seatbelts and that racy claim don't automatically induce spit takes on our part. Consider our spit—and blitzin' beige jokes—held, because of the thorough makeover Toyota is giving the 2020 Camry TRD.

Oh Boy Tee-Are-DEE!

This is the first factory Camry messed with by Toyota Racing Development (TRD), the brand's in-house performance arm responsible for its racing engines, NASCAR program, off-road exploits, and more. It also is the first extension in recent years of the TRD brand name, beyond off-road-oriented trim levels of the 4Runner SUV and Tacoma and Tundra pickups, only with a decidedly road-centric focus that hopes to take the Camry beyond its current sporty zenith, the XSE trim level. (TRD also has worked its magic on the Avalon, which receives the same upgrades as this Camry.)

Starting with the XSE model as a baseline, the Camry TRD uses the same optional 301-hp 3.5-liter V-6 engine and backs it up with a freer-flowing exhaust aft of the catalytic converter. More power would be welcome, although the last V-6 Camry XSE we tested reached 60 mph in a plenty satisfying—if slightly slower than Honda's turbocharged four-cylinder Accord—5.8 seconds. TRD keeps the Camry's eight-speed automatic transmission and steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters for manual control. Braking improvements include new 12.9-inch front brake rotors (up 0.9 inch from the XSE's pieces) with two-piston calipers (instead of single-piston units) and brake feel that has been retuned for more directness through the brake pedal.

The Camry's body shell is stiffer, too, thanks to additional undercar bracing. A thoroughly revised suspension bolts up to that more rigid structure and includes stiffer springs that lower the ride height 0.6 inch, plus new anti-roll bars front and rear that up the Camry's roll stiffness (its resistance to lean in corners) by 44 percent and 67 percent. TRD-specific shocks round out the package, as do 19-inch matte-black wheels that are both half an inch wider than the Camry XSE's and 3.1 pounds lighter apiece. Bridgestone Potenza summer tires are standard.

Toyota

It's Camry-lly Styled

If you had guessed that the Camry TRD would build on the more aggressive styling package worn by the Camry SE and XSE—as opposed to the less conspicuous look applied to the luxury-oriented LE and XLE Camrys—we award you no points, because that's obvious. If, however, you had guessed TRD would slap a rather large spoiler on the Camry's trunklid, well, find yourself a cookie; that one is a curveball. Ditto the elaborate gloss-black (accented with thin red piping) body kit splaying out from the Camry TRD's bumpers and rocker panels. The aero package, as Toyota calls it, was designed at the automaker's Calty design center here in the U.S. and, frankly, is over the top enough to work with the Camry's expressive body surfacing. Like the Camry XSE, the TRD can be had with a two-tone color scheme that renders the roof in shiny black for even more visual interest.

Happily, the TRD's interior design is more measured. The mostly black-colored environment is punctuated by pops of red, including the piping on the floor mats, lighting in the gauges and on the touchscreen, and stitching throughout. And as we mentioned earlier, yes, the seatbelts are red. Spicy.

There's little question that the Camry TRD's modifications will build on the athleticism of today's six-cylinder Camry XSE. Finding out by how much will have to wait until we get behind the wheel ourselves, but no joke, you can bet we're intrigued by Toyota's claims that the Camry TRD is "track tuned" and will have "greater agility, precision, and body control." Who knows, maybe it'll emulate some of the new Supra sports car's magic—in spirit, at least.



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