ES300h v Camry Excel

[royoftherovers]

Been looking at both specs and it seems to me that the top of the range Camry @£31,295 is outstanding value when compared to the basic E300h @£35,155

Camry does not appear to have a sunroof,but it has a 5 year warranty.

The Camry seems well priced and packaged.

[cruisermark]

Is the camry available in the UK?

[NemesisUK]

Yes

https://www.toyota.co.uk/new-cars/camry/specs-and-accessories

[royoftherovers]

1 hour ago, cruisermark said:

Is the camry available in the UK?

It is listed as so on the Toyota website Mark.

[ColinBarber]

I was surprised the Camry is priced so low compared to the ES. It is a smaller vehicle and missed some creature comforts such as memory seats etc. but the Excel compares well with the ES with Premium Pack. Not sure dealers have any in yet to go and look at as it is July before customer orders are expected to start arriving.

[Linas.P]

4 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

The Camry seems well priced and packaged.

And considering Lexus interior is outright appalling for luxury car I doubt there is any actual difference except of the badge. + Toyota as well have Android/apple integration... well at least my rental Auris had it, so why not Camry.

At the moment it seems that Camry page is just placeholder, but I am sure that when car becomes "properly" available, one will be able to match ES spec very closely. 

[cruisermark]

I'm surprised they are bringing it to the UK - I can't see it achieving any high sales numbers - last time it sold in small numbers and then the model was just left to die down - very few people have heard of it?

[ColinBarber]

1 hour ago, Linas.P said:

And considering Lexus interior is outright appalling for luxury car I doubt there is any actual difference except of the badge. + Toyota as well have Android/apple integration... well at least my rental Auris had it, so why not Camry.

At the moment it seems that Camry page is just placeholder, but I am sure that when car becomes "properly" available, one will be able to match ES spec very closely. 

Full spec is available.

Camryequiplist.pdf

[ColinBarber]

14 minutes ago, cruisermark said:

I'm surprised they are bringing it to the UK - I can't see it achieving any high sales numbers - last time it sold in small numbers and then the model was just left to die down - very few people have heard of it?

It's never going to sell in big numbers but with diesels out of favour, Toyota can bring their worldwide hybrid saloon to Europe, rather than having a European special, the Avensis, with the Corolla saloon covering the smaller saloon segment.

[Dippo]

All the earlier information about the Camry also said that it had HUD; the final specs show it without. I expect that was removed to stop it looking even better value against the ES.

[ColinBarber]

Probably removed to hit a specific price point, rather than just to make a distinction to Lexus, just wish they would allow it to be added as a costed option.

[JNK100]

The Camry has the same drive train but has a modified chassis so you can't compare the two by looking at the list of specification. 

[STE041]

I had a good look at the Camry whilst taking my IS300h in for a bodywork quote. I have had an ES F Sport Takumi on order since April this year that I am collecting tomorrow. Having sat in the Camry, they may be the same platform and drive chain as the Lexus ES, however they are price differently for a reason, the build quality / material is not as good on the Camry compared to the ES. The one thing I did like on the Camry though was the sliding section in front of the drive selector rather than the pop up lis on the ES. Camry pics below, ES pics to follow once collected.

[jumbojake]

Finally got a test drive of the Camry yesterday.. hard to find a dealer with one to try... sadly only the Design version.. but was impressed by the build quality.  For me, it is between the Camry Excel and Lexus ES Premium .... to be honest, not a lot in it.  

Interesting the dealer advised their target market is VW & Skoda, but they're taking customers from Lexus, which wasn't the plan !

There are some obvious differences...

- Price ... about 20% when discounts taken into account... also only 4.9% on the Camry, but 5.9% on ES

- Camry is quiet, but Lexus more so.. harder to notice the engine and road noise in the Lexus, but not sure if enough to make a difference to me decision.

- The touch screen in the Toyota is much better than the awful mouse pad in the Lexus.. much easier to use... otherwise both seemed to have very similar controls.  

- Some of the features worked better in the Lexus (lane departure was just a warning alarm in the Camry, no active control of steering).

- Camry looked like a bigger boot, but possibly an optical illusion.

- Leather seats in Camry are clearly lower grade, but were perfectly fine... I'd say similar to what you see in a BMW/Merc (Lexus is way ahead of the German brands in that respect). 

- Doors are equally massive on both ... this is my biggest worry...the car is very wide and not sure how it will work in a supermarket car park... never mind the reach to close the door...clearly a car for the US market

 

overall very impressed ... need a long think about the price difference and small variation in quality  (if I can see past the width of the car)

[Spottedlaurel]

I'm certainly interested in the new Camry, if there was an estate version like they used to do in the '90s (and I still own an example of) it'd be a no-brainer. As it stands I think it offers a bit more utility than the ES due its fold-down rear seat, that's more important to me than ultimate boot capacity.

I could have got one on a PCP for not much more than I'm paying on my 2014 RX, and it'd get better economy.

I'm down at my local Lexus/Toyota dealership tomorrow for an service and MoT. I doubt I'll get a chance for a drive in either of them but I certainly hope to compare them both in the showroom.

Saw my first Camry in the metal in London last weekend, it looked good. I suspect there'll be a few in use on the Uber circuit there in years to come, and that may hurt its image with some buyers? Probably less of an issue for me out in the sticks.

Still not yet seen an ES300 on the road.

[JeffL]

There's a Carwow review of the Camry on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWmoPg7wDow

 

 

[JeffL]

and one of the ES300h

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzkmzXqOQuU

 

[Spottedlaurel]

No Camry at my local dealership, and no suggestion as to when they'd be getting one.

No ES in the neighbouring (small) Lexus showroom, but they did have one out on the forecourt (I think saying it was sold).

Due to the similar front end styling I didn't realise it was an LS alongside it. A little bit cheaper than its big brother though....