The Toyota Camry's sales record is still unbeaten, around the world, in Africa and of course in Zambia.

It recorded sales of 308,759 through October this year. The sedan that almost equaled the sales record is the Honda Accord with 277,542 sold during the first 10 months. (sales around the world)

Everyone is out there waiting for the all-new Camry 2018. We are also anxious to know if this new machine has what it takes to retain the crown.

The Camry XSE fortunately still has the V-6 engine where other brands are switching over to the turbocharged four-cylinders which produce greater power. Honda is one of the few companies that took the bold step with their 3.5 liter V-6 being replaced with the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that delivers 252 hp and torque of 273 lb.

The 3.5 liter V6 of the Camry delivers 301 hp and torque of 267 lb when mated to the eight-speed automatic transmission. Though this should have been enough, testing proves that the Camry’s V-6 produced 0 – 60 mph in just 5.8 seconds while the new 2018 Accord 2.0T Touring delivered 5.7 seconds when its turbo-four is mated to the 10-speed automatic.

The Camry buyer cares a lot about safety. The 3,665-pound XSE has great stopping power but not the best in its class. The test carried out saw the vehicle come to a halt from 60 mph in about 123 feet. The 3,492-pound XLE needed just a foot to fully stop. Also, the lighter Accord 2.0T Sport with 3,286-pound stopped at an impressive 109 feet.

Overall, the Camry was discovered to be much quieter on the road with just a few lapses. At idle the engine note is a bit louder and less pleasing than others within its class. The Camry’s chassis did extremely well on all surfaces and even handled expectations on a winding course, possible because of the car’s weight loss. But we couldn’t really pinpoint any significant difference when in Sport mode.

The Camry has that expensive look viewing it from a distance, but that experience is cheapened by some issues. The doors open very wide that you need to stretch to grab them from inside the car. They also produce a very tiny sound when you eventually close them. Other models were tested but it tends to be more pronounced in the LE hybrid.

Overall, this happens to be the sportiest Camry on the market and we thank Toyota for such a great improvement. We know that thousands of buyers will be pleased to add this to their collection.