2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE: Technology In A Mid-Size Sedan

By Anh T. Huynh
published

Toyota's Camry is America's best-selling mid-size vehicle. But it didn't get there by making any bold statements. We spent a week with a hybrid model to see if the car's technology could snap us awake from the boredom of an uninspired driving experience.

The DA6 navigation system relies on maps stored on an internal SSD, which is unquestionably an upgrade from previous-gen DVD-based systems. Navigation works well, complemented by up-to-date map data. We had no trouble finding our home base, which is a newer housing development built within the last three years.

Traffic data is integrated, and it will let you reroute around congestion. However, as we found with the 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track, there aren’t always efficient detours around your daily routine.

Aesthetically, the maps look terrible. They look more like the early portable navigation systems from Mio than a $1700 upgrade. The yellow maps on a plain user interface do not complement the DA6 at all, even if they are able to get the job done.

Voice Recognition

Voice recognition is where Toyota's DA6 system completely fails. Its microphone lacks noise cancellation, which poses a major problem in a vehicle that suffers from plenty of road and cabin noise. We had no problems using the system when the Camry was stopped. The DA6 understood our spoken commands and executed them accordingly. But the primary use for voice recognition is when the vehicle is moving and, as soon as we start rolling, it got too loud for voice recognition to work.

Toyota's setup gets even more frustrating when you figure out that the DA6 prevents you from entering navigation commands or accessing the phone book to make calls when the car is in motion. This forces you to pull over in order to do anything other than listen to music, even if there's a passenger able to operate the controls.

The new update Toyota is rolling out to owners adds voice recognition support for Entune apps as well.

Anh T. Huynh
52 Comments Comment from the forums
  • blackmagnum
    Are we rivals to Car and Driver now?
    Reply
  • apache_lives
    but can it run crysis?

    wait its a car on a computer related website my bad
    Reply
  • Anyone got this and forgone the Display Audio with Navigation and Entune option and instead got an proper aftermarket nav system (not those portable ones)?
    Reply
  • alyoshka
    Shouldn't they save all that power wasted on the in car electronics and utilize it for the commuting purpose itself?
    Reply
  • Sakkura
    alyoshkaShouldn't they save all that power wasted on the in car electronics and utilize it for the commuting purpose itself?Small problem: Even if it's using 500W, that still only amounts to a little more than half a horsepower.
    Reply
  • lunyone
    Though, in this case, it's used to maximize has mileage.
    I"m thinking it was "GAS" mileage :)
    Under the "Hybrid Synergy Drive > Combining The Power" section.
    Reply
  • lunyone
    During our week with the 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE, we found that aggressive driving from stoplight to stoplight was actually quite a big of fun
    I'm also thinking it was "actually quite a bit of fun"??
    Reply
  • lunyone
    Sorry last comment was from the "The End Result" of the Hybrid Synergy Drive section.
    Reply
  • xsamitt
    Do I see a trend happening here?
    I guess if this is the way things are going why not review some skidoos next time?
    Word on the street they too also have advanced computers nowadays.
    Hard core Computer world be gone,we've had enough of you apparently!!!
    Reply
  • cangelini
    lunyoneI"m thinking it was "GAS" mileage Under the "Hybrid Synergy Drive > Combining The Power" section.Thanks, fixed!
    Reply