Toyota Camry Ranks Tops Again!

Lexusfreak · January 13, 2005

January 13, 2005 B)

Consumer Reports ranks Toyota Camry best out of four family sedans

Yonkers, New York - In its February issue, Consumer Reports magazine ranks the Toyota Camry LE best overall in tests of four family sedans.

Freshened for the 2005 model year, the Camry received a "Very Good" overall rating. The Camry has consistently been ranked among the best family sedans by Consumer Reports in recent years.

Two of the other vehicles in the group, the Nissan Altima and the Mitsubishi Galant, ranked second and third overall in this month's group; they were mid-pack in CR's tests among all family sedans that CR has tested. The newly-introduced Pontiac G6 ranked near the bottom of the pack in CR's ranking of 24 family sedans.

Consumer Reports' Top Picks in the family sedan category are the six-cylinder Volkswagen Passat and four-cylinder Honda Accord. The V6-powered Toyota Camry XLE is CR's top-rated family sedan under U.S.$30,000.

"The Toyota Camry is capable, well-finished, roomy, and rides comfortably," said David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports' Auto Test Centrer in East Haddam, Connecticut. "The Camry's new five-speed automatic transmission is very smooth but doesn't make a significant difference in acceleration or fuel economy."

The Toyota Camry is a capable, though modest, sedan. The Camry LE ($21,574 as tested) is equipped with a 160-hp, 2.4-litre, four-cylinder engine and five-speed automatic transmission that provide adequate acceleration and very smooth shifts. The ride is comfortable, and the sizable interior is quiet and uses quality, well-fitting materials. Braking is mediocre, with long stops in CR's tests. Reliability for the Camry has been excellent.

Consumer Reports recommends only two cars in this test group, the Camry and the Altima. CR will only recommend vehicles that have performed well in its tests, have at least average predicted reliability based on CR's annual surveys of its subscribers, and have performed adequately if crash-tested or included in government rollover tests. The Galant and G6 cannot be recommended at this time because CR doesn't have reliability information on those vehicles yet.

Full tests and ratings of the four large sedans appear in the February issue of Consumer Reports. The complete report is also available to subscribers of www.ConsumerReports.org. The issue also contains a special report on the Chevrolet Malibu Maxx, a hatchback version of the popular four-door sedan.

:cheers: