2007 Toyota Camry

kdhspyder · February 2006

Yes.. they are being built starting on Feb 13th.. figure 3 weeks later for the first to arrive.

tuffy · February 2006

Dealers in the Washington DC area expect to have the new camry by March 1. I think you will be sold on the new camry once you drive it compared to the Honda Accord, Acura TL and Acura TSX. All are fine cars but if you are looking for the ultimate in refinement, quality, reliability, and a super quiet cabin, the 2007 Camry will be far superior to the Honda Accord, which is still quite noisy inside. Even though the Acura's you mentioned are considered high priced vehiles, given that they are made by Honda, I believe you will still see the 2007 Camry a far superior vehicle for less money.

Good luck in your car search!

jaxs1 · February 2006

I'm not sure reliability of an all-new model will be a strong reason to buy it instead of an Accord or TSX.
You will have to test drive it to see if you prefer the ride and drive to those cars.

mackabee · February 2006

Word I got from our district rep is March 6th they will be on the trucks. Check out the Toyota Japan website. More pics of the Japanese Camry which is the same as hours but different angles. http://toyota.jp/
Mackabee

alpha01 · February 2006

The only Camry that was open to the public at the Philly Show was an XLE 4 with no visible options. I am very impressed by this vehicle; the interior is a LOT more stylish, but still ergonomic. Although I did not care for the lightish faux woodgrain in the pictures, it is restrained in use and compliments the interior well. The chrome interior door handles feel expensive, and the damped motion of the center console storage is exactly as one would expect in a Lexus. Although the instrumentation wasnt illuminated (no battery), it is recessed, large, and I have no doubt it will look every bit as good in function as it has photographed. The rear center armrest is larger and offers greater utility, and the reclining seats are a nice feature.

I also feel Toyota made a smart move by making more major features standard on the XLE 4- namely, the power moonroof and very sharp alloys.

Now, a few downsides: The interior is roomy, but it does not have the airy feeling of the last generation. Mind you, the room IS there, but the higher beltline lends itself to a cozier atmosphere. Also, I wonder how well the Camry's conservative audience will like the fashion forward HVAC appearance (bluish lighting). I like it, THANK GOD Toyota didnt go back to the AWFUL swamp green motif of the Gen-4....

~alpha

cam2003 · February 2006

How does Toyota fix hesitation problem for 2007 model (reused 5sp auto) ?

alpha01 · February 2006

1) The hesitation issue was with the V6 and 5 speed auto, not the 2.4L and 5 speed auto.

2) The carryover transmission is the 4 cylinder's 5A.

3) The 3.5L V6 is coupled to a new 6 speed auto, which, according to the Camry press release, offers 50% quicker downshift response than the unit it replaces.

~alpha

fredvh · February 2006

What exactly does a higher beltline mean? Forgive me but I do not know what a "beltline" is.

buyer777 · February 2006

I think it means the window sills are higher..a la the Chyrsler 300....

lmacmil · February 2006

As buyer777 said, the beltline refers to the height of the door sheet metal, i.e., where the glass starts. A higher beltline, ala Chrysler 300 or Pacifica may look cool but if you are "vertically challenged" you may feel somewhat claustrophobic when sitting inside.

austinman7 · February 2006

Much to my surprise, there was an '07 Camry LE in the parking lot at my tennis club this morning. It had a Scott County dealer's plate on it (Scott County being where Georgetown and the Toyota factory are located, and just one county away from where I live). It was black with a stone interior and a nice looking set of alloy wheels. There was no full-sized window sticker, just a small one giving country of origin for parts and the point of assembly as the Georgetown plant.

I was very impressed with the looks of the car. It seems more compact than the '06 and a much more integrated design overall. The interior looked very sharp, especially the redesigned dashboard. The front seat bottom cushions don't appear to be any shorter than the '06, but I couldn't say if they were longer or not, just by looking in the window. Don't know how far forward the front seats were, but rear legroom looked generous. I had no way of finding out who the owner was, so all I could do was look.

Just a very sharp looking car, at least 100 percent better in both exterior and interior design than an '06, IMO.

mackabee · February 2006

They actually lowered the roofline which makes it appear as if the belt line was raised. I just finished my "online" training for the Camry and it is one mighty fine car. Looks like the CE, LE will be the only ones with the 60/40 split rear seat. The SE's is fixed and has a cross brace where the "hole" goes for reinforcement of the body, and the XLE's has the recliners. The SE looks like a handling machine but I'm not too crazy about the "cartoonish" ground effects and grille. Looks like it will either be an LE or XLE for me.

Mackabee

alpha01 · February 2006

One item I'm confused about- is the 5M available on the LE, or just the CE and SE?

Thanks!

~alpha

tuffy · February 2006

I agree completely with your assessment as I spent quite a bit of time looking over the 2007 Camry at the Washington Auto show. It appears to be a fabulous car and I look forward to owning a 2008 XLE 4-cylinder. I to am glad Toyota is offering more amenties on the XLE 4 cylinder. I hope the keyless entry and elctronic stabalization are available by 2008 on the 4 cylinder as they are both very desireable options. Even if they are available, they still might not be produced for the mid-atlantic area where I live. When will Toyota finally learn that many customers would like all the features of the XLE 6 cylinder, but with a 4 cylinder engine?

I have had two four cylinder Camry's (1999 and a 2005) and I prefer the additional economy of the 4 cylinder over the 6 cylinder, yet would still like all the feature that are currently offered only with the 6. If I do have to upgrade to a6 cyliner XLE, I am glad Toyota does not recommend premium fuel for their new 6 cylinder as that would definitely be a deal breaker. In this day and time, who wants to pay 20 cents more on the gallon for premium fuel?

I have written Toyota for over 6 years about the horrible swamp green color in the radio and heat/ac controls. I am really glad they have gotten rid of them in favor of amore eye appealing color. I am also glad they did not put that silly door covering over the radio on the new Camry like they did on the Avalon as it really looks cheap and is causing quite a few problems among Avalon owners.

I wish the interior was a little larger in the 2007 Camry and closer to the room of the Avalon, especially in the rear seats. It would also have been nice to have HID headlights as an option on the XLE and SE!

alpha01 · February 2006

Your 2005 has swamp green HVAC? I was referring more to the swamp green of the instrumentation, that your 99 no doubt has. The '05 dazzles with the highly legible electroluminescent backlighting.

Do you find your 99 has sufficient pick-up? I thought that was a really bad spot in Camry history, the slowest of the 4s made.... the Generation 5 (02-06) accelerates much more strongly- and offers better efficiency to boot.

From what I understand VSC will show up in many more vehicles produced than just the XLE V6, as was common in the Generation 5.

I think the Camry's interior is the right size. Were it any larger, what would the justification for the Avalon be? HID headlamps, though- I agree with you. And I also feel the XLE V6, in addition to both SEs... should wear 17 inch tires, though Im glad the width of the 16s is greater for 2007.

~alpha

maxamillion1 · February 2006

I don't know if you saw the write-up I did a while back on the Camry..but I went to an autoshow and got a mini brochure on the Camry...from that brochure it states that the CE, LE and SE models will have a 5spd. manual as standard equipment. I'm not exactly sure if that's gonna be the case now, but I went to that show about a month or so ago.

Anybody been to Chicago yet?

I'm actually flying to Chicago this weekend and I'll be at the show this Saturday! I'm gonna take a BUNCH of pictures of the Camry, specifically the SE and XLE if they have one available because I have grown tired of my Altima.

I'll also be lookin at the Sentra in depth as well.

If anybody's gonna be in the area, it would be nice to meet up or what not. I'll take a BUNCH of pictures and try to host and post them once I'm back next week.

fredvh · February 2006

Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) is definitely an option on the XLE with the 4-cylinder engine. How easy or difficult it will be to find is a guess but you can always special order one.

kdhspyder · February 2006

It will likely be the first option offered beyond the standard equipment.. then leather, then navi(?) IMO.

mackabee · February 2006

tuffy, Toyota (the manufacturer) knows customers want these features that's why they are available. The distributors are the ones that ultimately order the cars from Toyota for their dealer regions and these are the people you have to complain to. Last year I had a customer that wanted VSC on his 4 cyl XLE and although it shows on the brochures and source books as an "available" option, try getting the distributor to order one for you if they are not bringing the rest of the cars with that option already. I know, it can get frustrating for both customer and salesperson. We just have to do the best with what we got or go to another region that offers that option.
:shades:
Mackabee

madalin · February 2006

I've got a couple of pictures from Chicago Auto show with the new Camry here.
Hope this helps :shades:

jbgraham · February 2006

Great pictures. Thanks for taking the time to post these here.

ben_canada · February 2006

WOW madalin

, you are GOOD! Best/most complete LE pics I've seen so far. Seems like the cloth seats/interior are made of good quality materials like those in 02/03 LEs. I find that the seats materials in 04/05/06 after mid-term refresh were of lesser quality than those of during the first 2 yrs of productions.

I would assume the 07/08 will have the same good quality seats materials than those 09/10/11 (after min-term refresh) if history repeats itself.

Thanks for the GREAT LE pics. :P

toyodlr · February 2006

I handle the ordering for our dealership and our first shipment includes LE and SE 4 cyl. models with Stability Control. I ordered these on the first wave and have the only ones in the Southeast. If you want this option I recommend ordering early because Toyota receives a limit of how many they can build with this option due to EPA regulations and some other gov't red tape. This should not be a problem for your dealer to get if you will order it before everyone else does.

dudleyr · February 2006

Why on earth would the government limit the availability of a safety feature?

toyodlr · February 2006

It has something to do with gross vehicle weight and CAFE (fuel efficiency) standards. They are limited on almost every option (nav, limited slip, sunroof, etc.) The best advice I can offer is if you want to get a car outside of the normal cookie cutter configuration order it at the first of the model year. If Toyota builds it in the US it should not take longer than 6 weeks to get.

kdhspyder · February 2006

I sell them too and this is very, very suspicious. I'll have to do some digging on my own. I've never heard of this - ever - in our ordering procedures.

Now what might be a factor is that the new Camry is just 'under' a specific CAFE weight limit, like a boxer, and if it adds a pound or two it gets penalized or blocked from fighting. That's what I'll have to investigate.

Nevertheless, as in all product launches the vehicles that are the sexiest and most loaded will be produced first in order to generate the 'sizzle' factor. The Camry especially is the preeminent 'cookie-cutter' vehicle in the US. The 4c CE and LE will remain 50% of sales.

To believe that all the 'good' cars are going to be built and sold at first launch and there will be none left later in the year is, ahem, hoohaa.

w9cw · February 2006

In looking at these wonderful pictures, I noted the trunk hinge assembly in the 2007 Camry LE. In the previous generation, the hinge assembly was covered by (or, within) the carpet trim, but it appears this generation's assembly protrudes into the trunk compartment itself. Unless there's a difference in the design of trunk hinge that I'm not seeing in the photos, this is a step backward, and certainly not an improvement.

tuffy · February 2006

Yes, my 2005 XLE has the swamp green on the radio and the auto HVAC display. A pretty Aqua color like the compass on the rear view mirror would have been much much better! You are right, the instrumentation on the 2005 is excellent as the Optitron luminescent background is Lexus-like and superb. I hope the 2007 model instrumentation is as bright.

I thought the acceleration on my 99 4 cylinder was sufficient but the 2005 is certainly much better. I normally accelerate very very gently when possible to concerve fuel. I was always taught to accelerate like there was an egg between your foot and the accelerator and you don't want to break the egg. Braking the same way has helped me to routinely average over 40 mpg on highway driving with both vehicles and the high 20s in city driving.

You raised a new issue I hadn't seen, the 16 inch tires on the 2007 are bigger than the P 215/60/R16 on the 2005 and 2006 models? Good, a wide tire helps to provide better traction but might begin to erode my mpg. Everything has a trade off.

Regarding your comment on size I still think the Camry could have provided several more inches of leg room in the back seat and still been substantially different from the Avalon

210delray · February 2006

You have amply indicated why I didn't even bother to try to get VSC on the 2005 Camry XLE 4 I bought last May. (I'm in Virginia also.)

I did get the side airbags though, which were very important for me.

austinman7 · February 2006

I have a question for those of you who work at a Toyota dealership:

As far as how quickly a dealership begins to accumulate a decent inventory of '07 Camrys, does it make any difference as to how many '06s they still have on the lot to sell?

In other words, would dealers with a pretty high inventory of '06s be a less likey place to shop early for '07s, assuming they would not want customers to be distracted from buying an '06 because of the presence of the brand new model to compare it with? Or is this just not a factor in how many '07s they begin to stock.

Just curious. Could be a guide as to where to begin expecting more of the '07s?

kdhspyder · February 2006

Toyota truly shines in this regard. As of yesterday the new '07's were being built in KY.. the last '06's proly were built on Jan 31st or so. The plan always is that the last of the old model is sold the day before the first of the new model arrives. That's the theory.

Actually, it does work very close to this plan. It's up to each store to do what's necessary but the bigger ones usually so a very good job of planning/selling. A more likely scenario is that a fast moving store may sell out of the '06's a week or so before the '07's arrive.

fredvh · February 2006

Thanks madalin for the great pictures. I really appreciate you taking the time to take them and to post them here at Edmunds.
I want to personally welcome you to Edmunds. You will find a lot of great information here. As for me, I am seriously interested in the new Camry. It will be a few weeks before they are at the lots. Other models under consideration are the new ES350 and the Acura TSX.

cooldad24 · February 2006

I don't about the regulation but manufacturer will need to forecast the ratio of all parts at least 3 months in advance. I think Toyota will use the current gen to plot the new gen to be safe. You don't wanna end up having lots parts sitting in your shelf that won't sell.

alpha01 · February 2006

Thanks for the pictures from the Chi-town show.

I actually like the 16 inch alloys shown on that LE a bit better than the ones on the XLEs and Hybrid, they are different, or did I just look too quickly.

~alpha

mackabee · February 2006

You are correct. However, we mostly order by what is on the regions TVO and accessorize accordingly. I have not seen a TVO yet as I'm no longer "privy" to that information but being the industrious individual that I am I will find it.
:surprise:
Mackabee

kdhspyder · February 2006

At our store on the other side of town.. I just ask. New management aye?

bartalk3 · February 2006

You're right, the trunk hinges on the new Camry are not covered any longer. I took special note of that. However, the hinges seem to be moved so far over to the left and right edges of the trunk that they probably would not intrude or crush anything placed in the trunk.

On the Lexus ES350, derived from the Camry, the trunk hinges are covered. Apparently Toyota feels they're in the catbird seat and don't have to offer outside struts on these models. The Lexsus GS has the outside struts.

bartalk3 · February 2006

Saw the new Camry at the Chicago show. The deal breaker for me was the ghastly yellow fake wood/plastic that clashes with the silver dash on the XLE. It's absolutely atrocious. The thought of having to look at that for years while driving the car just put the kibosh on the whole thing. The SE has silver throughout, a big improvement, but I'm used to the luxury and convenience of climate control which for some reason they won't offer on the SE.

Aside from the horrible plastic, the car was great. Firm, comfortable seats, great engine, great exterior, more aggressive look, ergonomic dash. Some of the controls felt a bit flimsy (climate control, etc.), and passenger seat should be 8-way, not just four way.

On to the Lexus ES350, a gorgeous interior, plus many other gizmos and options (power tilt/telescope steering column, power sunshade, 8- or 10-way passenger seat. Elegant (but expensive, of course).

newcarholic · February 2006

I was thinking about buying a new civic or sonata, but after some research on 07 camry, I changed my mind. I liked the blue LE in chicago autoshow.

My problem is I don't know what to do with my current car.
My current car has more than 200k ('95 accord), no airbags (a minor accident), no sidebrake (broken cable recently), broken temperature knob, driver side window motor almost dead, shorted out dc-outlet, rattling noise here and there, but overall it still runs well. I get 26-27 mpg (70% highway). it has been dependable since it was new, and i like it very much. but i can't resist the temptation of 07 camry...

when is right time to buy a new car to replace an old one?

blackexv6 · February 2006

Do all '07 Camry XLE interiors have light color fake wood? Or is it based on interior color? I don't think the color combos are published yet.

The Avalon has a nice looking dark wood with the graphite leather.

mdchachi · February 2006

I hardly think you're a newcarholic if you're driving a '95 Accord.

> when is right time to buy a new car to replace an old one?

Economically speaking... it's when the old car dies. Emotionally speaking... as soon as possible.

newcarholic · February 2006

yes, i'm cured then.

well, recently i bought a new car for my wife. that old car pissed me off big time. since then, i started thinking about getting another car to replace my car.

people told me not to buy a newly redesigned model to avoid the increased demand and to avoid some quality issues. so when is good time to buy this 07 model in order to get a better deal and avoid any potential issues? any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

blackexv6 · February 2006

I'm in the same boat you're in. I want to buy the '07 Camry but it is a known fact that first year models have a lot of bugs - even Toyotas.

My '03 Accord was a first year re-design and is basically a lemon :lemon: The '05-'06 are reporting few problems.

Unfortunately it takes at least two years to get a model without bugs. So...take your chances or wait for an '09.

bartalk3 · February 2006

I have a feeling all the XLEs, regardless of color, have that yellowish fake wood plastic. The car I sat in had gray leather and it had that color plastic. I think it's standard on all of them. That's also what I've seen in all the interior pictures I've seen of the car.

jaxs1 · February 2006

The wood looks ugly, but they only show pics with the grey interior. It probably would look better with the tan interior. The yellow wood clashes with grey. They should have known better than to combine those two colors.

lmacmil · February 2006

".. it is a known fact that first year models have a lot of bugs"

Nonsense. This is a misconception carried over from many years ago. If you look at Consumer Reports data for Toyota and Honda, you will find excellent quality throughout the range of years shown. You can't extrapolate your Accord experience to the entire vehicle population.

kdhspyder · February 2006

If anything it's some annoying little nits. nothing major. Heck it's just about the same vehicle as before with better styling and more safety features. Not a whole lot different

petl · February 2006

I beg to differ. I own a 2002 Camry XLE. It was purchased about 6 months after the new model was released. The only problem incurred to date was a minor rattle in the moonroof (repaired under warranty). It now has nearly 100,000 kilometers (60,000 miles). It has only required regular maintenance since the day it was purchased. I may have them check my brakes next time I take it in for an oil change. Maybe I'm one of the lucky ones. The point is, not every vehicle has problems in their baby year. And if they do have "bugs", it certainly doesn't take 2 years to work them out.

larryt22 · February 2006

I agree it does not take 2 years to work out the bugs. Heck it is more like sometimes they never do. On the last generation Carmy, the 2006 model year has the same squeaks and rattles that the 2002 did. Just poor design with too much plastic to make them not have interior squeaks and rattles I guess. From what I saw at the Chicago Auto Show, it looks like there is just as much plastic as before so I don't expect any miracles when it comes to those noises. If you live in an area with constantly changing temperatures or cold weather like I do, you just turn up the radio when they squeak and rattle and try to ignore them. The 2007 isn't a complete new platform, it is just a revision of the old one. If you want a 4cyl, the mechanicals are still the same. If you want the 3.5, the engine has been proven in other models, so the 6-speed auto is the main mechanical difference. I can't imagine there is much of anything on the 2007 that is unproven that should stop anyone from buying a 2007 and waiting for a 2008. If this is the car you want, then you ought to go for it as soon as you can find the one you want and can get the deal you are satisfied with.

newcarholic · February 2006

I agree. 2 years seems too long. But anyway, I'll probably wait for a while until initial demand goes down little so that I can get a better deal.

Considering this is just a family car that everyone has, would there be any initial rush of demand at all?
When I went to the Chicago autoshow, people around me didn't seem to be too impressed with the 07Camry. I overheard people saying like, "is this new camry? ...(silence)" and saw them just walk away. Not many people around the carmy (at least when I was there) compared with, say civic,vw?.

A few things I found out at the autoshow were,
*Aux input jack is hidden inside the storage space.
*even CE had audio controllers on the steering wheel.
*one model had Toyo tires while others had Michelline (not sure whether it was CE or not).

For those who's considering a 07, are you considering vehicle stability control with tracking? I never had a car with VSC, but I never had any major problem in snow/rain (I live in midwest). But I saw a couple of articles saying that VSC is worth every penny. Anyone has some opinions/experiences?

2007 Toyota Camry

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