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Well I have been noticing that almost EVERY Camry I see of the latest generation is the "SE" model. I rarely see an "L", "LE" or "XLE". Used to be you mostly seen the "LE" model, but not anymore. Even on our local Toyota dealer lot you mostly see the "SE" models. Does everyone just want the sporty look all of a sudden? lol.
You know, I have seen many of the road test and magazine write-ups on the new Camry and none really praise the "SE" model... they say it has a stiff and harsh ride, but the handing is not much better than that of the other Camrys, so much so that the harsh ride is not worth it, so the "SE" is really not the most recommended model of the new Camry, but seems like some people are loving it, lol.
My only guess is that they are liking the looks of the sporty version of this car all of a sudden... it certainally wasnt the case with the previous Camrys.
I was just wondering if I was the only one noticing this? Maybe its just in our town? lol.
Well I guess in the end, all that matters is that they are happy with it.
I've driven both as rentals, and what I remember most was the interior appearance of the SE. I don't think it's a big difference, except for the upholstery and the front seats. The cloth in the LE which I drove more recently is quite cheap looking in comparison. Now it may be a minor difference in the type of driving I did, but I did think the SE handled a little better. Or maybe it was just those seats which may have had larger bolsters. I don't remember what all the other actual differences are. I think the LE comes with steel wheels and plastic covers, whereas the SE has alloys standard. That sort of thing. I don't recall a big appearance difference but there might have been some.
How about the ride? Did it seem to have a harsher ride? I know that one road test on the internet said that it had a ride that was too harsh that it didnt justify getting a SE model.
It may be like you said that people are wanting a more upscale look without going on up to the XLE model, but if I recall, the base XLE (with cloth and no other additional options added) is not far at all from the SE price... but it may be too that they are offering more special discounts on SE. I know that our local dealer had a lease special on the SE models awhile back, which seemed a little strange that they didnt off it on the LE rather.
I drove a '12 Camry LE for a week, took it up to the Smokies and back. The only complaint I had was the tires, they don't handle very well at higher interstate speeds. The SE (and maybe XLE too) has bigger wheels and wider tires which should be an improvement. The SE also has hydraulic power steering, while the other models have electric steering. The electric power steering was fine to me though.
As far as the '07-'11 bodystyle, I see lots of SE's in those models too, at least in my area. I think for '12 they reduced the price difference between the LE and SE which makes them more popular now.
How did the quality feel in the car... was it pretty rattle free and seem well assembled? I have looked inside one and it looks like a big improvement over the '11 model. I know we have discussed this car before on other threads at length.
This thread started out with my question about seeing so many more SE models, but I am also going to soon be in the market for a new car and there are SOOOO many choices out there right now, but the Camry is on my list, but if I go with Camry, I want an XLE.
So many cars are on my list, still have to drive them too, which will be the deciding factor I know. I am considering Altima / Focus / Malibu / the all new Sentra / the all new Accord / and actually even the new '13 F150 and Ram 1500 (since it has seen some significate updates for '13).
I was just wondering why all of a sudden for '12-'13 that this model seems more popular than the LE, which used to be the more popular model. All of the new Camrys I see are SE models. I seen 4 new Camrys today on the road and all were SE models - two people at work have new Camrys... you guessed it, both are SE models. lol.
in the 07-11 models the SE was essentially a sport appearance package, giving the car larger wheels, ground effects, fog lights, and a spoiler. Interiors received different fabric for the seat covers, but that's about all if memory serves me right. My folks have an 08' SE and they purchased it basically for the looks, they enjoyed the bangle butt rear end that all the cars have, plus the ground effects, which provided that sporty look.
The 12+ models receive better suspensions (more sporty) along with the larger tires. The 12+ model of all the cars also received a much needed interior update/upgrade, with better materials and fit and finish than the camry has had for years. I'm pretty certain that most folks really just like the styling, but if you take a look at the magazines, the SE model tends to get the good reviews also.
Well I have been noticing that almost EVERY Camry I see of the latest generation is the "SE" model. I rarely see an "L", "LE" or "XLE". Used to be you mostly seen the "LE" model, but not anymore. Even on our local Toyota dealer lot you mostly see the "SE" models. Does everyone just want the sporty look all of a sudden? lol.
You know, I have seen many of the road test and magazine write-ups on the new Camry and none really praise the "SE" model... they say it has a stiff and harsh ride, but the handing is not much better than that of the other Camrys, so much so that the harsh ride is not worth it, so the "SE" is really not the most recommended model of the new Camry, but seems like some people are loving it, lol.
My only guess is that they are liking the looks of the sporty version of this car all of a sudden... it certainally wasnt the case with the previous Camrys.
I was just wondering if I was the only one noticing this? Maybe its just in our town? lol.
Well I guess in the end, all that matters is that they are happy with it.
I recently bought a new 2012 Camry SE, 4cyl, after looking at a bunch of different cars, new and used, and bunch of different new and used Camry models. What sold me on the SE model was:
--Black interior. All of the other Camry models are wayyyyy too light colored inside. Even the "ash" color available on the LE/XLE is a very light gray. The part of the seat fabric that you actually sit on looks like an off-white to me. While ideally I would rather have dark gray seats than black seat fabric, the black seats of the SE were much more appealing to me than the other choices. And to get the exterior paint color I wanted on an LE/XLE, I'd have to get the "ivory" colored seats... blech.
--The shape of the seats. The SE seats feel more comfortable to me than the other Camry trim levels. They are more contoured to your body while being very soft.
--The steering. The steering on the regular Camry feels way too "loose" to me. I think even the SE steering feels too loose, especially when at highway speeds.
--The alloy wheels. It's a shame that the LE comes with el cheapo steel wheels with hubcaps. In order to get alloy wheels you have to spend $$$$'s more and get an XLE, or alternatively you can get a base SE for just a few hundred more than an LE and get nice 17" alloys.
--Looks. I liked the front grille and the rear spoiler.
After driving the car for about two months, I do think that the ride is too harsh. In the '07 Accord I used to have, you felt the big bumps in the road, but it was very smooth on small bumps. In the 2012 Camry SE you feel every bump in the road, both small and large bumps. If I drive right after I eat I get a stomach ache. I'm going to give myself more time to allow myself to become used to the car, but down the road if it still bothers me, I'm considering replacing the struts and shocks with something that rides softer. Or sell the car.
Quote:
Originally Posted by southernnaturelover
The SE also has hydraulic power steering, while the other models have electric steering. The electric power steering was fine to me though.
That's not true. All 2012 Camry's have electric power steering. The SE does have a different design made by a different supplier, but it is electric power steering (unfortunately).
How did the quality feel in the car... was it pretty rattle free and seem well assembled? I have looked inside one and it looks like a big improvement over the '11 model. I know we have discussed this car before on other threads at length.
Overall I liked the car. The body felt tight and I didn't notice any rattles or squeaks. The dash is now padded, but there's still lots of hard plastic on the door panels if you look for it. The Entune touch screen stereo system was nice and sounded great. Headlights were great at night.
One thing I didn't like was that the 4cyl engine has a tendency to whine at lower speeds (my Moms '10 does the same thing). It wouldn't be a deal breaker for me, but it is noticeable driving around parking lots and slow traffic. Once up to highway speed its pretty quite though.
Another thing I noticed driving in the mountains is that the engine braking isn't that great. It just didn't seem to help slow me down much no matter how low I shifted it. Most people never need engine braking though.
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