mmarshall

Part of that is because the V6 is only offered the XSE version....with the sport-wheels and tires. If it was offered as an option in other versions of the Camry, it would probably sell a lot better.

Ditto for the Accord, BTW.....which dropped the V6 altogether. Check this article out:

https://www.torquenews.com/4343/wher...ners-want-know

BippuLexus

Maybe it'll sell better but I'm not too sure. I'm not too sure for one specific reason - cost. If you add a V6 option to the LE/SE trim, it'll sharply increase the price. A lot of people shopping for Camrys usually just want a cheap A to B full-size economy car. This is why the LE/SE sells so well.

mmarshall

Oh, definitely. I'm not disagreeing with you on that at all. In most cases, though, a V6 runs so much better and more refined than an in-line four that it is worth the price of admission. I love the V6 in my Lacrosse. But, of course, for buyers who think otherwise (and yes, there are plenty of them)...there are plenty of 4-banger Camrys.


If a 4-cylinder mid-size or full-size sedan is all they what, they can get several of the Camry's competitors (including the Sonata and Optima) at a lower price. And the Koreans, IMO, actually give you more solid-feeling hardware inside and out.

Sulu

The take rate of the Camry V6 may be small but it may be a marketing special. Its role may be to attract prospective buyers into the showroom, but once there, they decide to buy an almost-as-good but much less expensive 4-cylinder model instead.

tex2670

Yup. An amazing number of people have no idea what this even means. They just "feel" whether they have enough power. I have a neighbor that will research just about every purchase he makes. He took 9 months to find a washer/dryer; he went to 3 different stores before choosing a run-of-the-mill microwave; he read 100s of on-line reviews in choosing a basement couch between Ikea or Bob's. But when he was looking to replace his Hyundai Santa Fe coming off lease, I suggested the CX-9; and I told him to drive it to make sure he was comfortable with the turbo 4 compared to his car. His response: "I thought my car has a 4-cylinder?" If people are happy with how it drives, for the most part, they could care less how big the engine is.

Exactly--most people are drawn in by the overall package/features, not by the engine size/cylinders.

sorptd

BippuLexus

For sure. A V6 is hands down more smooth than an inline 4 or a turbo 4. And for car enthusiast, who prefer a V6, it will definitely be worth the price.

But for the average consumer - they probably won't care or won't even know the difference to be honest. Lol.

Gonna agree with you there, the Korean competition does offer better warranty and features for a better price. The problem Hyundai and KIA has is brand perception still. Toyota sells because Toyota.

+1. Yeah. For the average consumer, they are drawn to the overall features within the car - not the engine size/cylinders/transmission/platform/handling and etc... Usually - an average consumer will get the car with the nice brand and features that will apply to their driving needs.

BoDarville

actually 6.0 seconds according to last instrumented test by c&d, and 6.4 5-60. consistent with most driving impressions of the car, and definitely not class leading.

arentz07

I think they messed up somehow. I tested my own IS 300 AWD and managed 6.3 seconds with 2/3 a tank of fuel, and without brake torqueing. There's no way with 50 more horsepower that the IS 350 is only .3 seconds faster.

situman

Because in a big suv with AWD makes sense to have more torque and I think most people will understand that. In a light car competing against the Camry and Accord, you probably need better than "hey we have 250hp on good gas." I'm still curious though, how a fwd car can put down all that torque at such low RPMs

geko29

It wasn't that long ago that the V6 was available in all but the lowest trim levels. And still the take rate was just six percent.

mmarshall

6% of Camry numbers, though, is still a fair number of sales. Don't forget, you are talking about one of the few sedans that still sells several hundred thousand each year (far more than the thread-topic Mazda6), despite the rush to SUVs.

BippuLexus

C&D definitely messed up their 0-60 time for sure. MotorTrend got 5.5 seconds, Autoblog got 5.6 seconds and Lexus quotes 5.6 seconds for their IS350 as an official number.

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/lexus...rt-first-test/
5.5 seconds.
https://www.autoblog.com/2014/02/04/...is-350-review/
5.6 seconds.
https://www.lexus.com/models/IS/spec...ort-rwd#engine
5.6 seconds.

These times are faster than the:
Audi A4 0-60 5.7 seconds.
MB C300 0-60 5.8 seconds.
Acura TLX 0-60 6 seconds.

Tied with:
BMW 330i 5.5 - 5.6 seconds.

Slower than:
Infiniti Q50 3.0TT

While the Lexus IS350 F-Sport might not be first place in the segment (Q50 is first) compared to Germans and other Japanese manufacturers, they are definitely leading it too.
Note: I'm not comparing the IS350 F-Sport to the Q50 Red Sport, 340i, C43 AMG and S4 because these cars are of a different segment.

Also - I want to point the Lexus IS have amazing handling too. Its the best handling car within the segment. The Lexus IS is the first car to ever top the BMW 3 Series within the segment regarding handling.

geko29

That they sold ~23k cars with the v6 last year is immaterial. You said it would sell a lot better if they offered it in more trim levels. They did, and it didn't.

BoDarville

well if lexus quotes that time as an official number than i guess it is beyond questioning. that settles it for me, on my way to lexus dealership now..... hope i can talk them down to msrp, wish me luck!!!