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The 2012 Camry is much better than the model it replaces. The older car was outclassed in the segment for the past 3 or 4 years and sales were decimated with the recalls, tsunami, etc. Toyota needed this to be a "back to our roots" effort while still providing a competitive vehicle in the class. Having driven one albeit briefly at a launch event at one of our dealerships, I was impressed and I am not a Toyota fan.
Overall, though, while it is a great Camry, it isn't better than the other options out there (it's not worse either) like the Fusion, Altima and Sonata that have been eating Camry's lunch the past few years. I think it is a great effort that will get the Toyota faithful back in the showroom, but I don't know if it is good enough to conquer buyers from the other brands. The Camry became the Camry because it was considered the best even though it was "vanilla". The new one is a great vanilla, but the competition is offering other flavors without any of the drawbacks they had in the past.
Goat,
Even in 2009, 2010 , and 2011 with all the false media hype on Toyota's problems the Camry still remained the best selling car in the USA!
I've seen it but not driven it, but hopefully it is far better than the previous model which left you feeling totally disconnected from the road and that you were driving an appliance.
Yeah, I didnt drive one, I only set in it, that was as far as it went. I did look closely at the interior, the fit-finish and the feel of the materials, etc. I was there just last week looking at a '11 model, the console felt very cheap, it moaned and creaked, the a-pillars at the bottom of the posts looked cheap, etc, again on the '11 model. All of that was gone on the '12 model.... the console was solid, no more wiggling and the controls moved with precision and felt high quality.
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Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim
I checked one out a week ago when the dealer was offering free barbeque just for coming and taking a look. I agree that the interior is great. The exterior isn't all that different from the previous model. The new front grill looks great and is a huge improvement over the previous bulldog nose. The only thing I'm not a big fan of is the shape of the rear lights and the funky buttons on the steering wheel.
I have a feeling this will be my next car (could be anywhere from 1-3 years from now). I like the SE version the best. I would definitely want to get the V6. Unfortunately there will be no more LE v6-- only an SE V6 and an XLE V6.
Yeah, I was not a fan of the rear if the car (especially the taillights) the first few times I seen the car on the internet, but it has kinda grown on me, especially after seeing it in person. This is usually the case with me, sometimes I dont like something at first, then it kinda grows on me. lol. I didnt even notice the steering wheel controls in it, I will take note of that next time.
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Originally Posted by Everest209
I had a 07 Camry, so I don't dislike Toyota. But I have to admit, I saw the new Camry the other day and thought "who stretched that Corolla?".
Yeah, it does kinda look like a Corolla, especially in the front, but wow, so much better on the inside, and much better than the 07-11 Camry interior.
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Originally Posted by trlhiker
I read one of the car magazines, can't remember which one, that said the new Camry was a huge step in the right direction for Toyota and that the SE was actually fun to drive.
Sure is an improvement!
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Originally Posted by sailordave
One car magazine tested the new 4 cylinder Camry and based upon their test, the 4 cylinder is no speed slouch. It's 0-60 is around 8 seconds which is pretty good for a midsize four door family sedan with a four banger. They also improved the 4 cylinder's MPG numbers. The 4 cylinder is the volume Camry. The V6 carries over which isn't a bad thing since it's pretty quick. In this coming era of increasing CAFE standards, I'm surprised Toyota didn't go the 4 cylinder turbo route for the optional engine. It's not like Toyota has NO experience with turbos.
Yeah, the 4-cylinder is said to be very sufficient and considering the price jump for the V6, I am sure many will go for the 4. I probably will if I get one.
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Originally Posted by sware2cod
I sat inside one, but did not test drive. So far, I love the inside and the outside.
Am waiting for the Hybrid XLE to arrive at dealers soon. Then will drive the hybrid and unless the test drive is horrible, I plan to purchase one as soon as a decent deal is possible. Might have to wait a few months due to the newness.
The Hybrid has 200HP and gets approx 40MPG. The Hybrid XLE has the Smart Key system which is push button start. Also with Smart Key, when you are entering the car and it is locked, you simply touch the door handle (or the trunk handle) and it unlocks automatically!
Yeah, the hybrid is supposed to offer SUPER MPG. Even the standard 4-cylinder has jumped to 25 city and I THINK 35 highway! That is even better than the current smaller Corolla.
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Originally Posted by TrapperL
Goes to show ya how different folks perceptions can be. My kids aunt drives a 1996 Camry among others and is looking for a new car. The new Camry was her first choice...until she went to drive one. She thought it was cheap crap even compared to her old one. She also test drove a Fusion and a Subaru and thought both far exceeded the cheap feel of the new Camry. Different folks, different strokes.
I think the interiors of the 92-96 Camry were #1, IMO, I loved my 93, but the 12 is a step in the right direction for a new car. I think the new '11 Fusion does easily surpass the '11 Camry, but the '12 has improved.
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Originally Posted by sailordave
By new, did you mean the 2011 Camry or the 2012 Camry?
Good question!
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Originally Posted by NJGOAT
The 2012 Camry is much better than the model it replaces. The older car was outclassed in the segment for the past 3 or 4 years and sales were decimated with the recalls, tsunami, etc. Toyota needed this to be a "back to our roots" effort while still providing a competitive vehicle in the class. Having driven one albeit briefly at a launch event at one of our dealerships, I was impressed and I am not a Toyota fan.
Overall, though, while it is a great Camry, it isn't better than the other options out there (it's not worse either) like the Fusion, Altima and Sonata that have been eating Camry's lunch the past few years. I think it is a great effort that will get the Toyota faithful back in the showroom, but I don't know if it is good enough to conquer buyers from the other brands. The Camry became the Camry because it was considered the best even though it was "vanilla". The new one is a great vanilla, but the competition is offering other flavors without any of the drawbacks they had in the past.
I totally agree in all counts! The 12 is much better and for the past couple of years, the Fusion and Sonata have had a higher quality IMO. Now that Toyota is "moving forward" with the '12 Camry, they had better stay on top of things and dont slide back down the quality chart. Hopefully the other Toyotas will improve as well with the Camry being an example. The new Tundra was on my list, but the HUGE cheap plastic panel surrounding the gauges are cheap and pops like popcorn.
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Originally Posted by wanneroo
I've seen it but not driven it, but hopefully it is far better than the previous model which left you feeling totally disconnected from the road and that you were driving an appliance.
Yes, I feel that it is and I am a critic in this area... try it, you will find it a big improvement.
Actually the Camry has been #1 in sales this year and is kicking ass with the OLD model...contrary to what some people will try to say.
The Camry is a fantastic car and it is better than most of the competition still. MT just tested a hybrid Camry vs Hybrid Sonata and the Camry won easily.
All these cars are vanilla, boring, bland appliances to get from A to B. Some are just different shades of vanilla.
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Originally Posted by johnfrisco
Goat,
Even in 2009, 2010 , and 2011 with all the false media hype on Toyota's problems the Camry still remained the best selling car in the USA!
I never said that the Camry still wasn't the best selling midsize car, I just said that the Camry has lost significant market share, primarily to the Fusion, Altima and Sonata.
As you can see, the field has narrowed considerably. In previous years, Camry would have sold another 20k-40k units at this point, units taken from the other models listed.
In 2009 the Camry had 18.9% of the midsize market. In 2010 it had dropped to 16.5%. In 2011 they are now down to 13.8%. If you do the math, the Camry has lost 27% of its market share position in the past 2 years, that's massive and isn't do to the tsunami. Ford, Nissan and Hyundai have gobbled up this market share.
This is what I point to as being hard for Toyota to recapture. They stumbled, others jumped into the vacuum and now Toyota needs to hit homeruns in order to get that market share back. I think the 2012 is a good car and the best Camry in years, but the 2012 does not have the edge over its competition that the older models enjoyed.
Considering bad press, recalls, people bashing Toyota/Camry to death, a Tsunami and the fact it is now 6 years old quite frankly, shame on the competition for not passing it.
This "omg so much better competition" can't even outsell a 6 year old Camry with all those issues to overcome.
The Camry will be fine, its the segment leader and the new version will continue keeping it a success
Considering bad press, recalls, people bashing Toyota/Camry to death, a Tsunami and the fact it is now 6 years old quite frankly, shame on the competition for not passing it.
This "omg so much better competition" can't even outsell a 6 year old Camry with all those issues to overcome.
The Camry will be fine, its the segment leader and the new version will continue keeping it a success
Well, the Camry has to be succesful. 45% of Toyotas sold in the US are based on the Camry platform. That single vehicle is the entire Toyota franchise. I'm not dissing the car by pointing out simple facts. The Camry lost 27% of its market share in barely 2 years, that's NEVER happened before. The last generation coasted on its laurels for a long time and the competition HAS gotten better in that time period.
My whole point was that Toyota needs the Camry to be a success to hold the line and I think they did it. However, I don't know if the new Camry is good enough to conquer back buyers who switched to the Altima, Fusion and Sonata. The new Camry is as good as anything in the segment, but I think it needed to be better to recapture the lost market share.
Well, the Camry has to be succesful. 45% of Toyotas sold in the US are based on the Camry platform. That single vehicle is the entire Toyota franchise. I'm not dissing the car by pointing out simple facts. The Camry lost 27% of its market share in barely 2 years, that's NEVER happened before. The last generation coasted on its laurels for a long time and the competition HAS gotten better in that time period.
My whole point was that Toyota needs the Camry to be a success to hold the line and I think they did it. However, I don't know if the new Camry is good enough to conquer back buyers who switched to the Altima, Fusion and Sonata. The new Camry is as good as anything in the segment, but I think it needed to be better to recapture the lost market share.
The same could be said about anyone. The Accord platform carries Honda and Acura.
The sales data shows that even with all those issues, the 6 year old Camry kicked all their asses, including the Accord/Altima which include coupe sales. The sky is not falling.
Coasting on laurels by still being among best in class? The competition did get better but they are not mind blowing. The new Sonata, which some proclaim as the second coming, has lost to the CAmry I-4 and hybrid in comparos recently. Its all stylistic fluff for people that don't know about cars that want to "look" like they are stylish.
The same could be said about anyone. The Accord platform carries Honda and Acura.
Fair enough, the statement was made just to illustrate the importance of that platform to Toyota.
Quote:
The sales data shows that even with all those issues, the 6 year old Camry kicked all their asses, including the Accord/Altima which include coupe sales. The sky is not falling.
I never said the sky was falling, nor did I trash the car. What I said was that the Camry has been rapidly losing market share in the past two years. Apparently you don't consider losing 27% of the market share a bad thing? Well, Toyota certainly does.
Quote:
Coasting on laurels by still being among best in class? The competition did get better but they are not mind blowing. The new Sonata, which some proclaim as the second coming, has lost to the CAmry I-4 and hybrid in comparos recently. Its all stylistic fluff for people that don't know about cars that want to "look" like they are stylish.
Yes, it was coasting on the laurels of its reputation, not the quality of the car. The Camry has been considered at the bottom of the pile against the mainstream offerings the past two years. People bought them because they were Camry's, but that didn't stop Toyota from losing significant market share against vastly improved rivals that used to be considered also-rans.
Again, I have NOTHING against the new Camry. I've stated repeatedly that it's the best Camry ever made and a much needed improvement over the last gen car. I know that sales is the only thing that really matters and it still holds that crown, but to dismiss the importance of THIS redesign in a much more competitive field after the model has bled off 27% of its market share is ridiculous. You are doing your best to defend a car that I'm not attacking, all I'm doing is pointing out how necessary this car is for Toyota and how far the Camry has fallen the past couple years. Again, this is a great car, but I don't think Toyota is going to be recapturing buyers that opted for the Fusion, Altima and Sonata.
Fair enough, the statement was made just to illustrate the importance of that platform to Toyota.
I never said the sky was falling, nor did I trash the car. What I said was that the Camry has been rapidly losing market share in the past two years. Apparently you don't consider losing 27% of the market share a bad thing? Well, Toyota certainly does.
Yes, it was coasting on the laurels of its reputation, not the quality of the car. The Camry has been considered at the bottom of the pile against the mainstream offerings the past two years. People bought them because they were Camry's, but that didn't stop Toyota from losing significant market share against vastly improved rivals that used to be considered also-rans.
Again, I have NOTHING against the new Camry. I've stated repeatedly that it's the best Camry ever made and a much needed improvement over the last gen car. I know that sales is the only thing that really matters and it still holds that crown, but to dismiss the importance of THIS redesign in a much more competitive field after the model has bled off 27% of its market share is ridiculous. You are doing your best to defend a car that I'm not attacking, all I'm doing is pointing out how necessary this car is for Toyota and how far the Camry has fallen the past couple years. Again, this is a great car, but I don't think Toyota is going to be recapturing buyers that opted for the Fusion, Altima and Sonata.
Bottom of the pile by who? A bunch of butthurt internet Neanderthals? People love the Camry in person and in comparisons its always fared well. Hell this POS Camry being talked about won a MT comparo against the new "second coming" Sonata, Fusion etc
What I am saying is a bunch of internet trolling (not accusing you of it) and Toyotas on the internet is now how the public thinks. The public loves the CAmry, they buy the old one, they buy the new one even with some great competition.
And sorry but the Altima while looking like a Lexus, has the build quality of a chinese napkin. Its horrible.
If we were having this conversation in 1985 it would be about how the upcoming model of the top-selling midsize car might be incrementally better than the current one. We would be enthusiastic about whatever minimal changes we saw in a platform that had been decontented by its maker intent upon getting the last nickel out of it and confident in their customer base to snap up whatever they made based on memories of the nameplate from 15 years before.
Those conversations would have been about the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, and those were pretty crappy, looking back on it. And what's become of Olds now? And General Motors?
Anyway, I'll consider a Camry not when they make it "exciting" (not gonna happen. Even with the 0-60 of the v6 in the 6-second range it's still like seeing granny in lingerie), but when they fix the broken power steering pump noise under the hood (seems to affect most of them straight from the factory), allow the rear seatbacks to fold, install a 12v power outlet that doesn't shut off with the ignition, and refine the harsh ride to the point where it's acceptable.
Oh, and actually making the steering feel less like something out of an '85 Cutlass Supreme and more like a modern car would help a bit as well.
Until then I'm just going to consider the Camry a popular choice among people who remember what the old ones were like and have closed themselves off to better alternatives.
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with the '12 Camry, they had better stay on top of things and dont slide back down the quality chart. Hopefully the other Toyotas will improve as well with the Camry being an example. The new Tundra was on my list, but the HUGE cheap plastic panel surrounding the gauges are cheap and pops like popcorn. 
