Toyota Camery got car of the year in 2007

[jibbby]

A friend of mine just purchased the new 2007 Toyota Camery 4 banger front wheel drive car today....To my suprise the sticker on this car said it got Motor Trend Car of year award in 2007...:boggled:

I was shocked!!!! A front wheel drive four banger got car of the year.....I don't get it???? What's wrong with Motor Trend these days...:no:

Ok, I got to thinking the estimated MPG and also the out the door dealership price of $19,700 USD is impressive, but that's it.....As far a looks, power, comfort, handling, driveability, etc..it's all very average to me, as I drove it briefly...I would also think it wouldn't be the most reliable car in 2007 being that it is front wheel drive car...

To be honest it drives and feels no better then my mothers loaded 1997 Lexus ES300 with 134,000 miles on it...That also is a front wheel drive car but is equiped with a 6 cylinder motor...Also, the 1997 ES300 is alot faster, not that it matters on those cars..

I can honestly think of a dozen cars that are more impressive out the door in 2007...Any thoughts on this?

 

[jgonzales]

A Lexus ES is basically a V6 Camry. You're really comparing the base model new Camry with the high-end Camry (ES) from '97. They've always been good cars but I'm not trying to justify Motor Trend's decision (although I do agree with them). You should compare the ES with a '07 Camry that's loaded with a V6. They have something like 268 horsepower, I think Toyota says it will do a 14.5 in the 1/4-mile. In my opinion it really is the best "bang for your buck" if you're looking for a 4-door sedan.

 

[jibbby]

Yeah maybe the best bang for the buck, but the best car of the year...I don't think so...

Yes, the Lexus ES models are basically a fancy Camery, you are correct...I was just trying to say I believe I would rather own a 1997 ES300 rather then a 2007 4 cylinder Toyota Camery....

I think the Nissan Altima's and Audi TT's are nicer cars all around, etc....

 

[MindQuicken]

oh btw, it's Camry, not Camery. and there's too many of them!

 

[drifty325i]

They are soooo boring, all they are is a car. nothing more, ie no soul. No fun!

 

[Zuffen]

Doesn't say much for the opposition.

 

[jibbby]

The Camery ooops I mean Camry is boring and has no soul...Well said Drifty....:smokin:

Mindquicken, I appologise for my continued mispellings and thank you for the correction. Tells you what I think of the Camry...:boggled:

I am not an English major by any means of the imagination..:22: However, I do know how to spell Lexus!!!!!

 

[MindQuicken]

yeah well my family owns nine of these "Camerys". they are very boring and feel like a boat to drive, but the older ones (pre-1990) were actually pretty nice. they sat low on the ground and were pretty light 2700 pounds curb weight. The 2.5L iron V6 really roared and was fun to drive, with plenty of feedback from the steering, and you really felt the surface of the road. It had a low compression ratio and strong forged internals, ran rich stock, and plenty of extra space in the engine bay. Perfect for snails!

 

[jibbby]

Yeah, I owned a few of those V6 older Camry's...They had a little spunk, but were still front wheel drive and boring.... Very reliable to say the least, and some what roomy on a positive note.....

 

[WDoherty]

jibby if you run all motor, you might have a hard time keeping up with an 07 v-6 camry, those things are monsters for a family car.

 

[WDoherty]

jibby, i just found the perfect thing for you through one of the lextreme sponsers, its an electronic transmission control so you can control when the tranmission shifts. http://www.importperformancetrans.com/toyotaauto.shtml#main
They also have upgraded valve bodies as well, i don't know if you had the valve body upgraded when your transmission was rebuilt.

 

[jibbby]

WD - All these newer cars are getting faster and faster, SUV's, Midsize, and even the economy cars you name it....It just seems the manufactures are squeezing a little more juice out of these cars each and every year....Every car seems to be dishing out 300hp at stock. It's rediculous if you compare the sport cars made just ten years ago to todays cars...The early 90's Vette's didn't push out 300hp if I am not mistaken...Muscle cars of the past are a joke in comparison to the just the average sports cars of today..

That makes it all that much harder for an early model Lexus to keep up with newer cars even after modifications....However, I do think I can still take out the new V6 Camry....Come on WD give my car some credit......

I did have trouble handling the new IS350 Lexus, they are quick and even the tires or tire spinout under full throttle. To my suprise I had to hit the juice to win it out... The Nissan Maxima 3.5L V6's are about as fast as the 350Z's.. Audi TT's are quick also....S2000's, G35's, etc....All N/A six bangers...

The day I get beat out by a stock Camry is the day I sell my Lexus.

 

[jibbby]

WD, valve body was upgraded, holding capacity is not the issue.....Tranny codes are too slow or something... Thanks for the link buddy, I will look into it further...I am thinking a shift kit might help but don't want to compromise that little bit of luxury I have left in the car..Upped line pressure which I did already and now a shift kit might make it unpleasant to drive...Might spill my morning coffee between shifts and burn the family jewels:yikes: .....Little weary

 

[TundraEddie]

A friend of mine just purchased the new 2007 Toyota Camery 4 banger front wheel drive car today....To my suprise the sticker on this car said it got Motor Trend Car of year award in 2007...:boggled:

I was shocked!!!! A front wheel drive four banger got car of the year.....I don't get it???? What's wrong with Motor Trend these days...:no:

I have that Motor Trend issue (Jan 2007). The Camry they tested is a V6 SE. The article's test data shows a quarter mile time of 14.5 @ 97.5mph...damn that's pretty quick...and it's a damn Camry LOL

 

[WDoherty]

IPT is now offering a stand alone full manual controller for Toyota transmissions.

By saying the "tranny codes are too slow" i think you are reffering to the way in which the transmission ecu controls your transmission. In order to get the shifts you want you must overide this computer, here is a unit that is designed to do that and can switch from automatic and manual modes.

"The IPT Electro-Matic offers you the ability to shift your automatic like a stick!

With this module, which is mounted in the vehicle cockpit, each gear is selected via a push button and lock- up clutch operation is controlled via a toggle switch- the end user has complete control of all transmission upshifts and downshifts

This controller is ideal for road racing, drag racing and street/strip usage. The IPT Elecrto-Matic is also particularly well suited for applications where a stand alone engine management system with no provision for controlling an automatic transmission is utilized. This is the NEW switchable version which enables the user to easily toggle between stock TCU control and Full Manual operation"

 

[jibbby]

WD- Wow, I see what you mean now...Curious, I wonder what is involved in bypassing the ECU transmission codes?...Sounds like you need to tap into the stock ECU box to bypass or cancel out the factory shift codes.......Wonder if this device is user friendly to install and then operate?....

So if I understand correctly you push a button to switch gears manually without the assistance of a clutch....Sounds like triptronic to me...Too Cool.. If it's anything like trying to shift in stock form now manually I would want nothing to do with it....But if it is like push, shift, push, shift, bam bam bam that would be great...Having the ability to downshift into turns would be great for handling....

Anyway, I will read up on the website and the product now...Thanks so much WD that sounds promising...:Eyecrazy:

Back to the Camry, yeah the V6's motor pretty well for a 4 door family car...Wild...I still think my old betsy could take it 0-60mph without NOS.....I would bet pinks on it....:10:

 

[WDoherty]

i don't know how hard it would be to install, you might be best off call ipt yourself and see what they say.

 

[MindQuicken]

i beleive austrailia uses the Supercharged 2GR-FE in their 2007 toybota camerys. jibby, do you think these can beat your SC400?

 

[jibbby]

:smoker: No mindquicken, I do not think I can come close to hanging with a Turbo CamEry.... Can you beat one out?

WD, looking into that little device and it looks like a go..:Eyecrazy: ....Thanks again for the heads up.....

 

[WDoherty]

nice, look forward to the results.