Official 8th Generation (2018+) 010B Camry Discussion
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Gecko
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A few things...
- Camry was just refreshed, ES will be refreshed later this year, so wouldn't want to buy an ES right before it's refreshed.
- We prefer the exterior look of the Camry XSE, but the interior of the ES is nicer, obviously. We really like the Flaxen leather interior on the ES, but it's obviously not available on the F Sport, so... both Camry XSE and ES F-Sport interiors are black leather/metal trim... not a huge difference with what we could buy.
- Camry came in around $36.5k for XSE V6 with all of those packages, vs. about $11k more for the ES, which was hard to justify for what is essentially the same car.
- Panoramic Roof and HUD come standard on the Camry XSE V6 too, which is nice. Bird Eye View Cameras come in the Driver's Assist package, and you can't even get it on an ES F Sport. Can't get the panoramic roof on an ES F Sport either. At the end of the day, the Camry had better/more options than the ES F Sport for less $$.
maiaramdan
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Gecko
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We did not need a "full size" car, and I am not too fond of the Avalon's interior with the sweeping style center console and stick up tablet. The 2021 Camry has a stick up tablet, but it's much better integrated into the dash. Camry is still a decent size increase from the IS, so it just fit all of the needs we have right now: right price, right size, right features, great value, good looks, good performance, etc.
Motorsnwheels
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Absolutely gorgeous! The wheels make it look SO good!
F1 Silver Arrows
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GAWD DAYUM OKAY DUDE OKAY. THAT'S FIRE.
RAL
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WOW!!!
Gecko
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Thanks for all of the kind words - much appreciated.
I have to say, there was part of me that was worried this car wouldn’t feel like an upgrade compared to our IS 350, primarily because of going to FWD, but I was very wrong. I remember feeling like this after I drove the ES 350 a few years ago, but GA-K doesn’t make me miss or long for RWD. It doesn’t feel like there’s an anchor strapped to the hood like in some other FWD V6 cars I’ve driven - even older Camrys V6s and ESs.
The Camry XSE V6 is very well balanced, incredibly solid, quiet, smooth and it truly feels like a luxury car. It’s hard to explain how solid and smooth it feels behind the wheel. I’m happy we went with the V6... it does make a difference. TNGA has been such an incredible leap forward... every time I drive a TNGA product, I’m always surprised and sort of shocked at just how good they are. I would take this Camry over the IS any day, and probably the GS too. I prefer the size over the ES as well since we don’t have kids or often carry rear seat passengers.
The car has:
- heads up display
- panoramic sunroof with sunshade
- birds eye view cameras for parking and low speeds
- parking sensors in conjunction with the cameras
- heated and ventilated seats with full perforation
- JBL audio
- 9” touchscreen with CarPlay, android auto and Alexa
- heated steering wheel
- Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 (dynamic cruise, auto braking, lane keep assist, pedestrian detection, etc)
... for under $40k sticker. It’s a great buy for what you’re getting IMO.
I have to say, there was part of me that was worried this car wouldn’t feel like an upgrade compared to our IS 350, primarily because of going to FWD, but I was very wrong. I remember feeling like this after I drove the ES 350 a few years ago, but GA-K doesn’t make me miss or long for RWD. It doesn’t feel like there’s an anchor strapped to the hood like in some other FWD V6 cars I’ve driven - even older Camrys V6s and ESs.
The Camry XSE V6 is very well balanced, incredibly solid, quiet, smooth and it truly feels like a luxury car. It’s hard to explain how solid and smooth it feels behind the wheel. I’m happy we went with the V6... it does make a difference. TNGA has been such an incredible leap forward... every time I drive a TNGA product, I’m always surprised and sort of shocked at just how good they are. I would take this Camry over the IS any day, and probably the GS too. I prefer the size over the ES as well since we don’t have kids or often carry rear seat passengers.
The car has:
- heads up display
- panoramic sunroof with sunshade
- birds eye view cameras for parking and low speeds
- parking sensors in conjunction with the cameras
- heated and ventilated seats with full perforation
- JBL audio
- 9” touchscreen with CarPlay, android auto and Alexa
- heated steering wheel
- Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 (dynamic cruise, auto braking, lane keep assist, pedestrian detection, etc)
... for under $40k sticker. It’s a great buy for what you’re getting IMO.
Tragic Bronson
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Will be waiting for your first mod...F Sport badges give you 10 HP each; TRD badges are for plebians 😆
Gecko
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We got the wheels from Lexus of Akron for ~$453 a piece, but retail on them was $686, if I recall correctly? The sale definitely helped and it was well worth it for the look, IMO!
Since the car is still going through break-in, we haven't gone WOT from a stop yet, but it feels very firm and planted under low speed and high speed acceleration, and not fidgety and overwhelmed like previous V6 Toyota/Lexus products I have driven. The current RX 350 and last Highlander FWD, in my experience, will light up the front wheels just when trying to pull out into traffic... this car feels nothing like that (thankfully!).
The Camry looks fantastic. What’s the weight difference between the XSE and F Sport rims?
Gecko
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Thanks! The XSE 19" wheels are 32lbs and the ES F Sport wheels are 31.5lbs...so... basically the same.
Will1991
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Gecko
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I love the new center dash and screen. We drove a 2020 last year and decided to wait for the 2021 refresh hoping for an interior change, and I'm glad we did. The way the screen pops up from the middle of the dash and is angled towards the driver is a lot easier to use and better integrated than some others I've seen. The 9" is a perfect size too... big enough for clear reading on the road, split screens for audio/maps/etc, but not so big that it feels sort of foolish (like the 12.3" in the Highlander). The new design also breaks up the shiny black plastic into different elements so it's not so much.... shiny... black... plastic... and I like that as well 🙃 . It's also closer to your line of sight when driving, which is also nice.
