As those of you who slavishly devote yourselves to my every word know. . .
I'm not a huge fan of the Camry...
That's right, kids. 268 Clydesdales, all chomping at the bit. I know I'm a little childish, but there is something so viscerally satisfying about chirping the tires off the line and burning a Mustang, or a Chevelle, or anything, in a generic little Toyota family car. So much fun. And I actually found the shiftable automatic transmission much smoother than many out there, including some 3 Series BMWs. Nice engine sound also, when you manually shift.
I still wouldn't own one. I'm a great believer in handling, perhaps even more than power, cuz if you have the power, you want to feel absolute confidence about using it. But the Camry's designed for comfort, and it certainly handles well enough. I've made my peace with it. It's no accident Toyota's sold about a gajillion of 'em.
Doug Lloyd, Senior Copy Editor, @ 16,218 miles
carlisimo says:
01:54 PM, 06/11/07
My friend and I drove a 4cyl new Camry from San Jose, CA to Seattle. To my surprise, I found the sightlines of the 2007 Camry perfectly acceptable. I also liked the shiftable automatic a lot when we were driving up the mountains in Northern California.
Dynamically the car felt great in cities - also a surprise - but I never felt comfortable in the long sweepers of the mountain sections (70mph limit). It wasn't even that floaty, but I wasn't having a good time at all.
ihatetoyota says:
03:56 PM, 06/11/07
Yeah, i'd like to see a Camry even come near a Mustang or Chevelle. And you call 268 HP powerful? Try an Impala SS, or a Charger SRT8.
funkymunky says:
04:14 PM, 06/11/07
No need for hatin', friend. The point was that I was very quick off the line. No, I wasn't actually drag-racing in a Camry. But there were a few times when cars like those would accelerate from a light and I'd floor it, quickly, just for the effect of doing it in a Camry.
billt9 says:
07:00 PM, 06/11/07
Try to find some crushed up city roads, where the bumps are constant.
Then you appreciate the Camry's ability to glide over them at 50 mph without feeling much jolting. (good)
You can take on any yellow speed bumps at full speed. (not good)
Sometimes it makes you drive too fast and get a ticket though. (not good)
But the significant lean on corners is uncomfortable.
greenpony says:
11:00 AM, 06/12/07
It *is* a little embarrassing when my V8-powered Stang loses to a (more powerful and more efficient) V6-powered Camry... I just need to start putting money into mods, I guess.
pengwin says:
02:27 PM, 06/12/07
hi, i have a question, is this an American built camry or a japanese built one?
alpha01 says:
03:41 PM, 06/12/07
Naturally, given the Camry's suspension bias, there's comments on its benign handling characteristics. I'd really like to see Edmunds.com and its editors evaluate an SE V6, and make comparisons... the only Camrys this staff has written about are the Camry XLE V6 which won the comparo, the Camry Hybrid, and this LE V6, which is essentially the same handling-wise as the XLE.....
~alpha
carfreak8394 says:
04:49 PM, 06/12/07
I agree with Alpha.
jaeger1 says:
05:00 PM, 06/21/07
When I test drove the Camry the one thing that really impressed me was the power. This thing really hustles. But it does so in such and understated, hushed, and unobtrusive manner, you hardly notice. It is abundtantly clear that amongst the designers of the Camry, driver isolation is regarded as a virtue and driver involvement a vice. For those with similar values, it's a great car. But it's sure not for me.
I drove both the XLE version (I'd describe the handling as "terrible", except the way that thing floated and wallowed doesn't even remotely accord with my concept of "handling" at all) and the SE version (which I would describe as "pretty darned good", except that my positive impression may have been significantly informed by comparison to the XLE).
snyder123 says:
05:27 AM, 09/ 9/07
"IHATETOYOTA"
SHUT UP
I take care of Mustang GT's at the lights all the time.
By the way the Impala SS first off has 303HP and Is front wheel drive that's just stupid.
I can keep up with Charger SRT8's and smoke Charger R/T's
Plus My Camry should last for at least 10 Years those crappy American cars will be in the junk yard by then
xoquixxoqafxo says:
10:59 AM, 07/21/08
IN RESPONSE TO "ihatetoyota" you are just a lttle toyota hater aren't you?? 268 horses in a family sedan that weighs 3200 lbs is a lot and it will definetly smoke a V6 Mustang. The new camry V6 accelerates to 60mph in 6.2 secs according to motortrend and that is quick enough to embarrase some BMW 330i. BTW the charger SRT-8 might be faster but its sucks gas up like a huge SUV, also has a nasty gas guzzler tax added to the sticker and cant touch the camry's 19/28 mpg ratings :P