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Credit for this report goes to "Shan2nu" who had contributed this post to Formula India:
After my drive in the Corolla, i told the dealer that I didn't find to be as good as I had anticipated. He then insisted that i take a test drive of the Camry. I thought "Hey!! What have i got to lose?" and agreed.
I caught up with the dealer this morning and fixed up a time for the drive. At around 1:40 pm, i got a call from the sales manager saying that he was standing outside my house.... "with the car". So off we went to the one place that does justice to the word "Road".
And there i was, sitting in the drivers seat with an empty, straight stretch of the "Karwar" road waiting to be ripped apart. I knew that this wasn't the "Raw Deal" kind of car and it turned out to be just that. Everythting about it was refined, the power delivery, acceleration,ride quality and handling.
Power delivery - That 2.4 ltr VVt-i engine was absolutely awesome with a glorious engine note. No matter what gear, speed or RPM you are at, one touch of the pedal and this car literally takes off. For a moment i felt this car might be infact quicker than the Corolla coz it surely felt like that.
Acceleration - Nothing out of the world, but refined to the core. It's not the kind of car that will have you pressed to your seat when you give it the go. Initial acceleration is a bit relaxed but it gets better as the revs build up. In gear acceleration really impressed me though.
Ride Quality - It is without doubt the most comfortable car i've ever been in. Road or no road.....this car just glides over everything. I found the suspenssion to be on the softer side, but no pronounced roll as in the Corolla.
Handling - Toyota has done well to balance this car between good handling and ride quality. It's interesting how this car just hugs the road with no signs of traction loss. A very competitive car on fast sweeping turns but, not nimble around twisty slow turns. Steering felt over assisted and gets twitchy at speeds.
Braking - This was a big disappointment, not that the braking was bad. it's just that the car wasn't checked for wheel balancing and from what i felt, it needed to be looked at ASAP. Even when slowing from the 120, the steering would wobble beyond control and the car would get unstable. I did manage to touch a humble 160kmph "thanks to the wobbly steeering". The best part is that it turned out to be the highest that car had ever done in it's 25000+ run on Indian tarmac. Just another case of "Middle Aged Sanity".
Air Conditioning - The A/C didn't get the cabin cool enough to make it's presence felt. Even my friend who shared the drive with me felt the same way. I've seen smaller cars with more effective air conditioning and yes, my Vtec happens to be on that list.
Interiors - Nothing stunning to look at. The Accord surely takes the cake in this department. But it does offer a lot of onboard information like fuel consumption, projected distance you can cover at that average, highest speed touched during the drive, average speed etc. It's got a 10 CD changer and the music system is worth what you pay for it.
Fuel Efficiency - Didn't have the time or distance to check that out, but as per the onboard computer, our whole test drive saw it giving 9.4 kmpl. hmmm....pretty good for a 2.4 ltr 141bhp car i'd say, considering we were very unforgiving with it.
Space - M5 had already given me a dose of how big this car is. Loads of leg and head room. Sit inside and you'll foget it's a Toyota and wouldn't blame yourself if your were to relate it to a Merc.
Personality - This car is like that boxer who maynot have what it takes to beat his opponent but, will never.....ever let it show. Even if he doesn't win, he'll make sure he loses in style.
Regards...
Shan2nu | 
25th February 2004, 16:46
