2004 Toyota Camry / Solara Review

Stylish coupe and convertible join the popular sedan. by Mitch McCullough and John Rett, New Car Test Drive

Overview


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The Toyota Camry continues to be the best-selling passenger car in America, with more than 413,000 sold in 2003. Toyota's reputation for quality, durability and reliability are a big part of the reason. The Camry is the perfect transportation appliance, flawlessly performing its duties, never annoying its owner. Its soft suspension smoothes out beat-up city streets. The interior is ergonomically excellent, with big climate and audio knobs that are easy to adjust. The seats are comfortable. What's not to like?

How about the sporty look of a two-door? How about being able to drop the top?

Enter the Toyota Camry Solara. The two-door Solara coupe gives its owner a sportier lifestyle, eliminating the stodginess of driving a four-door sedan. Yet it still offers the practicality of a truly useful rear seat. The Solara convertible puts the wind in your hair and brings a ray of sunshine into your life. At the same time, the Solara coupe and convertible are built on the same platform as the Camry sedan, and offer all the same quality, durability and reliability, while maintaining much of the practicality. Both offer easy, carefree operation. Both give their owners a sportier lifestyle without the cost and impracticality of a true sports car. Both are high-quality cars. If you want two doors, this is a safe, smart choice.

The Camry sedan was completely redesigned, and greatly improved, for 2002, and the Solara models have been completely redesigned and greatly improved for 2004. The Solara convertible was unveiled at the 2004 Chicago Auto Show in February.

And don't think the Camry sedan has been ignored for 2004. Sporty SE models offer a new 3.3-liter V6 rated at 225 horsepower. The new V6 comes standard on the Solara convertible and is optional on the Solara coupe. (Camry LE and XLE are available with the older 3.0-liter V6.) All V6 models come standard with a new five-speed automatic transmission.

Choose a Camry sedan, a Solara coupe or convertible, and you'll have a smooth, quiet car that will give you years of reliable service and will never annoy you.