2015 Toyota Camry unveiled in New York

A good-looking Camry? What's next, one that handles well, too? Oh man, our world has been turned upside down!

The 2015 Toyota Camry could have been a simple midcycle redo, but faced with an all-new 2015 Hyundai Sonata coming out on the same day, Toyota whacked the bee hive of the New York auto show by unveiling what could legitimately be called an attractive Camry.

You couldn't really say “stunning,” except by the admittedly low standards of stun for every Camry ever made before this one. But it looks good in the same way the new Corolla looks good. It's a bright, sunny face in the often drab midsized sedan segment.

The new Camry gets new sheetmetal everywhere but the roof, with nice creases on the hood and flanks and a little deck lid spoiler popping up in back. It's almost 2 inches longer and has just under a half an inch wider track. The grille is a gaping wide-mouth-bass of an opening compared to earlier Camrys but it looks good, too.

Toyota slathered soft-touch everything throughout the interior, with upscale instrumentation that includes a 4.2-inch color TFT screen in the instrument cluster. The stitching and trim move upscale in most models, too.

A stiffer new body structure and retuned electric power steering promise better handling. In fact, a new XSE trim level is listed by Toyota as “sporty and luxurious.” They wouldn't lie about that, would they? So that's good news, right? Another new trim level, the Hybrid SE, promises “eco fun.” We'll have to see exactly how much fun when we drive them, but better handling is always a good thing. Other grades that carry over are the entry level LE and premium XLE.

All are powered by either the carryover 2.5-liter four cylinder or 3.5-liter V6, both of which are mated to a six-speed automatic. The exception is the hybrid, which gets a 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle Hybrid Synergy drive mated to an E-CVT transmission.

Toyota couldn't take too big a risk with this new model, since it has been the best-selling car in America for 12 years. (That doesn't include two months this year, when the Nissan Altima outsold it.) Total Camry sales last year were 408,484, an increase of only 1 percent versus 2012. Since the current model debuted in mid-2011, Toyota has sold almost a million of them. Competition among midsize sedans like Accord, Altima and Fusion is tight. Toyota wants to gain an edge but can't risk going too far among conservative midsize buyers.

This redo seems like just the right improvements in just the right places to maintain an edge.

The 2014 New York auto show runs April 16-27 and is expected to attract a range of production and concept cars including the 2015 Mustang convertible, BMW M4 convertible and next Hyundai Sonata. Check out Autoweek's complete coverage at autoweek.com/new-york-auto-show.

By Mark Vaughn