I took my son (14) on an eight-state road trip this past week. We left Sunday morning and returned tonight. I put nearly 2100 miles on a brand-new 2013 Camry, which I rented. I picked the car up - and being the first person to rent it - noticed that it had just 40 miles on it last weekend. It now has 2100+ on it and I am turning it back in on Saturday morning. Thankfully, I had unlimited mileage thanks to my credit union!

It is a white 2013 SE - leather seats with cloth inserts, small deck spoiler, very nice alloy wheels, automatic transmission with "paddle" shifters on the steering wheel, great stereo system, cruise control, fog lamps, A/C, power everything, etc., etc. This car had the four-cylinder engine, although I know that a Camry can be ordered with a V6.

The car is solid, drives nicely, the seats are very comfortable and the engine has more than enough power to handle going up steep mountain roads - which I did quite often (KY, TN, VA). The auto trans has either five or six gears, but I could not really tell. Shifts were smooth and deliberate. The car rides VERY NICELY at rather high speeds that are "easily attainable" on rural southern Interstates. The fuel mileage was very good. The worst I got was 28 miles per gallon (some stop and go traffic) and the best I got was 33.5 miles per gallon. I have a fairly heavy right foot as well; so the mileage will likely be better after the car is broken in and the go-pedal sees slightly less usage.


I have had my 2002 Nissan Sentra for 11 1/2 years now and plan to hand it down to my son late next year when he gets his license. While the Camry was not on my list as a replacement for my Sentra, I think it is now. Good job, Toyota!!

My only big gripe about the car is that the suspension is a bit soft. I figured that the SE would be a bit tighter. Understeer is noticeable, but not unacceptable for this caliber of vehicle.

Just my "unofficial" review of the new Toyota. They must be doing something right, though, as they sell like hotcakes.

They are surprisingly fun to drive! I too rented one (brand new 4 cylinder SE) while I was in the west coast recently. I put on about 1000 miles in 3-4 days, even took it breifly off road in Death Valley, lololol. IMO it had plenty of power for a 4 cylinder and handled great on road (even fully loaded with 4 passengers). Off road was another story, but I did make it in and back out alive and without getting stuck

As far as gas mileage, I did not fare as well as you, during the time I had it I averaged ~21-22 MPG overall; but admittedly I was travelling at kind of high speeds on the highway and going up and down the side of mountains. I can definitely see getting 30+ MPG without a sweat if driven more sensibly and not on mountain roads.

All in all, a pretty impressive car indeed.