Sometimes a manufacturer churns out a base trim that — all things considered — might just be a great choice for that particular model. Here’s an example.
It’s the end of the year, which means the internet is awash with anodyne Best Of pieces, designed to distract readers from the fact that journalists are deep into their third consecutive forty-ouncer of Mohawk vodka and too blitzed to write original material in the week between Christmas and New Year’s. This piece may qualify in that vein.
Let’s coast over to Mr. Cain’s handy sales charts, shall we? Hmm. Which nameplates are expected to occupy the podium once all the deals are tallied for 2016? Can we do an Ace of Base on one of those? *swigs vodka straight from the bottle* Hmm. F-Series? Nope. Already done that. Silverado and Ram are similar propositions; no help there. Ah! The first actual car on the list. It’s the … oh, crap. Alright, let’s get this over with.
The Toyota Camry gets a lot of flak from enthusiasts – some of it deserved, some of it not – and it’ll never rank very high for folks who value sportiness and driving pleasure over sensible shoes and a balanced spreadsheet. Still, both segments of customers deserve a catering, and the Camry suits the latter demographic very well.
The base model Camry, an LE trim stickering for $23,070, is powered by a 2.5-liter inline-four making 178 horsepower and matched to a six-speed automatic. Doesn’t sound like much? Consider that, at about sixteen seconds flat, my old 1989 Lincoln Mark VII can only barely match this four cylinder Camry in the quarter mile. Seeing a base family sedan with a Baby-On-Board sticker keep up with my 225 hp brute in a suit plays hell on memories of what used to pass for speed.
Buttons for cruise control and audio adjustments will be found on a Camry LE’s steering wheel, one which adjusts for both reach and rake. Heated power mirrors and a large infotainment touchscreen are also definite niceties at this price point. Health and safety aficionados will appreciate the LE’s backup camera and airbags in sufficient quantity to equal the number of hydrogen atoms found in butane. Sixteen-inch steelies keep a lid on tire cost come replacement time. Very sober, very sensible, and very well equipped for $23,070.
Some of the B&B noisily made the observation that a loaded Camry makes a better proposition than a base Lexus ES 350 and – absent of badge snobbery – they’re not wholly incorrect. The Camry, in all its trims, sells in vast quantities because it’s quiet, competent, and inoffensive. However, if forced to buy a sub-$24,000 Camry, this author would choose the SE trim, a mere $770 walk from the base LE and bringing with it larger alloys, a color-keyed rear spoiler, leather-wrapped steering wheel, and a few other treats.
While Toyota is not taken to piling cash on the hood, a new, flamboyant Camry has been teased and will likely bow at Detroit’s 2017 NAIAS in two weeks’ time. It logically follows that customers could stand a better chance of scoring a few extra Simoleons off the current model, potentially making the base Camry LE an even more attractive deal.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve some vodka that needs drinking. Happy New Year, everyone.
Not every base model has aced it. The ones that have? They help make the automotive landscape a lot better. Any others you can think of, B&B? Let us know in the comments. Naturally, feel free to eviscerate our selections.
The model above is shown with American options and is priced in Freedom Dollars. Your dealer may sell for less, especially when a new model is on the horizon, so do your research and bargain hard.
“larger alloys, a color-keyed rear spoiler, leather-wrapped steering wheel, and a few other treats”
White peoples loves dat sh1t. ‘Course dey drunk mos’ da time.
Whoa, Mohawk Vodka?
What did you do? Win the lottery?
Not going to “slum” it with us Popov fans? ;)
Kirkland Vodka is just fine thank you.
Da!
If I only had the money for Kirkland Vodka…
Just bear in mind that you are buying 1.75 ltrs at a time. Price it out by the ounce and you are doing well on price.
I bet Fleischmann’s Vodka in the 1.75L bottle would give it a run for it’s money…
Plus, it tastes just like death!
I got ya beat, Stalin’s Tears direct from Prague. $7.70 US for 500ML or 0.45 US cents/oz and smoother than USDM vodka.
This is going to blow some minds, but back in 1996, at the Canadian Duty Free – Canadian Side of Bridge or Tunnel), a LITER (more than a fifth) of Stoli was $8.90 U.S., a LITER of Abolut (plain or Citron) was $10 U.S., and some more premium brands were less than 14 USD per liter.
The max one could purchase without having to declaring anything at Customs was $200 total.
About 8-10 of us would make a trip from Ann Arbor in 2 separate vehicles to load up on “less than $400” of such vodka and other similarly wildly inexpensive alcohol before major house parties.
DW- Back when I smoked cigarettes, I would do the same thing with Players, Gauliouses and a couple of other brands we didn’t/couldn’t get at home in Ohio.
I was amazed that the international version of Marlboros (IIRC, I quit over 30 years ago) used only Virginia tobaccos. It was a much better cigarette than the US version.
Indeed. When I eventually come to after the evening’s festivities with a seething headache and lingering nausea, I take comfort in seeing the Kirkland Signature brand label on the empty bottles and knowing that I at least got a good deal and some use out of my membership card.
Costco Kirkland vodka is half the price of Grey Goose, yet is made from the same water source in France (Cognac region), and has beaten Grey Goose in over 100 blind taste tests among professional tasters (whoever those are), with an average score of 88 to Grey Goose’s 82 average.
The label isn’t as kewl, though, so there’s that.
Jack needs to do a No Fixed Abode on Costco’s Kirkland.
https://rebelbartender.com/2011/07/14/review-kirkland-signature-vodka-or-is-it-or-is-it-not-grey-goose/
http://www.popsugar.com/food/Costco-Kirkland-Vodka-vs-Grey-Goose-42307698
Well that may be true of that highfalutin’ stuff you get at those fancy Megasuperclubstores, but my Popov will “popov” the top of my head if I chug it quickly enough…
IMHO all vodka is about the same which is why I dont drink much of it. Bourbon on the other hand is great, and there is a vast difference from brand to brand. My personal favorite is Knob Creek aged 9 years, 100 proof. 1.75L is $43 at my local Total Wine store.
you fancy!
No manual available at all? Total dealbreaker.
You want a sedan of this size with a manual in the US, Honda and Mazda have a few, otherwise fuhgeddaboudit.
A manual Camry was never a fun proposition in the first place, outside of the V6 Solaras.
Plus, 1, there are a few good stickshift alternatives (6, Accord Sport, Fusion?), and 2, IMO if you want fun to drive you shouldn’t be shopping in this segment in the first place. Many C segment cars will fit a rear facing infant seat without issue, which is about the only reason to buy any cars in the Camry’s class IMO.
No more Fusions with a stick, I think 2014 was the last year for them.
With the demise of the TDI Passat, VW no longer has a midsize with a stick, from what I can tell, it’s just Mazda and Honda, both of which come in a reasonable variety of trims. Where I live, there are some of both in stock at local dealers.
Well the Camry LE is the spiritual successor of the “no frills” sedans that that the Big 3 once sold by the arm load. Custom 500/Biscayne/Newport with no options except “I got to have a new car but I’m not paying a dollar over $_______.”
“While Toyota is not taken to piling cash on the hood”
Rly?
I see cash offers on Toyotas all the time. I am pretty sure I saw $2k cash incentive on a Corolla in an ad the other day.
I think all the car mfrs are putting money on the hoods these days, actually.
I see plenty of Toyotathon (Toyota’s analog to the GM Red Tag Sales) or their other offers commercial throughout the year.
Toyotathon Yeah! Long live Laurel Coppock!
Jan from Toyota. What a sweetie!
Agreed.
Quick look at Truecar, and I’m seeing $3500 off MSRP on the 2017 SE. $21,192 with the price bump.
A V6 XSE for ~$28k isn’t bad either, but you can step into a 2016 Avalon XLE for a little more.
True. The Camry is no longer a near-Lexus and is competing on price like everyone else. I see $3500 off at my local dealer this morning for their end of year sales event. Considering they still depreciate slower than average, are probably the most reliable in the segment, and are well enough equipped to be an Ace of Base candidate, it looks like a smart buy.
Yea! Camry is the most discounted car in America. That 23K comes down to 18.5
Toyota Camry-the vehicle bloggers everywhere love to hate. Can’t wait to read the reviews of the new 2018 Camry. Oh, I can wait because I have read it all before: “vanilla and bland, blah blah, rides good but not sporty enough, blah blah, thousands of people buy it but we hate it, blah blah blah”. Too bad you can’t do a “blind taste test” with automobiles. I suspect this car would do good in an objective, no badge test. Seems like lot of car for the money.
If this were 1969 we’d be having the same discussion/rant about the Chevy Impala.
@geozinger, ding ding ding.
The base no frills inline 6 powered full size American sedan. Enthusiasts hated it and a lot more people likely bought one than we ever want to admit.
Yup, that’s why I mentioned it. It amuses me when I see some restored cars, like Camaros for example. All of them have the floor shift w/console, like all of them came that way. Every so often, you see a true survivor and lo and behold: It has a column shift with bench seat.
Or other unicorns, like option sheet street racers from the mid-sixties, that were statistically possible, but highly unlikely anyone ever ordered one for civilian usage. And even more unlikely that if they were ordered for street usage that they would have survived unmolested for 20-30-50 years.
But every so often, you see an “original” 427 SOHC Falcon* showing up on some internet site or fanzine.
*Yes, I made that up. Bet me 10 USD that one doesn’t show up on the internet soon…
No joke – blind taste test. I think the 2008-2012 Malibu would have done much, much better if reviewers did a better job of confronting their biases.
I canceled my C&D subscription when they lambasted the Malibu and praised the Fusion. IMO the Fusions drive significantly, but marginally better. The Malibus had excellent impact absorption and body control and the powertrain was so sweet and smooth compared to the fusion’s base powertrain.
It seems like the reviewers have a ‘winner take all’ mentality on ‘fun to drive’ which is nice but I don’t want reviewers that just evaluate cars on the merit of fun to drive, if the car isn’t – they better tell me what it’s good at. And the malibu? Easily my favorite rental car – after a terrible flight, it was an easy to get, comfortable car that heated up quickly, drove pretty quietly, and rode pretty nicely. It definitely calmed me down on the way to meetings / hotels and that’s commendable.
The problem with Ace of Base is that so many cars are now very well equipped in the base trim. The march towards democratization of automotive luxury continues. This Ace of Base status applies to nearly every entrant in the segment. Ace of Base: The $23K four cylinder midsize sedan.
The problem with Ace of Base is that it’s clickbait filler from a website that has been promising us less filler since, like, three editor-in-chiefs ago.
This place is starting to feel like Jalopnik if it were run by a bunch of Canadians.
if i can get AC/PW/PDL/Bluetooth/USB audio i will buy the cheapest POS available.
“While Toyota is not taken to piling cash on the hood”
When I was looking in 2014, Toyota had serious cash on the hood. More than Honda, Mazda, or VW.
They did $4,500 off sticker, 0% for 60 months, on a factory ordered 14.5 SE V6 for me.
I just had the Camry SE as a rental for the last few weeks. For a point A to point B comfortable transportation it was a great car. Not exciting to drive (the paddle shifters on a 4cyl economy car are hilarious). Spacious for driving four adults to the Christmas eve family dinner. Quiet and solid feeling with a good backup camera I have no complaints about it. My rental had 22,xxx miles when I picked it up and there was no signs of wear. I wouldn’t buy one because I prefer driving cars that are manual and more exciting but it would make the perfect daily driver if you had more toys in the garage.
I have no issues with the Camry, really. It is an unoffensive design that has proven itself to be by and large reliable, safe, economical, and just overall a good choice if you want a Point A to Point B family-type car. Bonus points if you option up and get that silky smooth V6. Of course, hardly anyone does that, but at least it’s available!
I test drove a ~12-14 SE V6 recently. It wasn’t bad at all, but the interior didn’t seem as big as the exterior would warrant, and I was expecting more poke & brutality from the V6.
I think a lot of enthusiasts judge cars entirely on the basis of how engaging they are… but there’s legitimate value in how well a car can isolate and relax a driver too. I know some heroes will disagree but I personally wouldn’t want to have a race car in bumper to bumper traffic.
“..but I personally wouldn’t want to have a race car in bumper to bumper traffic.”
Agreed. The last thing I want to be driving to and from work or with my family is an ill-tempered, bad mannered car. Some guys look at that experience as a badge of honor, not me. I would rather be driving a Camry to work everyday than my old MR2 Spyder, even though I loved that car. I had to drive it to work as my sole car for about a month. During that time I realized this was not the right tool for the job.
This generation of Camry was pretty short-lived, wasn’t it?
I thought the previous generation, especially the SE package, went a little over board with the aggressive styling for what it is, but this one looks like it will age well.
I’m sure we’ll see something that looks like a pile of razor blades with a Camry badge in a few weeks.
Pretty sure they’ll toss in some unneccesarily hard springs and an impractically low roof in the back seat, and bump up all of the rim sizes by at least an inch too.
I could never figure out why anyone would pay extra for a spoiler. It’s a useless appendage that does nothing at the speeds most people drive, ruins the lines a car was born with and collects dirt. It’s just one small step above the luggage racks that were de rigeur at GM in the 1980’s.
Maybe I just live on a different planet than everyone else, but I have driven both the current Camry LE and the pre-refresh version, and I found it to be a truly unpleasant automobile in which to spend time. Maybe the SE is a little better, I don’t know, but at least it doesn’t have those awful plastic wheel covers. Having driven nearly all of them at one time or another, I would take any other mid-size (or full-size in rental speak) sedan over the Camry as a rental car. The interior materials are laughably bad. Almost every surface you come in contact with is hard plastic, but my favorite part is the little change compartment to the left of the steering wheel that feels like a toy from Kmart. The steering wheel vibrates as the 4 cylinder engine roughly idles. It handles decently, but not enough to make up for the oddly punishing ride that is incapable of soaking up bumps. The only reason I see to choose this car over the competition (if you are actually buying one) is its reputation for reliability, or the super aggressive lease incentives that Toyota usually offers.