Rental Reviewed: 2014 Toyota Camry

"Matt@ShiftCarBlog" (shiftcarblog) 09/16/2014 at 15:07 • Filed to: opporeviews, toyota, camry, beige, reviews

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I just returned from an incredibly relaxing family vacation in Emerald Isle, NC. Located just south of the Outer Banks and a 20-minute drive from Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base, Emerald Isle is south facing beach where you can see the sun rise AND set over the same ocean at certain times of year- or so I'm told. I cannot be sure of this as during the hours of the sun's horizon hop, I was in a fully-induced, shrimp-stuffed food coma.

As with any vacation, I was filled with high hopes from the beginning. No, not about being disconnected from my inbox or reducing my sock tan or anticipating the looks on family members faces when they take the first bite of homemade blackened shrimp tacos with sriracha slaw... I couldn't wait to find out the keys I'd be handed at the Hertz counter for our 700 mile tree-lined trip through North Carolina.

The Outside

As we left the airport, I had my fingers crossed that it would be my lucky day. "Sorry sir, we are all out of compact, mid-size, full-size, super size, SUV, CUV, SAV, UAV, minivan, truck, and KIA Rio rentals. But I do have a BMW M5 from our dream car collection that I can offer at no extra charge." is what I wish the man at the counter would have said as he tossed me the tiny carbon fiber key fob to unlocking happiness.

Instead, here is a picture of the car I received- A dark gray, 2.5 liter 4-cylinder 2014 Toyota Camry sedan.

Now, I have to apologize. In the excitement of vacation and fumbling around with luggage, I did not actually take any pictures of the outside of the car- the picture above is a stock picture I found online. Our car was not as well equipped as the model above, but it did have a touch-screen head unit that magically streamed music through the air into the blueteeth of the radio and out of the speakers- just like in the vehicles I keep at home. This feature alone makes way for a pleasant, wireless, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! cruise.

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The Inside

Inside, the Camry is laid out well with large buttons and large knobs with large fonts. The climate control rings feel fairly cheap, but they make precise little clicks so you know that the car knows you want exactly two more clacks of air blowing in your face- no more, no less. The extra tier at the top of the dashboard dresses things up a little bit with its white-stiched edges and faux-leather patterned soft touch rubber. Nice touch.

Moving your eyes over to the gauge cluster, you'll see needles forged from the ice of a Gatorade Glacier Freeze slushy. People argue that cars these days are sooo digital, but on the far right we have an analog average fuel consumption gauge. I find this to be a rather interesting choice in display, because it's a simple, slow moving sundial that measures gas. Is it 33mpg o'clock or half-past 34? I don't know!

Average mpg is one measurement in this cluster where I'd prefer a digital Casio than a stone slab. This needle SHOULD be a sweeping instant consumptionometer that adds some emotion to the actions of my right foot- stomp down on the gas and watch the needle free fall toward 0 or treat it like a newborn baby and watch the needle drift in and out of sleep between 30 and infinity.

That being said, this gauge was pretty accurate in reflecting the 33.3mpg I measured at the pump. The folks at Toyota have got their technology sundialed in.

The Feel

There's no bolstering in the front seats to keep you in place in the event you're able to make the car do something exciting. My 6-foot, 200-pound frame could have sat comfortably beside myself in the driver seat, although we'd likely have fought over the proper speed of the wipers in the rolling Carolina thunderstorms. After the longest leg of the trip, 4 hours from Winston-Salem to Emerald Isle, I emerged with no sign of back discomfort and I commend the breathable seat fabric for keeping my over-caffeinated body from breaking a sweat even between bouts in the 80+ degree humid air. I imagine your average wide waisted American will not complain.

SE V6 pictured. Photo: Car and Driver

The steering wheel feels good in your hands, not sporty, but the material used on it had an ideal amount of grip without feeling tacky. My one gripe, is that I would relocate the cruise control from the post behind the steering wheel into the integrated controls on the wheel since this car was pretty much born to commute.

The Drive

Now, let's be honest. You're not here to read about the driving experience. We all know that driving a Toyota Camry makes you feel like... like you're !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Step on the gas and you're sent into speeds of tumble-dry-medium while the increasing road noise around you assures you your speed has increased. Passing power is just enough to safely get past the girl texting across three lanes in her stuffed-animal-filled Hyundai Sonata while your car making noises like bees getting shot out of a hair dryer.

My previous 7th-gen Camry experience involved a windshield designed by a carnival fun-house. There was a mind warping bend directly in my line of sight that caused my normally iron-clad stomach to do yo-yo's at all times and brain pains so bad I would have been more comfortable removing the windshield by smacking my forehead against. This model came thankfully came equipped with a completely normal windscreen. I was not able to locate fun-house glass as an available option in the Toyota literature, so that may have been a one-off or at least discontinued.

The Summary

During our first and only night in Winston, a family member sat rather bored in a conversation centered around cars and rental experiences. I mentioned that I had my fingers crossed [realistically] for at least a Charger rental because RWD, but that the Camry was "fine." At this point, the bored family member, who coincidentally has a long history of choosing successive Camrys for years as his company vehicle, mentions how he's amazed at the culture surrounding car enthusiasts and how immersed I am in it because, as he stated, "for me, a car is simply a car."

I certainly can't argue with that viewpoint, as much as I feel that a good car is far more than the sum of its parts. Some people just want a driving appliance, and the Camry is a totally inoffensive method of moving oneself with small amounts of gasoline in relative comfort- with a giant trunk. Even if it isn't the coolest, fastest, sexiest car in the world it does exactly what it needs to do- get people's laundry from Point A to Point B, with them inside of it.

Pros

Gas sipper

Giant trunk

Quick and easy phone pairing for audio streaming/calls

Cons

Buzzy engine

Moderate road noise

I'm still missing a sock

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GhostZ > Matt@ShiftCarBlog 09/16/2014 at 15:10

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This is an excellent review of the 2007 Toyota Camry.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > Matt@ShiftCarBlog 09/16/2014 at 17:44

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just out of curiosity, did you stay at shutters on the beach.

Matt@ShiftCarBlog > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO 09/16/2014 at 17:55

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Nope, rented a house on the beach front.