2002 Toyota Camry LE Review

2002 Toyota Camry LE

So, this is the best selling car in America huh? You would hope that being the best selling anything means that you are buying the best, but this isn’t always the case. A clear example of this is the Apple iPod. Almost everyone has one, and companies including auto manufactures sell products bespoke for iPod usage; however, if you ask any electronics guru, they will quickly tell you that the iPod’s battery simply sucks, the iPod uses its own file format making song transfers to friends useless, and there are technically better MP3 players out there. Despite not being the best, Apple has been rolling in money and other companies offering technically better MP3 players are still struggling to compete. What makes the iPod sell is simply the fact that it is very trendy and stylish. I don’t believe this applies to the Camry though, since the car’s styling is so plain, you would lose it in any car park and I don’t think anyone in the world thinks that the Camry is trendy. With that in mind, is the best selling car actually the best car money can buy? Well, you’ll know how I feel about it soon enough… unless you decide to stop reading of course.

Pros: So let’s get this review started by listing some of the positive aspects of the Camry. It’s very quiet, very comfortable, the interior trim looks to be made of quality material, and it saves on gas; so, if you do a daily commute in bad traffic or if you do lots of long distance highway travel, this car is a good way to go. The Camry is simply a nice comfortable car to be in, so any time consuming journey isn’t a physical strain by any means. In fact, nothing about this car will ever annoy you because everything has been put together and engineered properly; so, this car won’t break down on a regular basis and trim pieces won’t fall off for no reason. To add to the plusses, the interior is very spacious, and the trunk can hold a family vacation’s load of luggage. So far so good on this review, but the problem is that I’ve run out of good things to say about this car and the next segment certainly isn’t very flattering.

Cons: This car is about as exciting as attending a lecture on philosophy, presented in a foreign language. There simply is no “driving experience” with a Camry. There is literally no steering feel at all and you might even be convinced that the steering wheel isn’t actually attached to the front wheels of the car. This lack of feel is caused because the power steering on the car makes the steering wheel lighter than the wheel on an old arcade driving game. To add to the problem the gas pedal doesn’t feel like it’s attached to the engine. Sure you can make the car go faster by stepping harder on the gas pedal, but the rubbery feel compounded with the lack of response makes the gas pedal seem more like a communication device to tell a tow truck to pull you along a bit faster. You can literally bounce your foot up and down by half an inch on the gas pedal and nothing will happen… the tachometer won’t even show a change in revs. Now, we get to the brakes. The car stops just fine, but once again the brake pedal is really rubbery in feel and it requires quite a bit of travel before you start to feel any sensation that the car is slowing down. This does allow for “smoother braking” because you can modulate the brake pedal more easily and at a more gradual pace, but having practice on pretty much any car will allow a smooth stop.

Now we get to the bit that car enthusiasts are most interested in... How does the car handle, sound, and go? Quite badly is the short answer. The steering and pedal feel usually is a good indicator, and it’s no different in this case. If you take a left hand turn in clear traffic (as in you’re already up to speed) you’ll instantly notice the handling limits of this car are not very high. In fact, if you take a turn at any speed this car rolls and you slide out of your seat. If you plan on taking a trip to the mountain passes, I would implore you to get a different car, because you will be too afraid to drive around the passes at any speed and traffic will clog up behind you. It’s a good thing this car can’t take turns at high speeds because this car is quite slow. Sure it’s the four cylinder model, but nothing about the acceleration will excite you, especially since the sheer comfort of the car makes it seem like it’s going even slower. The only upside to planting your foot on the accelerator is the fact that the engine revs smoothly and never feels over strained, this means a decent noise made from the exhaust as well.

Conclusion: So Overall I hate driving this car. So, if I dislike the Camry so much, then why is it such a popular car and a sales phenomenon? The truth is the Camry is a very good car for 90% of the population. Most drivers are not petrol heads or even people who even care about vehicle performance. The majority of the car buying population just wants something comfortable, practical, reliable, and headache free to get them to where they want to go, because the majority of car buyers have a family. The Camry is the perfect car for the average family man or woman; however, if you aren’t the average family man or woman, look elsewhere.

Summary:

The good: Everything a family man/woman needs

The bad: As boring as waiting in line at the DMV

Verdict: Has everything you need, but has nothing you desire

Random Stats:

Engine: 2.4 liter I4, 157 hp, 162 lb-ft torque

EPA mileage estimate: 24/33