Rental Car: 2016 Camry CE 2.5

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ls1mike

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In the Garage...
So we asked for an Impala.
No such luck

Car has 25,000 miles on it. I put 300 on it yesterday. To be honest I like my Malibu much better.

So the good:
Car rode nice and smooth. Interior was quiet except for some wind noise on the drivers side door at 65 and up.
I like the paddle shifters, although it is something I would not use on this car. Interior was pretty roomy.
Nice big trunk. Good visibility. Was pleased with the mpgs over the 300 miles 32.4 in mixed driving and some 75 mph sections. I did like the transmission in the car.

Stuff I don't like:
The 2.5 was eh, felt like I was driving my 4 cyl Equinox again. It certainly did not inspire confidence in the acceleration department. I don't like the layout of the controls. It is way too busy and not intuitive. I did not like the seats. Brake pedal is too close to the gas pedal. I always hear about how great the materials inside the car are, well they were not any different to me than my Malibu, in fact the radio was goofy looking as compared to the mylink stuff in my Caprice and Malibu. Brakes were not as good as the last few rentals I have had. I shouldn't compare it to the Malibu as it is the turbo with tuned suspension but the body roll was noticeable. The wife even commented on it.
The most annoying part about the car was driving down the highway at 65 or above I could feel air coming in through the door locks, my wife commented on that as well.

Overall it is a good car, but I am not jumping ship and running out to buy one in fact it confirmed my reasons not to. For other people who are used to Toyota it is probably an excellent car.
 
Paddle shifters are the dumbest thing I have ever seen put on a passenger car. What the G forces when cornering are too high ? Marketing at its best. The Camry is like a F1 car. I really have had good luck with the Toyotas I have owned yet the quality seems to had dropped considerably over the years. Great review !
 
I love the car reviews that show up here on bitog. To me they are more pertinent than any others mostly because they are written and read by people of the same mindset - oil heads of a website that focuses on cars and how to take of them (the occasional cake recipe excepted).
Thanks for taking the time to tell us of your experience- I value bitog reviews better than those done by car and driver.
 
Originally Posted By: ls1mike
So we asked for an Impala.
No such luck



Story of my life
frown.gif

I lucked out and got one last Christmas. I swear, with how well-reviewed the Impala is they should just make ALL full-sized cars, different variants of the Impala (some v6's, some turbo 4's etc).

For those who haven't had one...they are THAT good when compared to everything else in that category (Sonata, Camry, Accord etc.)
 
Good review
thumbsup2.gif


But this has me scratching my head. How did Toyota manage it?
Originally Posted By: ls1mike
The most annoying part about the car was driving down the highway at 65 or above I could feel air coming in through the door locks, my wife commented on that as well.
 
Originally Posted By: Lolvoguy
Originally Posted By: ls1mike
So we asked for an Impala.
No such luck



Story of my life
frown.gif

I lucked out and got one last Christmas.

Heh... I recently needed to rent a car. I asked for a Charger, but didn't get it either. I was given a Malibu instead. Not bad though, but the engine felt weak. Not sure what engine it had. The stop-start system wasn't too bad though - probably the least intrusive of any car I've driven with such a system. Still not a fan of it in general.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Lolvoguy
Originally Posted By: ls1mike
So we asked for an Impala.
No such luck



Story of my life
frown.gif

I lucked out and got one last Christmas.

Heh... I recently needed to rent a car. I asked for a Charger, but didn't get it either. I was given a Malibu instead. Not bad though, but the engine felt weak. Not sure what engine it had.

I would agree my personal car is the 2.0 turbo. 259hp and 295ft/lbs of torque it does good
 
I lease a 2016 Camry LE for 36mo.,36k miles with $0 down payment for $205.55 per month including all taxes and fees. To get the same deal on a Malibu the dealer wanted $345.30 per month. The Malibu is not worth $5,031 more than the Camry for a 3 year lease.
 
Originally Posted By: oilmutt
I lease a 2016 Camry LE for 36mo.,36k miles with $0 down payment for $205.55 per month including all taxes and fees. To get the same deal on a Malibu the dealer wanted $345.30 per month. The Malibu is not worth $5,031 more than the Camry for a 3 year lease.


Yep, I'll also take the Camry over the Malibu.
 
Thanks for the review! I have heard really good things about the new Impalas, and I always hope for one of those when I rent (no such luck so far. I did get an older Impala once, great car if not for the slightly excessive road noise; I hear that the new ones are very quiet). Chargers are usually my 2nd choice, they're pretty nice, I just don't like the feel of their 8-speed transmissions.
 
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Originally Posted By: oilmutt
I lease a 2016 Camry LE for 36mo.,36k miles with $0 down payment for $205.55 per month including all taxes and fees. To get the same deal on a Malibu the dealer wanted $345.30 per month. The Malibu is not worth $5,031 more than the Camry for a 3 year lease.


Yep, I'll also take the Camry over the Malibu.

To each their own. Money wise I would agree. I just didnt feel it was as good as I was expecting. Pictures to follow.
 
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Probably an ok commuter for the average person who just wants something basic.

I sat in the 2016 Camry, wasn't impressed. Once again, headroom was a problem. My hair (short) touched the roof with the seat bottom adjusted all the way down and the seat scooted all the way back. Are they lowering the roof lines in a lot of cars? I'm only 6'2" so I'm not even THAT tall.

I've got probably close to 4" above my head in the Sonata.
 
Not to judge your review but you were comparing a top of the line Malibu with a base model Camry. The best comparison would be a Camry with the V6 and higher trim package. Although I am not trying to say Toyota is better..I do agree to each their own. Looking at your cars, it seems a stock 4 cylinder would definitely seem slow...not sure why you feel it doesnt inspire confidence..thats a personal thing..178hp aint bad.
 
On a recent business trip I rented first a charger, then an Impala. Both had V6's. The only thing that I preferred on the charger was rear wheel drive. I found the Impala moore to my liking in all other areas. I could spin the tires in the Impala at will with the 305 HP engine. Note that the v6 doesn't have the goofy engine auto stop/start system that the turbo 4 comes with.
 
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Not to judge your review but you were comparing a top of the line Malibu with a base model Camry. The best comparison would be a Camry with the V6 and higher trim package. Although I am not trying to say Toyota is better..I do agree to each their own. Looking at your cars, it seems a stock 4 cylinder would definitely seem slow...not sure why you feel it doesnt inspire confidence..thats a personal thing..178hp aint bad.


I didn't think the CE was the base. The only thing it really didn't have was leather.
I have been in an XLE and XSE the interiors were the same except for the leather.
 
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