Behind the Wheel: 2007 Toyota Camry: Looking Out for Numero Uno May 7, 2006
The sixth-generation 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 and durability.
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.
- Posted in : Uncategorized, Toyota
- Author : arnold
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