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| 2007 Toyota Camry Review | |||
| Whether you're about to spend $40K on a brand new car, or half that on a used car, it is always important to learn as much as you can about the used car. Read these car reviews to learn about all aspects of the vehicle. Each of the usedcar reviews cover interior and exterior features, options, road tests, and more. | |||
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Introduction
| Road Test
| Inside & Out
| Other Thoughts
| Last Word
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| Road Test | |||
The most interesting new Camry is the hybrid, which represents Toyota's most balanced example yet. As expected, it's a "full" hybrid that can rely entirely on its electric side when conditions permit, and a brief drive revealed some of the usual quirks: under-responsive gas pedal, over-responsive brakes, and too-feathery electric steering. This time, however, Toyota chose to pair the electric motor with a moderately-sized 4-cylinder engine. If the intent was to spread the benefits evenly between speed and savings, it worked perfectly: the Camry Hybrid features a rock-solid 187 horsepower, achieving the dual honor of 0-60 in 7.7 seconds and MPG in the low 30s. Just when we thought they'd done it all…For more conventional thrills, try the Camry SE, which now pairs its stiffer shocks, springs, bushings, and 17-inch wheels with solid stabilizer bars (instead of hollow ones) and extra structural braces in the underbody and trunk. Also try the new 3.5-liter V6. Replacing the previous 3.0 and related 3.3-liter engines (all three share the same-size stroke), it also replaces their 190 and 210 horsepower with 268, putting Camry in the thick of the fight with power forwards like the Nissan Altima (and the owner's manual now says nothing about premium fuel). With 0-60 yours in 6.5, you can go around town leaving legions of slower cars choking on non-descript sedan dust. I've already sampled that engaging engine in the Avalon and RAV4, so our test subject is the 4-cylinder, automatic LE - the Camry of choice for most. This engine got slightly reworked in terms of intake, exhaust, friction, and block rigidity, but it's essentially the 2.4-liter unit that debuted with the 2002 Camry - no bad thing. It feels like a precision piece (aside from a little idle vibration), and if its 158 horsepower and 161 pounds-feet of torque don't stand out (155 and 158 in pro-environment states like California), they always pass for functional. All of which make it the motor most fitting for the car's personality. Yes, you heard it here first: once you filter out all the new powertrains, the Camry still drives like an appliance. There's something about this car that goes beyond the soft reactions and anonymous noises that also characterize similar cars. Maybe it's the way the stability control can't be turned off. Maybe it's the way you can feel the bumps in the road through your body while still feeling next to nothing in your hands. Maybe it's psychological. But you grow numb to the numbness. Then you just notice the good stuff. The Camry tracks accurately, with quick-enough steering and reasonable body lean. The turning circle shrunk to 36 feet this year (even with a lengthened wheelbase), continuing Toyota's tradition of tight radii. The throttle and steering react a tiny bit abruptly for my tastes and the 5-speed double-overdrive automatic is partial to downshifts (traits springing up on more and more Toyotas), but there are no truly unpleasant surprises. In fact, the Camry has distinctly improved in certain areas, one being handling ability. Former 4-cylinder Camry owners will have to get accustomed to tires that don't slip-n-slide in every suburban sidewinder now that even basic models wear P215/60R16 tires on 16x6.5-inch wheels, a hop from the last Camry's 15-inchers and a leap from the 14-inchers of the 2001-and-earlier models. Another advance is in braking feel (and to some extent, braking performance) thanks to the new 4-wheel discs. Their inherently superior nature has squelched the squashiness in the Camry's pedal (though it remains soft), and the newly standard antilock brakes (which now come with brake assist) make panic stops confident and screech-free. The more athletic footwear hasn't altered the Camry's comfortable nature. I didn't find it to be above its league as some have - the harshest bumps send it jumping as high as any other sedan - but most of the time its struts let it strut down the road in stride. A constant stream of tire roar keeps it from being truly silent, but again, the Camry is at the front of its competitive pack, calming your every journey. The absence of pleasure for the absence of pain. Isn't that a fair trade? |
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