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Comments
I drove my gf's '02 4-cylinder today. We had a dicey merge onto busy I-95, and without flooring it, I found the power to be impressive for a 4-banger. Not a problem.
Lots of back seat/leg room for her dear Mom (Mother's Day, after all) and Dad.
Nice car all around.
Enjoy.
Hopefully, that is causing of the rattle.
Neil
'99 SLE
Red/Gray
47K
Seamless passenger side airbag (so you don't see where it comes out)
Tilt/telescopic wheel
belt operated sunroof
adjustable pedals
There are some more features that I can't think of off the top of my head. The colors for the new Solara will be white, black, lunar mist metallic, sand color, light blue and dark blue, as well as red. The interior of the SLE looks great with the navigation. It's exquisitive, very ES300-like.
I am glad you said it, and not me!
.
Thanks for the effort.
What took them so long?
IMHO, Kentucky built Toyotas are far below Japanese built Toyotas (and even OH built Hondas) in terms of quality, and seems to have been this way for quite a while (since early-mid 1990's).
This is what it says on Toyota's website:
Eight J.D. Power and Associates Plant Quality Awards: four Gold (1990, 1993, 1994, 2000), two Silver (1991, 2001); and two Bronze (1992, 1997)
~alpha
Also, I think its good that Toyota is making ABS and side airbags std, with curtains optional.
~alpha
~alpha
By the way, are there any pics floating around of the dash with the Navigation System?
What We Know: Toyota is especially proud of the fact that the new second-generation Solara was conceived, designed and will be built in the United States at its plant in Georgetown, Kentucky. This cut the development time to 19 months, a company record. The new coupe is more refined, more powerful, larger and sportier. The featured power plant is an all-new 3.3-liter V6 that generates 225 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque at 3,600 rpm -- that's 27 more ponies and 28 more lb-ft than the current model. There will also be a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine that produces 157 hp and 162 lb-ft available.
The extra power of the new V6 will be handled by the new performance-tuned suspension -- Toyota repositioned and recalibrated every mounting and pivot point on the suspension, added specially tuned struts and new front and rear springs. It claims the result is better ride quality, less body roll and pitch, better feel and increased response. "
Was there really any room for improvement? Aparently TMMK doesn't look at Consumer Reports, or J.D Power if they feel that the American built cars from Kentucky are not being built as well as they could be.
What?
~alpha
It almost reads like a compliment!
I will tell you though, that I think Edmunds.com ratings system for comparisons is absolutely horrid, and I dont put any credence in their reviews whatsoever, regardless of who they put on top. Example of why- in the Economy car comparison test, they have a ratings area called "Ride". But no where in that section do they actually rate a vehicle's ride quality?! Why call the heading "Ride" if you dont evaluate that! Additionally, 30% of the final score is based SOLELY on price- LAME- it doesnt factor in value, quality or performance, its just a simple caluclation based on MSRP. Also, the glowing review of the new Sienna- how can they assess Acceleration and Handling, and call it a "Full Test" if they have no instrumented numbers?
I'd gladly pay a subscription fee to Edmunds.com if they stopped posting henious reviews.
~alpha
A. 150 gallons of fuel @ 1.55/gal average. That's just under 31 miles per gallon.
B. Didn't miss a beat. Oversize tires (215's) worked fine. Wheel squeal at cornering time much reduced. Still get chirp during rearward weight transfer seen under hard accel.
Webguy, sorry to have missed you. Holler prior your next sked Freeport excusion....ez
I think the V6 will be optional on the SE grade. Neither the 4 or V6 will be available with a manual transmission, however.
~alpha
Apparently, Toyota has some Solara pictures it hasn't released yet. I found another picture on paper, but this time of a close up of the navigation and AC in the 2004 Solara. It was very small, but I could tell what it was.
Is there any years better than others? I was thinking about the v6 over the 4cylinder, any opinions on engine choice. Any other things I need to look for or avoid?
Any info would be appreciated from current owners.
Come on, they won't even be building the first production vehicle until a couple of months from now... and you are asking what brand of tires it will have?
Best of luck on your endeavors.......ez
Any reason you're not looking at the previous gen Integras?
I can't recommend very many other 6 cylinder coupes in this price range that have a manual tranny, although I would say avoid VW (made in Mexico and JD Powers initial quality reviews) and the Monte Carlo (GM = General Maintenance - just how many interior shakes & rattles does GM find to be acceptable?)
I have had a lot of different makes of cars and I have always thought the Toyotas I have owned have been the best. I hadn't really considered the Integra, I thought they were 4 cylinders.
I'm just basically looking for a high quality car that is a little different, somewhat sporty with a manual transmission.
ez
Coolguyky7, can we expect better quality from the new generation Solara, as I am ready to upgrade.
teemack, do you hear a humming noise at highway speeds???
Any guesses on colors available? I'm interested to see the Solara in Stratosphere Mica, specifically, with a black interior and preferably in SE Sport guise.
Note on performance: the 4300lb AWD RX and 8 pass Sienna have turned in 0-60 times of 7.8 seconds and quarters of 16.2 at 86MPH by Car and Driver's watch, very respectable for cars of that size.
I believe a few years back Car and Driver tested an SLE V6 in a comparison against the old Acura CL, and measured about 8.2 to 60.
My point: No matter what, the new V6 is bound to be a significant improvement over the older version, judging by the previous car's times, and those of Toyota's vehicles possesing 850 surplus lbs., but using the same(ish) powertrain.
~alpha
~alpha
regular Toyota black
Lunar Mist Metallic (Camry, Avalon, Corolla)
Arctic Frost Pearl (premium white on Sienna)
Phantom Gray Pearl (Camry)
Absolutely Red (Celica)
Desert Sand Mica (Camry and Sienna)
Cosmic Blue Pearl (Matrix, although Matrix's is called Cosmic Blue Metallic, so assume same)
Oceanus Pearl*
*I would assume the Oceanus Pearl is probably a dark ocean blue, probably similar to Stratosphere Mica, a very nice color. It may be completely different as Toyota already has at least two dark blues: Stratosphere and Indigo Ink.