Two months later: Toyota Camry experiences
So you may remember that a couple months ago I got a new (well new to me) 2007 Camry (the 4 cylinder SE model), and in the past couple months I have put a few thousand miles on it, both in the city and one long driving trip, and have definitely formed a few impressions of the car. The early verdict is mostly good, and a definite improvement over my old car, but it is not perfect either and has some flaws.
So, really briefly...
The good:
Style: I do not get tired of looking at the thing. It is stylish enough to stay interesting but not outrageous enough to get tired quickly, the way I did of the ridges on my old Grand Am.
Handling: The car handles well. The steering feels really tight, and I feel very in control of the road when I drive. Recently when I was in the Ozarks region I traveled on an incredibly twisty county road for a few miles and the car proved its mettle here. It doesn't feel like a boring sedan.
Suspension: Well-tuned...you can feel the road and you are not isolated, but at the same time it doesn't jar you to pieces like an economy car.
Interior storage: Lots of it. Compared to the single storage area in my Grand Am, it feels like I have moved into a larger house or something; there are numerous storage areas as well as two cup holders. And extra credit for Toyota's ability to put lids on everything, which will keep things like the cup and coin holders from turning into grimy messes as the years wear on.
"Solidity": Not sure how to qualify this, but the car just feels very mature and solid, almost dignified, at least in comparison to what I have driven before. I have no idea if this will be ephemeral or not, but for now that is my impression.
Built-in aux. audio input: Why this isn't standard on every car built, I do not know.
The neutral:
Power: It's a four-cylinder so I am not expecting the acceleration of my old Grand Am, but generally, the car has been OK but not spectacular here. I feel I have plenty of power for most tasks, but sometimes I miss the old power when trying to accelerate up a hill. Still, nothing to really complain about.
Mileage: It has been good. About 30+ on the highway and 25 or so in the city. About spec. The big (18 gallon) tank is nice, as I can drive it forever between fillups.
Air conditioning: The AC seems a bit weaker then I would expect, but not enough to really be a negative. My car has black cloth seats, which probably make it work harder then it has to.
The bad:
Cruise control: The cruise control is very fussy, constantly downshifting and upshifting to try to maintain the exact speed on even the tiniest hills. I think this may have something to do with the drive-by-wire throttle system, as it is entirely computer controlled and way too fussy about keeping the exact speed, causing all the shifting around rather then smoothly anticipating change like a human driver or an analog system with some "give" to it would do.
Transmission: This is the Camry's one real flaw: the Camry automatic transmission simply sucks. There's no way around it. 95% of the time it works normally, but those other 5% of the time annoy a conscientious driver. The tranny is computer-controlled and sometimes it just shifts in bizarre ways, especially when going down hills, or when you gradually reduce throttle as you start to coast or use engine braking. When this happens you may get unexpected shifting and at its worst it feels like you are a passenger in a car being driven by someone learning to drive a stick for the first time. At least that is my impression -- Dave drove it and didn't feel a thing, so this may be more of a perception issue for drivers who are in tune with the mechanical feel of a car.
Overall:
A very good car. It looks decent, it drives decent, it is comfortable, and can occasionally even be exciting. I don't know if I would call it a car of the year like Motor Trend magazine, but it is clearly a solid car.
So, really briefly...
The good:
Style: I do not get tired of looking at the thing. It is stylish enough to stay interesting but not outrageous enough to get tired quickly, the way I did of the ridges on my old Grand Am.
Handling: The car handles well. The steering feels really tight, and I feel very in control of the road when I drive. Recently when I was in the Ozarks region I traveled on an incredibly twisty county road for a few miles and the car proved its mettle here. It doesn't feel like a boring sedan.
Suspension: Well-tuned...you can feel the road and you are not isolated, but at the same time it doesn't jar you to pieces like an economy car.
Interior storage: Lots of it. Compared to the single storage area in my Grand Am, it feels like I have moved into a larger house or something; there are numerous storage areas as well as two cup holders. And extra credit for Toyota's ability to put lids on everything, which will keep things like the cup and coin holders from turning into grimy messes as the years wear on.
"Solidity": Not sure how to qualify this, but the car just feels very mature and solid, almost dignified, at least in comparison to what I have driven before. I have no idea if this will be ephemeral or not, but for now that is my impression.
Built-in aux. audio input: Why this isn't standard on every car built, I do not know.
The neutral:
Power: It's a four-cylinder so I am not expecting the acceleration of my old Grand Am, but generally, the car has been OK but not spectacular here. I feel I have plenty of power for most tasks, but sometimes I miss the old power when trying to accelerate up a hill. Still, nothing to really complain about.
Mileage: It has been good. About 30+ on the highway and 25 or so in the city. About spec. The big (18 gallon) tank is nice, as I can drive it forever between fillups.
Air conditioning: The AC seems a bit weaker then I would expect, but not enough to really be a negative. My car has black cloth seats, which probably make it work harder then it has to.
The bad:
Cruise control: The cruise control is very fussy, constantly downshifting and upshifting to try to maintain the exact speed on even the tiniest hills. I think this may have something to do with the drive-by-wire throttle system, as it is entirely computer controlled and way too fussy about keeping the exact speed, causing all the shifting around rather then smoothly anticipating change like a human driver or an analog system with some "give" to it would do.
Transmission: This is the Camry's one real flaw: the Camry automatic transmission simply sucks. There's no way around it. 95% of the time it works normally, but those other 5% of the time annoy a conscientious driver. The tranny is computer-controlled and sometimes it just shifts in bizarre ways, especially when going down hills, or when you gradually reduce throttle as you start to coast or use engine braking. When this happens you may get unexpected shifting and at its worst it feels like you are a passenger in a car being driven by someone learning to drive a stick for the first time. At least that is my impression -- Dave drove it and didn't feel a thing, so this may be more of a perception issue for drivers who are in tune with the mechanical feel of a car.
Overall:
A very good car. It looks decent, it drives decent, it is comfortable, and can occasionally even be exciting. I don't know if I would call it a car of the year like Motor Trend magazine, but it is clearly a solid car.
posted by Mike at
2:01 PM
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