1992-1996
Catering to Americans' fondness for larger cars, the completely redesigned
1992 Camry grew in every dimension. Length was up nearly 6 inches, width increased by 2 inches and both height and wheelbase were 1 inch greater than before. The larger Camry, in addition to providing noticeably more room for occupants, was more pleasing to the eye as well. Smoothly rounded, aerodynamic contours enveloped the car, and inside the cabin, this theme continued with nary a hard edge to be seen on the dash or door panels.
The new body, along with improvements in sound insulation and engine smoothness, made a car already known for being quiet even more so, with the lack of noise at cruising speeds rivaling luxury cars that cost a lot more than the Camry. In fact, the 1992 Camry served as the basis for the 1992 Lexus ES 300. Safety was attended to with the addition of a driver's side airbag, outboard three-point belts, and the availability of ABS for all Camrys.
To move the more massive Camry, bigger engines were fitted underhood. The four-cylinder engine now displaced 2.2 liters and boasted 130 horsepower. The V6 was increased to 3.0 liters and kicked out 185 horsepower, enough muscle to launch a Camry from zero to 60 mph in under 8 seconds.
Trim levels were expanded to include the expected DX and LE, which were joined by the XLE and the SE. Going uptown, the XLE added a moonroof, alloy wheels and a power driver's seat to the already loaded LE. The SE, which was introduced as a late '92, was an enthusiast's version of the Camry and had the V6 engine, performance suspension, larger tires on unique alloy wheels, a quicker steering ratio and a numerically higher final drive ratio. What all this meant is that the SE cornered flatter and accelerated faster than any other Camry. Indeed, it was a worthy competitor to Nissan's superb Maxima SE, and finally gave Toyota fans a sporty sedan they could call their own. To set it apart from the other Camrys, the SE had sport seats, a rear spoiler, and blacked-out window, door handle and mirror trim.
Also later in the 1992 model year, a wagon rejoined the Camry lineup. The new wagon, spacious enough to allow for a third-seat option (that increased passenger capacity to seven), was offered in DX and LE trim levels.
Small refinements, such as improved gear shifting quality of manual transmission/four cylinder cars, marked the
1993 model year. Actually, manual gearbox Camrys were quite rare as only the DX and SE versions could be equipped that way; all others came with the automatic tranny. A few new colors debuted and DX models now had color-keyed body-side moldings.
Of more important note this year were the production statistics; the Kentucky plant now made 75 percent of the Camry sedans sold in the U.S. and 100 percent of all the Camry wagons, sold worldwide.
Now in its third year of its third-generation of design, the
1994 Camry received a few notable changes and additions for '94. To battle Honda's Accord Coupe, Toyota released a two-door version of the popular Camry. A passenger airbag was added for additional safety. On the mechanical side, the V6 was completely redesigned for more power (now 188 horsepower) and smoother operation. The four-cylinder engine remained unchanged, and the automatic transmission gained "fuzzy logic" electronic control that minimized hunting between gears, such as when driving on hilly terrain.
1995 brought a mild facelift, with the Camry receiving a new grille, headlights and taillights, all intended to give the car a more upscale and substantial appearance. The DX Wagon was dropped, leaving the more luxurious LE trim as the sole choice for a Camry wagon. The XLE received ABS as standard; it was optional on other trim levels. Beating the mandate by two years, the '95 Camry met 1997 government side-impact crash standards.
1996 Now in its fifth, and last, year of this generation (introduced as a '92), the '96 Camry continued with only minor changes from the previous year. A new seat fabric adorned the interior of the DX, leather seating became optional on the LE (the most popular trim level) and a power seat was a new option for the LE Wagon.
For the third generation Toyota Camry (SXV10) sold outside of Japan, see
Toyota Scepter.
1992–1994 Toyota Camry.
The third generation SV30 Camry was introduced exclusively to the Japanese market in July 1990. A widened version of this model was also sold in Japan as the
Toyota Scepter. The Scepter incorporated unique front- and rear-end styling, with the side doors and many other sheet metal and mechanical components interchangeable between the two cars. Outside of Japan, the Scepter was known as the Camry SXV10.
For the 1991 model year, a
four wheel steering version of the JDM Camry was sold with a 2.0 L V6 engine, with the name Toyota Camry V6 PROMINENT 4WS, and chassis code E-VZV31.
[2]
An updated model appeared in July 1992. The scope of changes ranged from a new, larger
grille and a revised
air conditioning unit. At the same time the ZX touring package appeared in place of GT.
Class re-classification
1991–1994 Toyota Scepter sedan.
In 1990, Toyota replaced the
compact SV20 Camry will an all-new
SV30 series exclusive to Japan. While marginally larger than the
SV20, the
SV30 had to comply with Japanese
tax legislation. To meet the "number five"
tax bracket, the Camry had to adhere to the 1,700 millimetre (66.9 in) width and 4,700 millimetre (185.0 in) length limit. Particularly in the
United States, the narrower model would not generate enough sales so a along with the "narrow body"
SV30 Camry, a "wide body" Scepter model was designed. This came to be known as the Camry
SXV10 in all markets outside of Japan. The smaller Camry varied in other area besides the size. Although the
underpinnings,
doors and
fenders, and overall basic design cues were common between the two cars, the Camry sported harder, more angular front- and rear-end treatment, with the Scepter presenting a more curvaceous lines. This rounded silhouette was shared by many other Toyota's of similar vintage: the
Corolla and
Celica, along with the
Avalon from the mid-1990s to name a few. This was a departure from the second generation Camry models which, although they had many more rounded panels than the first generation, were nevertheless generally slab-sided in shape.
The Scepter, in its international Camry form is regarded as the first Camry to break into the large car market, or what Toyota billed at the time as "world-sized". At the same time, the once
subcompact Corolla was moved to the
compact class, and the Camry moved to the mid-size class. This Scepter model marked the transition away from a smaller vehicle into a larger, more luxurious family car.
The Japanese market received a new
SV40 series Camry in 1994, but the Scepter lived until 1996—skipping a generation before being replaced by the
SXV20 Camry globally. This new model ceased the era of separate Camrys—a global Camry—and a smaller
Japanese domestic market version. In Japan, the smaller
Vista took up the former
SV40 Camry role from 1998.
Difference between DX, LE and XLE
Toyota Prius
Linear Mode
