Quote:
Originally Posted by ledebuhr1
ben805,
What difference do you notice between your wifes 05 and your 09? from a driving perspective and the interior finish.
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Interior
My wife's 05 has much higher quality interior and has that lexus feel, everything aligned properly and not much gap between panels, typical high quality that we came to expect from Toyota in the past. While my 09 interior looks and feels downright cheesy, inconsistent fitting everywhere and inferior materials, something I would find in Ford focus and the like. The Carmax in Laurel, Maryland has a huge 09 Camry inventory, about 132 LE in stock and I checked atleast 10 of them, they are all pretty much just as bad so I learned to accept it. Toyota definitely drop the ball on this one.
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Engine
the 3.3L from the 05 is louder at WOT and doesn't feel as smooth and powerful as the new 2GR-FE, the 09 purr from 0 to 60 much quicker.
Transmission
05 feels lazy, unresponsive, and temperamental, it had longer delay when I stomp on the gas, I think it's partly due to the grandma driving style from my wife so maybe the tranny learned it from her
Though shift is firmer, and pulls stronger in the lower rpm range, the 05 gives me more "snap-your-neck-back" type acceleration.
09 definitely feel more responsive but could be better (I'm a manual driver in heart), I think it's still in learning mode now though. Shift is softer and glide through each gear smoothly , as a result it gives me a false impression of lacking punch, sorta like the CVT in the Murano I traded in.
Suspension
Obviously the 05 SE is firmer and feel more confident to throw around corner, with less body roll, and better road feel, but as a consequence it's harsher in rough pavement. The 09 LE is very smooth, like rolling the boat smooth. LOL Nevertheless the LE is what I would prefer to drive around DC downtown area (potholes everywhere), it's more comfortable in bumper to bumper traffic as well.
11 Sienna XLE / 07 Camry / 06 GS300 / Retired from service 04 GX470
09 Camry
Linear Mode
