eclipse23

So this weekend the g/f and I decided to start nosing around the car lots and test drive some cars. Due to the traffic and some absolutely terrible salesmanship at Honda we only got to Toyota and passed on test drives at another dealership.

Mike Piazza Honda

We started our day at Mike Piazza Honda in Langhorne, PA where the new Accord was on display in the showroom. There were alot of people in the dealership and a large number of sales staff running around. After 10 minutes or so one of the sales managers encouraged us TO LEAVE THE DEALERSHIP and go check out the competition in the area. I have never been soo shocked in my life to be asked to leave a dealership due to volume. Mike Piazza Honda will never get my business.

Team Toyota, Langhorne

Team Toyota was swamped as well but we were not asked to leave, we were asked if we wanted some coffee. The dealership is under a huge renovation but after 5 minutes of waiting a salesperson was assigned to us and we started talking about the 08' Camry and what I was interested in test driving.

The salesperson had an 08' Fully loaded V6 and an 08' Fully loaded V4 brought out for test drives. We started with the V4 since he wanted me to be able to fairly discern the differences between transmissions and engines. The V6 was a carbon copy of the V4 except for the 6 speed transmission.

The fully loaded Camry had alot of very nice features some of the more notable ones were:

Keyless Engine start FOB with on/off button start.
Large TouchScreen Navigation system / JBL 8 Speaker stereo system.
IPOD adapter plus choice of Sirius or XM Radio Integration.
Bluetooth Phone system with steering wheel controls.
Heated Seats/Mirrors

Ergonomics:
I felt like I had a ton of room in this car, simply sitting in the drivers seat (and the rear seats) you have alot of room to move around and you do not feel cramped at all. The mirrors are just large enough and I thought the blindspots were minimal. Seats seemed very comfortable and the leather was good enough quality (although not TL standard).

Guages, buttons, etc.
Everything seemed to be in the right place on this car and I found myself becoming comfortable in this car the minute I sat in it. The temp controls were simple and effective, the navigation / radio was learnable in 5 minutes and the touchscreen navi was fast to route, presents multiple routes and best of all, the disclaimer times out as opposed to having to press an 'i accept' button. The keyless system was a great little bonus you only need to put your foot on the brake to start the car.

Engines & Transmissions.
Since we started with the V4 (and 3 people in the car) i had an opportunity to feel how the car will behave with more weight than normal for the daily commute. The transmission was silky smooth and the V4 really didn't feel stressed at any point during the drive. You could feel that the car was delivering about as much power as it had to at all times and flooring it was hesitant. The V6 however felt very strong at all times and definitely gave you the feeling that you had power at your disposal whenever you needed it. The downside was the 6 speed transmission felt clunky and you could feel the shifts very pronounced especially 2-3-4 which in city driving you will be all over.

Steering / Handling / Road Noise
Both cars felt slightly numb and that's because it is a Camry and not a BMW or Audi. Although I felt a slight floating feeling from the road and steering was not as crisp as I wanted I have to simply remind myself this is a car made for the masses and not the passionate minority. Road noise was minimal from both cars (a huge plus for me) and the controls on the steering wheel were great and easy to read/find.

Conclusion
I'm looking to finance my next car and I am also looking to keep my payments lower than what a 30k+ car will give me. There is a reason these cars sell like hotcakes it's apparent to me now. I am actually considering the V4 over the V6 for ownership reasons based on the reliability numbers. Looking back over the past few years it's safe to say a V4 camry will go for If I lease one the V6 is a no brainer.

Never Summer

This Camry SE or whatever the sport edition is would be my choice, I think it's actually a pretty aggressive looking car.

Shoofin

Almost 11,000 posts on a car forum and you still call the engine "V4"?

There's no such thing...Stick to "4 Cylinder" or "Inline 4".

As for the Honda, go to a different dealership, and maybe on a day where they aren't ridiculously busy (Saturdays are their busiest days). I live cars all day long and kinda like the new Accord AND Altima a little better than the camry. Don't forget the new Chevy Malibu, it got very high ratings and compared very favorably over the competition. Car & Driver did a comparo with a bunch of those cars, if I remember, out of 7, the Camry finished 5th, the Malibu 3rd, Altima 2nd and Accord 1st. I like the Altima a lot.....I like the interior of it better than the Camry or Accord. The standard Intelligent Key is a plus, too. The Accord's interior to me is a bit busy, there are way too many unnecessary buttons, but I think once I get used to it, I won't have as much of a problem with it....

Dollar for dollar, I think the Altima and Camry have better finance specials though. I also hear that the '09 Camry will be coming in within the next 6-8 weeks, so if you want a better deal, stick with the Camry.

Did I confuse you any more, yet?

joerockt

"aggressive" and "Camry" don't exist in the same sentence.

I hate the Accord sedan's new style outside. Hate the Camry even more...

mrdeeno

http://www.apriliausa.com/njb_dettaglio.asp?id=368

Shoofin

Wow...You got me...BUTTT, you won't find that engine in any production car now, would you?

Infamous425

i like how the SE looks but man the camry's interior is ugly and cheap looking.

mrdeeno

not that one, but there's a v4 engine in a production bike here:

http://www.starmotorcycles.com/star/...me/4/home.aspx

JnC

iTrader: (12)

Seems like its a downgrade from the previous generation model, on the other hand the new accord's interior is pure bliss . The V6 accord sedan is growing on me, pictures dont do that thing any justice cause it looks pretty darn good on the road .

FiveLiterCheater

The front of the camry reminds me of a parrot lol I see a lot of instances where they ripped off the design of the TL though...unfortunatly

Fibonacci

I'm fully convinced that Camry's are the Post-Boomers version of Buick Century, and that's not a compliment.

phil2

legacy gt>camry
volvo s4>camry
3.5se altima>camry
mazdaspeed 6>camry
pontiac g8>camry
chysler 300>camry

You are too young for a camry.

Will Y.

This is one of the largest differences between the Accord and the Camry (or Honda and Toyota, generally). The Hondas tend to have more tightly controlled rides and better steering feel, but let in a little more road noise. The Honda seats also tend to be firmer than the Camry seats (but I haven't sat in a Camry SE, if it has different seats).

FWIW, I was bored to death by my dad's '91 Camry V6, and our 2004 Odyssey has better feel and a tighter ride than the 2004-2006 Camrys that I've driven on various occasions. I haven't yet driven the current generation of either the Accord or Camry.

How about a TSX 6M if the interior size is not an issue? It's a nice, tight-driving car with a 4-cylinder, less than 30K and much smaller on the outside than the Malibu, Camry, Accord, etc.
G/L.

JediMindTricks

i've always liked the looks of the SE...but the interior is pure

even the gf was like when she sat in it at the auto show.

Sarlacc

Camry has the worst looking/feeling interior I've seen or been and it was shockingly bad.

I personally love the new accord sedans. the lines just grab me...ive actually come to like it a lot more then the coupe.

The Altima is nice as well, the legacy gt...the upcoming G8...there are better choices then the camry imo...but if you like it then thats what really matters in the end.

jupitersolo

Mazda 3 > Camry

1killercls

Sign me up for the V4...

ilitig8

The most recent comparo (C&D or MT) had the new Accord as #2, Malibu #3 and the Camry #1...

chiawei

Go drive a camry SE V6 and you will be pleasantly suprised.

The SE V6 drive very different compare to the LE or XLE. Accord V6 is actually more buick like than the Camry SE V6. Check out the MT comparison.

CD just did one recently using a vanila LE, which we all know how plain it is.

They should have used a SE 4 cylindar to go up against sportier Accord EX.

The new Accord is not what it used to be.

chiawei

It was MT.

Camry SE V6 #1, Malibut LTZ #2, Accord V6 #3, and Altima SE 3.5 #4.

eclipse23

Some follow up thoughts:

Tomorrow I am going to test drive the Altima SL after work. I test drove a base Altima earlier this year and was pleasantly surprised by how nice it was.

I will be test driving almost every car in this class so I will post my reviews as I test them.

eclipse23

According to consumer reports the Camry is a great BUY. Alot of the cars you mentioned I would not dare buy.

The Mazda, Altima & Legacy I would consider but not anything American.

Fibonacci

Since when do car enthusiasts run out and buy based on Consumer Reports?

BTW, they recently rescinded their instant Toyota recommendations because of a slip in quality.

My older brother-in-law (who is an automotive engineer) bought a 4 banger Camry and thinks its an overrated car.

JediMindTricks

like i said before, the camry SE is a good looking car, but i just can't get over how cheap the interior looks.

Fibonacci

^^ Almost as good as the Chrysler Sebring interior!