For about twenty years, I've seen many non-auto enthusiasts spell it out that way. It sounds so bad when spoken, I just started calling it that, along with some of my colleagues and comrades. Same thing happened back in the 90's when GMC was still selling the Safari. That one quickly turned into "Saffery," which even the dealer started saying.

 

 

 

The $40k+ model has a long list of cheesy, rip-off accessories added. This is very common on new models, in order to extract as much money out of each excited new customer who cannot wait for one model year. Sad.
Thought I'd like the standard SE rims, but they look bad here. May as well take a photo of a flower, all it's petals, and paste them on as rims.

 

which is why if one goes Camry, may as well be the ones with configuration under $30K non V6 (SE with options, or barebones XSE).

 

i hear that toyota is doing 0% for 60 months on the 2018 camry.

 

That F-Sport interior looks nice. $40K for a Camry though, YIKES

 

What about a top spec Camry hybrid vs an ES300h? The Camry has a smoother, quieter and more fuel efficient drivetrain whereas the ES hybrid could be quieter overall. I'm wondering if the ES is worth the extra money if you don't need the extra rear seat room

 

Of course the es is now a lot older, but the next one will no doubt be a bigger step up from camry.

 

The ES is currently in its 6th model year and I'm sure the next gen will continue maintain its separation from the Camry as well as the Avalon. It's been able to do that over the years.

 

So suffice to say that the new Camry is more ES-like, but we are hopeful the new ES continues to significantly differentiate itself from the Camry and justify the $10K +/- cost differential.

And folks jeed need to decide if they want something that is now close the the existing ES (and price) or continue to pay for "luxury" 😉

 

$40k is getting a bit sporty, but if it's a great package it could be worth it. I doubt many will be packaged that way. With a quick search on Cars.com, I see you can easily spend $36k on an outgoing Accord, $37k on a Maxima, $35k on a Legacy or Passat, and $37k on a Malibu. I would absolutely pay $3k more for a new Camry than a Malibu, even though I think the Malibu is a nice package.

 

I didn't believe you that it was possible to option a Malibu up to $37,000 until I went to Chevy's website. I always look at that car as the fleet special, ie if you spent more than $20,000 on one you got screwed. The Premium model does have every single type of driver's aide optional though, stuff like radar cruiser control, panoramic sunroof, etc if you want it. Also looked at incentives, apparently Chevy really needs to move those old 2017 Malibus off the lot, 20% off all 2017 Malibus(2018 Malibus have a $500 incentive) That $37k Malibu is now $30k, which probably has the most technology/equipment bang for your buck of any car, I mean some of the stuff on a loaded Malibu is still optional on a $100k Benz S-class. Still not what I'd buy, as a 250hp 2.0 liter turbo 4 is rather lame vs the V6 Camry, styling is blah, fit/finish has some issues(not a big deal if you get the cheap one around $20k IMO)

 

In a half year, no Camry will sell for $40k or even $36k. Historically, the Camry-Accord-Altima rivalry is one of the hottest segments in the industry. Incentives and easy bargaining will drop the price once the initial hype is over. These manufacturers have stringent sales goals and numbers to meet, and that will move these cars out at the appropriate price slot- all likely between $20k to $30k.

 

It makes me wonder what most car magazine writers are smoking, at least when it comes to reviewing sedans like the Camry and Accord. They harp on and on about driving dynamics and fancy interior tech without looking at reliability or ergonomics. The Camry has slightly better dynamics than before (no big deal) but the 2018 Accord still has lots of road noise. I was a TSX owner before and although I found the handling fun, the hard suspension and tire/wind noise made it a tiring car to drive.