2006 Toyota Camry SE V6

2006 V6 Camry SE

The Camry was never a car created to stir your emotions, or excite any part of your body and soul for that matter. The Camry is simply made to appeal to as many people as possible, much in the same way a ham sandwich is. In other words, there aren’t many people who out right hate ham sandwiches and are repulsed by their very presence. In fact, a normal person, if hungry, wouldn’t mind eating one but usually no one is going to crave one. Likewise, I’ve never met anyone who owned a Camry tell me, “Yeah, I bought this car because it was just awesome.” You generally get a response more along the lines of, “Well, its reliable, gets good gas mileage, it’s roomy…” and so on. In fact I’ve even met someone who bought a Camry because it’s so common that no one will be able to say “You must have left work early because I didn’t see your car when I left!” What I ultimately mean to say is that the Camry is quite possibly the most boring car you can possibly buy.

To help alter the minds of people who share my sentiments, Toyota has decided to give us a new oxymoron to add to the English language, the Camry SE, (SE supposedly meaning Sports Edition). So, in “SE” form, is the Camry now a car that stirs your emotions; and is it now a car you can buy with your heart and not just with the cold logical part of your brain? The short answer is no, but don’t stop reading just yet, because there are a lot of things to like about the Camry SE.

Improvements (Over the plain LE):

The two chief complaints I have about driving Camrys are the fact that the steering wheel has no feel (mostly because it is over assisted to a point where it feels like a toy) and the pedal response (both the brake and gas pedal) simply sucks. I’m happy to say that in sporting guise Toyota has removed one of the issues. The steering is now heavier and slightly more communicative. The steering feel is nowhere near that of an actual sports car but its good enough to a point where I don’t hate it anymore. The brake and gas pedal on the Camry LE I drove in the past had a really rubbery feel, and only responded when you really tried. You could literally shake your foot on the gas pedal and nothing would happen, which is probably only a nice feature if you're so old you've lost feeling in your right foot. Compared to the LE, the SE has better pedal feel, but not by much. Everything is still rubbery, but at least bouncing your foot on the gas pedal results in something. The brake pedal on both spec of car is still rubbish and requires a whole lot of travel before the car actually decides to stop. This is of course good for "smooth braking" but if you're going to make a sport model, it'd be nice if the brakes had a bit more bite.

As you would expect from a sportier spec of car, the suspension has been stiffened and made… well more sporty really. The problem though is that the Camry was always meant to be a comfortable car, and one might worry that by stiffening the suspension one of the few positive aspects of the car might be compromised; fortunately though, the Camry still offers a very comfortable ride despite the suspension changes. The only real differences brought about by the sport suspension are the slightly more solid feel to the car's ride and cornering is no longer a joke. I wouldn’t take this car around a race track but it’s nice that the car doesn’t roll and make you nervous when you go on a circular highway on ramp.

Just as an added bonus, Toyota has bothered to put REAR DISC BRAKES on the SE! Toyota is known for using quality materials and having good designs, so I never really understood why they almost never put rear disc brakes on their cars... so it's quite nice that the SE has them.

Negatives:

Now for once this section of the review is mostly here for the sake of being here. That doesn’t mean I have nothing to complain about though. For starters, there’s the rubbish brake feel. I know I mentioned it above, but drive some of the Camry’s competition and you’ll realize the Camry’s brake feel is just flat out bad. Next up on the list is the exhaust note. There is absolutely nothing sporty about the sound it makes, in fact the exhaust sounds really flat throughout the entire rev range and the four cylinder models actually provide a nicer noise. The good news though is that the sound is at least smooth, and it doesn’t sound thrashy at the top end of the rev range, but that’s the only redeeming factor. The reason for the smoothness is of course the V6 engine Toyota has slotted in. and like every Toyota I’ve ever driven or been in, the engine is very smooth; but, and I mean a full rounded moon of a but(t), the engine doesn’t really make the car move. The SE gets a bespoke 3.3 liter V6 cranking out 210 hp and 220 lb-ft of torque but the car doesn’t accelerate very quickly at all. Compared to a V6 Altima or an Accord the acceleration is pathetic (so is the hp figure). In conclusion this Camry “SE” is by no means sporty.

The Good Stuff and the Conclusion:

You might have guessed that since the positive bit has been lumped with the conclusion that I actually like this car and you’d be right. Like all Toyota’s this Camry SE is beautifully well made. The interior has no nasty hard plastics that litter American cars, in fact all the plastics just look of high quality and the rest of the interior looks well put together and just gives off an overall quality vibe. Next, the outside has been given a few sporty attachments: smoked headlamps, beautiful gray alloys (which are also useful in hiding brake dust stains), the usual body kit stuff, and a chrome tipped exhaust. The car does not look overtly special, but I have to say the car looks pretty good especially compared to a standard Camry. You also cannot forget the unimpeachable Toyota reliability. If you take regular care of a Camry (just oil changes really) the car stands a chance of outliving you. Now onto the really good stuff; I drove this car for 600 highway miles (round trip) to visit some friends and this car absolutely excelled. The car was quiet, comfortable, and even though the engine doesn’t accelerate the car very quickly, it still felt strong while going 80mph down the turnpike. I ran into some really nasty Florida rain and the car felt sure footed and confidence inspiring even at highway speeds. Not once during this long journey did I ever complain and wish I was in a different car, in fact I even said I was glad that I was doing the trip in a Camry.

I still hold that if you want a family sedan that still gives you a taste of the good life, get a Mazda 6, and perhaps a Honda Accord. The 6 will do all the family sedan stuff, but it’ll give you that sports car look and feel you long for deep down inside. On the other hand if you don’t care about sports car handling or if you’re now a pensioner and that sort of thing no longer floats your boat, the Camry SE is hard to beat. That SE badge removes all the things that I feel are wrong with the normal Camry (apart from the brakes), keeps all the things that are so right about it, and turns it into a fantastic long distance cruiser. Toyota has succeeded with this car. It is the best car for the average consumer.

Summary

Pros: Comfortable, well built, and lacks the major flaws of the LE.

Cons: This is by no means sporty.

Conclusion: The perfect car for the masses, but not for me.