Second Place: 2007 Toyota Camry V-6
Base price: $24,160
0-to-60-mph time: 5.8 sec
Quarter-mile time: 14.3 sec @ 99 mph
Yeah, yeah, we know. Toyota’s sixth-gen Camry isn’t exactly the culinary equivalent of Zacatecas chili. It might better be described as “pleasant” under glass. But fitted with the optional 3.5-liter V-6, Everyman’s Car attains 60 mph exactly as quickly as a Nissan 350Z we tested in 2005, and it’s a startling 2.9 seconds quicker than the 2.4-liter four-cylinder Camry starter kit.
All of the traditional attributes still apply: dependability, strong resale value, and unexpected praise from your Aunt Betty for having shown such good sense. Don’t tell her how quick it is. Just mention that this velvety 268-horse V-6 earns EPA ratings of 22 mpg city and 31 mpg highway. Then drive her to church via the flatlander route, because the Camry isn’t much fun in the hills.
On the other hand, if your mantra is the Seinfeldian “serenity now,” you should know that this mid-size sedan is as quiet at a 70-mph cruise as a Mercedes-Benz E550 and as quiet at idle as a Rolls-Royce Phantom. That’s because there’s more scrupulous engineering in a Camry than in just about any supercar ever made.
The chief knock against this vanilla transit system is that the rest of the world has discovered it, too. The new Camry could easily become America’s bestselling car again in 2007, meaning that Aunt Betty probably already has one.
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
BASE PRICE: $24,160
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 211 cu in, 3456cc
Power (SAE net): 268 bhp @ 6200 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 248 lb-ft @ 4700 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with manumatic shifting
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 109.3 in
Length: 189.2 in
Width: 71.7 in
Height: 57.9 in
Curb weight: 3528 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 5.8 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 14.5 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 31.0 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 6.1 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 14.3 sec @ 99 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 145 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 170 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.81 g
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 22/31 mpg
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/12396/the-quickest-cars-of-2007-20000-to-25000.html
Base price: $24,160
0-to-60-mph time: 5.8 sec
Quarter-mile time: 14.3 sec @ 99 mph
Yeah, yeah, we know. Toyota’s sixth-gen Camry isn’t exactly the culinary equivalent of Zacatecas chili. It might better be described as “pleasant” under glass. But fitted with the optional 3.5-liter V-6, Everyman’s Car attains 60 mph exactly as quickly as a Nissan 350Z we tested in 2005, and it’s a startling 2.9 seconds quicker than the 2.4-liter four-cylinder Camry starter kit.
All of the traditional attributes still apply: dependability, strong resale value, and unexpected praise from your Aunt Betty for having shown such good sense. Don’t tell her how quick it is. Just mention that this velvety 268-horse V-6 earns EPA ratings of 22 mpg city and 31 mpg highway. Then drive her to church via the flatlander route, because the Camry isn’t much fun in the hills.
On the other hand, if your mantra is the Seinfeldian “serenity now,” you should know that this mid-size sedan is as quiet at a 70-mph cruise as a Mercedes-Benz E550 and as quiet at idle as a Rolls-Royce Phantom. That’s because there’s more scrupulous engineering in a Camry than in just about any supercar ever made.
The chief knock against this vanilla transit system is that the rest of the world has discovered it, too. The new Camry could easily become America’s bestselling car again in 2007, meaning that Aunt Betty probably already has one.
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
BASE PRICE: $24,160
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 211 cu in, 3456cc
Power (SAE net): 268 bhp @ 6200 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 248 lb-ft @ 4700 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with manumatic shifting
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 109.3 in
Length: 189.2 in
Width: 71.7 in
Height: 57.9 in
Curb weight: 3528 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 5.8 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 14.5 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 31.0 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 6.1 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 14.3 sec @ 99 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 145 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 170 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.81 g
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 22/31 mpg
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/12396/the-quickest-cars-of-2007-20000-to-25000.html
