http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpconta...0/pageNumber=1

All I can say is the new Camry doesn't seem to be as boring as it used to be, yet has got even quieter and even better gas milage than ever before.

14.6@97.3... in an automatic Camry?

Granted it is the newest model in the lineup - so I'm not exactly surprised. But it's still nice to see the bar raised.

 

I'd like to meet the fool who's gonna pay $31K for a Camry.

 

Yea.. although I wonder how much abuse that Camry could really take.. as in if some mounted a set of slicks up front and started really nailing it at the drag strip.. Or flogged it around a roadcourse lap after lap (althogh I'd expect its brakes to probably overheat first)


Not that a Camry would ever see that abuse.. but would be interesting to see what how much Toyota also upped the rest of the car to match it with their V6.. Like the tranny, suspension, and brakes.

 

I'm always curious as to how they choose the contestents for these tests. Why no GM representation? You'd think the world's largest automaker would have something worth competing in this most mainstream of market segments. But I fear that I already know the answer: Malibu/G6 would just end up at the bottom of this test anyhow, and probably rightfully so.

 

I would contend that the Malibu/G6 would suitable competitor for any car in that comparison.

 

I had an 06 Sonata as a rental and it was garbage. The wind noise at 65 mph was intolerable and everything seemed to be lower quality plastic. I'm not quite sure how it won anything...

 

Malibu or G6?

For the prices of those cars (the Honda at $29k+, Toyota at $31k), I'll take an Impala SS or Grand Prix GXP, thanks.

Big surprise that the Fusion got last.

I love how they praise the "lovely faux wood" in the Camry. Fake wood in GM cars is somehow always "cheesy" or "unconvincing"...

The Fusion looks to be much more of a contender when the new 3.5L gets stuffed under the hood. As it is, it is so-so for the class with the 221 hp engine in terms of performance (though it did beat all of them in their observed fuel economy; 3 mpg better than Hyundai, 2 mpg over Camry). The Fusion's handling is apparently awesome. Throw another 40 hp at it and watch it run. Hopefully the new 3.5 will also pack a dose of smoothness, as that 3.0 Duratec V6 is indeed pretty unpleasant sounding. I had an Escape rental car for a week once, and thought the six sounded horrible.

I'd still like to see how a $28k Impala SS or GP GXP would have done (though it would not have won, for sure, as they would have gushed too much about the Camry's dash...). More room, more power, decent fuel economy, arguably better styling, etc.



I will say that the warranty differences are becoming glaring. The Hyundai warranty is sort of a rip, because it isn't transferrable and all that crap. But the Fusion needs to match/beat the 5/60 powertrain warranty that Honda and Toyota have. It would be nice to see a 4/60 or 5/75 bumper to bumper and a long powertrain warranty on new GM and Ford vehicles to gain a competitive edge, in lieu of heavy incentives.

EDIT: By the way, I should add that I'm not claiming that the Toyota didn't deserve to win. It is a brand new car, and as I've posted before, it seems to be nicely done (outside the dorky styling, which is bad on the Avalon and maybe worse on the Camry). It clearly has class leading power and a six speed auto to go with it, along with class competitive fuel economy. It also has a likeable dash, which the previous Camry certainly did not, imho. In fact, its dash is much better (imo) than that of the Avalon, and certainly better than the strange concoction in the upcoming Tundra...

 

G6 GTP 6 speed would be right at home in that test. And would certainly be below $31K.

Will be interesting to see how the G6 3.6 A6 (holly crap that could be confusing!) would fare against that group.

 

you mean G6 3.5 A4?

 

I fail to see the problem.
$30k for a car as fast as the camry, with that nice of an interior doesn't seem that bad.

Oh, and the V6 is available on a model with a base price as low as $23k.

So, someone show me a car that's as quick, gets ~30mpg, has as much interior room with as nice an interior for $23-25k msrp.

When it comes to family sedans, the Camry is at the top, IMO.

Impala is close. . . it's faster, is as large or bigger, supposedy gets ~28mpg with the DOD, but has an arguably worse interior. I don't mind it, but you can easily say that it doesn't look as good as the new camry or is of the same quality. OH, and it starts at $27k MSRP!

Point being, if you want a family sedan and are on a budget, the new Camry gets you the most for your money.

Mike

 

G6 GTP

 

he had it right.

 

The article said it reviewed the new Camary and its "natural competitors". While there are lot's of four-door sedans in this $20-$35K range; not everything in that range would probably be considered a natural (read head-to-head) competitor and I would agree with Edmonds.

Whether deserved or not, Camary has developed an extreemly good reputation for those seeking a very good quality, not to expensive family sedan and it's likely that most of those thinking of buying one are probably not thinking about a G6 or a Malibu; not because there is anyting wrong with those cars...but just because the typical Camary buyer doesn't think of them anymore.

That's part of what GM and Ford have to overcome if they are going to survive...they all but abandoned the car segment of the market for the past 20 yeras or so; it's going to take time to make significant inroads back into that market again.

 

OK, again. . . an automatic G6 GTP would get its azz handed to it by the Camry. . .

The 6spd GTP would even lose, considering the best numbers turned out by a magazine.

I think there was one magazine that showed a GTP G6 6spd with a decent trapspeed with a 14 second quarter mile . . . Somehow the automatic Camry still puts up a higher trapspeed though.

And finally, the MPG is 18/26 for the GTP versus 22/31 for the Camry.

The Camry easily looks better on paper in every aspect versus the G6 GTP.

The difference in mileage ratings is huge!

mike

 

The price difference is huge too. $27K for a fully loaded GTP vs. $31K for a fully loaded Camry.

$31K is now in GTO territory.