Family Resemblance my butt

[mnofpeace]

so 24hrs ago i dropped off my beloved 2014 SR5 into the dealer so they could fix a faulty lumbar on my driver side. All under warranty thankfully. In return i was granted the use of a loaner car...A brand new 2015 Toyo Camry SE...paddle shifters, 18 in rims, a nice enough car i must say.

however...and before i go in...i must give some history. my last 4 vehicles spanning the past 20 yrs, have been a jeep wrangler, landrover Disco, F150, and the Runner...so yeah, i like trucks and truck-like vehicles very much.

Yes, a nice enough car...but...I MISS MY RUNNER SOOOOO MUCH.

and i miss it for all of the things the reviewer guys complain about:
its big, brauny, removed from the pavement, lifted-even in stock trim...

its bouncy, heavy steering, glides over pavement irregularities, over engineered to just be driven as a daily

its large, drives like a truck, body on frame, not unibodied, all that 'tech' talk about how cars should be built

its a truck dammit!!!


ill say it again, this car is very nice...for a car. but i hear every pebble in the road, its almost clausterphobic inside, and i dont suffer from that disorder, the shifter is child like, the engine revs as if it has to prove something-cuz it does, paddle shifters--really, i can go on and on...

ok, my vent is over...just give me my Tonka back...she is missed by everyone in the family, after only a day.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

Did it have the V6? A V6 Camery has a lot of power and can smoke the tires easily with the traction control off. I had that engine in my 2011 Avalon with the 6 speed automatic and it was a strong performer compared to our 4runners. It had strong power right off idle unlike our 4runners. Other than that a 4runner is a better vehicle.

 

[T4R2014]

So it sucks because it isn't a body-on-frame truck?

I'm not big on Camrys, but that definitely isn't one of the reasons why...

 

[williamlv282]

I rented a 2015 Camry XSE when I was in Texas and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I actually enjoyed it. My girlfriend's family has two Camry's; a 2008 XLE and a 2015 XLE and I really don't like either of them. For some reason the styling of the XSE really won me over though. Very comfortable to drive also.

I used to have a 2008 Mazda3 and I absolutely loved it. The new Camry probably brought some nostalgia out of me since I haven't driven a sedan in about four years.

 

[Jernik]

Couple trips ago, got a Camry for a rental. It worked, was efficient and got the job done without any problems. But our toaster has more personality and is almost as much fun to operate.

On our most recent trip, we were at the rental counter and the guy offered the dreaded Camry... fortunately, he had the screen turned just enough for me to see the available list. 4Runner jumped out from the middle of the long line of boring appliances like a neon billboard in the desert at midnight! I paid more for it, but was happy to do so. Made the trip a little more relaxing and enjoyable.

 

[mnofpeace]

Jermik, you hit the nail on the head there....

thats exactly it...its a decent mode of transport, but it has the personality of a houseplant that is low on water and sunlight. driving it is easy, sort of comfy, AC works in these warm summer days...but...if it were a girl at a party, youd look once, think "she'd be sexy with a tighter dress and more make up" and you move on.

where as my Runner is that woman with the thicker, sexy, curvy frame, body made for lusty days and sexy nights...and when she walks in, she looks great coming and going...
"i love seeing you walk towards me, but i really love watching you walking away"


this is gonna be a long long week waiting for the dealer to call me back...
i dont see myself driving this Camry at all for the rest of the week. ive got my Kawi, and for sure, my F150 is old, but the AC works, and i just put 600 easy miles towing to the racetrack and back...so it works nice enough to let the loaner sit.

 

[oljedi11950]

Has nothing to do with your rental , but I was shocked at the camry ! Had one for a day & a friend turned me on to a cheaper rental & on a whim went with corolla , now I'm 6'3" and had more leg room & head room than camry idk just my 2 ! But you're right was glad to get it back !

 

[NoDak]

haha, just bought a 2015 XSE 4cyl for my son for college. was leary of the repair work that was coming on his used dodge (leaking transmission and brakes).

started with a loaded corolla se, then tried a camry LE, but they showed him/warden the XSE and I was screwed.

oh well as least I wont have to worry about him driving back and forth from college to home and breaking down or stranding him like I would the dodge (college is 300 miles 1-way). and the payments were cheap so that once he is done with college he can take over the payments.

 

[4RunnerAU]

so 24hrs ago i dropped off my beloved 2014 SR5 into the dealer so they could fix a faulty lumbar on my driver side. All under warranty thankfully. In return i was granted the use of a loaner car...A brand new 2015 Toyo Camry SE...paddle shifters, 18 in rims, a nice enough car i must say.

however...and before i go in...i must give some history. my last 4 vehicles spanning the past 20 yrs, have been a jeep wrangler, landrover Disco, F150, and the Runner...so yeah, i like trucks and truck-like vehicles very much.

Yes, a nice enough car...but...I MISS MY RUNNER SOOOOO MUCH.

and i miss it for all of the things the reviewer guys complain about:
its big, brauny, removed from the pavement, lifted-even in stock trim...

its bouncy, heavy steering, glides over pavement irregularities, over engineered to just be driven as a daily

its large, drives like a truck, body on frame, not unibodied, all that 'tech' talk about how cars should be built

its a truck dammit!!!


ill say it again, this car is very nice...for a car. but i hear every pebble in the road, its almost clausterphobic inside, and i dont suffer from that disorder, the shifter is child like, the engine revs as if it has to prove something-cuz it does, paddle shifters--really, i can go on and on...

ok, my vent is over...just give me my Tonka back...she is missed by everyone in the family, after only a day.

Having had to travel for four 1 week stints in the last month or so, I know how bad it sucks to be without the 4Runner. However, as I love driving, it was a good chance to add more cars to "the list". My rental cars were a Nissan Altima, a Corolla, a Cruze and a Camry. All were 4-cylinder. Between the Altima and the Camry, the Camry blew it out of the water. I think the Altima got better MPGs, but it wasn't noticeable. The Camry just had more zip and better standard options than the Altima. The Altima just felt out-dated. Very basic, honestly. I felt the Camry definitely had a Toyota feel to it.

When comparing the Corolla and Cruze, I preferred the Cruze. The Corolla had better MPG but was incredibly underpowered. The Cruze just seemed nicer on the inside and was very zippy compared to the Corolla.

If I ever had to pick a commuter car, of the four, I would go with the Camry, hands down.

That being said, I was so damn excited to get home. I didn't tell the wife (or dogs) this, but I missed the 4runner the most.

 

[philsey]

My wife has a '14 Accord Coupe EXL, with a 4 cyl CVT. It's an excellent car, great looking imo, has very good power, and the CVT is far better than I expected. But I don't even like being in it.

I feel cramped, and the visibility bothers me. I do not need a 4R, but I sure do like driving it, and will drive nothing else as long as possible.

We're both retired, and I've begun to wonder what the H. I'll do when we decide to go to one vehicle.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

My wife has a '14 Accord Coupe EXL, with a 4 cyl CVT. It's an excellent car, great looking imo, has very good power, and the CVT is far better than I expected. But I don't even like being in it.

I feel cramped, and the visibility bothers me. I do not need a 4R, but I sure do like driving it, and will drive nothing else as long as possible.

We're both retired, and I've begun to wonder what the H. I'll do when we decide to go to one vehicle.

My wife and I are both retired. The 4runner is our only vehicle. Is it the perfect vehicle? No but it is as close as I could find for a reasonable price. It is not as smooth or quiet on the road as my 2011 Avalon was but it could not take me off road at all. My 4runner takes me off road but I am not ready to beat on it as hard as I did my old lifted 03 4runner. But that will change as it gets older. It will never off road as good as my old Jeep Wrangler. I hate sitting low in cars. I miss to much scenery traveling out west (it seems a guard rail or something always blocked the view) and I can not stand setting low in cars in traffic I want to see over the cars in front of me). Just can not see things. My wife likes the 4runner size and it fits our lifestyle. It is a good compromise vehicle. As long as I can afford to put gas in it it will be my vehicle of choice. It is not the perfect vehicle for all conditions but can do everything with some compromises.

 

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I feel your pain missing the truck. You wouldn't keep it if it wasn't joy to drive.