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The dealer installed Satellite Navigation is quite user-friendly; the best part of it is that it is a touch-screen. So far, I have not come across the perfect system but Toyota's attempt is right up there along with Honda's and Nissan's. The instrument cluster holds big, simple and easy to read gauges that light up a smooth shade orange. The buttons on the steering wheel, standard in all Camrys for 2005, also light up. If I had my way, this would be mandatory for every car equipped with wheel mounted controls. HVAC controls are simple and easy to use rotary knobs. Visibility is excellent in every direction.
Technical
This is the only Camry that is equipped with the 3.3L V6 225 hp @ 5 600 rpm and 240 lb/ft torque @ 3 600 rpm that is shared with the likes of the Lexus ES330 and the Toyota Highlander. The others have to make due with the 3.0L V6 that develops 210 hp and 220 lb/ft of torque. Both V6 engines are mated to an electronically controlled 5 speed automatic transmission. The SE 4 cylinder version is the only Camry that can be equipped with a 5 speed manual transmission; otherwise, everyone else gets the 5 speed slush box.
On the road
Power from the 3.3L V6 is not as explosive as the 3.0L V6 from the Honda Accord or the 3.5L V6 of the Nissan Altima. The delivery is silky and much better than adequate for a car this size. The automatic transmission generally works like butter; up-shifts are seamless and smooth. Kick-downs are a little slower though and taking off from a nearly stopped position causes some undesired hesitation.
The ride is very smooth and unflappable. Even if the SE-V6 is equipped with the sport tuned suspension and the 17" alloy wheels, it would take a big crevasse to wake up granny in the back seat. On top of the above mentioned extras for the SE and SE-V6, Toyota has also added a front strut tower brace to improve structural rigidity. I cannot confirm that this common tuning add-on actually improves the situation. The doe's car demonstrates a lot of body-roll which make the Bridgestone tires squeal quite a bit in medium tight corners at reasonable speed. Possibly replacing the front stabilizer bar with a larger one would help out. Steering response is light but is not hugely lacking in precision. Brake pedal feel is firm and reassuring. This is a nice and welcomed improvement over the last Camry and even the Highlander that I have test driven in the past; they had a wooden feel and there was too much pedal travel. All of this to say that they perform very well in various situations.
The dealer installed Satellite Navigation is quite user-friendly; the best part of it is that it is a touch-screen. So far, I have not come across the perfect system but Toyota's attempt is right up there along with Honda's and Nissan's. The instrument cluster holds big, simple and easy to read gauges that light up a smooth shade orange. The buttons on the steering wheel, standard in all Camrys for 2005, also light up. If I had my way, this would be mandatory for every car equipped with wheel mounted controls. HVAC controls are simple and easy to use rotary knobs. Visibility is excellent in every direction. Technical
This is the only Camry that is equipped with the 3.3L V6 225 hp @ 5 600 rpm and 240 lb/ft torque @ 3 600 rpm that is shared with the likes of the Lexus ES330 and the Toyota Highlander. The others have to make due with the 3.0L V6 that develops 210 hp and 220 lb/ft of torque. Both V6 engines are mated to an electronically controlled 5 speed automatic transmission. The SE 4 cylinder version is the only Camry that can be equipped with a 5 speed manual transmission; otherwise, everyone else gets the 5 speed slush box. On the road
Power from the 3.3L V6 is not as explosive as the 3.0L V6 from the Honda Accord or the 3.5L V6 of the Nissan Altima. The delivery is silky and much better than adequate for a car this size. The automatic transmission generally works like butter; up-shifts are seamless and smooth. Kick-downs are a little slower though and taking off from a nearly stopped position causes some undesired hesitation. The ride is very smooth and unflappable. Even if the SE-V6 is equipped with the sport tuned suspension and the 17" alloy wheels, it would take a big crevasse to wake up granny in the back seat. On top of the above mentioned extras for the SE and SE-V6, Toyota has also added a front strut tower brace to improve structural rigidity. I cannot confirm that this common tuning add-on actually improves the situation. The doe's car demonstrates a lot of body-roll which make the Bridgestone tires squeal quite a bit in medium tight corners at reasonable speed. Possibly replacing the front stabilizer bar with a larger one would help out. Steering response is light but is not hugely lacking in precision. Brake pedal feel is firm and reassuring. This is a nice and welcomed improvement over the last Camry and even the Highlander that I have test driven in the past; they had a wooden feel and there was too much pedal travel. All of this to say that they perform very well in various situations.