Topic: Inside Story: 2011 Toyota Camry LE

[Autos_Editor]

Summary.

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[CatsEye68]

Heresy! Could this be a career-limiting move for the author? Or perhaps he is part of the vast conspiracy too.

Good, honest assessment, sir.

[Frontier1]

Daring

[_rd_]

2011???  It's April, why have they stopped making 2010's and started on 2011's?

[footlong58]

2011???  It's April, why have they stopped making 2010's and started on 2011's?

Happens the same time every year.

[diceman]

What a piece of crap car.

[Winterpeg]

Your final comment is bang on MC.....This IS your father's Olds.    

[Ice]

While the Camry is far from crap... it has been almost totally surpassed in the market.  There are other cars that are just as reliable now and are far more stylish.  And now it seems that there are other makers that make cars that are also better assembled. Amazing what a few years has done to Toyota's reputation... maybe it's because I've become quite soured myself.

[Ex-airbalancer]

WHAt a crap review

Time to fire a couple of people

[ArticSteve]

I assume reviewing automobiles at CanadianDriver is a hobby?  Not a professional endeavor?
 
 Heated front seats don’t occur in four-cylinder territory until the XLE trim level

Heated front seats available in a 4 cylinder SE.   

It was really great to here about the cup holders, the sun glass holder, etc., but how did the powertrain perform    Not one word about tranny shifting, and braking.  Just some  smart *ss remark about the steering and handling being like a 65 Chrysler.  Dude you have never driven in a 65 Chrysler.

Camry still rules and for a reason.  The unit runs forever without headaches and they are large and it's primarily the inside space and the trunk that seals the deal.
Sure, you can get a 2.5 Altima S with the Luxury Package (option code)CSOO for $27498. minus $2K non stackable cash incentive which kicks *ss in the goodies department/price, BUT, like the Malibu, Fusion, Sonata; it lacks the room that many buyers seek.  I sell them both so I see who buys what and for what reason.

Unless your in the business of dealing cars auto "journalists" have a one dimensional view of the product.  They only consider the front end.  When I get 5 year old/125k km Fusions, Chevys, Altimas, Sontas in on trade these cars are DONE.  They are at the point of diminishing returns.  The Camry and the Accord at this point are not even half way done.  If all the trade ins were Camrys and Accords, life would be sweet. 

[PJungnitsch]

While the Camry is far from crap... it has been almost totally surpassed in the market.

Motortrend, who has been very pro-domestic lately, just tested 7 of the top selling family sedans, including the new Sonata. They rated the Camry number 1.

1st place: Toyota Camry LE
Once and future sedan king?

Nobody wants to like this car. Everybody knows it's an automotive appliance and appliances are not fun. They perform specific tasks without making the blood boil or the endorphins rush. Besides, we come to bury Camry not to praise him -- er, it -- which should be easy, considering it finished third the last time out, right? Well, not exactly. Like the Fusion, the 2010 Camry gets a powertrain upgrade to 2.5 liters and six transmission ratios, elevating output to 169 horsepower and 167 pound-feet (179 and 171 for SE models) and EPA fuel economy to 22/33 from 21/31 mpg. Other spiffs include a freshened grille and bumpers plus standard Bluetooth connectivity and stability control.

As we don our Ma 'n' Pa Middle America hats and take a walk around this Toyota, we can't help being impressed by the gigantic back seat, huge trunk opening, and breathtakingly simple cockpit ergonomics. The base radio employs two big knobs and six station preset buttons, as they all did for most of a century. Three more knobs control the heat and air. We've sampled more heavily optioned Camrys with navigation, and while they're more involved than this, they're also elegantly simple to master. The materials and build quality suggest this could be the priciest car in the group, when in fact it's the cheapest (though equipping an SE to match our Sonata would cost almost $32,000).

Twist the key, drive off, and the Camry continues to impress with its supple ride quality and hushed cabin environment, especially at highway speeds. St. Antoine takes up the narrative: "Okay, steering feel and handling prowess are not outstanding, but when you hustle this slice of milquetoast, it shrugs off road imperfections and carves through turns just fine. There's lots of chassis roll but no loss of control. Seemingly excels at nothing, yet it really excels at everything. A driving enthusiast might want a more involving and athletic machine, but for 99 percent of buyers shopping in this category, the Camry simply nails the mission profile."

As the votes were tallied, four editors sheepishly and very grudgingly admitted that the best midsize sedan here was the Camry. Two more ranked it second, and one placed it third, earning Camry the consensus win.

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/112_1005_best_selling_midsize_family_sedan_comparison/index.html

[Erik]

Wow.
The Artics are gonna go nuts!!!

[Ice]

Interesting... and yet it's sort of hard to tell sometimes why they liked it or didn't.  I guess Camry still checks the boxes... I'm probably just projecting some anger

[ArticSteve]

Wow.
The Artics are gonna go nuts!!!

It was just a poorly researched review.  If your intent is to come forth and bash a product just make sure you've crossed all the tees.   

[ArticSteve]

Interesting... and yet it's sort of hard to tell sometimes why they liked it or didn't.  I guess Camry still checks the boxes... I'm probably just projecting some anger

The unit is ASEXUAL. 

Currently, the 2010 Camry, virtually the same car as the 2011, but with different packaging options, is a better deal @ 0%/60.    For this segment, 0% is king.  Just ask Ford, GM, and Hyundai, as they been doing it for the past 5 years. 

[JohnnyCash]

So I see CanadianDriver has jumped on the "hate Toyota" bandwagon that is so popular in the media these days.

I find it strange that the SAME journalist years ago gave the Camry a great verdict. There was an inside story article about a 2007 Camry LE done years ago.

So Mr. Clark, I am curious as to why there is a complete night-and-day difference between the two inside story articles? Sure the Camry received some minor updates in 2010, but the interior has remained almost identical, and the mechanical components are all the same save for updated transmissions and 4 cylinder engines.

I find strange Mr. Clark that many of your complaints about this particular 2011 Camry you looked at did not appear in the article about the 2007 Camry you looked at.

Yes, perhaps the Camry has become less competitive, but the current model has been out for roughly 4 years. I would be shocked if the Camry over these 4 years had remained as competitive as it was when the current model debuted years ago. A redesigned Camry will be debuting soon. Cars like the Ford Fusion and Hyundai Sonata are both pretty new designs. We'll see how the Sonata and Fusion stack up to the redesigned 2012 Camry.

[CatsEye68]

I assume reviewing automobiles at CanadianDriver is a hobby?  Not a professional endeavor?
 
 Heated front seats don’t occur in four-cylinder territory until the XLE trim level

Heated front seats available in a 4 cylinder SE.   

It was really great to here about the cup holders, the sun glass holder, etc., but how did the powertrain perform    Not one word about tranny shifting, and braking. 

The artics have reacted so badly to this piece that they failed to notice that this was an "Inside story" article and not a road test. The only way the powertrain ends up in the interior is when the Camry dives off a cliff or center-punches a tree. But that's another story.

[Toronto1]

I hate. always hate it this car.
The design, the drive, everything about it.

Let me ask you something:
Does the dash of this car looks 2011?
How about 1991?

and stop with reliability discussions once for all.
They've proven they are not that reliable or at least not above average.
They just recalled 2003 vehicles. Their vehicles had quality issues for the last 10 years not from yesterday.

People who like toyota and bought toyota are just to proud to admit they got shafted.
It happens to everyone, it is not a perfect world, sorry.

As for motortrend choosing Camry as a winner. read the article. the choice is so obvious that was paid by toyota.
consumers re-voked their recommendation for majorty of the toyota vehicles.

It is what it is: overpriced, underperformed, mediocre quality vehicle. Nothing more.
and enough of reviews for it. it will not change things.

Move to reviews for other cars. stop reviwing toyota and mazda all the time.
 

[Frontier1]

I think the writer is spot on, and this thread is hilarious.  I said it before, how funny it is not when the tables are turned

[CatsEye68]

As we don our Ma 'n' Pa Middle America hats and take a walk around this Toyota, we can't help being impressed by the gigantic back seat, huge trunk opening, and breathtakingly simple cockpit ergonomics. The base radio employs two big knobs and six station preset buttons, as they all did for most of a century. Three more knobs control the heat and air. We've sampled more heavily optioned Camrys with navigation, and while they're more involved than this, they're also elegantly simple to master.

The same could be said about a '79 LTD. What a rousing recommendation.