2007 Camry: still leader of the pack (NY TIMES)
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2007 Camry: still leader of the pack (NY TIMES)
The New York Times
May 7, 2006
Behind the Wheel
2007 Toyota Camry: Looking Out for Numero Uno
By PETER PASSELL
HOW do you redesign the best-selling car in America? To paraphrase the old joke: very, very carefully.
The sixth-generation Toyota Camry looks and handles better than the previous incarnation, but the changes will in no way alienate those who have long prized the sedan for its comfort, quiet and durability. It shouldn't come as a surprise, then, that Toyota is confident enough about the 2007 Camry's prospects to supplement its assembly capacity in Kentucky by borrowing a Subaru plant in Indiana. (Toyota recently bought a large stake in Subaru's parent, Fuji Heavy Industries, from General Motors).
The new Camry is hardly invulnerable to competition. The Honda Accord and Nissan Altima (and, to a lesser degree, the Mazda 6 and Volkswagen Passat) have been nipping at the Camry's flanks for years by appealing to the tastes of younger consumers who want sportier — and, in many cases, less expensive — family sedans. What's more, the Camry must fend off challenges from fresh designs like the value-laden Hyundai Sonata, the slick-handling Ford Fusion and, next year, a revamped Accord.
It is also worth noting that the new Camry has gone on sale when Toyota's reputation for bulletproof quality is showing some dings. The company's larger Avalon sedan, assembled in the same Georgetown, Ky., factory as many Camrys, has been plagued by glitches. Indeed, citing complaints about the Avalon's steering, suspension and body integrity, Consumer Reports downgraded its rating of the 2005 model to the middle of the pack. And Toyota has already recalled some early-production 2007 Camrys with V-6 engines, to fix transmission problems.
Toyota is quite open about the need to find younger buyers, since the average age of Camry customers has crept up to 55. To that end, the designers edged away from the generic Japanese-sedan look. Indeed, while the new Camry probably won't engage style-conscious shoppers who lust for a sleek Audi A4 or a retro Mustang, the more aggressive front end, raised window line and liberal application of creases to the sheet metal do add some electricity to the ultimate driving appliance.
By the same token, Toyota spruced up the interior with jazzier display lighting and even a "natural moisturizer" coating on its high-end upholstery fabric — intended to be more comfortable for bare skin.
As in the past, the Camry comes in more flavors than Ben & Jerry's. The entry-level CE is nicely equipped — standard fare includes four-wheel disc brakes with an emergency-assist feature, seven air bags, a tire-pressure-warning system, halogen headlamps, a tilting-and-telescoping steering wheel, power windows and locks, and a six-speaker 160-watt sound system.
Next up is the LE, which Toyota expects to account for 60 percent of sales; it adds a power driver's seat, remote locking and other features. The fancy XLE (a kissing cousin to the Lexus ES) supplements the LE's amenities with a better stereo, dual-zone climate control, power front seats and moonroof, fog lamps and an auto-dimming inside mirror.
The Camry SE, like previous models carrying that designation, has sporting pretensions — only this time the differences are more than skin-deep. Along with jaunty trim (a black grille, front and rear spoilers, leather-wrapped steering wheel), the SE gets a stiffer suspension and wider, lower-profile tires on bigger (17-inch) alloy wheels.
Toyota has also endowed the Camry line with a gasoline-electric hybrid model that has its own trim package; that car was previously reviewed on these pages.
All four nonhybrid grades come with a four-cylinder dual-overhead-cam engine (2.4 liters, 16 valves) carried over from the 2006 model year; four-cylinder models sold in states that follow California's emissions rules are rated "partial zero emission vehicles," or PZEV's, the most favorable rating applied to conventional gasoline engines.
The four-cylinder engine has been tuned for a modest increase in horsepower (158, up from 154) and torque (161, up from 160); the PZEV's ratings are slightly lower. All versions but the hybrid and CE can be bought with a new 3.5-liter V-6 (24 valves, dual cams, aluminum block). This power plant, which yields 268 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque, is shared with the Avalon. Both engines run fine on regular-grade gas.
The four-cylinder motor comes with a five-speed manual transmission, but Toyota expects almost everybody to pony up an extra $941 for a five-speed automatic. The V-6 comes only with an automatic, a new six-speed unit with the potential for Tiptronic-style manual shifting.
But wait — the menu is even more comprehensive. Most of the luxury features that are standard in the XLE are also available for due financial consideration in other models. Note, too, that leather seats and satellite navigation systems are options on the SE and XLE, while stability and traction control (packaged as a single option) can be had with all four trim grades.
Cafeteria-style choice is good for consumers, right? And for Toyota, too, because it gives the marketing department more wiggle room to go with the flow. For example, it lets the company advertise a CE for just $18,850, even as it courts customers prepared to pay $30,000-plus for a loaded XLE V-6.
More subtly, it creates a way to fine-tune prices to meet demand without resorting to rebates in lean times, or giving dealers license to charge premiums in the fat times. When demand is strong, Toyota can force the mix of cars sold — for example, by delivering more LE's with high-margin options like the moonroof ($752) and the 440-watt JBL premium stereo ($750). In a weak market, the company can offer packages of high-markup options at a discount.
I tested both an LE with the four-cylinder engine and five-speed automatic and an SE with the new V-6. The bread-and-butter LE provided few surprises, which is just the way Toyota likes it. The seats are exceptionally comfortable, and the brightly lighted display and oversize dashboard controls are models of ergonomic excellence.
At cruising speed the LE is as quiet and vibration-free as most luxury cars, though the hard-working four-cylinder engine makes a decidedly unluxurious clatter under acceleration. The transmission shifts seamlessly, often anticipating the need to downshift. The brakes felt terrific.
If there are any surprises in the LE, it is in the handling. As with previous Camrys, the steering can be vague and the suspension seems a tad wobbly on broken pavement by comparison with, say, the Accord or the Mazda 6. But Toyota has definitely improved the sedan's cornering capabilities.The LE can actually be entertaining to pilot on well-maintained roads, tracking high-speed turns with considerable aplomb.
What works well in the somewhat underpowered four-cylinder LE works even better in an SE with the V-6. The combination of stiffer shocks, fatter tires and added steel braces (for extra rigidity) make a huge difference, transforming the SE into a real driver's car. By the same token, the V-6 is more than adequate, providing confidence-inducing acceleration for entering freeways and passing on two-lane roads.
Though excellent in every way, the six-speed automatic didn't seem like a big improvement over the five-speed with the four-cylinder engine. The tall sixth gear may explain, though, how this big, powerful sedan manages a relatively thrifty federal economy rating (22 m.p.g. in town and 31 on the highway).
The four cylinder does even better, of course, with a rating of 24/33 with the automatic transmission.
All told, the SE is the first Camry that is competitive in performance terms with similarly equipped Accords. Unfortunately, in contrast to the Accord, no manual transmission is available on V-6 Camrys.
Along with its continuing rivalry with the Accord and the Altima, the Camry must now contend with a challenge from the Ford Fusion, which is a cut above the Camry in handling, and the Hyundai Sonata, which is several thousand dollars cheaper and has a longer bumper-to-bumper warranty (six years, compared with three). More generally, features that made the Camry so special a decade ago — the exceptionally quiet cabin, remarkable fit and finish and reputation for durability — are now commonplace in this part of the market.
Too, virtually every competing vehicle is also loaded with convenience features from auto-dimming mirrors to fold-down rear seats. Thus, the big question is not whether the new Camry is a worthy successor to the 2006 model, but whether its design and quality still merit the $2,000 to $5,000 premium that it commands over, say, an Altima or a Fusion.
INSIDE TRACK: The leader of a pack that's catching up quickly.
Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
May 7, 2006
Behind the Wheel
2007 Toyota Camry: Looking Out for Numero Uno
By PETER PASSELL
HOW do you redesign the best-selling car in America? To paraphrase the old joke: very, very carefully.
The sixth-generation Toyota Camry looks and handles better than the previous incarnation, but the changes will in no way alienate those who have long prized the sedan for its comfort, quiet and durability. It shouldn't come as a surprise, then, that Toyota is confident enough about the 2007 Camry's prospects to supplement its assembly capacity in Kentucky by borrowing a Subaru plant in Indiana. (Toyota recently bought a large stake in Subaru's parent, Fuji Heavy Industries, from General Motors).
The new Camry is hardly invulnerable to competition. The Honda Accord and Nissan Altima (and, to a lesser degree, the Mazda 6 and Volkswagen Passat) have been nipping at the Camry's flanks for years by appealing to the tastes of younger consumers who want sportier — and, in many cases, less expensive — family sedans. What's more, the Camry must fend off challenges from fresh designs like the value-laden Hyundai Sonata, the slick-handling Ford Fusion and, next year, a revamped Accord.
It is also worth noting that the new Camry has gone on sale when Toyota's reputation for bulletproof quality is showing some dings. The company's larger Avalon sedan, assembled in the same Georgetown, Ky., factory as many Camrys, has been plagued by glitches. Indeed, citing complaints about the Avalon's steering, suspension and body integrity, Consumer Reports downgraded its rating of the 2005 model to the middle of the pack. And Toyota has already recalled some early-production 2007 Camrys with V-6 engines, to fix transmission problems.
Toyota is quite open about the need to find younger buyers, since the average age of Camry customers has crept up to 55. To that end, the designers edged away from the generic Japanese-sedan look. Indeed, while the new Camry probably won't engage style-conscious shoppers who lust for a sleek Audi A4 or a retro Mustang, the more aggressive front end, raised window line and liberal application of creases to the sheet metal do add some electricity to the ultimate driving appliance.
By the same token, Toyota spruced up the interior with jazzier display lighting and even a "natural moisturizer" coating on its high-end upholstery fabric — intended to be more comfortable for bare skin.
As in the past, the Camry comes in more flavors than Ben & Jerry's. The entry-level CE is nicely equipped — standard fare includes four-wheel disc brakes with an emergency-assist feature, seven air bags, a tire-pressure-warning system, halogen headlamps, a tilting-and-telescoping steering wheel, power windows and locks, and a six-speaker 160-watt sound system.
Next up is the LE, which Toyota expects to account for 60 percent of sales; it adds a power driver's seat, remote locking and other features. The fancy XLE (a kissing cousin to the Lexus ES) supplements the LE's amenities with a better stereo, dual-zone climate control, power front seats and moonroof, fog lamps and an auto-dimming inside mirror.
The Camry SE, like previous models carrying that designation, has sporting pretensions — only this time the differences are more than skin-deep. Along with jaunty trim (a black grille, front and rear spoilers, leather-wrapped steering wheel), the SE gets a stiffer suspension and wider, lower-profile tires on bigger (17-inch) alloy wheels.
Toyota has also endowed the Camry line with a gasoline-electric hybrid model that has its own trim package; that car was previously reviewed on these pages.
All four nonhybrid grades come with a four-cylinder dual-overhead-cam engine (2.4 liters, 16 valves) carried over from the 2006 model year; four-cylinder models sold in states that follow California's emissions rules are rated "partial zero emission vehicles," or PZEV's, the most favorable rating applied to conventional gasoline engines.
The four-cylinder engine has been tuned for a modest increase in horsepower (158, up from 154) and torque (161, up from 160); the PZEV's ratings are slightly lower. All versions but the hybrid and CE can be bought with a new 3.5-liter V-6 (24 valves, dual cams, aluminum block). This power plant, which yields 268 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque, is shared with the Avalon. Both engines run fine on regular-grade gas.
The four-cylinder motor comes with a five-speed manual transmission, but Toyota expects almost everybody to pony up an extra $941 for a five-speed automatic. The V-6 comes only with an automatic, a new six-speed unit with the potential for Tiptronic-style manual shifting.
But wait — the menu is even more comprehensive. Most of the luxury features that are standard in the XLE are also available for due financial consideration in other models. Note, too, that leather seats and satellite navigation systems are options on the SE and XLE, while stability and traction control (packaged as a single option) can be had with all four trim grades.
Cafeteria-style choice is good for consumers, right? And for Toyota, too, because it gives the marketing department more wiggle room to go with the flow. For example, it lets the company advertise a CE for just $18,850, even as it courts customers prepared to pay $30,000-plus for a loaded XLE V-6.
More subtly, it creates a way to fine-tune prices to meet demand without resorting to rebates in lean times, or giving dealers license to charge premiums in the fat times. When demand is strong, Toyota can force the mix of cars sold — for example, by delivering more LE's with high-margin options like the moonroof ($752) and the 440-watt JBL premium stereo ($750). In a weak market, the company can offer packages of high-markup options at a discount.
I tested both an LE with the four-cylinder engine and five-speed automatic and an SE with the new V-6. The bread-and-butter LE provided few surprises, which is just the way Toyota likes it. The seats are exceptionally comfortable, and the brightly lighted display and oversize dashboard controls are models of ergonomic excellence.
At cruising speed the LE is as quiet and vibration-free as most luxury cars, though the hard-working four-cylinder engine makes a decidedly unluxurious clatter under acceleration. The transmission shifts seamlessly, often anticipating the need to downshift. The brakes felt terrific.
If there are any surprises in the LE, it is in the handling. As with previous Camrys, the steering can be vague and the suspension seems a tad wobbly on broken pavement by comparison with, say, the Accord or the Mazda 6. But Toyota has definitely improved the sedan's cornering capabilities.The LE can actually be entertaining to pilot on well-maintained roads, tracking high-speed turns with considerable aplomb.
What works well in the somewhat underpowered four-cylinder LE works even better in an SE with the V-6. The combination of stiffer shocks, fatter tires and added steel braces (for extra rigidity) make a huge difference, transforming the SE into a real driver's car. By the same token, the V-6 is more than adequate, providing confidence-inducing acceleration for entering freeways and passing on two-lane roads.
Though excellent in every way, the six-speed automatic didn't seem like a big improvement over the five-speed with the four-cylinder engine. The tall sixth gear may explain, though, how this big, powerful sedan manages a relatively thrifty federal economy rating (22 m.p.g. in town and 31 on the highway).
The four cylinder does even better, of course, with a rating of 24/33 with the automatic transmission.
All told, the SE is the first Camry that is competitive in performance terms with similarly equipped Accords. Unfortunately, in contrast to the Accord, no manual transmission is available on V-6 Camrys.
Along with its continuing rivalry with the Accord and the Altima, the Camry must now contend with a challenge from the Ford Fusion, which is a cut above the Camry in handling, and the Hyundai Sonata, which is several thousand dollars cheaper and has a longer bumper-to-bumper warranty (six years, compared with three). More generally, features that made the Camry so special a decade ago — the exceptionally quiet cabin, remarkable fit and finish and reputation for durability — are now commonplace in this part of the market.
Too, virtually every competing vehicle is also loaded with convenience features from auto-dimming mirrors to fold-down rear seats. Thus, the big question is not whether the new Camry is a worthy successor to the 2006 model, but whether its design and quality still merit the $2,000 to $5,000 premium that it commands over, say, an Altima or a Fusion.
INSIDE TRACK: The leader of a pack that's catching up quickly.
Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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