This is not an easy review for me to write. Reviewing a Camry is like reviewing vanilla ice cream. It might be very good vanilla ice cream, but it’s still vanilla. So why did I bother? Well, I’m planning to check out a 2002 Altima soon, and wanted to have something to rate it against. Also, for 2002 Toyota has totally redesigned the Camry for the first time in ten years, and I wanted to see how this self-proclaimed “benchmark” had been improved. Finally, for 2002 a sportier SE model is available in addition to the regular LE and luxury XLE. I went to the dealer to drive an SE.

When I arrived, I learned that the exact car I wanted to drive was not in stock. They supposedly had a couple of SEs (though I never saw them). But I was told both had four-cylinder engines with automatics. I had hoped to drive either the four with the manual or the six with the automatic. Well, I’d prefer a six with a manual, but that combination will not be sold. Knowing a manual always improves my evaluation of a car, I decided to go with an LE instead of an SE. Why was the only manual Camry on the lot the decidedly unsporty LE? Beats me. Maybe for someone who wants the cheapest, most economical Camry (EPA 24/33). The only option on the car I drove was a floormat package. Although a loaded Camry costs about $30,000, the car I drove stickered for $19,600. Although a Camry for under twenty grand makes good advertising copy, I suspect just about every base Camry buyer will find the extra cash for the automatic. In the future I might find the time to test an SE, so if you’re interested in how that model affects my opinion of the Camry, check back in a month or two.

(For my review of a 2003 Camry SE V6, click here.)

Toyota Camry Reliability

Want better reliability information? Want to more clearly know what difference it will make if you buy a Toyota Camry rather than something else? My website, truedelta.com, will be providing this information in the form of "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats.

From these stats you might learn that your first choice, compared to your second choice, is likely to make 2.3 extra trips to the shop in its first five years. You might decide its advantages compensate for this, or you might not. Either way, you'll be able to make a much better informed decision than you can today.

I aim to provide the highest quality information to as many people as possible. Unfortunately, these goals conflict. If I simply give the information away, few will help provide it. So I'm doing the next best thing: those who have been active participants for at least six months will receive free access to this site's reliability information; otherwise this access will cost $24.95. The average time commitment for someone reporting on two cars will be (at most) 15 minutes a year, so you'll essentially receive $100 an hour for doing your share to help everyone make better decisions.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

Styling and Accommodations

The new Camry looks much like the old Camry, just taller. That’s because it is taller by nearly three inches, a very significant amount. More in person than in photos this makes the car look strangely tall and somewhat slab-sided, despite the use of a sweeping character line along the bottoms of the doors to disguise the additional height. (The larger wheels on the SE would help here.) Wheelbase increases by two inches, resulting in better proportions. With the old Camry the wheelbase looked too short for the length of the car, especially compared with competitors like the Accord. Overall, we’ve got a wash. The new Camry is about as attractive as the old one. It remains neither beautiful nor ugly. Although the head lights and tail lights are styled to lend the car flair, the Camry’s styling continues to have all the excitement of the dryer in my basement.

In the interior, appliance-like styling is taken to an all-new level. Nothing crazy like you’ll find in the Echo or MR2. It could not be more generic. The dash if virtually flat from door to door. This makes the radio and HVAC controls a bit difficult to reach without leaning forward, though once you reach them they are simple to use. I suspect that the main goal here was to make the car feel as open and roomy as possible.

In this Toyota succeeded. This car feels very roomy, both front and back. This is partly because of the dash styling, but mostly because it is very roomy. The increases in height and wheelbase translate into generous headroom and more legroom than most people can use. The height makes it possible to mount the rear seat fairly high, so it provides good thigh support—something all too rare even among larger sedans. This space together with the design of the seats makes the new Camry a very comfortable sedan for four people to travel in. A fifth person can fit in the middle of the rear seat, but because the seat bulges out and is firmer there that person will not be comfortable.

The trunk is similarly spacious. For more cargo room, the rear seats fold down. Although I would like to see a larger opening, I would hesitate to buy a sedan without this feature.

On the Road

The car’s main weakness made itself known early in my test drive. Luckily it’s not a hard thing to fix. The Michelins on the base Camry chirp and squeal unless the car is driven very gently. After stopping at a light behind other cars, I let out the clutch as traffic began to move and promptly burned rubber. I was not even giving the car much gas at the time. The guy in the lane next to me gave me a disapproving look. I must admit to being a bit embarrassed, burning rubber in a gold stripper Camry. And not going anywhere fast at the same time. Not because the engine is weak. It isn’t. But when the tires spin, the engine’s power goes into burning rubber rather than accelerating the car. After this, I paid more attention to letting the clutch out very easily. This should not be a problem with the performance tires on the SE.

Ditto the early onset of tire squeal when going through curves. Even in mildly aggressive cornering the tires on the base car speak up, often loudly. The suspension on the LE is less stiff than that of the SE, and body roll and understeer are both prominent, but the tires give up long before even the base suspension does. As do the seats. The bolsters are very soft. Even in fairly mild cornering I slid onto the seat bolsters, which promptly squished. I cannot remember the last time I drove a car with seats this flabby. Clearly the LE is intended to go straight all of the time. Since I do not, I hope the seats in the SE are totally different.

The flip side of this handling behavior is the ride. Actually, I was not as impressed with the ride as I expected to be. It was a touch bobbly without feeling especially smooth. Like an entry-level Buick. Maybe the XLE and even the sporty SE somehow feels more luxurious. The ride of the stripper car I drove was clearly vanilla rather than French vanilla. Fairly smooth, but without that luxurious feel found in many Toyotas these days.

I should say a bit more about the powertrain, since this will also be found in the SE. The four-cylinder never feels weak, at least with the manual. It makes generic Japanese four-cylinder noises while spinning smoothly. On the downside, the engine lacks the voice to make exercising it fun. The shifter finds gears well enough, but has a long throw and a generally econo rather than performance feel. A final plus: Torque steer is entirely absent.

In many ways this car reminded me of the Japanese sedans I sometimes drove in the 㣴s. The limits were low, but the engines revved well enough and the chassis were nimble enough to make them fun to drive in their own way, sliding them squealing through turns at moderate speeds. I guess the same could be said of old Detroit iron on whitewall tires. But such thrills are juvenile. Clearly they should not be common practice unless one enjoys getting disapproving looks from other drivers.

Pricing

For quick, up-to-date new car pricing, and especially user-specified price comparisons, check out the website I created: www.truedelta.com. Why yet another vehicle pricing website? Well, I personally lacked the patience to keep using the others. They were too slow and required too much effort, especially when trying to compare prices. So I taught myself some programming and created a site where there is no need to dig through option packages, prerequisites, and the like one by one -- the TrueDelta algorithm figures these out for you in one swift pass.

Last Words

Like the old Camry, the new one is the ultimate driving appliance. It’s strong suit is room. Beyond the amazing amount of room, the Camry—as always—displays a general competence when performing the tasks requested by the average driver. Except for the tires. I suspect even the average driver will find them far too vocal. Unless they like a car they can make squeal around the sub.

To learn more about my reliability research and sign up to participate in it, or to perform thorough, up-to-date new car price comparisons, visit www.truedelta.com. A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.
Amount Paid (US$): 19000
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: LE four-cylinder manual