I am currently renting a 07 Camry LE 4 cylinder. Some idiot keyed 6 vehicles in a row outside our apartment complex in Sacramento, so have this rental while my 05 Honda Accord is in the shop.

I have owned Camry's in the past, but nothing since the year 2000. They have always been 'ordinary' cars with their reliabilty being a selling point. I personally feel that Toyota no longer deserves the reputation it once had.

Toyota has had numerous engine problems with oil sludge and oil gelling destroying engines for many years most notably. I think that all the car makers are pretty reliable nowadays. Chevy, Ford, Dodge, and Hyundai/Kia no longer have the bad reputations of yesteryear and in my opionion invalidate the lore of Honda and Toyota being uber reliable and for the most part not worthy of the premium price you pay for their name brand.

I think anyone buying a Camry for the most part is short selling themselves. They are not reading car reviews or test driving enough vehicles in this class. Or maybe they just don't care. This midsize segment can a difficult one due to the large number of choices out there.

REVIEW:

Engine: peppy and powerful enough at city and lower speeds, but not as happy cruising at 75-80 mph. Lack of highend power often requiring a downshift out of fifth to generate passing power.

Auto Transmission: I like the shift gate. It requires alittle time to get used to this if you are used to the standard push button, move shifter design. I like that it makes manual shifting fun, but most cars have something similar.

Suspension: Too soft and floaty for my taste. When driving over rutted pavement or potholes the car pulls to the side. Does not inspire confidence for spirited driving. The car corners okay, with minimal roll, but the suspension setup is just wrong. In this day and age they should be able to come up with something better.

Brakes: Decent initial bite, but then fades and requires too much effort for hard stop.

Steering: It is heavy and weighed. Overall numb and nothing special.

Interior: Standard fare, nice dash layout, but missing one-push window up button. Small side windows, while not restricting visibility create a confined feeling, even though the cabin is spacious enough. Cloth seats are lacking good side bolstering. Middle of the class comfort.

Final Thought. I really don't like the cabin due to the small windows. Toyota is going for this 'chopped' look that really takes away from the whole ambiance. This and the suspension are what kills it for me. I could live with everything else. But why should you have to when you have SOOOOOO many choices!!!

Amount Paid (US$): n/a
Condition: New
Model Year: 2007
Model and Options: LE