Intro
It’s June and that means summer time BBQ’s, girls, and yum, convertibles!! I have always been a big fan of convertibles and believe my next car will most likely be one, so I jumped when the editor told me that I would be test driving one. The following was my experience after a road test with the 2007 Solara convertible.
Exterior
I thought JT (Justin Timberlake) brought sexy back, but why isn’t it reflected in the 2007 Camry Solara then? The Solara didn’t quite do it for me. It seemed as if Toyota was too busy designing all their new smallish cars that they decided to copy the 2002 Pontiac Sunfire’s design while just adding the options of ground effects and a nifty looking spoiler! Let’s just say I was very disappointed inToyota, especially when it comes to the design of the rear end. The tail of the car is where all points and lines are supposed to come together, completing the look and hopefully providing the right feelings in which they intended. Most cars would like to end on a high note, but not the Solara, ending in a downward slant, making me feel like an unhappy movie go-er, after watching an ending that didn’t quite work, leaving me thinking, “that was it?” SorryToyota, maybe sexy will be back for the 2008 models, hopefully!
Interior
I’m sorry to say I wasn’t the biggest fan on the interior either. On a $30,000 car (as tested), the interior was sub par compared to other car makers. The dash was simple with very few eye catching details. I liked the carbon weaved design on the doors, but it just didn’t seem to match the interior as a whole. Yeah, there was an MP3 port and nice leather wrapped steering wheel, but the interior lacked a uniformed, cohesive design. One other good attribute of the interior was the JBL Premium 6 disc 7-speaker 270 watt stereo system which isn’t a standard feature ($850 option).
Performance/Handling
As we know,Toyota wasn’t trying to make a convertible sports car; their main objective was to make a nice convertible touring car. Knowing this, the Solara’s performance matched my expectation for what this car needed - a smooth 210 HP V6 engine providing 220 ft-lbs of torque did just nicely. It was nice to know that in times of need, the car is capable of avoiding annoying bees or keeping cloudy skies in your rear view mirror.
Toyota wasn’t trying to push the boundaries in any aspects in the performance, just giving you what you need, making the car very easy and responsive to all types of drivers. This is the Solara’s strong point, enabling the driver to enjoy the surroundings a little bit more, making the trip almost as enjoyable as the destination.
Value
$30,000 for a new car, it seemed like Toyota could have done a little more with the styling and interior to make you feel like you got your money’s worth. Nothing screamed, “buy me!” during my time with the Solara and if I had to consider buying one, I would have a hard time spending more than $25,000 for this car. With soft top rivals such as Chrysler Sebring, Ford Mustang, Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder, and Pontiac G6, most under $30k, I would shop around a little more to determine if the Camry Solara convertible is the right choice.
Pro’s
- Easy to drive
- Smooth V6 power
- Plenty of leg room in rear
Con’s
- Horrible visibility with the top up
- Interior not up to expectations of a $30k car
- Side to side vibrations while driving
Rating
|
| Exterior | Interior | Handling | Performance | Value | Overall |
| Rating | 2.5 | 2.5 | 3 | 3 | 2.5 | 2.7 |
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