Drove an '11 LE today.

[87Camry5Speed]

My '08 was in the shop for its water pump (283xx miles- what a joke). Was given an '11 LE I4/auto as a loaner. Hey, it was that or the Corolla, pretty clear choice.

In other posts I've roundly slammed the Gen6 as half-baked, among other things- then I drove this.

For Gen6 guys who haven't been in a 2010+, several changes- front and rear fascias tweaked, small interior changes- auto up/down windows all around, and the switches are finally lit, different backlighting on the radio and HVAC controls (looks classier), slight tweaks to the colors on the gauge faces. Oh, the motor and the trans too.

I remember the days when merging with fast-moving traffic required a change of underwear in an I4 Camry. Not this one- that 2.5 has a nice growl to it and good power anywhere on the tach. Now equipped with a 6-speed automatic, the 2AR-FE (I think it's just an enlarged 2AZ with dual VVT instead of only on the intake cam) stays on the boil real nice no matter how you're driving it. Only minus with this trans is the slap-stick feature is a little slow to react to your input.

Yeah, the interior's still on the cheap side. Nature of the beast. What I drove just felt more polished and substantial, real nice deep blue metallic paint, too. I came to the conclusion that the manual trans just doesn't make a lot of sense in Camrys, either. Smart programming and good gearing beats having to deal with a vague clutch and balky shifter. I'm actually considering trading mine in for an automatic because it felt that much better. Like the missing element or something.

Oh, and with the new water pump and rebalanced tires,my '08 is doing well again. The repair was done under warranty, so out the door it was only $22 to get the tires rebalanced. Sweet.

[arabianobsession]

I still much prefer my 6 speed manual SE to a 6 speed automatic. IMO, too much shift lag in the automatic for me to give up the clutch. But I agree, the 10/11 Camrys are a much better beast than the 07-09 (4 cylinders, I mean).

[GT-R]

Yea the '11 4-Cyl is pretty nice, u can definitely feel the difference during take offs compared to my '09... maybe it's my exhaust that's holding it back. Luckily I have both cars.

[87Camry5Speed]

Originally Posted by arabianobsession

I still much prefer my 6 speed manual SE to a 6 speed automatic. IMO, too much shift lag in the automatic for me to give up the clutch. But I agree, the 10/11 Camrys are a much better beast than the 07-09 (4 cylinders, I mean).

Fair points. The 2AZ has always been fine by me save for the water pump issues, so I would trade for an 07-09 I4 if a nice one appeared. One thing I did notice in the 6-speed was the soft shift into Second kind of killed momentum and it sometimes couldn't make up its mind which gear to be in. Like it had too many options, or something to that effect. I'm not a fan of my 5-speed because of how notchy it is- and the fact that I can't shift into 2nd on cold mornings. When I leave my apt, I pull out onto a 55 mph road with poor visibility, so being able to get moving is a must.

Were the 07-09 a 4 or 5-speed auto?

[arabianobsession]

5 speed auto.
I have the notchy problem too but I swapped out the gear oil for Royal Purple and let her idle for a few minutes in the morning...usually that helps enough so I can take off right away in the morning. Luckily, this winter I'll have a garage

[87Camry5Speed]

I did the RP fill after we discussed it a while back, unfortunately, it didn't help my 5-speed much. Glad to hear 07-09 is 5-speed auto, that's good with me. Was cool to watch the '11 cruise comfortably in 6th at 1700 RPM on the open road, though.

[Punks_Not_Dead5]

i'd never own a Gen 6... but i would (an do) own a Gen 6.5 XLE V6 They're way nicer looking, cleaner lines that the Gen 6. IMO

[arabianobsession]

Originally Posted by 87Camry5Speed

I did the RP fill after we discussed it a while back, unfortunately, it didn't help my 5-speed much. Glad to hear 07-09 is 5-speed auto, that's good with me. Was cool to watch the '11 cruise comfortably in 6th at 1700 RPM on the open road, though.

I do remember that. I dunno, I guess it helped the 6 gear box better than your 5.

[Robert1820]

I have an '11 base 2.5 auto. made in the toyota/subaru plant in Indiana. Except for some "shift-busyness" it's an impressive powertrain. Plenty of power, good gas mileage and it's very smooth and quiet. Fit & finish are amazing. All the discounts and rebates last year made this car a raging bargain! My only complaints are not enough rebound damping and overly light steering on the highway. But at this price point, I'm not complaining very loud.

[robtpren]

I too have a 2.5 I4 Camry, purchased a few months back and couldn't be happier. I live on the Northern California Coast and have no trouble calling on the cars power to get me over the hill each morning.
It really is a pleasure to drive.