For all those 5 speed 4 banger drivers out there! - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

CamryWilly · 10-14-2008, 10:02 PM

Hey everybody,

You may remember me if your were in the 3rd gen forum. I have owned a 3rd gen 5 speed 4 cyl camry for a year and fell in love with that car!

Since it's long gone I now want to purchase the 6 gen SE with the fore mentioned tranny. My problem is this, I have no way of trying the actual car since you can only order it...and it's a big buy.

Is anybody able to give me an idea on how the car is?

I love the look and feel of the new car, but wonder how it compares to my old DX, clutch and shifting wise.

For those V6 purists out there, displacement is not an issue, I plan (with time) to gradually add to the performance, with the turbo

being the eventual goal.

If anybody drives such a Camry, and lives in Quebec, I would be eternally grateful if I could take yours for a test drive(I would of course repay you for your generosity with a interesting amount of fuel

)

Thank You in advance for your advice and sharing your experiences.

William

CamrySExxx · 10-14-2008, 10:21 PM

the 5speed is pretty rare to find!

BlackCamSe · 10-14-2008, 10:50 PM

test drive an LE or CE with the 5 speed manual trans, drive train is the same.

njerald · 10-14-2008, 11:00 PM

Here's a cheap one in the U.S.:

http://fitzmall.com/fitzway/carfind/...4T08:55:04.673

Mr. Miyagi · 10-15-2008, 12:32 AM

I love driving my 5 speed, and finding one for me wasnt that hard. Iono if i just got lucky on mine but not hard at all to find

Asteroid · 10-15-2008, 06:31 AM

The 2AZ and five speed is great. My clutch (stock) is quite heavy. Took me a while to get used to.

white07cam · 10-15-2008, 09:33 AM

one of the easiest clutches in the world to drive.. i love it. shouldnt be hard to find a CE manual somewhere near you to test

jermyjerm · 10-15-2008, 09:36 AM

youll have to get used to the drive by wire,it wont drive like your other one.Ive gotten used to mine and i dont notice anymore.

touringcamry · 10-15-2008, 10:18 AM

My car is the first manual I've driven on a regular basis so I have nothing to compare to. The manuals can be a bit hard to find but all of manuals have the same drive train. The only thing different about the SE would be the suspension.

Heck even ifyou could find a Gen 5, it would probably be about the same or maybe a bit faster. I think the Gen 6 slightly is heavier than Gen 5.

moky-tron · 10-15-2008, 11:16 AM

pretty hard to find one especially since the CE is not offered in canada, unlike in the states.

CamryWilly · 10-15-2008, 11:22 AM

Thanks guys!

Finding a 5th gen to try out should be easier!!

For the FbW, my friend has a mk.4 Jetta 5 speed with the FbW and I don't understand that this system should be better if you have to slip the clutch at every speed. You know, the fuel cut-off lags like hell! You never have your revs low enough in time!

I'm used to be precise in my shifting, almost donT need the clutch! Is there a way to reprogram this?!? I want direct control, I don't want a burnt clutch!!!

Seriously if the driving experience is so jeopardized, I'm gonna put my money in a restored 3rd gen!!!

mcdawgg · 10-15-2008, 11:36 AM

My opinion of my '07 CE manual tranny is it has a very smooth, light clutch. The shifter is good, relatively short throw, but it doesn't like the 1 to 2 shift when very cold and the transmission has not been warmed up. You can feel a slight grind, but then after a few shifts it is fine.

My only complaint is that it requires more throttle to get the car moving from a stop than other cars I have had. Your thoughts?

warpedrotor · 10-15-2008, 12:01 PM

Try some dealers through Autotrader and go do a test-pilot routine:
http://www.canadatrader.com/result/d...8&pgno=1&srt=1

CamrySExxx · 10-15-2008, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moky

pretty hard to find one especially since the CE is not offered in canada, unlike in the states.

yea for sure and once you want to find the one you want (5sp SE) it might take a whileee to order

white07cam · 10-15-2008, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcdawgg

My opinion of my '07 CE manual tranny is it has a very smooth, light clutch. The shifter is good, relatively short throw, but it doesn't like the 1 to 2 shift when very cold and the transmission has not been warmed up. You can feel a slight grind, but then after a few shifts it is fine.

My only complaint is that it requires more throttle to get the car moving from a stop than other cars I have had. Your thoughts?

i disagree with your last statement, i feel like i can usually take off between 1000 and 1500 rpms just playing easy with the clutch.

also, OP, driving this car is nothing like a jetta. i test drove a jetta before my camry, a 2.8l 6spd and it would take some getting used to if i bought it, they are two totally different driving experiences. im not a big fan of euro clutches, not that i couldnt be in the future though.