2012 Toyota Camry Leaked!

[GoCougs]

LOL, nice "all-new" Camry you got there Toyota. This is part and parcel of how GM got its lunch eaten. Some of the competition is not pulling the Civic/Camry/old Detroit losing game of simply not keeping the product fresh enough. The Malibu will be all-new after a five-year run in MY2013, ditto for the Sonata for MY2011 and Legacy for MY2010.

But yeah, there's a reason it's the class leader. People like big, roomy, quiet, smooth, comfy, nice but not daring, reliable/durable, and mostly just an easy car to get around in and to live with. Though there a plenty good mid-sizers out there none do that all as well as the Camry. Also, the V6 SE is the best overall performing mid-sizer, and a decent performer in its own right.

[CALL_911]

Dude, everybody knows that Krups makes the blenders for purists. Hamilton Beach makes the nostalgic old school classics.

Our Krups blender crapped out after just a year. We replaced it with an el cheapo blender, which works fine.

[Soup DeVille]

Our Krups blender crapped out after just a year. We replaced it with an el cheapo blender, which works fine.

Ferraris aren't known for their reliability either.

[hotrodalex]

Think about it this way: If you had to load up a group of 3 or 4 friends and yourself and drive on a 1,000-mile trip, which family car would you pick?

I'd want something, smooth, quiet, comfortable, reliable, and spacious. The Camry has its flaws, but it's a better pick than just about anything else in its class for such duties.

A Charger.

[the Teuton]

A Charger.

I did a 2,000-mile roundtip in a Magnum. You say that now, but you have no idea what you're talking about. That transmission tunnel in the middle is terrible, the seats aren't that great, and the smallest guy in your loaded-up five-passenger trip will always get the hump seat in the middle.





The car's ride wasn't terrible, but it could have afforded to be a little softer for a bunch of guys trying to get some sleep in the back. It wasn't the best car we could have had.

[Laconian]

Yeah, that tunnel is quite a monolith!

[2o6]

I don't think the Camry is that much appreciably smoother than the competition, though.

[the Teuton]

I don't think the Camry is that much appreciably smoother than the competition, though.

It's the most drama-free vehicle under $25,000 sold today.

[2o6]

It's the most drama-free vehicle under $25,000 sold today.

My brother has a 2011 SE, and although I do feel a difference, I don't think the Camry does anything super-appreciably better than the competition (and that interior is a slapdash mess). These things sell on name alone. My brother didn't even DO any shopping.

[the Teuton]

My brother has a 2011 SE, and although I do feel a difference, I don't think the Camry does anything super-appreciably better than the competition (and that interior is a slapdash mess). These things sell on name alone. My brother didn't even DO any shopping.

It doesn't do anything better than its competition...but it offers solid B+s and A-s all around, which is better than the Accord, for instance, that gets solid As in space and steering feel but a C in interior noise. The Camry just does everything well.

Why would your brother need to do any shopping?

[2o6]

It doesn't do anything better than its competition...but it offers solid B+s and A-s all around, which is better than the Accord, for instance, that gets solid As in space and steering feel but a C in interior noise. The Camry just does everything well.

Why would your brother need to do any shopping?

That interior is not put together well. It's nearing pre 05' Malibu bad.


It's quiet and smooth, and honestly (IMO) nothing else.

[ifcar]

I don't think the Camry is that much appreciably smoother than the competition, though.

Well, you're just wrong.

[ifcar]

It doesn't do anything better than its competition...but it offers solid B+s and A-s all around, which is better than the Accord, for instance, that gets solid As in space and steering feel but a C in interior noise. The Camry just does everything well.

Why would your brother need to do any shopping?

No way -- Camry gets lousy marks for handling and interior quality.

[the Teuton]

No way -- Camry gets lousy marks for handling and interior quality.

Interior quality isn't great, but the seats are more comfortable, and the fabric feels durable. The dash sucks, though, but if you're not a dash-stroker, it's no biggie. I thought the dash on the new Sonata sucked versus the outgoing car.

As for the handling, that'd matter if dealers had slalom courses. They don't. Few people are ever going to push Camrys to their limits.

[2o6]

Well, you're just wrong.

I've been in (and driven some) of the competition. I think it's smoother, yes, but not to the point where the competition feels unrefined.

No way -- Camry gets lousy marks for handling and interior quality.

Plus one.


I think it is smoother, but I don't see the big deal since most of the class feels pretty disconnected and smooth, IMO.

Interior quality isn't great, but the seats are more comfortable, and the fabric feels durable. The dash sucks, though, but if you're not a dash-stroker, it's no biggie. I thought the dash on the new Sonata sucked versus the outgoing car.

As for the handling, that'd matter if dealers had slalom courses. They don't. Few people are ever going to push Camrys to their limits.

It can be unsettling at higher speeds.


Panel gaps and cheap plastics, and misaligned pieces are all over the place in my brother's Camry.


The Sonata is hands down a better car inside.

[ifcar]

Interior quality isn't great, but the seats are more comfortable, and the fabric feels durable. The dash sucks, though, but if you're not a dash-stroker, it's no biggie. I thought the dash on the new Sonata sucked versus the outgoing car.

As for the handling, that'd matter if dealers had slalom courses. They don't. Few people are ever going to push Camrys to their limits.

It's more severe than that for sure. The dash on all the 2010/2011 Camrys I've seen has been very visibly misaligned, and you'll notice super-light steering even if you're not driving hard.

You can't say it does everything well and then just disregard the areas it doesn't. EVERY car does everything well except for the things it doesn't.

[hotrodalex]

I did a 2,000-mile roundtip in a Magnum. You say that now, but you have no idea what you're talking about. That transmission tunnel in the middle is terrible, the seats aren't that great, and the smallest guy in your loaded-up five-passenger trip will always get the hump seat in the middle.

The car's ride wasn't terrible, but it could have afforded to be a little softer for a bunch of guys trying to get some sleep in the back. It wasn't the best car we could have had.

I did 7 hours in a Charger on Friday. Not bad at all. Transmission tunnel was fine, a little wide but the foot well was still plenty wide enough and there was plenty of legroom. The seats were great, especially for sleeping in (at least the front passenger seat was. Don't know about the back. I sat back there for 10 minutes and it was comfortable, but I didn't try to sleep). And you said 3 or 4 people, not 5. The ride in ours was smooth. Maybe not Camry smooth, but smooth enough that it wouldn't be much of a difference. Only comfort problem I had was the center armrest is too far back. And the car tends to understeer when in the mountains going 85. But other than, it was great. Oh, and 32 mpg average at 80 mph.

Keep in mind, this is a brand new 2011 model. Can't speak for the previous gen.

[the Teuton]

It's more severe than that for sure. The dash on all the 2010/2011 Camrys I've seen has been very visibly misaligned, and you'll notice super-light steering even if you're not driving hard.

You can't say it does everything well and then just disregard the areas it doesn't. EVERY car does everything well except for the things it doesn't.

Fine...I'm done doing devil's advocate. The plastics suck. I'll admit it.

Edit: And I hate Toyota's (lack of) steering feel.

[2o6]

I did 7 hours in a Charger on Friday. Not bad at all. Transmission tunnel was fine, a little wide but the foot well was still plenty wide enough and there was plenty of legroom. The seats were great, especially for sleeping in (at least the front passenger seat was. Don't know about the back. I sat back there for 10 minutes and it was comfortable, but I didn't try to sleep). And you said 3 or 4 people, not 5. The ride in ours was smooth. Maybe not Camry smooth, but smooth enough that it wouldn't be much of a difference. Only comfort problem I had was the center armrest is too far back. And the car tends to understeer when in the mountains going 85. But other than, it was great. Oh, and 32 mpg average at 80 mph.

Keep in mind, this is a brand new 2011 model. Can't speak for the previous gen.

The old one had a tunnel that made it a 4-passenger car, basically.

Fine...I'm done doing devil's advocate. The plastics suck. I'll admit it.

They're markedly worse than the competition and not put together well.

[hotrodalex]

The old one had a tunnel that made it a 4-passenger car, basically.

I don't really remember what the tunnel was like in the back seat. I don't think it was too bad, though, or I would have noticed. Even so, 3 people in the back seat is rarely comfortable for long drives, large hump or not.

[cawimmer430]

Looks like the Pepsi kept you alive. 

[Onslaught]

The last thing Toyota would even need to do is read stuff like this when making the next Camry. The Camry is the overall best car in it's class for the average American. I wouldn't own one but it's still the best.

[HurricaneSteve]

[thewizard16]

That interior is not put together well. It's nearing pre 05' Malibu bad.


It's quiet and smooth, and honestly (IMO) nothing else.

It isn't pre 05 Malibu bad yet (in fact, the 2010 Malibu I rented had similar interior alignment issues to the 2010 Camry, but that is not a good thing for the Camry) but it is disappointing how far it has fallen. Having been in ... a lot... of Camries, it seems like their interior panel fit has been getting worse since the 97-01 generation. Materials were slightly better in the 02-06 model, but you started noticing plastics along the door that didn't fit quite right, and the panel below the dash around the center console would come loose and gap from the dash. The new model's materials seem to have taken a hit on quality (hard plastics where they would have put soft in the past, cheaper looking pillar/glovebox/dash plastics than before, etc.) and they had definitely taken a hit on fit- I was shocked to see the entire center console was noticeably misaligned in the new Camry, as were some of the button surrounds near the steering wheel. The AC control knobs were the cheapest feeling I'd used in a Camry, and the headliner looked lower budget than before. It was definitely the quietest and smoothest of the Malibu, Altima, Charger, Fusion, and Impala rentals I had, and the seats were the easiest to get comfortable in quickly, but the handling was potentially the worst and the interior wasn't a strong point anymore. If they keep slipping up on the Camry, I don't see good things in the long-term for Toyota.

[Atomic]

wow. stunned at your camry experience. the 2010 i rented was pretty solid, but i think i was the first or second driving this particular car, as it had roughly 550 miles on it. despite my decent experience with the rental, i am more of a honda accord EX-L V6 man (but the LX and EX 4 cylinder versions are great, too).

[Onslaught]

I must agree that the Camry and Corolla's interiors have gone down hill.

[thewizard16]

wow. stunned at your camry experience. the 2010 i rented was pretty solid, but i think i was the first or second driving this particular car, as it had roughly 550 miles on it. despite my decent experience with the rental, i am more of a honda accord EX-L V6 man (but the LX and EX 4 cylinder versions are great, too).

I didn't say it was a bad car, it's not. But it is a worse car in some ways than the Camries that preceded it (the 3 previous generations of which I have driven a lot), the most bothersome of which to me was quality and attention to detail, since that has been a big part of its appeal in the past. It certainly didn't stand out above the competition for interior quality like they used to, and I would have a hard time talking myself into buying one if I were in the market. I have never liked the Accord, but I haven't driven the newest model.

I must agree that the Camry and Corolla's interiors have gone down hill.

The Corolla's was shockingly bad to me. The Camry had poor fit and had cheapened some materials, but at least tried to look nice. The Corolla went all out cheap- all the soft plastics from the last gen seemed to have been replaced by hard, crude edged plastics, and it just didn't seem to be trying to be nice at all anymore. But, I've ranted about my dislike of the "new" Corolla before so I won't go off on that again.

[WookieOnRitalin]

Camry is now just an average player in the midsize market and is surviving on name alone. Toyota has lost touch with buyers because what separated them from their competition was the perceived quality difference, but that no longer exists. The other thing that kept Toyota on the radar was their funky vehicles that made them lovable (Celicas, Supras, MR2). They made Scion to keep that cred alive, but they even screwed Scion up with their Blandification of that brand as well.

Welcome to being #1 Toyota. You make almost nothing interesting. The Camry is still boring if not functional. People want more zest and personality with their vehicles.

Toyota is like a girl that really has no inherent flaws. She's okay looking, but plain. Not very athletic. No personality. Steady. Reliable. Just boring and ultimately unattractive.

God, the Camry sucks.

[ifcar]

Toyota is like a girl that really has no inherent flaws. She's okay looking, but plain. Not very athletic. No personality. Steady. Reliable. Just boring and ultimately unattractive.

...I'd hit that.

[Raza]

Front is OK, rear is just weird.

The front is hideous; it looks like they plastered a Civic front end on to it.  I have almost no feelings about the rear.