ponchoman49

Thats not the original IP cluster of course so I wonder how many other mods were made to it. The original IP only went to 85 mph. Keeping it original in the long run would make it worth more I would think.

Quote: "When does the best selling car in America become the best car for America? The first ever Toyota Camry Hybrid. It's time to move forward." Answer: when they come up with original styling. When they come up with bigger trunks with non intrusive hinges. When they can make an automatic transmission that shifts smoothly. When they leave the Miss Piggy styling cues at home. When they get gas mileage that is stated on the window sticker. When they install door protection moldings to ward off dents which will de-value this car at trade in time. When they make an interior with better fitting panals and center console. And lastly when they make a 6 speed automatic transmission that always has it's 6 speeds available! The new Camry. "It's time to move backward"

Must be all the smog causing peoples senses to be distorted.

Funny the article mentions "dents" as I have seen several 05-06 Avalons complete with blue haired old driver with several door dents right where the bodyside molding used to be. Toyotas cheapness and many other manufacturers for not including this, especially on cars costing 35-37K, is totally rediculous. It magnifies the bloated blandness of this car and makes it look rather comical. I have already chatted with several older gentleman that have had transmission and power steering leaks and another who thought the seats were too hard. This is a very controversial car indeed!

It certainly blows away the 07 Camry in many areas, especially styling and that 3.5 V6 is right up there and should be competitive. Now if they have improved the interior compared to the old one they will really have something here.

1999 Grand Ams had a 2.4 with 150 hp, optional 3400 with 170 hp and the full boat Ram Air with 175 hp out of 3.4 liters! I would say this car competes more with the current G6 which has only 6 more hp out of the same size engine or the much larger 3500 which has only 201 hp which is but 16 higher than the far smaller 2.7 liter V6. Kia also has a 2006 transmission in it's 5 speed automatic compared to GM's 1999 spec 4T45 4 speed automatic.

Hopefully Toyota will change the following for MY 2008: 1) 6 speed automatic tranny with smoother shifts than the current one 2) A trunk bigger than 14.4 cubic feet 3) More distinctive front and rear styling that makes it look less bloated 4) Bodyside protection molding to ward off dings and help the dull side appearance 5) Less gimmicky interior 6) Darker color woodgrain and maybe a little less of it 7) A better designed navigation system. Consumers on Edmunds site it as a poor design Softer seats. The current ones are too hard for the intended elderly audience 9) Less teething problems. Far too many people having troubles with this car than should be for the price it commands. Check out all the forums on Edmunds, Yahoo and MSN.

The interior is hardly stunning but I quite liked it in tan. Panal fits were better than a new Camry I sat in and the armrests were padded. The cloth on the seats was better than the Malibu and G6 and on par with Toyota Camry Honda Accord and interior room was quite generous. It would make a current Impala owner envious of it's rear legroom. I drove many 2003-2005 Sonotas and Optimas with the old 170 hp 2.7 and they had decent get up and go and would squeal the front tires foot to the floor off the line. 15 more hp should improve that but this car won't be up to the Camry, Accord, Sonota, Fusion V6 or even the Malibu LT or SS with it's 3900! I like the Optimas styling better than the Camry, less than the Fusion/G6 and about the same as the current Malibu/Sonata/Accord. In my area these cars are usually discounted pretty heavily. You can buy a 2006 leftover Optima L4 automatic for a little over 13K. Resale however is likely to be in the toilet for this new version, just like the old model!

The black and tan combo doesn't do much for me but I dig that new fob

And subpar styling in it's 07 guise to go along with it! And subpar 6 speed transmissions that think they are 4 spe ed automatics to go with it.

I agree too. I really can't stand it when the little ones come in here and start quoting 0-60 times or what the rags said and think you are lying about a car you drove and spent time with. I do think that C&D like many other mags is biased to anything Asian as evidenced by there hardon reviews of the new Camry, which is a big dissapointment to many that have seen and driven them. Other than another overhype hybrid and a faster V6 it really hasn't Moved Forward much.

My 2002 Intrigue will blow any Camry I have driven out of the water for handling and that is a previous gen W-body on a shorter wheelbase. I have driven base and LTZ Impalas and they will out handle my Intrigue. The biggest defficiency of the W-body remains the tight back seat legroom and cramped headroom in the LaCrosse/Grand Prix versions.

The prowler ended it's life with the same 3.5 250 hp V6 as in the current Charger/300/Magums vehicles so it wasn't a Mitsu motor.

Retro does not suck if done right. It sure beats 98% of the "I can't tell what the hell i'm looking at" styling of todays cars.

I would take one of these over the fugly Prius with it's hideous styling and goofy looking interior anyday of the week. Now if only they could add the Golf's door molding to dress up the plain looking door for protection I would really like the car.

The 99-04 base Regals were also a bit faster than the heavier LaCrosse which uses numerically lower 2.86:1 gears compared to the Regals 3.05:1 which seems to be the best ratio suited to these engines powerband. I noticed this when I drove a rental LaCrosse for a weekend. It felt a bit weaker than any Regal I have driven and got slightly worse mileage because of it's greater weight. I also didn't care for the herky jerky drive by wire feeling of the series III engine. Thankfully the 07 LaCrosses will return using the better 3.05:1 ratio which should help make them a bit livelier off the line.

Gosh the Lucerne could only manage 8.8 seconds to 60. I was hoping for at least Buick's 8.4 second quote. The crew in charge of equipping the Lucerne with this powertrain should be tied to a tree and bitch slapped for hours. Granted the base 3800 engine is fine for the elderly motorists on base CX models who don't care about performance. But for those like me that don't want the expensive pricey models with there poor gas mileage Northstar V8's, the 3.6 should have been mandatory on the heavier CXL V6. And why can't Buick put a suspension that will handle in the lower trim levels? The only Lucerne that should have a soft suspension and bench seats is the base CX. And for all the people that keep defending the old 4 speed automatic, it was interesting to see that the smaller, lower torque 3.0 V6 in the 500 outgunned the bigger torquier 3800 after 50 mph which is where the Buick shifts out of 1st gear into 2nd and loses a ton of steam. The 6 speed automatic would have made this detuned 3800 somewhat competitive and able to keep up with the little 3.0 liter Duratec. Looks like Buick will repeat this mistake even next year for the 07's.

What model 300 did they test? How slow to 60 was the Lucerne dare I ask?

Was really hoping to see 252 hp on CXS and a new front end treatment.

My dealer had 2 but both are sold now.

That looks sweet. I would buy a Buick that looked like that with a nice 2.4 177hp Ecotec. That would give decent mileage and power coupled with classy looks that put the Camry to shame.

Agreed! If you can't tell the difference between a Lucerne and Sable in person you have issues!

I much prefer the Malibus current styling to the 07 Camry. The Camry is just all wrong in it's front pig snout and melted bar of chocolate rear end look, it's interior that doesn't always fit together with all the gaps, it's smaller trunk, it's lacl of door protection/decoration and now it's problematic tranny. The Malibu is hardly perfect either with it's less powerfull 3500 V6 to Toyotas new 3.5, lack of a 5 or 6 speed automatic(even though GM's is smoother and a bit more troublefree), terrible seat material and a very unintegrated center stack. But I always like how the Malibu dove better than the Toyota and it does get slighly better highway mileage with the V6 plus it looks a bit crisper than the bland Camry.

Wow, another reviewer who prefers the Lucerne over the Avalon. Glad some agree with my tastes.

Looks too much like a Charger. Not really impressed.