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February 20, 2002
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By Jeremy Cato
The 1999 Toyota Camry Solara coupe arrived in the fall of 1998 as a decidedly North American vehicle – right down to its role in capturing buyers who have the same goals and attitudes of sport-utility buyers, but want nothing to do with a truck.
For the record, the then-Solara coupe (and the convertible that arrived in 2000) started with the basic mechanical platform of the previous generation Toyota Camry. Toyota, of course, launched a completely new Camry last fall. I note this because this latest 2002 Camry marks the first time this bread-and-butter family hauler received an all-new platform (the mechanical architecture) in 10 years. Expect an all-new Camry Solara in perhaps a year or so.
None of this has any real or worrisome bearing on quality. A used Camry Solara is still a very good and reliable Camry Solara. A single safety recall, a small handful of service bulletins and high rankings in many different customer surveys are all testament to this model’s reliability.
Okay, so back to the North American theme. The Solara’s engineering and styling was done in the United States, at various Toyota design and research and development centres. The ones you see in the used market were all assembled at Toyota’s Cambridge, Ontario, plant.
Warren Crain, the designer from Toyota’s Southern California studio who was largely responsible for the Solara’s looks, says the car most decidedly started as a Camry coupe, then went its own direction. It was, though, aimed at rivals such as Mercury’s hot-looking Cougar two-door and Honda’s Accord coupe.
Certainly the Solara is a much more interesting design that the previous generation Camry sedan. For all its best-selling status and utterly pure reliability, the old Camry remains one of the blandest designs ever.
By contrast, the Solara sports a distinguishing pair of character lines: a lower perimeter line travels around the car, unifying it, then sweeping up in back to convey a sense of motion. Meantime, there is an arcing line for balance. It’s subtle, but look carefully and you’ll notice the lines reflect light and shadow differently, really catching your eye.
There are also wrap-around lamp designs front and rear, fog lamps, and frameless doors that create a sense of elegance and free-standing openness. I think it’s fair to say the whole package is quietly attractive, though not a flat-out head-twister. What else would you expect from Toyota?
As for comfort, interior room is about what you’d expect in this type of two-door. Nothing more, nothing less. There is more room in back than a Cougar or Accord coupe of this vintage. But, the Chrysler Sebring/Dodge Avenger circa 1999 has a more wide-open back seat.
For comfort, well, there are certainly lots of interesting and welcome features, yet what really jumps out above everything else is how quiet this car is at highway speeds. All sorts of sound-muffling goodies went into toning down any racket – in the floor, the dashboard, the tunnel which runs down the centre of the car… Noise levels are equal to the 1999 Lexus ES300.
Of course that’s not the whole story. The design of the instrument panel and doors from the inside is rich and has proved durable. The two-tone colour trim and fake wood have always been as nice as anything you’ll find in this class. No surprises in the instruments and controls, either.
For power, if you’re looking at a slightly driven Solara you’ll probably be surprised at how nice the four-cylinder version is. There’s plenty of response in the four-banger, even though horsepower is rated at just 135, versus 200 in the V6. Truth is, the smaller engine seems a better fit in this car. In any case, on the road, the Solara feels solid and safe.
Speaking of safe, all cars have always come with front airbags, seatbelt pre-tensioners to protect better in a crash, a three-point belt for the centre rear position, standard anti-lock braking on four- and six-cylinder cars and optional traction control for the V6.
If the kids have grown up and moved out and it’s time to get something a bit more sporty – but not too much so – a used Solara is a very good buy.
Used vehicle prices vary depending on factors such as general condition, odometer reading, usage history and options fitted. Always have a used vehicle checked by an experienced auto technician before you buy.
For information on recalls, see Transport Canada’s web-site, www.tc.gc.ca, or the U.S. National Highway Transportation Administration (NHTSA)web-site, www.nhtsa.dot.gov.
For information on vehicle service bulletins issued by the manufacturer, visit www.nhtsa.dot.gov.
For information on consumer complaints about specific models, see www.lemonaidcars.com.
Related posts:
- Used Vehicle Review: Toyota Camry, 1997-2001
- Used Vehicle Review: Toyota Camry, 1992-1996
- Used Vehicle Review: Infiniti G20, 1999-2002
- Used Vehicle Review: Jeep Grand Cherokee, 1999-2002
- Used Vehicle Review: Chevrolet Tracker, 1999-2002
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