“Good morning!”
“Good morning to you as well, Camry SE. What did you get up to this weekend?”
“Well…”
“…I drove 400 miles to Summit Point Raceway. I got like 32mpg on the way there, and the guy driving me was really cheerful because I’m quiet inside and my iPod integration is good. And when I got there, I went out on the race track and really let my 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine spin out, man. I mean I was running around the track in well under two minutes a lap with three people on board. I got airborne out of the Carousel. I passed everything from Corvettes to GT3 Porsches in the advanced drivers group. My brakes never really got that tired. My tires held up pretty well too. Then I went on the skidpad and got effortlessly sideways because I have lift-throttle oversteer built in.
Then I went back out again and again, completing maybe 100 laps of the track without even using a full tank of fuel. Then I drove the 400 miles back home in complete comfort, beating Google’s estimate by 56 minutes because I can easily run the marked 35mph corners on Routes 522 and 9 at 80mph. I beat 30mpg on the way back, too. I’m not a bit the worse for wear. Everybody who rode in me loved me. I went just as fast as a Volvo T5 and you can buy me for $23,600 if you like or rent me for $30 a day and when I have 150,000 miles I’ll still be worth ten thousand dollars to somebody. I’m a really good car. What did you do this weekend?”
“Well, I went to the Indian grocery then I slept in the driveway.”
“That sounds nice too.”
What would you rather have on the track - a 4-cyl Camry SE or a 306hp 3.6L LFX powered Impala (LTZ w/ 18″ tires)?
Also will you be doing a review of the ’14 Mazda6? Interested to hear your thoughts and how it compares to this and the pride of Marysville.
Until Saturday, I would have said the Impala.
In a straight line, the Impy bitch-slaps the Camry four-cylinder, but the light nose, the trustworthy brakes, and the really, really decent transitional response swing it in the Camry’s favor.
Nobody’s seen fit to let me near a Mazda6 so I’ll have to rent one if I want to try it, which I will. Same goes for the Accord Sport manual, which has genuine interest for me.
Interesting. I’ve rented the 3.6L Imps and they inhale the interstate - particularly in gov’t issue white. My MIL has a 2004 base, base, base grey Camry that my wife drove while in school. When I first drove it, I expected it would feel like driving my refrigerator. Instead, it felt almost graceful - a bit like a retired ballerina slipping on her shoes to show the new kids how a pro performs even though she may not have the full range of motion of the new breed, gracefully skipping around on the stage when handling on-ramp bumps at speed/dodging idiot drivers/making progress through heavy traffic. The steering is beyond numb, but when pushed the earnest, boring, homely girl could kick up her skirt.
Many cars I’ve driven felt more “sporty” with much higher limits (and I’d take any over the Camry), but none so far had the poise of the Camry.
That Camry uses a 2.5L.
Credibility=GONE.
Good catch! For some reason I thought this was a carryover from the previous model.
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