2007 Toyota Camry XLE Test Drive
Sunday, January 7th, 2007 
QUICK SPECS:
• PRICE AS TESTED: $31,039
• ENGINE: 3.5L V-6 DOHC 24V
• HORSEPOWER: 268 hp @ 6,200 rpm / 248 lb-ft at 4,700 rpm
• DRIVETRAIN: Front-wheel drive, six speed automatic
• WEIGHT: 3,516 lbs.
• FUEL ECONOMY: 22/31 mpg
By Dave Chess
It didn’t take Toyota long to rev things up. In its third year of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition Toyota, with its Tundra pickup truck, won both driver (Todd Bodine) and manufacturer’s championships.
That was 2006.
This year look out!
Things are really going to change. Toyota speeds into the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series with its Camry sedan and a stable of well-known NASCAR good old boys. Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip, Bill Davis Racing and Red Bull Racing will field a total of seven Toyota Camrys in NASCAR’s top division.
What is there about a Toyota Camry that makes it the number one selling car in the United States and has brought the brand to NASCAR?
There is a perception that Toyota produces cars that are higher quality and provide more value for the dollar than other brands.
And after spending a week with a 2007 Toyota Camry XLE, I can tell you it had enough features to be comparable to a $40,000 Cadillac CTS. Sure the Camry only had one setting for the heated seats instead of Cadillac’s high and low. And so what if the mirrors didn’t tilt down when the car was put in reverse. At $31,000 the price is $9000 less than a similar equipped Cadillac CTS.