mmarshall

By special request, a review of the 2007 Toyota Camry SE V6.


http://www.toyota.com/camry/models.html



In a Nutshell: After many years of Camry excellence, the sun may be starting to set.



Toyota, for 2007, introduced the 6th-generation Camry to the American marketplace. The enormous popularity of this car, its incredible sales numbers in the U.S. market (only the Honda Accord, among present-generation passenger cars, even comes close), its near-bulletproof reliability (if you kept the oil changed in the old 3.0 V6), and its reputation for engineering, comfort, and resale value are all well-known, especially by most of you CL members here....so much so that unlike many of my past reviews, I won't go into the car's history here in detail. Most of you, as Toyota/Lexus fans, already know that history as well or better than I do anyway, so since the specific request here was for a new SE V6 automatic, let's get down and dirty and get right to the buisness at hand: evaluating the car.


The 6th-generation Camry, now including a Hybrid model, fortunately continues some of the good features of previous models, like good noise isolation, superb exterior paint and fit/finish, a butter-smooth, refined powertrain, and a first-rate stereo, but otherwise I found the new model to be disappointing in a number of areas....primarily exterior styling, sunroof design, and, like in the new Tundra I reviewed previously, in much (not all) of the interior hardware, trim, and finish.

The Camry SE model, while not aimed directly at BMWs and Audis, is marketed primarily as a psuedo-sports sedan, but in reality, it is nothing but a run-of-the-mill family Camry sedan with some slightly different exterior and interior trim and slightly more aggressive suspension and tires...and (maybe) a slightly revised power-steering system. The SE 4 and V6 engines (yes, there is an SE four cylinder) are exactly the same as in other Camrys......and to top it off, a manual transmission is not avaliable with V6's even in the SE....a significant oversight.


So, do these few suspension and tire changes work....and do they make a difference? For the answers, read on.










Model Reviewed: 2007 Toyota Camry SE V6


Base Price: $24,815


Major Options:


Rear Spoiler: $200

Moonroof Package: $940

Stability System with Traction Control $650

Sport Shift **** $65

Carpet/Trunk Mat $199

XM Satellite Kit $449

CD Changer/Bluetooth/Satellite Package: $1000

Sport Convenience Package $275

Sport Leather Package / Heated Mirrors/ Seats $1770


Delivery and Processing: $620


List Price as Reviewed: $30,983





Drivetrain: FWD, 3.5L Transverse-mouned DOHC VVTi V6, 268 HP @ 6200 RPM, Torque 248 ft.-lbs @ 4700 RPM,
6-speed electronically controlled automatic.




Exterior Color: Blue Ribbon Metallic

Interior: Ash (light gray) Leather





PLUSSES:



Flawless, Toyota/Lexus-perfect paint job.

Good noise isolation.

Smooth, quiet, refined engine.

Smooth-Shifting transmission.

Reasonable lack of body roll.

Stiff body structure and a lack of rattles.

Class A stereo.

Fairly comfortable seats.

Good, clear control and gauge layout.

Lexus-type backlighting for primary gauges.

Slick-operating headlight and turn-signal stalks.

Solid-feeling power-window switches.

Strut-supported, solid-closing hood and doors.

Good exterior hardware and fit-and-finish.

Some nice paint colors (and the usual dull ones).

New tilt/telescope feature for steering wheel this year a plus.

Traditionally good resale value and low depreciation.






MINUSES:


Ugly (IMO) front end.

Ugly (IMO) rear end.

Worsening reliability record.

Traditionally tough dealer bargaining from high Camry demand.

Sunroof cuts out too much headroom.

Non-folding outside mirrors.

Automatic transmission saps a lot of engine power, especially with A/C on.

Mediocre brakes.

Relatively slow steering for a sports sedan.

Small trunk opening.

Poor engine access and tight fit underhood.

Awkward, zig-zag shifter.

Cheap interior trim.

Cheesy, poor-quality silver metallic interior paint.

Poorly-attached, wobbly climate-control and radio *****.

Weaker air-conditioning than past Toyota products.

Awkward, unresponsive, step-on parking brake.

Bash-your-knees lower dash panel.

Uncomfortable, poorly-designed optional Sport-Shift ****.

Optional trunk carpets and mats should be standard.

Steering wheel buttons too easy to hit accidentally.

Flimsy-feeling glove box and hardware.

Relatively stiff ride (by Camry standards) does not translate into quick steering response.

Fairly low SE-model front air dam and side skirts invite body and paint damage over humps.

Optional Smart Key / Push-button ignition available only on XLE and Hybrid models.

All-Trac AWD models and wagons not available in the U.S.






The first impression of the car, as you walk up to it, was, for me, not one of my more pleasant ones. Styling, of course, on some matters, is often a personal opinion, and not necessarily the car's fault, but the strong resemblance of the new Camry front end to that of the much smaller Yaris (whose looks I am not a fan of either), the too-small, too-flared trunk lid, and cats-eye taillights did not do much to endear me to the new car's looks. The SE model's styling, however, differs slightly from that of other Camrys (and is slightly less Yaris-like) by having a blacked-out honeycomb grille, a lowered front air dam, lowered side skirts, and, on my particular car, an optional ($200) trunk-lid spoiler. Unless people actually want these features for their looks, I don't see where they actually have any significant aerodynamic effect at any normal driving speed...in my book, all they do is make it more difficult to go over humps and other road irregularities without getting body damage.

Styling matters aside, however, the exterior, like that of most Camrys before it, is quite well done. Fortunately, the superb Toyota-Lexus paint quality, some of the best in the industry, is carried over, once again, into this new car. The Blue Ribbon paint on my test car was almost perfectly applied.....smooth as a mirror, shiny, and even, with no orange peel at all that I could detect. And this proves that orange peel, despite the opinions of some people, is NOT inevitable on today's cars...if Toyota and Lexus can do it while meeting EPA paint-application regulations, then so can other manufacturers. The quality and fit of the exterior sheet metal, too, is quite good...the doors, hood, and trunk, (especially the hood) all shut with a reasonably heavy, solid
sound. The quality of the exterior hardware is OK....good but not quite up to previous Camrys.......and the rigidly-attached, non-folding outside mirrors seem to be a sign of cost-cutting (I noticed the same thing on the Ford Fusion last week). Manufacturers say that they do this to cut down on wind noise around the mirrors and not just for cost-cutting, but I'm not convinced.

Open the strut-supported, solid-feeling hood (it seems to be steel where some other cars have aluminum) and the ubiquitous, transverse-mounted 3.5L Toyota/Lexus V6 is crammed in the available space pretty tightly, though not quite so tightly as on the Fusion I looked at last week. The huge, logo-stamped plastic cover on top of the engine (NOT found on the Fusion) further hampers access to any engine components....basically all you can get to is a couple of dipsticks and fluid containers. It also bears mentioning that while the SE model is marketed as a semi-sports sedan, its V6 is exactly the same as that of other V6 Camrys, with no modifications at all.....the HP and torque figures are identical.

Walk around back and open the trunk lid, which, due to the car's rear-end styling and the swept-back c-pillars, is, IMO, too small, and you are greeted to a reasonably well-finished trunk inside, but you have to buy an optional package to get it, which, again, IMO, you should not have to do in a car that lists for over 30K. The design of the lower-lid drop-down to the rear bumper still allows some reasonably bulky items to be loaded in, but overall, it is not the best design for carrying the things that families often take with them on vacation.....and the Camry, of course, SE or not, is designed primarily as a family car.

But forget the exterior......open the driver's door, get inside, and that is where, IMO, you will find most of the new car's disappointments. The doors, as I mentioned, are reasonably solid and close with a thunk, but once inside, there are a number of design and material-quality problems. The seats themselves are reasonably comfortable and well-shaped,and the light gray leather seems to be of reasonably high quality, but they have the short bottom cushions common to many Toyota-designed cars that don't do much for thigh support for tall people like me. And, once you get the power-operated seat set to a comfortable position for your torso, your knees jam up against the protruding lower-dash panel (this, I remember, was also a problem in the first-generation Cadillac CTS). And, for large people like me, you have to have the seat cushion down all the way for your head to clear the room-robbing sunroof. I couldn't really clear it all the way no matter how I set the seat.....and I can clear the sunroof in some vehicles. Legroom, except for the uncomfortable knee-bashing on the lower dash, is otherwise OK in front.

Look around you, and, with a few exceptions like the nice, slick, precise feel of the turn-signal-stalk and headlight switches, you are surrounded mostly by a cabin full of cheap-looking and cheap-feeling materials for a car in this class. The leather-covered steering wheel has the three spokes more or less expected of a sport sedan (other Camrys have four), but the small, flimsy, spoke-mounted buttons are located where they can be easily pushed accidentially even if you don't actually like to grip the spokes themselves, as I often like to do. The steering wheel materials generally have a light, cheap feel, though the leather covering is nice. The dash, as mentioned, is shaped badly for tall people to get their knees under. The thin, grainy, silver-metallic paint on the door-panels, wheel, dash, and console surfaces is just plain awful (only the top-line Camry XLE gets wood trim), much of the plastic has a bargain-basement feel, and some of the interior hardware, outside of the solid-feeling power window switches, feels like it was loosely attached. For instance, the radio *****, covered with some of that awful-looking silver paint, have a loose feel, and the three rotary climate-control ***** underneath them are so loosely attached that all three of them actually wobble as you rotate them....this, in contrast to the superb interior hardware of past Camrys, even in the the last-generation model. Fortunately, the stereo itself, once you get past the cheap, flimsy, ***** and buttons, is well-worthy of the car...it is not quite the equal of the LS460's Mark Levinson unit, but superb nonetheless (yes, I know I keep using the LS460's stereo as the industry benchmark, which it is...that may not be fair to less expensive vehicles).
The primary gauges are fine in their design, with no legibility problems, although I've never liked the way that some manufacturers, like on this car, use a full-circle speeometer and a partial-circle tach. The two look better, IMO, when they match and are of the same design. The white-faced gauges, with dark numbers and red needles, are back-lit like on most Lexus products.

In back, being a family-oriented car, legroom is generaly OK, but headroom suffers a little (not as much as on last week's Fusion) due to the roof design and the sunroof. This was not much of a problem on past Camrys, especially the superb 1992-1996 model, but has become more so in recent years as rooflines have tended to look more and more like humpback whales....and the new Camry is not the only vehicle to suffer from this. Shorter people are usually OK, but those six feet and over often end up scraping the roof. The rear seats in the top-line Camry XLE recline manually to help with this, not no other Camry, including the SE, gets this feature.


OK...time start it up. Here, again, is another interior shortcoming.....only XLE and Hybrid models get a start button and Smart-Key, and even on the XLE, it is an option. But, start it up the old-fashioned way, and you are treated to one of the car's good points.....a smooth, quiet idle and smooth, quiet operation under load (not surprising, since this basic engine is also used in several Lexus models as well). However, the effect of the automatic transmission's butter-smooth, quiet shifts takes its toll on throttle response, particularly in the notorious Washington, D.C. summer heat and humidity, which saps power, and with the A/C on. Don't get me wrong....the car is not a slug by any means, and will get out of its own way, but, under the conditions I drove it, at least, it had nowhere near the amount of spunk in the drivetrain that you would expect of a sports sedan, and even felt less responsive than my old automatic Lexus IS300, though it has over 50 more HP and 30 more ft.lbs. of torque. And consider that Toyota not only restricts the V6, even the SE, to the automatic only, but also offers an SE 4-cylinder as well, in manual or automatic form. So there is no way to get the manual transmission in the SE V6 that would allow better throttle response either.

As I mentioned, the smooth, quiet automatic transmission, even in manual Sport-Shift mode, is more worthy of a luxury car than a sport sedan. And, if there is any way out of it, don't waste your money ($65) on the optional Sport-Shift ****. It LOOKS classy (one of the few things inside that does), with its nice real-metal metallic housing, rod, and enmeshed-metallic-network finish, but it has a relatively sharp metal point on the top that juts out forward and is very uncomfortable to grip while using. Whoever designed this classy-looking but uncomfortable **** obviously never actually used it. And the transmission's shift gate, like in too many of today's cars (even many Subarus that I like) has that maddening, annoying ziz-zag pattern that is supposed to keep people from shifting into the wrong gear. Of course, it never occurred to today's designers that people could actually LOOK at what gear they are shifting into.

The chassis and tires, due to the sports-sedan designation of the SE, are a little different from other Camrys, getting (not surprisingly) a firmer suspension and lower-profile tires. This does stiffen up the ride noticeably from other Camrys, especially over bumps and broken pavement. Retained, however, is the Camry's traditionally low level of road and wind noise, even with the more aggressive tires. And the firmer suspension and tires do dampen a lot of the body roll found in other Camrys, though it still seems to have a slow steering response....I could not detect any any difference in the power-steering response or steering effort from that of more mundane Camrys I have driven in the past, despite Toyota's word that the SE has different steering gear than other Camrys (the Camry literature is silent this).

Brakes are OK but not Porsche-level by any means. The pedal feel is right on the borderline between what I would call firmness and sponginess, and the response is adequate but not certainly not at the level of a German sports sedan. There were no modulation problems, and response, though mediocre, was smooth and even. And, fortunately, the brake peeal did not have the hang-up problems with my big size 15 clodhoppers that a lot of vehicles do.









The Verdict?:

I don't like to give vehicles low ratings in my reviews, especially vehicles with the vast nationwide appeal that the Camry has, and the tens of millions of satisfied customers who have bought them over the years, but I honestly was not very impressed with the 2007 model, despite the addition of a Hybrid and an overdue tilt-and-telescope steering wheel. As I've already explained, some good things were carried over from previous models, but the new interior shows just too many signs of poor design and cost-cutting. Toyota seems to be using cheaper and cheaper interior materials for each new redesign they do....only the Corolla, for some reason, seems to have escaped this. And, while styling, of course, is a matter of taste and personal opinion, I've already mentioned that the trunk lid, tailights, and Yaris-like front end are not my cup of tea (though, as mentioned, the SE model's grille is less Yaris-like than on other Camrys). The SE model has a sports-sedan ride but not sports-sedan steering or handling, and the automatic transmission's butter-smoothness saps too much power from the V6 for a sport sedan.And, while the Camry is still on the list of on Consumer Reports' list of recommended sedans, its reliability record, in the last couple of years (the new model, of course, has insufficient data), has shown a distinct drop from its former near-bulletproof level.

I think that part of the problem is that Toyota seems to have grown so huge (they have now surpassed GM as the world's largest auto manufacturer) that the enormous number of vehicles they sell and the constant development and economic pressure on the designers, engineers, and accountants has finally caught up with their ability to make some of the world's best vehicles for the money. Now, I'm NOT saying that the new Camry is a piece of junk....it's certainly not, and I would still rather have one than some of its domestic competitors like the Pontiac G6 or Dodge Stratus/Chrysler Cirrus sedans, which in many ways, ARE a piece of junk....and at least the Camry doesn't have an I-Drive or MMI-type controller. But Toyota's efforts to cut corners in the interiors of both the new Camry and Tundra are noticeable, and, IMO, not a wise move......the average car-buyer spends far more time inside the car dealing with the interior than outside washing it or admiring the paint job.

And last, other automakers have not been standing still. Some of them, long in Toyota's rear-view mirror, are catching up in some areas and passing. The Subaru Legacy, Hyundai Sonata, Ford Fusion, and Mazda 6 all offer good alternatives to the Camry (and better-quality interiors)....at lower prices to boot. The Legacy, of course, has standard AWD, and the Fusion offers it as an option, though it shares the Camry's sunroof/headroom problem. The new Sonata, despite a too-flaccid driving feel for some, IMO trumps the new Camry in everything but noise isolation, paint, and drivetrain smoothness. The Honda Accord, up to now, has competed well with the Camry at slightly lower prices; but because a brand-new Accord is about to debut, I won't comment on it in this review, or how well it will stack up against the new Camry, until I see it and drive it (I will say that I like its exterior looks, though).

So, while the Camry, up to now, has dominated mid-size sedan sales for many years, in my opinion, its days as that segment's best and most popular vehicle may be drawing to a close. Certainly, its enormous sales numbers are not going to collapse overnight, and one can probably still count on good resale value.....some people are very slow to change auto-buying habits.......but it is becoming more clear now that other mid-sized cars are now offering better values, especially with their factory incentives and my reviewed Camry SE's $31,000 price tag.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Great review mmarshal. I think Toyota is trying to turn Camry into a disposable car, on purpose. They don't want it to last for 250K+ miles like the late 80ies and early 90ies models, however the same could be said about most new cars.

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

Somehow the new Camry/Solaras feel like they are indeed mass produced.. Tupperware comes to mind.

mmarshall

Thanks. The drivetrain, body, and chassis will probably last as long as previous Camrys. Most of the interior won't.

UberNoob

the style of the north american camry is really not attractive
especially the front end

the one made in taiwan is so much better looking
http://camry.toyota.com.tw/

maybe Toyota USA wants consumers to pay more attention to Avalon for higher end car?

mmarshall

Thanks. I didn't know that Toyota had a plant there in Taiwan. That model, I agree, is far better-looking than the ones built in Kentucky.

The new Avalon I reviewed when it first came out was, IMO, a far more pleasant car to look at, sit in, and drive than the Camry SE I reviewed yesterday, despite some of the Avalon's same problems inside with its poorly-done silver metallic paint and cheesy-looking orange wood trim.

Och

iTrader: (3)

I dont know about the drivetrain or chassis, but the body panels defenately wont.

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

thanks for the review. I guess it is pretty disappointing to hear all the lows of the new Camry and very few pluses..I'm very surprised that Toyota(Camry) is not up to par with today's automobiles. I hope Toyota doesn't continue this trend where we have to worry about reliability and the engineers to develop short cuts to build a car. I was also surprised that you rated the interior pretty low also. From Toyota's website the pics of the interior looked pretty good like something you would find on a higher end vehicle.. I can't beleive that there interior is utilizing cheap interior parts and cutting corners just to save a few bucks..

Thanks again

TOny

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

I have a few problems with this list to be honest with you mmarshall. It seems like you were really looking for things to pick apart here, and you were obviously overly critical.

First off, the styling is, like you said, completely objective. Many people, myself included, like the exterior styling of the new car so for you to list something objective under the "cons" section doesn't really make too much sense.

Worsening reliability record? They had a software fix for the 5AT and then a few problems with the 6AT, but I haven't heard of anything major aside from that and those issues have been resolved.

Dealer bargaining? Again, not the cars fault and not really a "fault" at all.

Sunroof cuts into headroom? Seriously? Did you just now notice this? This is the case with every car that has one...you're going to loose headroom.

Non folding mirrors? How relevant is that?

Poor engine access? Sorry, but I am sure that less than 5% of all Camry owners are going to be looking to pop the hood and get their hands dirty. Again, this is irrelevant.

Zig Zag shifter? A "GATED SHIFTER" is considered to be more upscale than a traditional vertical shift gate, like the old car had. I don't know where you came up with this.

Awkward unresponsive parking brake? What are you looking for here? I don't understand at all. You what some sort of road response when you depress the parking brake?

There is no optional sport shift **** from the factory so perhaps what you had was some sort of cheap dealer add-on...again, not the car's fault.

Smart Key and Push button start I don't think are that big of a deal. The Altima is the only other car in this class that offers them, and it distinguishes the XLE and Hybrid from the SE. Not relevant.

All Trac and AWD models not available in the US...well, please tell me what mainstream sedan is available in AWD aside from the Legacy, which has sales performance that is hardly "mainstream". Also IRRELEVANT.

I'm not trying to be critical of you, but it seems like simply because you didn't like how this car looked you had something against it going in. We have a Camry in the family and aside from the slight step backward in interior quality, it's a great car for the money. I am really baffled as to how you came away with such negative responses, and a list of minuses like the above.

GFerg

Cool review. My parents have owned three 2007 Camry's already (one was totaled) and I usually drive them when I go visit them. First, how tall are you?? I'm 6' - 6'1" and never had a problem with my legs touching the lower dashboard. In fact I have to move the seat forward just to be comfortable. I didnt even think it was possible to hit your knees on the dashboard. And my head never came close to the roof front or back and I like to sit high.

Havent had any build quality problems on any of the three cars (no loose ***** or trim pieces). However the first one they bought had a rough shifting transmission (one of the first 07 Camry's sold), but the rest have been flawless. I do agree that the interior with all the silver trim looks kinda cheap (but looks cool at night with the funky light blue backlighting). Silver trim is the latest interior fashion IMO. Some applications I like it, most I dont. I believe the entry level CE model comes with flat black interior trim. The lower portion of the dash is made out of that rough hard plastic which I hate. But on the flipside I think the interior is miles ahead of the 02-06 Camry which was just horrible in every way.

We find the truck opening to be better than the previous generation. Its the size of the trunk that we have had problems with. Its not as big as it used to be.

Never felt like the A/C was struggling. It blows incredibly cold and quiet even on the highest setting in our cars. Did you turn the **** to the Max A/C setting??

I do feel like the 07 Camry was rushed to market a little bit. IMO it still is one of the better choices out there(very well rounded daily driver car), but when it comes to the quality of the materials used on the interior they clearly could have done a better job.

mmarshall

Yes, styling is somewhat of an opinion....I made that clear. I was in a Pontiac-GMC dealership, several years ago, helping my ex-boss get a new Yukon, when a couple came in, fell in love with an AZTEK, of all things, and drove out a couple of hours later. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

But I personally don't like the new new Camry's front or rear ends, and in my book they go down as negatives. The rear-end and trunk styling also impede on the trunk shape and capacity. If you review the Camry yourself, you can write it up any way you want.

This is not my opinon. Consumer Reports, generally considered the best source available for auto reliability, has dropped the Camry's reliability rating the last couple of years one to two notches, depending on the issue. Now...that doesn't make it a lemon by any means, but, overall, it is not quite the bullet-proof icon it was a few years ago.

Agreed. But the hassles that some Toyota dealerships, in the past, have put potential Camry customers through in the haggle department because of the car's enormous demand and enviable reputation have come through for a lot of people as a negative experience. That is one of the things that have made no-haggle dealerships so attractive, whether it is full-list no-haggle or reduced-price, Internet no-haggle.

Yes and no. Some vehicles are MUCH better at integrating sunroofs and keeping headroom than others. And I am in a good position to know, with a 6' 2" , 280-lb. frame and an ever-present cap on.

Folding mirrors are nice whn you are washing the car and bump into them accidentally, as I often do, or whan you need to get in tight spaces.
Forgoing them is a sign of cost-cutting....electric motors, hinges, levers, etc...

They also cut down on the amount of potential body damage when a pedestrian or bicyclist sideswipes your car by absorbing the impact.....damage to the car and the person both.

Not quite, friend. Among the millions of Camry owners out there I'm sure there are those who want to do their own minor engine work and maintenance.

I disagree.....and I say this as the owner of a Subaru that has one. They are an unnecessary pain in the a**.


You are correct here.....Sorry, I forgot to explain that in the review. The foot-operated brake in the Camry was awkward for people with a big, heavy left leg like me, and did not seem to catch and engage the first time you pressed down on it.....it would spring back and you had to do it 3 or 4 times for it to finally catch.

My tested car had a factory sticker with it listed as a factory-installed device. It is also listed in the Camry brochure.

In a car that lists for $31,000, it should at least be an option.

Plenty of Audi, VW, BMW, Mercedes, Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln sedans offer AWD.....including the 20-25K Ford Fusion (see my review of the Fusion AWD just last week). AWD may not be mandatory but is really nice to have in bad weather.

Yes, previous Camrys WERE a great buy for the money......I'm not trying to be critical or disagree with you either just for the sake of disagreeing.. But times change.....and nothing lasts forever.

And if you notice my reply to a poster above, I specifically said that the drivetrain, body, and chassis probably WOULD last as long as earlier Camrys. But a lot of things inside the car are probably going to have to be replaced prematurely, and the silver trim paint is probably going to look terrible after only a few years if not handled with a lot of care.

Most of my CL reviews are done by specific request by CL members. When someone asks me for my opinion of a vehicle, whether it is on or off CL, they get my honest and unbiased opinion....guaranteed.....after almost 40 years of driving and evaluating cars. If they don't like my opinion, there are plenty of other car magazine, Internet, and newspaper auto reviews to choose from. And, unlike me, some of them test a vehicle at its limits....my reviews are mostly an objective look at the vehicle for everyday driving, not track or drag-strip stuff.

Gian

I disagree with a lot of your negative points, especially because they're mainly subjective.

And you stated you test drove a Camry SE V6 AWD. As far as I know, those aren't available here in the US?

Hmmm. Not a great review - but thanks for your opinion.

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

Heh, my family has never owned a Camry before. They just recently purchased a CE with the 4-banger, the base model. I have to say I am pretty impressed with the car. Good acceleration and brakes for a car this size and the size of the engine. Agree with the shifter, no need for the gated design. I much prefer a straight up and down design. Have to say there is ample room without the sunroof. I'm 6'2" 230lbs and I had plenty of room. The interior silver paint does seem surprisingly cheap. I was disappointed, but as another posted, looks pretty cool at night with back lighting. The non-folding side mirrors were a negative surprise. Unnecessary cost cutting design. 4 cylinder so no engine compartment issues for me.

Mmarshall, I guess I'm in the other camp as I actually like the new design of the camry. Much more distinctive than previous designs. I also like the extras on the SE trim. But all in all, thanks for the review. Always appreciated.

mmarshall

Some are...some aren't. My opinions, however, stand....I am not changing them.


Yes, you are correct.....sorry, that was a typo. Thanks for pointing that out. I will edit that.


Be my guest.......there are plenty of other auto reviews out there on the Internet and in auto mags if you don't like mine. This one, like most of mine, was done at request.

mmarshall

Even though we are the same height, perhaps your torso length is a little different than mine. With the sunroof, I found it difficult to get the seat low enough to fit in well without my head scraping the lowered ceiling....some vehicles are worse than others in this regard.

Congragulations on your family purchase. While I was not impressed with the new Camry interior, the car has some good (and even excellent) points as well. The CE model you bought will likely have a more comfortable ride than the SE and be less likely to scrape its lower body panels over bumps. The one you bought probably lists for a lot less, too....especially as a CE model.