I love the navigation system even though it tends to direct me to house numbers existing only in the best of all possible worlds rather than in any town in California--that is, it'll tell me I'm at #2522, but I know the house, and it's further up the block. But it does allow me to mark the point and name it, so I can get the car to direct me to my friend's home even in the dark when their porch light is not on so I cannot recognize their front yard--in cookie cutter suburbia this is a big deal. What is REALLY nice is being able to key in a store, select from a menu showing all the stores in the area according to distance from my present location, then take the phone number from the information listed, call the store to see if they've got the item I want, and then let the navigation system direct me there. Is it obvious to you that I have no sense of direction and have difficulty reading maps? Hey, I've got a Ph.D., but read maps slowly and have difficulty following them. I really NEED a navigation system. I wow my friends with the POI markings on the map--I have it set to display all the gas stations, fast food restaurants, etc. I don't know that I'll ever want to find a place by its longitude and latitude, but can. I like being able to key in my own locations; I like being able to simply key in Home, and having the car direct me there. I may be willing to drive to SF again, where the one-way streets make retracing one's steps hideously impossible. Of course, I've found a few mistakes in the mapping which give me pause, and notice that the Camry's nav system isn't as accurate as our friend's Lexus' nav system, but don't know if it's a difference in quality dependent on the luxuriousness of their car, or if it's that they live in So Cal where maps tend to be much better (just compare the Thomas Bros. maps for So Cal to those for Alameda County!) On a trip to southern CA, the nav system was able to list all the freeway exits, a nice feature that I wish were available up here in the SF Bay area's East Bay. The Lexus' nav system tells them which lane to be in, where my Camry's nav system tells me that after my right turn I'll be making a left--and while that is useful information, sometimes the proper lane is not readily evident from that bit of information. And once in awhile it thinks I'm on the next street parallel to the one I'm on. That's okay when I'm driving in my home town, but it would be a real problem in a strange location.

I like having the radio/CD player controls on the steering wheel, as well as being able to check my mileage as I drive, and the estimate of how many miles I can drive on what's left in the tank--though I always take mileage estimates with a boulder--not a pinch--of salt. I absolutely LOVE the shade screen across the back window. I love the heated seats--an option I thought was frivolous until I used it on the first chilly CA morning. And after a long day at the computer, it's wonderful.

I'm not happy that an open trunk does not register on my dashboard, though an open door does--and the trunk is a bit tricky to latch. It took awhile to adjust to the rear post's blocking visibility to the side and rear, but I finally got the hang of using the mirrors to make up for it. I guess this is a good thing for people who have trouble turning their heads, but for the rest of us, it is a problem. I would like to have a clear view as well as having a mirror to check.

I notice that people who want a snappy car complain about Camry's slow response, and agree. But I tend to drive at a fairly constant speed, as rapid acceleration is not as important to me as getting decent mileage. However, the stiff seating mentioned is something I care about. The seats seem over-stuffed. It's like sitting on one beach ball and leaning against another. I would like my "bucket" seat to be a bit more of a bucket. And I want my visor to have a tiny pull-out piece to cover that last bit of space that the sun shines through when I put the visor to the side window. My husband's old 1998 pickup has this feature, why doesn't a Camry have it?

All in all, I've driven my XLE for almost 6 months, and within a week was as enamored of this one as I had been of my 1990 Camry which I held onto because I loved it so. It was comfortable, it was reliable, it was the most luxurious car I'd ever driven (the 2005 beats the 1990 in every way, shape and form--except for the beach ball thing.) And man, is it quiet. I start the car, and barely hear it--and this is not middle-aged ears. Others comment on the quiet engine noise. I wanted all the bells and whistles, and feel I got them--it's not a luxury car, but it surely has some nice features.
Amount Paid (US$): 28,000.00
Condition: New
Model Year: 2005
Model and Options: XLE