Long-Term Test: Toyota Camry SE V6

[NFS4]

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=17&article_id=7276&page_number=1

Three weeks after our long-term 2002 Camry SE V-6 landed at our Ann Arbor docks in March 2002, copy chief Patti Maki pulled the logbook and noticed something peculiar. No one had written down a single comment or driving impression. None. Nada. Zero. She was confronted with blank lined paper, which seemed to stare back at her and beg, "C'mon, please, something?anything!" So she jotted down her initial impressions and concluded, grumpily: "Too bad the Camry has been here three weeks and this is the first comment."

Indeed, 21 days is a long time for our ballpoints to remain still, especially when we're evaluating an all-new version of the bestselling car in America. But the Camry is a car that escapes notice. It blends, even when brand-new. It's as if its parents had passed along a dominant languor gene. "It's almost invisible and certainly not memorable," wrote art director Jeff Dworin.

Figures

Over 14 months with the Camry, we experienced zero mechanical failures and zero interior maladies. In short, nothing went wrong with this modern version of ol' reliable. Aside from the center stack being too far away for some, complaints were few. With a car as carefree as this one, some of us were reduced to hunting for culprits. An editor or two found the seats to be numbing on long trips; another had trouble programming the radio, which continually skipped his desired station. We all found the Camry's nature to be one of appeasement. It's a car that gets taken for granted, and it never wants to be the source of any unseemly excitement. It is reliable and competent transportation that did just about everything extremely well. It simply kept going and going with not so much as a peep, squeak, or rattle. Sounds like a bestselling recipe to us.

Impressive!

 

[BigSmooth]

Link? You're losing your touch!

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: BigSmooth
Link? You're losing your touch!

LOL

 

[RagingBITCH]

Where's the link? Did you write that yourself?

Oh and for the record, yes the Camry is everything most Toyota's are: reliable. It however, is boring as sh!t and just plain bland. It's way outclassed by the one year newer Accord.

 

[NFS4]

Note to Mr. Lutz: This is your Chevrolet benchmark. Build a Lumina or whatever to match this, and GM is back in the big leagues. ?Yates

After two days in the Camry, I am (thankfully) a walking example of how good the seats are. ?Davidek

Wonderful car on the highway. Smooth, quick, quiet engine. Seating is excellent, and there?s plenty of room for four adults. I cannot think of one flaw, except it doesn?t belong to me! ?Mathews

Comfy, competent, and but for the wing, innocuous, subtle. Heated seats and outside-temp readout are essentials! Good, clear gauges. Functionally streamlined. Love it! ?Maki

Heading downhill on I-17 on cruise?I feel significant surges in acceleration. Cruise control is poor at maintaining speed downhill. ?Bedard

Have had difficulty finding this benign ovoid in a crowded parking lot. ?Burke

Smooth, quiet, solid, with steady steering that is a delight on all surfaces. ?Phillips

This is the car you can recommend to friends without reservation. ?Dworin

Hmm, hadn't seen that many positive comments in a C&D review ever

 

[StageLeft]

Definitely a good car for what it tries to do (cater to people who don't care about driving experience but just want something reliable).

 

[randomlinh]

too bad my camry needs new rear struts... and the damn pipe from the cat convertor to the exhaust is hangin real low.... stupid previous owners. grrr.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: lnguyen
too bad my camry needs new rear struts... and the damn pipe from the cat convertor to the exhaust is hangin real low.... stupid previous owners. grrr.

Most newer camrys have that angled pipe hanging low. I don't know why Toyota does that. You'd think it would catch on road debris. Just looks way out of place.

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: lnguyen
too bad my camry needs new rear struts... and the damn pipe from the cat convertor to the exhaust is hangin real low.... stupid previous owners. grrr.

Most newer camrys have that angled pipe hanging low. I don't know why Toyota does that. You'd think it would catch on road debris. Just looks way out of place.

Must be cheaper But yeah, the one work that encapsulates a Camry is spiritless. Sooooooooooooo boring to drive. Anyhow, my $0.02. On the bright side, I'll never fight my parents to take their car since I really dislike driving it ('00 Camry).