LMAO when we saw it on TV, Camry takes on bikers . The Camry is a good DD this Ad is just silly. *NM*

Complete with the "smugly smiling, psuedo-rugged, 3 day growth like I landed at Omaha guy" cliché. I recall dropping off the Boxster at the dealer and almost always getting a Camry loaner. What a knock-kneed, steering-too-fast-for-the-suspension car with cornering dynamics consisting of equal parts pitch, yaw, and roll. "Smug Guy" doesn't make any turns, but fighter jets do zoom over him. I'm sure all the smug guys are gonna run out and buy Camrys now. Nice try, Toyota!
[www.youtube.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/2012 08:49PM by Laz. (view changes)

a serta perfect sleeper that I've encountered. Well, except for the Lexus ES350 maybe. Perhaps they've fixed that with this new model.

Or not. From Car and Driver: It’s still pretty boring to drive...

Dave - 06 987 S coupe SG/NL; gone (but still my first love): 03 986 AS/GG/BK;

Were the agency people laughing up their sleeves when they sold Toyota on this ad?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/2012 10:34PM by Laz. (view changes)

Kliban was on to something--- or on something.
ToasterThrills



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/16/2012 03:56PM by Laz. (view changes)

Funny, usually the 3-day bearded, smug guy is pitching pickups and SUVs. Maybe the ad agency figures that one worked so well on dumb Americans once, it'll work again. Why else with rising gas prices would people still be buying these gas guzzlers?

Regarding the Camry, it's a really nice family car (obviously, Toyota wants to move away from that with the current ad), and the V-6 is a tremendous highway cruiser. My second car I owned (1994) was a V-6 Camry. You'd do 90 on the highway and the tac would only be at 2700 RPMs. It took expansion joints like they weren't even there. The seats were very comfy--front and rear. I owned the car for 8 years and only two things had to be replaced--a rear taillight and the battery. Can't say the same for my '02 Boxster S that I owned for 7 years.

I got one as rental a few months back, and was pleasantly surprised. Yes, the steering (and other functions) is not what I am used to, but it was very comfortable, surprsingly powerful (more peppy than my Jeep Grand Cherokee) and very good on the highway. It also lacked personality, and I doubt anyone will go for this marketing strategy.

A few weeks after I sold my Boxster, I bought the overblown version of the Camry called an Avalon. Plushomatic in the extreme. Reclining rear seats, ventilated front seats, automatic rear-window screen, etc. But it is what my wife wanted.

Feel like a Boxster, heck no. But it is a luxurious cruiser which carries 5 adults with quiet and comfort. Max trip so far 250 miles with me driving.

Hate the 2011 GPS interface and restrictions on what you can ask it to do while you are driving (ever consider the passenger is doing the asking, dummy), everything else is fine.

6k on it in 6 months, zero reason to visit a dealer.

Gets around 29 on the highway on regular gas. Has more HP than my Boxster S too. Not that she'll ever get it over 4k RPM.

Would I want it as my regular driver, no. But I'm glad it is in the garage.

Different horses for different courses.

(Why did I buy it in Md? Because the distributor in the southeast puts a bunch of non-negotiable extras on every car that I didn't value. Priced the same car at all local dealers. Saved about $4k for the trouble of a relaxing Amtrack ride from Cary to BWI. Bought it new over the net from Carmax, a Toyota dealer. Owner of the local dealership asked me where I bought, when I'd only tell him I went north, he essentially fessed up to the multi-state distributor installed options scam. PM me if you'd like my contact's name, second easiest car purchase I ever made...the other was over the net too.)

I purchased two Porsches out of state and over the Net. Both cases were extremely easy. The first was my original '98 Boxster (six month wait locally, half that in CT). My' 09 997S Cab was purchased at the same CT dealership, also over the Net. This time, the car was on the lot. Local dealers weren't dealing at all. November in CT (and at in the middle of the financial meltdown), they were in the mood to deal. The second time, I was able to view the CT dealer's inventory on-line, with pictures and options all available with a few mouse clicks. Never even spoke with the salesman, it was all done via e-mails. Both cases did involve some FedExing of docs to sign. The CT dealer even knew how to do it so that I didn't have to pay taxes in CT, but would pay local taxes upon registering the car. Drove my '02 S up for the trade. Drove new car home.

With all the info available on the World Wide Web, it's crazy not to shop around, especially for these "exotic" cars. My wife's Prius was purchased locally, but also via the WWW. We contacted 4 area Toyota dealers to see which could offer the best price. She knew her exact options that she wanted. Those were included in each e-mail. Some of the dealers' inventory was a bit sketchy on the Web. Even if they didn' have her exact car on the lot, they were willing to contact other dealers to find the car. One even had a line on what she wanted at a dealer 90 miles away.

Not using the Web to purchase a car in this day in age, is foolish. The amount I saved over what the local dealer was willing to sell me the almost identical car, is freakin unbelievable.

They pitch this thing as some sports sedan ala BMW....ha! Push the thing and the suspension gives way and all hell breaks loose. Just an awful experience. I don't fit in it, the A pillar blocks your forward view, there is no place on the center console to rest change or crap, the button layout still confuses the heck out of me, the leather on the steering wheel makes a loud sound as your slide your hand on it, the transmission constantly hunts (less so in Power mode), the engine ticks loudly when cold.... yadda yadda yadda....... what a joke of a car. I really hate it. She likes it 'cause it has a pretty red color.

Oh.... one more thing!!! Yes, the car surges with the brake on.... seriously, I think I figured out this Toyota problem: The gas pedal and the brake are close together and if you press the brake with your shoe just over and catching the gas pedal, the gas overwhelms the brake and you surge forward. In short, the gas pedal is too sensitive at its highest point, it should depress an inch before upping the gas. I did this and almost put the car into a lake. Seriously.