The 2004 Toyota Camry is everything one could expect from a mid-size, non luxury car. Well almost everything.
The Toyota fares above average from the competition in virtually all areas of distinction. The car is priced better, built better and handles better than the competition.
The excellent handling owes much to car's smooth suspension, peppy (fast) 4 cylinder engine, and beautifully sculpted exterior. The inside of the car feels bigger and provides adequate room for adults and children. Even people greater than 6'4" will feel like they have plenty of rear, head, shoulder, arm and foot space in the car. Make no mistake, however, this car is not a sports utility and does not offer cavernous space - just like a piece of a puzzle, you fit in the car perfectly.
Around town, the Camry is delicately quite. However, on the highway, the Camry never lets you forget you're on the highway. The wind noise is virtually the same as if you had a top, and put it down. To demonstrate this, I lowered all four windows and drove on the highway. Once I raised the windows up, the only thing different was there was no wind pressure in the cabin. The noise WAS there.
What contributes best to this noise is the small, thin windows design that allows air noise to creep into the cabin. If you don't do a great deal of highway traveling, this shouldn't be considered a problem. More or less, it is a minor quabble.
The next thing I object to is the center dash layout. Although the radio sounds awesome, the positioning of the entire dash is awkward.
While most cars have the dash facing towards the driver, the dash on the Camry is facing dead center. Obviously the engineers at Toyota wanted the passengers to fiddle around with the stereo and a/c controls (all of which are excellent). However, what's the driver in car all alone to do?
I found myself inserting CDs into the CD player at bizarre angles. After a process of trail and error, I get it right. However, I have never been able to get it right on the first try.
Also, too many times I caught myself taking my eyes off the road and onto the center dash to adjust the stereo. This is a dangerous thing and I hope Toyota changes this in the next design. However, if you travel along with someone all the time, this shouldn't be a real problem.
The last problem I have is the Camry takes too long a distance to stop when braking. This is due in large part to the short piston calipers on the brakes. While this problem can be overcome by driving slower (no one wants to) and braking earlier (no one wants to), what happens in the event of an emergency braking situation?
I think the engineers are not too concerned about this either, because the Toyota is extremely safe. In the event of a crash, the Toyota should shield the driver and passengers from any impact caused by the crash.
Please don't think the Toyota is junk. It is really nothing like that at all. The acceleration is superb (considering the dimensions and mass of the car), the stock stereo has incredible sound and the handling cannot be touched by any other car in this class. Plus, Toyota offers excellent incentives for ownership and the car is priced towards the affordable side of the spectrum.
This is my third Camry and I just think Toyota keeps making it better. You owe it to yourself to test drive a Camry, if you're serious about owning a car that is affordable, performs well, and will last for generations to come.
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