Never have I been so thankful for slack steering than on the drive from the Camry’s new home in Detroit to the Chicago Auto Show. We admit that when the roads were dry last week we let the Camry sit while we drove an Audi RS4. I mean, come on. It’s got the meanest, nastiest exhaust note in the business...
But I was thankful to have a less frenetic ride on the 300-mile slog to Chicago, particularly when west of Kalamazoo, Michigan the world turned white around me. Remember the driving scenes early in the movie Fargo
? Like that. On standard all-season tires, the Camry coped as well as any vehicle on the band of ice that stretched all the way to Chicago. And, judging by the number of passenger vehicles and semi-trucks which had bored themselves into roadside snow banks, the Camry did substantially better than many.
Any abrupt move in those conditions usually ends in damage to your vehicle, yourself or your pride--and sometimes all of the above. The Camry's relatively dull responses, which I might complain about under other circumstances, proved a life-saver. So, I’m sorry Camry for neglecting you for that German tart. --Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit
2002blksle says:
12:53 PM, 02/ 8/07
Living in Minnesota, I must say that Stability Control is the best option you could add to your Toyota purchase. It is amazing technology. We have it on our 04 Highlander 4x4 and 07 Camry XLE. I know.. I know.. it might not let me do doughnuts in the high school parking lot or roast the tires on an on-ramp.. but it is damn near impossible to ever get the back end to kick out during slippery conditions no matter how hard you even try. Being in my 30's and married with a baby.... I prefer the latter anyway.
banhugh says:
07:44 PM, 02/ 8/07
Alas, I am crazy for saying that but I am sure that the RS4 would be as good as the Camry under these conditions. Just be easy on the gas pedal, use a gear higher than the right one, don't do any sudden steering maneuvers and you would be fine. You might even have better grip with bigger tires that I assume that the Audi has. Unless they are summer tires.
eric_l says:
09:27 AM, 02/11/07
I think its pretty funny how you show an older GM SUV off the side of the road, but there is a newer GMC crossover (Acadia?) in front of you.
jerrywimer says:
01:22 PM, 02/13/07
The older GM is rear drive / 4x4 (if the latter- you can no longer tell from the exterior unless you actually get underneath the front). The newer is front drive / AWD (again, no way to tell outside). The latter is probably better for the average driver in conditions like those pictured, even though either (or even a car, as illustrated in this post) can be perfectly fine if driven properly.