BOLDLY   GOING

You have to applaud Toyota’s derring-do. Company scion Akio Toyoda has ordered his lieutenants to shake up the franchise midsize sedan. Leaden with a (deserved) sand-beige image, the Camry needed some invigoration and sex appeal, especially as more families were seen migrating from sedans to SUVs.

For 15 years, Toyota engineers have taken incremental, calculated risks while maintaining the core values that have kept the Camry atop the sales heap. Why change when the best-selling flavor of ice cream is vanilla, executives would parrot.

But those risk-averse days are gone. Example one is the Camry’s daring new sheetmetal. Well, Toyota thinks it’s daring; buyers will judge how much you can spice up a family sedan. Toyota kept an optional V-6 while most competitors commit to I-4s. It also lowered the roof and seats by an inch, impairing a driver’s view over or through