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Good: four-cylinder engine, roomy interior, large
trunk, excellent gas mileage, well priced.
Needs improvement: tires, brakes, stereo controls.
Needless to say,
the Toyota Camry is not the most exciting vehicle we have tested. But strangely,
we were all sad to see it go. The reason was simple. Outside of tires that
wanted to squeal at the slightest provocation, the Camry is perhaps the best
family oriented sedan for the money because of its excellent interior room,
solid engine, smooth shifting transmission, and the ability to get well over 30
mpg with a family aboard. In addition, the car can easily be mistaken for the
upscale Lexus ES despite the fact the popular LE model we drove was priced just
under A$35, 000. However, be warned that a fully optioned XLE model can debit
your account over A$40,000.
Mom's view: I liked the LE model because it was a
good value. The Camry was very easy to drive and had plenty of safety equipment.
Toyota offers optional antilock brakes and front and rear passenger side-curtain
airbags.
The standard front
air bags can also deploy at different speeds depending on magnitude of the
impact. Toyota's Camry seatbelts tighten immediately in an accident and drivers
also benefit from a deformable footrest and an anti-intrusion brake pedal that
help reduce leg injuries. As with all family good family oriented vehicles,
there are child seat anchors. Toyota has also strengthened the overall structure
of this 3040-pound Camry. This is evident when driving over uneven pavement
where this Toyota is much better than previous models at resisting what I call a
waltzing motion caused by the suspension having to deal with two different
obstacles at the same time.
On the negative
side, I didn't find this Toyota much of a beauty inside or out. The dash in flat
and boring. The stereo controls are a long reach for me, and the gauges could be
more legible with a different font. The exterior, with its high, slab sides,
angular nose, and upturned trunk area are too much for someone who appreciates
understated appearances.
The utility of the
interior is well above average. On the plus side, there is a lot of room inside
and plenty of storage, with a nice sized glove compartment and large centre
console. There are roomy door pockets, an overhead sunglass holder, and even
space for coins. The cupholders are good sized, but not great. Toyota has
mounted the Camry's front bucket seats in such a way as to give you a feeling of
command. The seats are quite comfortable, and the controls for the electric
motors proved easy to use.
The 16.7 cubic
feet trunk is spacious and the rear seats fold down to offer additional room,
but the rear deck opening is not as large as I would have liked and there is a
high lift over.
Dad's view: It's the engine that is the story here.
Yes, it can be a bit buzzy at the limits, but for daily commuting it excels.
Better yet, the 157-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder, all aluminum engine
earns ULEV status thanks to Variable Valve Timing with intelligence. Tied to the
four speed automatic transmission, the 162 pound-feet of torque this engine
produces at 4,000 rpm takes the fear out of high speed passing and on-ramp
squeeze-ins. And, I never got less than 25 mpg on unleaded in town driving.
Figure getting to 0 in just over nine seconds even when loaded. The transmission
is very good and its kick down is excellent at highway speed. The brakes were
another matter. The front disc and rear drum brakes with the optional ABS in our
test car did the job well, but the pedal feel is vague at times and during a
panic stop I found myself wishing for more immediate action.
Unemployed Female Graduate:
This Camry is not
easy to describe. It looks like a Lexus ES and has some excellent standard
features such as air conditioning with air filtration, power windows with auto
down, power mirrors and locks, and cruise control and yet it is priced closer to
the Korean built sedans or the much smaller Civic. Indeed, a base unit can be
shopped down.. Some features I would absolutely recommend would
be the side impact bags and the ABS. There is no need to be thrifty when your
life could be at stake. On the other hand, there is no reason not to order the
optional automatic transmission. Whatever you save on the standard transmission
will be quickly lost on resale and there is only a one-mile per gallon loss over
the automatic.
Driving the Camry
is uneventfully, if you avoid sharply curved roads where the fully independent
front MacPherson strut and rear Chapman strut suspension can't cope without
significant tire noise and lean. The LE is not a sports sedan, but the more
expensive SE model could be with its firmer suspension and larger tire-wheel
combinations. The ride is best described as comforting, bordering on floaty,
over most highway surfaces.
Would I buy this
Camry? No. The reason is simple. Despite the obvious advantages of price, good
reliability, high resale, and an excellent engine it just does not have the look
I desire. I should make it known that neither does the
Camry's major competition
such as the Accord,
Passat, or Nissan. I am looking for cachet and Toyota does
not appear to have harvested that concept since the Supra fell from production.
If I had a family and needed safe, economical transportation I would probably
appreciate the comfy confines of the Camry.
Family conference: There is little doubt in our
minds that the Camry is going to continue to be a best seller. It does
everything well and some things, such as gas mileage, room, and engine
performance in excellent fashion. This Toyota is an ideal car family vehicle for
those who don't need any extra excitement on their daily commute.
Written by The Car Family |
