TAKE A LOOK AT THE STYLISH NEW CAMRYS

Toyota has been a leader in innovation and quality for many years. That's no big news. What is big news is that Toyota made almost fifty design changes to its most popular model:
The Camry. The changes are to both the exterior and the interior. There is some noise from the tires but it is not excessive and certainly not as loud as many other cars I've driven lately including the Monte Carlo.

My wife and I drove a beautiful silver LE which is the least expensive of the Camry's and were astonished to learn that the car was a four cylinder. It does have 157 hp but it accelerated like no other four cylinder of comparable size that I have driven. The Camry has always been stylish but the new changes have made it very comparable to Toyota's more expensive Avalon. In fact, in looks like a slightly smaller Avalon with one major difference: the price tag.

The car handled with ease and had excellent brakes (4-channel 3-sensor Anti-lock brake system.) I'm 6 feet 3 inches tall and I had more than enough head room and leg room in both the front and back. One of the design changes to the car was the addition of five feet of cubic space in the passenger section.

The field of vision was also excellent which I can't say for all the cars I've driven lately (including the Toyota Celica). We had no problems with blind spots.

The trunk is a spacious 16.7 cubic feet with a full-size spare which I prefer.

Another feature that really appealed to me was the excellent sound system which included AM/FM radio, cassette and CD player, six speakers and an on-glass antenna system. The sound quality was excellent which is important to me since I love to listen to jazz as I drive.

The car also comes standard with three front cup holders and a folddown center armrest with two more cup holders.

In West Texas, the summers (and sometimes the springs and falls) require cars to be air-conditioned. This car had the capacity to make me cold which is quite an accomplishment. It has a defroster-linked CFC-free air conditioning system with air filtration (also nice because
of our excessive dust). One other feature designed to cool things off is the high solar energy-absorbing glass which is tinted but not too dark.

The car is all power on the interior: Power seats, power locks, power windows. The seats are
multi-adjustable with adjustable headrests. I found the seats to be extremely comfortable.

One of the key features of the exterior design changes is the sleeker, more aerodynamic look of the car. The change starts with the front end with it aerodynamic multi-reflector halogen headlamps. The car just looks better. Smoother, sleeker.

As to economy, the Camry has an 18.5 gallon fuel tank and averages 23 mpg in town and 32 mpg on the road.

I've referred exclusively to the new Camry LE, four cylinder. The other newly designed models, SE and XLE, have more features, more luxuries. Each model's fuel economy depends on whether they are 4 or 6 cylinder. The 6 cylinder Camry's get 20 mpg in town and 28 mpg on the road. The prices are, of course, higher on the fancier models.

I found the 2002 Camry to be considerably improved over the previous Camrys which were already excellent cars. Due to the lackluster sales of vehicles right now (thanks at least in part to the September 11th attack), Toyota dealers are offering incredible incentives such as no interest financing. I am seriously considering buying this car. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a stylish, efficient vehicle.