Before then, though, Toyota is keen to keep sales bubbling along and has updated the Camry with a new look and new features. Key to the facelift is a new exterior look; every panel except the roof has changed, giving a cleaner, more cohesive design that also brings better proportions.

Australia missed out on the significant interior update – the change was mainly made for the United States - which brought a new layout and significantly lifted the ambience.

Still, the changes represent the biggest mid-life update to a Camry since Australians first saw the nameplate in 1983. Toyota has also expanded the range, with the number of hybrid models increasing from two to three.

As before, it's a four-cylinder-only lineup, with the V6 duties left to the Aurion that uses the same basic body with different styling front and rear.

For this test we've chosen the Atara SX, which is being marketed as the sporty Camry and one aimed at appealing to younger buyers.

Camry has been a byword for value in recent years and it's ramped up with this latest model. Toyota has sharpened the retail ask, although in reality the transaction prices – once dealer discounts are factored in – aren't as dramatic, especially on the entry-level Altise, which kicks off at $26,490 (plus on-road and dealer costs). For that you get alloy wheels, auto transmission, reversing camera, cruise control, a colour touchscreen and Bluetooth.

The top-of-the-line Atara SL sells from $37,440 and brings a mix of real and fake leather, auto high beams, rain-sensing wipers, blind spot monitoring, auto braking (using a radar to detect vehicles in front), satellite-navigation and a 10-speaker premium sound system. It's a lot of car for the money.

Sandwiched in the middle is the Atara SX, a Camry designed to appeal to a younger buyer. Its styling is more aggressive thanks to black alloy wheels, a black grille and a subtle rear spoiler. Plus it gets the biggest wheels ever fitted to a Camry - 18 inches, which is merely bringing it up to speed with many rivals but an inch up on the previous model. As well as the partial leather seats, smart key entry (off the boot and front doors only) and dual-zone air-conditioning, it also gets a stiffer suspension tune and alloy pedals to ram home the sporty theme.

However, the Atara SX is the only Camry not to get a full-sized spare tyre; its 16-inch wheel is superior to the skinny space savers now common, though.

All come with seven airbags, comprised of dual front airbags, front-side airbags to protect the body in a side impact, side curtain airbags to protect the heads of occupants front and rear in a side impact, and a driver's knee airbag.

There's lots to like about the Camry's cabin, starting with the general dimensions. It's respectably broad, making for plenty of room up front and good for three across the rear seat. The floor, too, is almost flat, making for good leg room, while big feet can easily slide under the front seats.

Rear leg room is generous, too, while air vents feed fresh air to the rear and it's a broad cabin.

The general presentation also has its positives; the stitching on the dash, for example, and the deep red-tinged patches of leather and silver-look plastics to break up the darker hues.

Yet at the same time there are oversights. The now-common lane change indicators (which give three or four clicks with one touch) are absent and the instrument cluster is bland and uninspiring, also doing without a digital speedo. There's a foot-operated park brake instead of a traditional handbrake or newer electric one.

It also doesn't get Isofix points for certain types of newer car seats. Plus it's one of the few cars on the market without adjustable headrests in the rear, making it harder for taller people to get comfortable.

Out back the boot is broad and deep although, again, there's some hints of cost cutting; the exposed gooseneck hinges on either side, for example. The rear seats also split-fold 60/40, although the hole to poke things through is fairly shallow, reducing its usefulness for bulky items.

The Camry is making the same 135kW of power and 235Nm of torque as when this 2.5-litre engine first arrived in 2011. It wasn't particularly exciting back then and the competition has moved on a fair degree.

It's fine for suburban duties and driving gently around town, albeit without much zing or excitement to the way it responds. The sound, too, is more home appliance than sporty car.

And it's when you demand more of it that its modest limits become more transparent. Four or five people on board, for example, or wanting to build speed up an 80 or 90km/h incline.

The six-speed auto is rarely wrongfooted and does a decent job of shifting between its well-spaced ratios.

Thankfully the engine is not too noisy when you do push it harder.

In some ways the more powerful hybrid drivetrain seems like a better match to the SX's sporty intentions, but Toyota says that car is more about fuel efficiency.

Speaking of which, the Camry is claimed to use 7.8 litres of fuel per 100km – more than many rivals, and something you have to work at to get close to. In a mix of suburban and brief freeway running we achieved a respectable 10.5L/100km.

Underneath the basics are the same with this updated Camry, but the Atara SX model tested here gets a new sports suspension tune. Think stiffer springs as well as those 18-inch wheels wrapped in Bridgestone rubber.

There's still plenty of Camry-ness to its manners, including a relatively hushed cabin and predictable front-wheel-drive dynamics. But the local suspension setup and better tyres make for a more engaging drive.

Grip levels through corners are good, even on a damp road, and the Camry sits contently when pushed harder.

There's some initial firmness over bumps, something more noticeable at slower speeds, but the trade-off is decent control and a resistance to leaning when pushing a little harder.

Steering has been sharpened with the SX but there's still plenty of wheel twirling on a tight, twisting road. For that reason the Camry feels more relaxed and in its element through faster, flowing bends.

However, there's still some Camry mushiness to its feel; the weighting is OK but it somehow manages to lack the immediacy and alertness to driver reactions of some rivals. At least the chunky three-spoke steering wheel is great to grip.

Still, it makes for a surprisingly good Camry to drive and one where the abilities of the car through bends comfortably outdoes the performance on offer.

It's all about the value with the Camry, even with the cost of servicing it (they're subsidised for the first few years). For the relatively modest ask there's plenty of space and equipment in what is a decent driving car. A more energetic engine would transform what is an otherwise capable and great to drive Atara SX.

Price: $31,990, plus on-road and dealer costs

Country of origin: Australia

Engine: 2.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol

Power: 135kW at 6000rpm

Torque: 235Nm at 4100rpm

Fuel use: 7.8L/100km

CO2 emissions: 183g/km

Transmission: 6-speed auto, -wheel-drive

Weight: 1495kg

Safety: 7 airbags; stability control