2009 Toyota Camry LE 2.4 I4 from North America
Summary:
Everything a family sedan should be - cheap, efficient, safe and reliable
Faults:
Everything's worked perfectly since purchasing it used at a dealer (it was a former rental car). Regular maintenance is all that's been required.
General Comments:
Performance is decent. Accelerating to pass at highway speeds is sometimes quite slow, however it's adequate for pretty much any everyday task.
The seats are poorly designed and painful to sit in for more than an hour or so, but a $35 (shipped) Obus Forme lower backrest from Amazon fixed this.
Handling is solid. It's reasonably nimble and the suspension is quite smooth, but there's little steering feel. The accelerator and transmission feel a little weird (the gas takes half a second or so to engage, and the transmission occasionally shifts oddly), but it's relatively easy to get used to this.
Superb gas mileage for a large sedan: It averages 29-30mpg in mixed driving, and I don't "hypermile". This more than makes up for the minor engine and transmission complaints.
Safety ratings are excellent - Since I'm driving my family around in it, this was a big concern.
A word to those worried about the accelerator recall: I floored the gas and brakes at the same time to test it, and the brakes completely overwhelmed the engine. I'm not worried at all about this. Plus, it takes less than a second to flick it into neutral. ;)
My only serious complaint is the comfort of the front seats, which was cheap and easy to fix. Everything else has been exactly what I expected.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 25th November, 2010
14th Aug 2009, 22:45
I haven't seen such a nice review for any domestic vehicle... certainly says a lot doesn't it?