[Ozymandias]

So what do you all think of the new Camry? I was looking at the pics and I was thinking "not bad, not bad at all". Then I saw the interior and was blown away. I mean this is supposed to be the basic family sedan and the dash lighting is just awesome. I think the interior more impressive than even the G35. And the engine options are great....definitely a great car if you are in the market for that sort of thing.

The pics on toyota's website of the SE, which is the sportier model. I am guessing the lower models won't look as nice. 268hp v6 isn't bad though.

 

[luckezero]

Yes! I've been waiting for this topic to come up.

Looking at the exterior of the production versions makes me sad. Early spy pictures had me thinking it'd be much more angular and sporty -- and the car isn't all that bad, but it's just that front end. And only that Toyota T emblem hump/snout center of the front grill. I'm sure the aftermarket could do something to make it right, but the fact we might see 500k of these on the road each year makes me hope it (and really it alone) looks a lot better in person.

Other than that, I'm also really intrigued by the interior's use of clear, almost ambient light-like (imagine if you could pick colors at the touch of a button), plastics -- it looks fresh and innotive, something not easily accomplished when the thousands and thousands of other car interiors usually fit into similar material and aesthetic design. Looks avant garde and user friendly at the same time. Wish that Toyota had been as successful (and a tad more risky) with the exterior as the interior.

 

[Ozymandias]

Hmm. I like the exterior. The toyota symbol doesn't really bother me, with the dark grille on the SE version at least. Otherwise it looks good though. I guess any more angular and it might look too similar to the IS.

 

[luckezero]

Did you go to the D.C. auto show this weekend, Oz? Finally saw and touched the new Camry in person. You're right about the SE's looks. I stand by my earlier comments, and also was a little disappointed by the interior... el-plastico. Lots of nice cars out on display for anybody else in the area.

 

[Ozymandias]

No, I didn't. I went to the altanta show once and was pretty disappointed...I figure the only good one is in detroit now.

 

[clawhammer]

I want to see what the 2008 Accord will look like. For the current generation though, Accord > Camry in just about everything.

 

[luckezero]

^ haha, couldn't have said it better myself.

Hey Oz, sorry you missed it. There were some neat side-attractions like customized cars including high-line exotics like the Lambos and Ferrari. Unfortunately I have seen the Carerra GT enough times that I don't get all queasy in its presence anymore, but enjoyed sitting in the relatively new 911 and brand-new Cayman... I will own a Porsche one day, oh yes, I will :smile: Actually, tho, might give some serious thought to buying a Saturn Sky first... altho it's only 170hp and made my General Motors, I can't stop thinking about how dead sexy it looks and what a terrific value it is... well, at least aesthetically. If they put in a nicer engine (preferrably in the front-mid location), dropped a few pounds, and had somebody like Lotus tune the suspension, I could easily see it selling for $45-50k, albeit not on a Saturn lot.

Wish my week hadn't been so busy, or else I would have dropped by on a less-croweded weekday. But hey, with the nice weather, I walked all the way down to the Air & Space Museum. It was a fun day... maybe next time we oughta get a MR2OC booth set-up.... Bill??

 

[ChrisFL]

Actually I think the current gen Accord has really bad styling compared to the Camry, it's like it's trying to be a certain design, but it really got screwed up somewhere.

BTW, there already is a "sporty" camry, it's called the Solara