My mom’s Toyota Camry Solara SE was ready after a fender bender had it in the shop. I drove it for the last half of my stay in Florida. Her car is a 2006 with less than 3,000 miles on it. Her Camry Solara SE is a 2-door coupe with automatic transmission. It is a 2.4 liter, 4 cylinder, 157 horsepower car with front wheel drive.
Features:
Standard features include power windows, locks and mirrors; keyless entry; cruise control; satellite steering wheel audio controls; a six-speaker CD stereo; 16-inch wheels and tires; and a multifunction trip computer.
Inside and Outside:
Her Solara is considered a midsized coupe. It’s 192 1/2 inches long. There are 38 inches of front head room and 42 inches of front leg room. Even with her seat back there is enough room in the back for 2 adults comfortably. It is a 5 person car but I think that’s pushing the comfort level.
The Solara has 13.8 cubic feet of cargo room which is exactly what we had in her rented car, the
2007 Pontiac G5. That gave me enough room to get lots of groceries in the back.
My mom has a sunroof, split back seats, which we didn’t use, and I imagine she doesn’t have a lot of reason to use this feature but it is a nice one to have. It has power adjustable lumbar support on the driver’s seat which is a feature I always like.
The car in my opinion is beautiful. (Even more so if it’s a convertible!) It has a small spoiler and is a pretty. The color is called frost pearl and has leather interior.
Handling:
It’s interesting because I drove her Camry Solara after I drove the rental Pontiac G5. I liked the G5 actually and was impressed with the $15,000 price tag. The Solara SE will run you up to $24,000. I could tell the difference in handling right away though the Pontiac handled well. I drove the two cars under the same circumstances and on the same roads.
In spite of the 4 cylinders the Solara has amazing pick up. She had a 1999 Camry which was (and still is – my daughter now has it) a great car but the Solara has more spunk. The ride is smooth and quiet.
It braked on a dime and handled wonderfully. I felt confident in the turns made in the Solara. It’s a fun car to drive.
Safety:
All Solara models come standard with front and side-impact airbags and four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes. Side curtain airbags that protect both front and rear passengers are available on coupes as well. Government crash testing of the Toyota Camry Solara returned a perfect five-star rating across the board. (www.edmunds.com)
Jo’s thoughts:
The Solara coupe is reliable, well built and I think really pretty. My mom loves it. I enjoyed it as well though the convertible is the one I’d head for. As it is the 2-door coupe for my 77-year old mom may be seen as a bit over the top.
There’s room in the back for my aunts. In fact it has one of the roomiest backseats of any midsize coupe or convertible. (www.edmunds.com)
You can’t get a much safer car. It has a bit of an upscale look which one “needs” on the Gold Coast of Florida.
My other car reviews:
2007 Pontiac G5 ~
Pontiac Grand Prix ~
2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser ~
2006 Buick LaCrosse ~
2005 Nissan Quest ~
Mazda Miata ~
2004 Mazdaspeed ~
Toyota 4 Runner ~
2003 Toyota MR2 Spyder ~
2003 Ford F150 SuperCrew ~
2003 BMW325I ~
2000 Nissan Altima ~
2001 Chevy Malibu ~
2002 Chevy Prizm ~
1998 Dodge Ram Van ~
1996 Nissan Sentra ~
2001 Pontiac Sunfire ~
1999 Toyota Camry ~
2001 Hyundai Accent ~
1998 Chevy S-10 Pick Up ~
1999 BMW 323is ~
2002 Subaru Impreza ~
2000 Suzuki Swift ~
2001 Chevy Metro
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