Excellent review/write-up, RX 330. Fairly-written and non-biased.

I'm also glad you did the new Camry. I myself have CL-requests for the new Camry, particularly XLE and/or Hybrid versions, but, like in your area, only a few LE models are available right now around D.C. Since you've done the LE model (and a great job on it ), I'll forget the LE model and wait for a V6 XLE (the 4-cylinder XLE probably won't be much different from the 4-cylinder LE), or the hybrid.

From the pictures you posted, though, there's two things I don't care for, right off the bat, about the new LE interior......sticking with the zig-zag transmission shifter and the conventional ignition-switch on the steering-column (I never did like those zig-zags). Maybe the XLE and/or hybrid will have the nicer push-button engine start......we'll wait and see. I think that the push-button start is a feature more and more car-buyers will demand in the future.

 

I'm glad Toyota has finally figured out how ridiculous this is and have revised the setup. I have a 2007 RAV4 with the same hyper aggressive "full throttle at only 1/4 of the pedal travel" throttle mapping setup, except it's the 270hp V6 and it's just plain STUPID.

Edit: oh wow my sig is waaaaay out of date.

 

The temp gauge is now digital. They split up the ODO/Trip meters for the right gauge screen. And the PRND indicator, ext. temp, and engine temperature gauge for the left gauge screen. The glare cut it off, but you can see the "H" hot part of the digital gauge there.

 

Yeah, I worked as a porter for a Toyota dealer a while ago, and it was terrible. The service bay is tight and in order to exit you have to make a tight turn to get to the exit garage door. With the steering wheel at full lock, tap the gas pedal and I'd be spin the tires easily on those coated floors. I would always freak out if the service manager was back there at the same time, but he was understanding.

 

i hate where they put the badges on the rear end. to close to the taillights imo.

 

So the digital engine temperature "gauge" only indicates "C" and "H" for cold and hot? ......or does it actually indicate the engine-temperature in degrees.? If it is just a C/H "gauge", then, IMO, that is as bad as Subaru recently converting from nice analog engine-temp gauges to simple blue/red idiot lights for cold/hot. I notice that the new Camry also has an analog MPG vaccum gauge, over on the right, where, IMO, an analog engine temperature gauge SHOULD have gone. Again, Subaru did the same thing on the 2010 Outback/Legacy...substituted an analog vacuum-MPG gauge for a much more important engine-temp gauge. I don't like that on the new Subarus, and I don't like it on the new Camry, either.

 

Excellent write up RX. I like the new Camry, I want to test drive one but here in Miami I doubt theres any at the dealerships, I'll have to check. But I'm impressed with the interior but the exterior styling is slowly growing on me.

 

I'd rather have an analog MPG gauge than an "idiot" analog engine coolant temp gauge. Every single one of those are set so that they pretty much never budge off of the middle anyways unless you're at or near overheating, which effectively makes them hardly any better than an idiot light warning, and a waste of gauge cluster real-estate IMHO. I'm liking the real, how it should be, OIL TEMP gauge in my BMW.

 

So, if it's only H and C for hot and cold, what does it read if it's overheating?? Personally I think the analog temp guage is better. At least if your car is starting to overheat, you would see the needle gradually creep up above where it normally is.

 

Again you can't see because of the glare (now I'm really wishing I had my real camera), but it's a progressive bar gauge. On a cold engine it'll start off at like C• | H, and as it warms up another box/bar adds on C•••| H ---> C•••|• H, etc. etc.

 

Nice review. Can't wait to try it out once it hits my local Toyota dealership. I hope that its better in person than it is in pictures. I'll mainly be going for build quality as well and overall look as I don't remember my Camry when it was stock since I modded it at 5k miles...

 

Well, I agree with you that an oil-temp gauge is a good use of real-estate on the dash, but the idea that analog temp-gauges are not responsive after mid-temp-range is incorrect. In fact, that's how my brother, after a thermostat-replacement in his Impreza (before Subaru dumped the temp-gauge for idiot-lights) noticed that the new thermostat was also defective.......the gauge-needle kept bumping up-and-down from mid-range to three-quarters, which would not have happened with idiot-lights. Another new thermostat, fortunately (a good one this time), finally cured things.

 

OK, thanks....that clears it up. Great.......it seems to be a true gauge, even if a bar-graph, and actually displays the temperature graphically.

Again, congratulations on a fine review. You've covered the 4-cylinder LE model well....though I'll probably do the V6 XLE and/or Hybrid when it comes out, per CL request.

SteVTEC, we probably ended up having this gauge-discussion for nothing. ........at least as far as the new Camry is concerned. It has BOTH a digital temp-gauge AND an analog MPG-Meter.

 

Water temperature gauge is very important. Yes, the needle on most cars stays around the middle during normal operation and when the cooling system is functioning properly. Once your system starts to malfunction, - like lets say if your water pump starts to slowly leak, or of there is pressure loss, or if your thermostat gets stuck open or closed - the gauge will reflect it and help you determine the issue early. An idiot light is just that - an idiot light. It won't show if your engine never gets up to normal operating temperature (happens when thermostat gets stuck open), it wont show you when your temperature raises just a little - where the car is still driveable, but there is a sign that something isn't working right.

The MPG gauge on the other hand is completely useless, especially that in most cars its not even reflecting real MGP, just using an algorithm to approximate fuel mileage.

And oil temp gauge in BMWs... with their overheating issues and cooling system failures, they better have that!

 

Most of what you say is true, but the blue "cold" lights usually don't go out until a water-temperature of 140 degrees is reached....which is considered the bottom-end of the normal range.

Not only that, but some cars also have a precise digital vaccum/MPG-gauge in the trip-computer, which makes the addition of an analog one redundant.

Some early X5 engines got so hot, from a defective electric-fan switch, that they caught fire. BMW (and insurance companies) lost a lot of money replacing expensive engines and, sometimes, entire vehicles.