Toyota Wants You To Look At Camry By Stealing A Page From The 2020 Subaru Legacy

Toyota steals a page from Subaru’s playbook, by copying the new 2020 Subaru Legacy. See how Toyota tries to gain traction in the sedan market.

In baseball, they illegally steal signs to gain an advantage so the batter knows what pitch is coming. In the automotive industry, they steal ideas and it’s perfectly legal. With SUVs and Crossovers the hot models in the U.S., Toyota needs to give the Camry sedan new updates.

Along with Avalon, Camry is getting new all-wheel-drive variants to keep the nameplates relevant in America. They are taking the idea from Subaru who offers the 2020 Legacy sedan, and all previous generation models with standard all-wheel-drive for over 30 years (1989).

For reference, here are the 2020 Toyota Camry AWD Trims. Click to subscribe to Torque News Youtube for daily automotive news analysis.

Other automakers are now starting to offer some variants with all-wheel-drive. New models now include the Nissan Altima, Mazda3, Ford Fusion, Kia Stinger, Dodge Charger, and now Toyota is hoping to gain traction in the sedan market by offering all-wheel-drive for the first time on Camry and Avalon.

2020 Subaru Legacy has standard all-wheel-drive on all trims

The Subaru Legacy is the only sedan in America with standard all-wheel-drive on all trims. Subaru offers the all-new 2020 Legacy sedan with its Symmetrical all-wheel-drive system perfected on rally stages around the globe. Offering all-weather capability on all its vehicles is one of the brand’s core values and not just an after-thought.

Toyota is trying to play catch-up with its smaller Japanese rival. Toyota says, “Neither new-generation Camry nor Avalon was planned to have an all-wheel-drive version”, so the engineering team at Toyota Motor North America Research and Development in Saline, Michigan, had to adapt an all-new new system for the sedans.

All-weather capability is a core value, not an after-thought

Sedans still have their place in the lineup. Not everyone needs an SUV or a crossover. If you don’t have a large family to haul around and you don’t use your vehicle for towing, you might not need a big vehicle. The advantage of a sedan over an SUV is it’s lighter, more aerodynamic, and it offers better fuel mileage.

The 2020 Subaru Legacy XT turbocharged models return EPA mileage figures estimated at 24 mpg city/32 mpg highway. The standard naturally aspirated 2.5-liter flat-4 engine gets an estimated fuel economy of 27/35 mpg city/highway. Estimated fuel mileage for the all-wheel-drive Camry is 25/34 city/highway on LE, SE, XLE and XSE models.

Many shoppers may need more cargo space and think an SUV is the only choice. If you do need to carry additional cargo, the 2020 Legacy sedan offers standard roof brackets for quick installation of a rack, box or tray, making it easy to load surfboards, canoes and other sports equipment. For Subaru, all-wheel-drive is a core value and not an after-thought like all other automakers with sedans.

You Might Also Like: Why You Should Choose The 2020 Subaru Legacy Over An SUV

Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a variety of roles. All of his reports are archived on our Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Subaru Report. Check back tomorrow for more Subaru news and updates at Torque News!

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Photo credit: Subaru USA