2007 Toyota Camry Car Review: The New Camry is an Improvement

The Toyota Camry has been around for years, and it has always been associated with reliability and being family friendly. These are good qualities, and this is the major reason that the Camry has been among the best selling car models in the world. This car has been around for years, and many owners have been able to put extensive mileage on them, and still receive a high resale value. Expect to pay more for a used Camry, than for some new cars, and it is logical to believe that you'll be able to drive it for over 200, 000 miles. While this reputation is deserved, the car always seemed to be boring. That is why Toyota redesigned it, and it is now a much more exciting car than previous models.

Japanese engineers deserve a lot of credit, as this is a stunningly beautiful car. It has a sporty appearance to it, while providing curves and structure that suggest it is from Germany. It looks a bit like the redesigned Honda Accord, but it has a bit more of aggressive styling. This is a huge improvement, and it could be considered sexy, unlike the old Camry's. Those could be described as "boxy but good," as Dan Akroyd said in a Saturday Night Live satire of Volvo. There is no boredom here, and with a choice of four and six cylinder engines, anyone can find a Camry that will suit their needs.

I test drove the CE edition, which is the value based model of Camry. It had a sticker price of $18,900, and its engine was a 2.4 liter 4 cylinder block. While I do hope to try the six cylinder, which I have heard is a lot of fun, I greatly enjoyed the 158 horsepower pushed out by this engine. It is more than adequate, and has a throaty growl that I've never heard in a Toyota before. This occurred during strong acceleration, and it mellowed while idling or at slower speeds. Engine power is not a problem, and the tires squeal when floored from the line. While it will not beat a sports car, it has enough strength to allow for safe merging on city streets or a major interstate. Even with this spirited performance, the gas efficiency is excellent at 24 mpg city/33 highway.