Ron Perry’s Opinion of the 2007 Toyota Camry’s Design:
The 2007 Toyota Camry’s exterior is reasonably handsome but nothing to jump up and down about. In fact, I feel there’s too much body color trim and not enough chrome to serve as accenting, especially on a color like the dark blue we had. The design also blends well into a crowd of other midsize sedans cruising down the freeway. From a design aspect, there is nothing about the Camry that sets it apart from the competition.

Inside, the Camry looks like the equivalent of a designer food fight took place – and nobody won. There is fake wood here and not there, blue-green trim surrounding the radio and climate controls but located nowhere else, and metallic plastic trim mixing it up with both elements. Had the designers included the wood on the steering wheel and put a strip over the glove box, the interior would have had a more luxurious look and feel to it. The blue-green plastic would have even worked had they done this. The stylist did a great job with the lines and shapes of the dash and door panels, they just weren’t finished out very well. Designers did include a lockable pass-through to the trunk – a nice touch.

Thom Blackett’s Opinion of the 2007 Toyota Camry’s Design:
Y’all need to come around to the light-wood side. That’s what was used to decorate the cabin of our 2007 Toyota Camry test car, a fact that, based on a thoroughly unscientific poll taken around the office, apparently only pleased me. When coupled with a tan interior and used conservatively, the pale stuff looks more realistic and natural, much better than that fake, dark junk tacked into many pseudo entry-luxury vehicles. Oh, well – to each his own.

Other than the aforementioned fake timber product, the 2007 Toyota Camry’s interior includes its share of hits and misses. There are textures pleasant to the touch, soft and curved shapes, and controls within easy reach. Subtle chrome accents are used with restraint, puddle lamps on the doors assist with late night entry and exit, and several storage points are afforded to the front seat passengers. On the other hard, there are no pockets on the rear doors, the large trunk’s lid lacks an assist handle and uses hinges that can impact cargo when closed, and the so-called Plasmacluster instrument panel looks cool with its bluish-green light at night but fails to blend with the rest of the dash.

Outside, the look is attractive to some, perplexing to the rest of us. That tiered, bubble butt first scorned on the BMW 7 Series has made its way to the most vanilla nameplate in the business, Camry, whereas the front gets overflexed haunches simulating the raised back of a terrified cat. Pretty. Maybe the idea was to blend some chocolate into the Camry’s bland ice-cream demeanor. Problem is, I don’t think that’s chocolate…

Christian Wardlaw’s Opinion of the 2007 Toyota Camry’s Design:
Try as I might, I can’t cozy up to the 2007 Toyota Camry’s styling. Designers got tired of hearing people call the Camry boring, and wanted to spice things up with the 2007 model, which unfortunately strikes me as a puffed-up Corolla wearing oversized shoulder pads, a Citroen-influenced nose and a BMW bustle butt. Check out that reverse character line aft of the front wheel wells, just like a BMW X5. Check out that giant Toyota badge dripping down off the hood onto the grille, needing only a chevron to look totally French. Check out that cheesy chrome surround for the grille, which looks like a trail of silver toothpaste. Check out those 16-inch wheels. Sixteens! On a $31,000 pseudo-luxury sedan! In 2007! The larger, and not much more expensive, Toyota Avalon is a much better looking car.

Inside, the Camry is more stylish than ever, but it’s also busy in comparison to the outgoing model, with too many obvious panel joints. One of our staff members said the fake maple wood looked like an aftermarket kit that someone glued onto random interior panels during a Saturday afternoon driveway project, and I can see his point. Overall, the Camry XLE’s interior looks and feels cheaper than a Honda Accord, and much cheaper than a Hyundai Azera. Am I expecting too much in a $31,000 sedan that I want automatic up and down functionality for more than just the driver’s window? Am I expecting too much in a $31,000 sedan that the power mirror controls and secondary window buttons should be illuminated at night? I don’t think so.

Finally, let me just say that I hate push-button starters. This technology is only useful for someone who carries a purse or briefcase everywhere, and even then the driver is always wondering where the damn key is. At least the Camry offers a storage slot for the fob on the inner panel of the center console, a location not easily accessed by an angry spouse looking to make an expensive and time-consuming point by tossing it out the window and into the woods. Personally, I prefer to have the key in the ignition slot.