A Hip, Cool, Phat Toyota Feels Like a Lexus
So I pull into the fast food drive-thru to order a kids meal for my boy, and the early-twenty-something server hangs his head out the window and checks out my ride. "New Solara, right?" "That's right," I responded. "Sweet taillights," he added. "Yeah, they're nice. Like
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| Even people outside of the Solara's intended market can't help but notice the stunning car. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
a Lexus inside," I commented. "Well, it's made by the same company," my educated restaurateur inserted. "Might as well be a Lexus," I continued. You'd expect that kind of admiration towards a Celica, after all this is a young guy we're talking about. But a
Solara? The fact is it looks stunning. As well made as the previous version was, it lacked flair, and other than the few I saw featuring oversize chrome rims and low profile rubber, normally didn't turn a lot of pubescent heads.
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| The word 'cool' doesn't begin to describe the Solara's warm Lexus-like interior. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
Of course, Toyota won't be selling many Solaras to teenagers and fast-food employees, but don't discount the influence the younger generation has on the buying habits of those who long to be young again. Toyota has infused a large dose of hip, cool, phat, or whatever is the in word these days, into its revised coupe.
Climbing inside, the word cool doesn't express the luxurious surroundings. Warm is more fitting, with rich woods, supple leathers and a center console and stack featuring a unique mixture of metallic and glass-like surfaces for a high-tech home audio appearance. The Solara's style is all its own, unlike the Camry and Lexus ES 330 that it's based on. It's easily as upscale as the Lexus as well, minus a few hardly noticeable trim details such as plastic A-pillar covers and scuff plates. There's a less-than-Lexus-like plastic used around the power window switches too, as well as the door handle surrounds. But lest we forget, at a price range that starts at $26,800 and maxes out at $36,055, the Solara is hardly a Lexus.
