2012 Camry boasts new Entune multimedia system

Some of the most dramatic changes taking place in your vehicle are not under the hood. They are in the bits and bytes tucked away in processors underneath your dashboard.

“One of the key features today's consumers are looking for is information and entertainment. But it can be a challenge to design a safe, easy to use system in an automobile,” said Bob Carter, vice president and general manager of Toyota.

Take the 2012 Camry and its impressive Entune multimedia system, an extensive set of applications drivers can access from their smartphone. Entune displays a single command center—mapping, music, Bing search engine, hotel or restaurant reservations and a variety of data services for stocks, gas prices, traffic and news.

Driving home with part of the school soccer team? The Camry Entune lets you easily navigate to a local restaurant or purchase movie tickets.

Traveling in a remote area far from home? Entune helps you quickly find a quality radio station through Pandora’s music service or iHeartRadio, which offers more than 750 stations.

Entune stays connected to your smartphone through Bluetooth streaming and an Entune mobile app. The system memorizes voice commands and can read text messages. Drivers can keep their hands on the steering wheel and respond to text messages or calls without taking their eyes off the road.

Entune is managed through an account on-line. Drivers can connect to their existing accounts for MovieTickets.com, OpenTable and Pandora. They also can update their vehicle profile and share their Entune account with family or friends.

Despite the impressive array of multimedia amenities, Toyota engineers made sure the Camry stayed true to its heritage as a reliable and safe passenger vehicle.

The 2012 Camry boasts a gutsy 268-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine that delivers an EPA-estimated MPG of 21 city/30 highway. The hybrid model uses a new 2.5-liter engine and achieves 43 mpg city/ 39 highway.

“The all-new 2012 Camry blends an evolution of the car’s values – such as comfort, efficiency, reliability and safety – with a more appealing design and engaging driving experience,” Carter said. “Competition in the midsize sedan segment is the strongest it’s ever been, and the all-new Camry is designed to maintain its long-standing leadership while also broadening its appeal.”

Safety was a top priority for the Camry team, and the vehicle offers a full host of features including antilock disc brakes with power assist, traction control and vehicle stability control.

All Camry models are equipped with 10 standard airbags: dual-stage advanced SRS front airbags, front and rear seat-mounted side airbags, side curtain airbags and a driver’s knee airbag. It also provides front-passenger’s knee airbag and rear-seat side airbags.

Toyota’s Safety Connect is an optional service that lets drivers connect to a live call center operator, which can dispatch police and emergency vehicles. The system combines automatic collision notification and a stolen vehicle locator feature, which can track the location of the stolen vehicle via GPS and help guide police to recover it.

Camry owners can add Toyota’s "Blind Spot Monitor” to detect vehicles in the driver’s blind spots. When the system detects a vehicle in the adjacent lane, an alert is displayed on side mirrors. If the turn signal is being used, the indicator on the corresponding mirror will flash.

In vehicles equipped with one of the display audio systems and backup camera, the 2012 Camry also helps navigate into tight parking spots and shows distance to obstacles.

Toyota’s 36-month/36,000 mile basic new-vehicle warranty applies to all components other than normal wear and maintenance items. Additional 60-month warranties cover the powertrain for 60,000 miles and against corrosion with no mileage limitation. The hybrid-related components—including the HV battery, battery control module, hybrid control module and inverter with converter—are covered for eight years/100,000 miles.