Toyota Camry 2006

Summary

Toyota Camry outsells all the other midsize cars largely because of Toyota's reputation for quality, durability and reliability. For 2006, the Camry soldiers on virtually unchanged. The two-door Solara comes in coupe and convertible versions. Built on the same platform as the Camry sedan, the Solara offers high levels of quality, durability and reliability. The Solara coupe features the practicality of a truly useful rear seat and adds style to your lifestyle without the cost and impracticality of a true sports car. If you want two doors and a swoopy look, Camry Solara is a safe, smart choice.

Full Review 2006

For 2006, a five-speed automatic comes with the available four-cylinder engine. As before, the Solara is also available with a V6 engine. The 2006 Solara SE and SE Sport models come standard with power driver's lumbar support. 

Choose a Camry sedan, Solara coupe, or Solara convertible, and you'll have a smooth, quiet car that should offer years of reliable service.

Trims and Styling for 2006

The 2006 Toyota Camry sedan comes in four trim levels: base, LE, SE, and XLE.

A 154-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine comes standard on Camry, LE and SE models. A five-speed manual transmission comes standard; a five-speed automatic transmission is optional ($830).

XLE is available with the 2.4-liter four-cylinder or the 3.0-liter V6, both with automatic transmission only. SE is available with a bigger 3.3-liter V6 rated at 210 horsepower ($2,820), which comes with the five-speed automatic. The base sedan ($18,445) comes with air conditioning; cruise control; power windows, mirrors and locks; six-speaker AM/FM/CD stereo; a 60/40 split rear seat; ABS with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD); and P205/65R15 all-season tires on 15-inch steel wheels.

Upgrading to the LE ($19,545) adds interior brightwork, upgraded cloth upholstery, power driver's seat, remote keyless entry, engine immobilizer, driver-information center and a full-size spare tire. The LE V6 ($22,780) also gets 15-inch aluminum wheels.

Camry SE ($20,375) is a sportier model, with higher-rate springs, shocks, and anti-roll bars, along with higher-effort steering and bigger (16-inch) steel wheels and P215/60 summer-only tires. The SE V6 ($24,025) adds the engine immobilizer, 17-inch aluminum wheels, and power sunroof.

The XLE ($22,795) is the most luxurious Camry, featuring wood-grain interior trim, power driver and passenger seats, automatic climate control, side-curtain airbags, JBL premium stereo with in-dash six-CD changer, a more advanced driver information center, an alarm system with engine immobilizer, a cargo net, a rear-window sunshade, and P215/60 all-season tires on 16-inch steel rims. The XLE V6 ($25,805) comes with leather seats and fancier gauges and 16-inch aluminum wheels. 

The Camry Solara coupe comes in SE, SE Sport, and SLE trim levels. Automatic transmission is standard on all except the four-cylinder SE and SE Sport, which are available with a five-speed manual. Four-cylinder Solaras now use the same five-speed automatic as the Camry.

The Solara convertible comes only in SE and SLE trim, and only with a V6 and automatic transmission.

The Solara SE coupe ($19,530) is the base level in the two-door lineup and comes standard with ABS; side-impact airbags; P215/60 all-season tires on 16-inch aluminum wheels; air conditioning; cruise control; power windows, mirrors and locks with remote keyless entry; and AM/FM/CD audio. The SE V6 coupe ($21,860) is similarly equipped. The Solara SE Sport coupe ($21,025) comes with sport-tuned suspension and P215/55R17 all-season tires on 17-inch aluminum wheels; it also gets aggressive exterior appliques; and substitutes Graphite and Charcoal trim for a lot of the SE's interior brightwork. Solara SE Sport V6 ($23,355) is similarly equipped.

The Solara SLE ($23,405) is the most luxurious model with automatic climate control, power moonroof, JBL stereo with six-disc CD changer, power seats and woodgrain interior trim. Solara SE V6 convertible ($26,940) comes with the SE Sport's dark interior trim and 17-inch wheels, but is otherwise equipped much like the SE V6 coupe.

Exterior Look

Overall, the Toyota Camry is a solid-looking car, stylish yet conservatively so. On sporty SE models, the grille is blacked out. Solara shares the sedan's 107-inch wheelbase, but is 3.3 inches longer overall than the Camry, measuring 192.5 inches from bumper to bumper. The Solara coupe looks like a stylized version of the sedan.

Styling and Interior Features

The Toyota Camry has a comfortable interior with controls that are straightforward and easy to operate. Radio and climate controls are mounted high in the center of the dash for easy access. Three big knobs mounted prominently in the center of the dashboard are used to manually control heating, ventilation, and air conditioning on base, SE and LE models. The Camry dashboard is relatively plain, with no large curved surfaces, and it is set relatively high. The parking brake on the base and LE is located in the center console, whereas the SE and XLE get foot-operated parking brakes.

Rear-seat passengers will find the Camry's accommodations quite pleasant for a mid-size sedan. In sharp contrast to the sedan's flat dash, the Solara's shapely instrument panel suggests separate nacelles for driver and passenger, giving it more of a cockpit feel. The separate HVAC (heater) controls are easy to operate. On V6 models, a gated shifter for the automatic transmission allows manual gear selection.

The rear seats are surprisingly roomy, though less so than in the Camry sedan. Compared to the Honda Accord coupe, the Solara provides significantly more rear-seat hip room (50.3 inches vs. 46.1) and leg room (35.4 vs. 31.9) and a bit more headroom. With the top up, there's actually 2 inches more rear-seat headroom than in the coupe.

First Drive 2006 

The Toyota Camry is quiet and comfortable. The Camry is an easy car to drive. The Camry's soft suspension tuning makes for a smooth, impact-free ride on bumpy pavement. The Solara is sprung softly as well. Camry's 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine has 16 valves and double overhead camshafts; it develops 154 horsepower at 5700 rpm and 160 pound-feet of torque at 4000 rpm. More than two-thirds of all Camry models are sold with the four-cylinder engine and automatic transmission. The 3.0-liter V6 optional for the Camry LE sedan and XLE sedan develops 190 horsepower at 5800 rpm and 197 pound-feet at 4400. The most important of these numbers is the lower engine speed where peak torque is developed; the higher torque at lower rpm means the 3.3-liter engine will be a more flexible engine that's more responsive in any given situation.

The Camry and Solara offer sophisticated five-speed automatics for all engine options. All three Camry engines are equipped with Toyota's VVT-i system (Variable Valve Timing with intelligence) for optimum power and efficiency and lower emissions. Four-cylinder models sold in California produce only 145 horsepower, but meet Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) standards.

The Solara convertible is not as quiet as the other models, of course. Its soft top lets in noise, especially from the rear. The convertible shudders a bit over potholes, generating cowl shake (the dash shakes). 

2006 Conclusions

The 2006 Toyota Camry pleases many buyers and offends none. Edmunds.com praises the Camry for its reliability in a tough market. Consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com Names Camry one of its best buys for 2006. It is remarkable for its lack of identifiable flaws. It's quiet, comfortable and refined. It's reliable. Its controls are easy to operate. The Solara coupe has a genuinely useful back seat and a good-sized trunk. The Solara convertible offers the freedom of being able to drop the top. Both offer top levels of quality, durability and reliability.