Topic: Camry SE Review....

[Accord Owner]

Mrs Accord Owner and I have just returned from a week in Arizona. I reserved a full sized car and upon getting to the Avis counter, I was pleasantly surprised to find we had been assigned a shiny new 2010 Toyota Camry SE. I was expecting an Impala or something equally as dreary and the Camry came as a pleasant surprise.

Let me start by stating it is obvious why the Camry is America's favourite sedan. The interior is large and functional, suiting America's "large" people. The controls are well laid out and functional, better than my Accord. What really shone on the Camry was the drive train. The 177 hp 2.5 litre with 6 speed auto really worked well. The car was never short of power, even at 7500 feet in Flagstaff, Arizona. It ate up the miles on I-40 with ease, 80 mph on the cruise and returned exactly 30 mpg doing it.

On the twisty sections of the Bush Highway coming out of Mesa towards Hemer, the chassis showed an excellent balance of ride and handling. The car came with 17" Michelin tires and they were excellent, grippy, quiet and good traction. The engine and transmission work splendidly together. It had the maunamatic feature and I played with it a bit and then left it alone. It did have one great feature: when you put it in manual mode, it shifts from 6th gear directly into 4th. This is great on long grades such as the one on I-40 coming out of Flagstaff.

The car did not have leather which is fine by me since I don't like it anyway. There were no major build issues but the rear seat had a tiny bit of poor stitching in one corner. Visibility is great for the most part, with the exception of thick C pillar. The HID lights were great and the stereo very good for a stock unit. Steering feel is good and precise and not unduly twitchy on fast interstate highways.

I dove the car over 2000 miles and used $120 worth of gasoline. It did not mind regular at all, unlike my Accord, which much prefers mid-grade. The Accord is ultimately more suitable for the hilly, twisty roads we have here in British Columbia but for long freeway drives, the Camry is a better choice. I also believe that if one wants a large sedan with an automatic, the Camry is a better choice since the Accord loves to rev.

There are loads of Camrys on the road in the USA and I can see the reason why Toyota sold something like 400,000 of them in 2009. It is really a very good car for the money.

[Juke1]

Obviously not attentive to details.  But it confirms what we already know, Camry's are very much fleet cars.  No problems renting a Toyota as well in Halifax on my last trip.

...and I think Accord owner is none other than Honda owner who does not post anymore

[Careener]

Thanks for the brief review. did you take any pictures that you can post?

[Julie]

Thanks for the review.

Interesting to hear the Camry SE had good steering/handling.  We have the previous generation Camry LE and woah, let's just say, it's really much better at cruising than handling.   Steering that is too light and ride that is floaty.  But very comfortable (isolated from road), quiet/refined-feeling in the cabin, and very fuel efficient.

And I agree, I always felt the Camry had good low-end torque, although it wasn't fast, whereas Honda engines are better at the high-revving stuff.

We'll be giving her up soon when the new car comes (and we're kinda sad  ), but she was an excellent car for what she did well.

[Accord Owner]

I have also driven a Camry LE at length and the two cars are very different in character. The LE has overboosted steering and somewhat vague responses compared to the SE. The SE has a much more buttoned down ride. On the undulating roads of the Bush Highway (a wonderful drive, btw) the car felt very safe and taught. I also note that this was a 2010 and the LE I drove was a 2009. The cars are in fact much different when seen in the flesh

Also correct to say the car does not have great power. It has adequate power for me, and I suspect something like 90% of drivers out there. The motor works very well with the transmission and there was not one situation where I felt I was short of power and my trip too me up to 8000 feet.

The route we took started from Mesa to Hwy 87 the North Bush Highway. This is truly a spectacular drive, fantastic desert vistas and a fun, twisty windy road. This joins with the Beeline Highway which takes you through the mountains to Payson. Along the way the scenery changes from cactus to juniper trees.

From Payson we went on Hwy 260 to Heber. This gives you a great view of the mesa of the area. It is a two lane highway but in good condition most of the way. From Heber we went on Hwy 377 to Holbrook where we joined Interstate 40, which follows the old Route 66. Great road and the Camry really did what it was made for, cruising at  80 mph effortlessly.

It doesn't take long to eat a lot of miles on roads this good so we made it to Williams, AZ in about two hours. Williams is a cute little town that makes its living as a service centre for the Grand Canyon. Very cute little town but quite cold since it is at 7000 feet. We stayed in a Howard Johnson's for a staggering $57 and headed to the canyon the next morning up Hwy 64. It kind of reminded me of the moon, flat and featureless. Along the way there was a cool aviation museum that had a nice collection and an entry fee of only $5.65!

The Canyon itself is awesome, truly a sight to behold but for me the best part was the drive west along Hwy 64 east to Cameron. The road is brand new and the vistas simply awesome. Photos do not do it justice at all. Most people skip this way and go straight back to Flagstaff and I am glad we took the detour. We arrived in Flagstaff to a blizzard! Quite a surprise for us but apparently quite normal due to the high elevation.

We hooked up onto I-17 and headed back to Mesa. Again, a great road. The grades are not quite as steep as the Coquihalla but they are a lot longer. What also impressed me was that most people drove responsibly and with good lane discipline. Anyway, in the space of an hour the temperature went from 25'F to 65'F and as an added bonus we were treated to a specular sunset.

So for any gear heads out there who are looking for a really great drive in a warm place for a reasonable cost, I would highly recommend Arizona in the winter.

[ovr50]

Agree with that last comment, as would our friend, Winklovic. 

When down in AZ over the break, we drove the Apache Trail (Hiway 88). The 22 miles of dirt road is VERY interesting and the views are totally awesome. It is NOT a road to drive fast on, as some of it is barely two lanes wide, with rock wall on one side, and sheer drops on the other. We were descending, and if you meet a car coming up, uphill has the ROW, and descending has to back up. 

We also drove Hiway 80 from Benson to past Bisbee, via Tombstone. We were also in the Green Valley and Tabuc south of Tucson.

Driving a rental Toyota Avalon (I wanted a BMW or Benz but none available and had to take the Avalon - not a sporty car but a very capable hiway cruiser and massively comfortable). A better car than I had previously thought.

Link to see all Arizona hiways:

http://www.aaroads.com/west/sitemap.html

[Accord Owner]

We also did the Apache Trail but on my buddy's Hyosung Comet 250. He rode his Hyosung GV650 cruiser. It is a great ride and the little parks along with way for taking pics of Superstition Mountain are a lot of fun.

The Comet 250 is a great little bike, btw. Good torque from the V Twin and a good riding position and for an old boy adequate power. I don't need a 1000 cc bikes and on the winding stretches up to Tortilla Flat I am glad I didn't have to wrestle a 1000 cc bike!

We had a wonderful trip and I am very fortunate to have an old friend in Mesa to act as tour guide and point out the best routes/attractions.

[Julie]

Thanks for your tips on Arizona Ovr and Accord Owner.    I guess it must be best coming from British Columbia?

[ovr50]

Thanks for your tips on Arizona Ovr and Accord Owner.    I guess it must be best coming from British Columbia?

Winklovic is the guy on here who really knows about Arizona roads. He gave me advice before I went down.

Arizona has lots of interesting roads, but you really have to be watchful for the photo radar vans and red light cameras. I wouldn't be surprised to see a note from Hertz in the mail soon with an enclosed photo radar ticket. Took me a couple days to realize what the p.r. vans looked like...!!!

[johngenx]

When we bought the Corolla, we tested a Camry 4-cyl SE.  Not a 2010 (think an 08) but it was certainly a very capable car for a FWD family sedan.  The V-6 version is much quicker, but for most people the four would be more than adequate.

The SE suspension should be standard.  It's far from harsh and has superior body control to the LE.

[articsteve]

 have also driven a Camry LE at length and the two cars are very different in character. The LE has overboosted steering and somewhat vague responses compared to the SE.

Actually the steering on the two 4 cylinder models is identical.  The 17 inch wider tires makes the steering difference.  The SE is also lower to the ground.  Brake system is identical.

The HP is normally 179 on SE.  The important part is 171 ft/lbs torque at 4100 rpm.

Like you said, the interior room is a big reason for sales.  To many customers it has replaced the "full size" car of yesterday.

[Accord Owner]

Indeed the Camry has become America's "full sized" car. They are ubiquitous, everywhere you go you see them. I do find that in more hilly states the Accord seems more popular, perhaps due to its better handling and taughter chassis. However, for interstate runs, the Camry wins hands down. I like the diving position in particular, it gives you a great view of the road.

[articsteve]

Ya, the overall ride experience in the base Camry is not the greatest.   Accord wins out in that area.