The Camry has a boring exterior and interior.
However,a loaded XLE and SE look much better than the LE and I feel a loaded Hybrid looks even better with it's different front end design,tail lights and wheels.

Good point about the 4 cylinder smoothness and refinement, very few 4 cylinder engines in any car match the Camry 4 banger in NVH.

the camry interior is too simple for Europe while the ugly/plain/cold interior of the 3 series is ok to them???

Keep in mind that the Avalon was just "redesigned" so God only knows how long we will be looking at a car that essentially debuted in 2005. We heard all sorts of criticism about the Corolla being delayed because it was "too bland" in comparison to the Civic, and yet when the car debuted, you had to squint to see the differences between it an the 2003 model. Camry is one that is very attractive IMO. I'd say it's the best looking car in it's class overall.

Rav4 is about to be redesigned, Highlander was refreshed and looks great, 4Runner is brand new, Sequoia needs a new look, LC is only 2 years old and just like the Corolla, takes a trained eye to see the differences between it and the previous model.

Tacoma is about to be redesigned and the Tundra isn't far either. Sienna is brand new.


All that said, I think people are actually caring less about design and more about things like MPG, technology, gadgets, innovation and goodies. Not to say that design doesn't matter, but Toyota has fallen behind in terms of engineering prowess. The lackluster AZ engine and 4AT aren't winning them any kudos from entry level buyers, especially when the competition is using 6ATs or CVTs. Highlander still uses a 5AT as does the brand new 4Runner, etc. etc.

My point is that while design is one area where they need improvement, there are still plenty of others.

^^^ To your point I think a lot of it has to do with the competition waking the **** up. It used to be Toyota or Honda is the best in each class with Nissan in there here and there. Today Ford, GM, Hyundai, Kia are now best in class in some cases or at least very interesting to consumers.

It is no longer default Toyota/Honda is the best and while Honda has its ugly head up its ugly *** Toyota seems to have gotten the memo.

I look forward to see if they turn things up a notch. A successful Toyota means a successful Lexus.

Agreed, competition is good.

Perfectly said. I've seen a pattern over the years of these articles popping up every once in a while. It's as if news publications have nothing else to talk about, and they keep rehashing the same thing over and over, complete with the myopic views of "analysts".

Sheet metal is cheap, but stamping presses *for* the sheet metal certainly are not. Also, there is a practical limit of how many creases and contours you can add from a stamping press. Once you exceed that limit, you have no other choice except bending and shaping the metal by hand.

You should come to my area and meet all the people I know that bought the Camry because for the looks . The reputation and specs certainly helped, but I know plenty of people who refused to buy the competition based on styling. If the competition has polarizing and offensive styling and the Camry does not, then yes many people will definitely buy the Camry for the inoffensive looks.

Home market loyalty in Europe is huge. Same thing in many other overseas markets. The US is known as the center of capitalism and the free market, so US buyers have less home market loyalty than other countries. Even so, top two biggest automakers in the US this year were American.

Hyundai's long-term quality is now recognized to be equal to Toyota in Europe? That's news to me.

That "news" about the Corolla being delayed for looks was COMPLETELY false. Anyone working in the industry must have laughed at that when they saw it. It's impossible to change styling on such a short notice and so late in the product cycle. The Corolla was delayed in the US because Toyota was double-checking quality due to problems and concerns on other models.

Oh and just to let you know, the Camry during it's mid-cycle update received the AR 4 cylinder engine and the 6-speed auto as standard.

The AZ engine is almost completely gone from the US Toyota lineup. Only the Matrix and Camry hybrid remain equipped with the AZ engine.

it is BMW in Europe...

How is the redesigned 4Runner fairing?

I remember a little over a decade ago, that SUV was regarded as a status symbol. I always wanted one. Of the few that friends had, they are all on the road from the late 90s and still ride like they're right out of the showroom.

Granted I haven't driven the latest redesign, but something is off. It looks significantly cheaper in it's assembly and choice of plastics. I could very well be wrong, but it looks like it's been heavily influenced by the FJ Cruiser.

Although I've always thought I'd be in a 4Runner, I'm more likely to replace my aging Ford Explorer with another Ford product these days. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is also enticing, but it has a lot to prove in the way of reliability before I would own one.


Michael

New 4Runner is selling quite well so far.

The Limited is a very nice truck.

I don't agree with most part of the article. Toyota vehicles still lead in the reliability department. They provide the most user friendly, reliable, and comfortable vehicles. And I think the stylings of most Toyotas and Lexus' are at least good looking, if not exciting. Conservative styling are accepted by most people, that's why they sell. Hyundai Sonata has a non-conversative styling, but they might not catch Camry's sales number even after two more generations. Ford Taurus lost its sales title since a radical change in styling, still remember that oval looking car? There are reasons why Camry and Corolla are so popular in this country, and I don't think radical changes are necessary.

The camry (and corolla) interiors are pretty damn terrible. Cheap, flimsy, grey plastics are almost as bad as past GM models.

European corolla has deeply soft interior plastics...

Damn Europia!