Test Drive Toyota Camry Solara 2003 - 2008

There is not enough superstitude, test drive a / m Toyota Camry

Toyota Camry car, whose popularity is small in Japan, but who, however, was able to become a world celebrity, passed the full replacement for his model range. Our journalist made a test trip on this high-class front-wheel drive sedan of a new sample.
   
Skillfully selected design.
The Toyota Camry car has been so inconspicuous to the phenomenon of our life that ask the question and what are the main distinctive features of the Camry of the old sample?, Perhaps that not everyone finds what to answer. And at the same time, this car was successfully sold in more than one hundred countries of the world. This once again confirms that sometimes the inner modesty of the automotive family can turn out truly by world glory. Yes, what to say there, if in America alone, about 400 thousand cars of this brand was sold per year. It is easy to guess how much by the way it turned out to be for Toyota. But the time goes, and now it has come when, for all car laws, this popular lineup of this series has to be completely updated.
Unlike the old sample machine, the new Camry has a very skillfully selected front design. It is perceived as a single whole, and very reminds of the recently debut model BELTA. Nevertheless, yes forgive me designers, the design of the front is not deprived of coarse drops. Although, if you are frank, the car looks peculiar.
The length of the new car remained at the same level - 4815 mm. As for the width, it is now 1820 mm, that is, 25 mm more than the predecessor. The same, only on the contrary, happened with a height. Judge for yourself: the car has become below 20 mm, so that its height is 1470 mm. Thus, the type of silhouette of the new machine quite corresponds to the definition of Wide & Low, and if you compare with the previous model, it is possible to say easier: the proportions have increased. However, the story knows a lot of examples when the desire to correct the appearance of the car led, ultimately, to the fact that it was necessary to sacrifice the spaciousness of the salon. I believe that the company Toyota perfectly understood what happened to this, the car would lose some of the buyers. Therefore, along with a decrease in height, a distance between the axes was increased by 55 mm. But the most important thing is that the designers considered it possible to lengthen the cabin by as much as 260 mm. Thanks to the new layout, the distance between the front and rear seats also increased by 30 mm, which made it possible to create a rear passenger under the legs more free space. But such a width, of course, could not pass without a trace. And for sure, look in the trunk! It has become clearly less, having reduced its volume by as much as 83 liters, if we speak the language of numbers.
As for the general assessment of the interior, the brighter tones are striking, which are painted seats and lower half of the front wall of the cabin. Moreover, which is characteristic - the front panel and its central dashboard have a t-shaped profile and seem to be hanging in the air. And yet, the central unit is framed by a transparent acrylic panel. But the color of this panel is pale greenish. And it turns out as if he, this unit, incomprehensible changes his form depending on which side the light falls. So it is even good that this node is not painted into some clearly defined color.
Technical characteristics of the model Camry G Limited Edition:
Length 4815 mm x Width 1820 mm x Height 1470 mm.
Wheel base: 2775 mm.
Machine weight: 1520 kg.
Drive: Front
Engine: 2.4 -List, 4-cylinder, developed power 167 hp At 6000 rpm, the greatest torque is 22.8 kg / m at 4000 rpm.
Machine price: 2 million 6464 thousand yen.
The price of the machine on which the test trip was carried out: 2 million 990.4 thousand yen. List of options included in the configuration of a test machine model G Limited Edition.:
- semicircular (lunar) hatch, moving and tilted automatically (using an electric motor) + adjustable lamp over the rear seat 94.5 thousand yen; HDD navigation system + control panel on a steering wheel 249.9 thousand yen.
Engine with a large power reserve.
The new Camry car is equipped with the engine of the same series as its previous model. That is, it is a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder unit of the 2AZ series. What kind of changes was decided to make it? I will say briefly: there was a modified form of a block of cylinders and an inlet and release system, so that it was possible to increase the power of the engine for 8 horsepower. Thus, in its present state, this engine can develop power in 167 hp At the speed of rotation of the shaft 6200 rpm. A 5-speed automatic transmission is working in a pair with this unit if you take a modification with the front-wheel drive. If this is a version on a full drive, it is equipped with only a 4-speed automaton. By the way, the same engine (2AZ-FF) is placed on the Toyota Estima and Toyota RAV4 models, but there it goes along with a stepless transmission. How to explain such a substantial difference? Yes, the fact that the main consumer of Toyota Camry cars is the North American market, and there they are very disapproving. So you have to vary.
It should also be noted that the Toyota Estima model mentioned above is heavier than the new Camry for as much as 300 kg. For this reason, with all equal parameters, the 2AZ-FF engine on the new Camry machine copes with the tasks set better, at least where a powerful torque is required. True, you need to keep in mind, and the Camry car itself is not so lightweight more than one and a half tons. And, nevertheless, it is not difficult to guess how much Camry's traction characteristics is higher than that of the Estima model. When I experienced Camry with the front drive, first of all drew attention to a powerful start. In addition, when driving around the city, and then with a uniform movement in the speed highway, it was worth only to press the gas pedal so that the tachometer arrow was between the marks in 2000 ~ 3000 rpm, as the machine immediately added in speed.
When the arrow was bashing for 3000 rpm. And stopped, not reaching 4000 rpm, the engine seemed to receive a second breath. But it was accompanied by an increase in the noise from the engine. And besides, during this period, the engine suddenly lost the ability to a smooth power set, which spoiled its in general, a good assessment. But in the speed range, most often used in everyday ride, the engine showed itself well, so it can be quite practical.
I want to say a few words about management comfort. The front wheels of the new car are attached to the body through the rack suspension, the size of the tires used 215/60 / R16. For such a car, this is a very modest choice, but, oddly enough, it did not feel that the car goes hard. At the same time, she did not give the driver to relax. What else did I pay attention to? When driving at high speed, the body constantly fluctuates up and down, although the quality of the road surface seems to be normal. You start to increase the speed, and such a shaking is also growing by amplitude. So say that the suspension clearly holds the body of the car, I personally can not.
The test trip route was rather short, but still I managed to feel how new Camry car rushes into the eyes surrounding. In practical terms, the car is fairly well. However, there is one note: at the very beginning of the movement, he lacks energetic. This is my personal impression, but I am sure that many will agree with me. Of course, I agree, it is not at all necessary that absolutely all sedans were in good fitness. Therefore, the path where the developers of the model range of Camry continue to go, it seems worthy of attention. And at the same time, if even the car is not included in the category of sport, it does not mean that she can forgive signs of lethargy, whether in appearance, or in terms of running qualities. I do not know how there abroad, but in Japan such a lack of sufficiency is invalid if the authors of the project want their car to become truly popular.
Specifications Model Camry G Dignis Edition:
Length 4815 mm x Width 1820 mm x Height 1470 mm.
Wheel base: 2775 mm.
Machine weight: 1520 kg.
Drive: Front
Engine: 2.4 -List, 4-cylinder, developed power 167 hp At 6000 rpm, the greatest torque is 22.8 kg / m at 4000 rpm.
Machine price: 3 million 360 thousand yen.
The price of the machine on which the test trip was performed: 3 million 454.5 thousand yen. The difference in price originated due to the completion of the test machine with the following options:
A semicircular (lunar) hatch, moving and tilted automatically (using an electric motor) + adjustable lamp over the rear seat 94.5 thousand yen.
 

 
 

A source: WebCG.net