Martinj

Ok, try pressing the button with an upward facing arrow on the steering wheel. Bada-bing-bada-boom.

The gen 6 always makes that sound. Personally, I noticed that in hotter weather it is much less noticeable than a cold start up. My remedy? Try slowly rotating the volume knob on the stereo towards the right.

Mmmm...should I? Heck, you only live once. I told you so.

I frequently have travellers in the back seat. I took these passengers to look at the 2012 Camry and they whinged to me that they would not be able to raise the rear headrests to their desired height for comfort. One of these passengers whinged that he also would like to be able to move the rear headrests forward a little. I then LOL'd, and told them not to worry because we would keep the Gen 6 Camry for the time being, and it definitely had adjustable rear headrests. On the way home, we were nearly rear-ended by a semi-trailer. Pulled over by the side of the road, my frightened passengers chastised the truck driver. I then realised how much I actually appreciated my LED brake lights, which no doubt helped in making the truck driver brake and avoid hitting me. I will never again not care about the luminosity of my rear tail-lights.

That's a photo of a gen 6 Camry, right? Not a 2012 model? As for not sitting in the back everday, the same argument could be applied towards why the 2012 model doesn't have LED tail-lights, yet the preceding model did. I mean, it's like you sit behind your own car everday? LOL

You sit in the back of your own car enough for this to annoy you? i don't think I’ve eve sat in the back seat of my car lol. It would be difficult to make the rear ones go back and forward as they are sunk into the seat. They can’t go any further back than they already are. Like i mentioned before the front ones don’t go back and forward because they are "WIL" seats and it affects the operation of the active head restraints. Goosenecks are crap and annoying but I’d be really surprised if that got changed in 2014 as this would require a rework of the boot structure. Ok, one more time...the rear headrests do not move at all. However, they should move up and down. Fixed rear headrests are cheap. My point is, that the new Camry is touted as a stepping up the mark, but there are sure more than one or two obvious (IMO) cost cutting measures at play.

Hi, I was talking about the rear headrests being fixed. Consequently, they look and feel cheap. As for the front headrests, it would be good if they could move forward and back (as well as up and down), but I believe they have not been like this since series 3 (Ultima & Grande). Gooseneck hinges sure do suck, particularly this latest model is touted to compete with Accord. I like Camry, but it irks me how their pre-facelift models of all sorts are so lame. Surely they can fit some gas struts as part of a facelift.

The rear headrests are not adjustable, at least based on inspection I had at a dealer and confirmed as applying across the range by a review. Also, goose-neck hinges prevail in the boot. Hopefully these and a few other issues (lack of LED rear lights, lack of xenon headlights, lack of visual differentiation across models, lame alloy wheel design, charging full retail price) will all be resolved when a facelifted model comes out in a couple of years time.

Can someone clarify if the entire new range has non-adjustable rear headrests and fake dashboard stitching (as last seen on a 1989 Mazda 929)? Surely not...please no...

Hi, I have a real interest in your country ever since watching "Borat". Is that movie an accurate representation of Kazakhstan? Anyway, what is your postal address?

Personally I found the gen 6 (at least the upgrade wtih standard ESC) a quantum leap over the gen 5 Camry (which is a boat on wheels IMO). Having driven Mazdas as the only comparison, I would NEVER EVER option up sports suspension or alloys exceeding 17". Personal choice, but for me comfort with reasonable handling wins the race. If I wanted sports, I'd get a used Nissan 370Z.

I am not into modifying cars due to a belief that the manufacturer's R&D capabailities exceed my own (unless we're talking about Proton, Chery or Great Wall Motors). However, if I were forced somehow to mod a Gen 6, this is what I would think about: chipping the engine, boring the cylinders to raise capacity to say 2.5 or 2.6, lowering the suspension, and installing large disc brakes. Out of interest, what would be the ballpark cost of getting this done? I would always retain 16 inch wheels (these were good enough for 250km/h+ Porsches barely 15 years ago, and provide an exception balance between comfort and handling), the seats (I am not taking this thing around Bathurst), and interior HVAC/stereo fittings (why add more weight?).

Some more photos, including some of the wife's silver Camry.

The 2006 Camry is known as a gen-5 model. It is now two models series out of date. However, unlike subsequent Camry models it offered a choice inline 4 or V6 cylinder engines. As a family hack, I would avoid the higher fuel consumption and higher servicing costs associated with a V6. The 4-cylinder engine has been used right up to the end of 2011, unlike the V6 which ceased production in 2007. The thing about vehicle registration costs (and most other government charges) in Queensland is that they are always at least 10% more expensive than the last time they were paid. Thanks ALP.

I am with AAMI, who I changed over to when I bought my car. As with most dealerships, the one I used (Southside Toyota) had an affiliation with AAMI and offered a huge discount for signing up when I took delivery of the car. When it came time to renew 12 months later, the AAMI premium had risen (surprise, surprise) but was still on par with Suncorp, RACQ, etc. In a minor car park dingle earlier this year (oops) they proved to be fine in dealing with the claim. I have no mods. The thing I have always wondered about mods is, not so much getting insurance, as having a nitpicking assessor reject a claim down the track due to an assessment that the mods were illegal.

Thought I would post some photos of my car.

Well, you can get Aurion police cars, so why not Camry police cars? The po-leece don't know what they're missing.

I disagree. Using letters is not done by any other manufacturer, and reeks too much of the Holden Gemini SL/X and Ford Falcon GLi days (from 20 + years ago). The obvious reason Toyota is using this naming system is to emphasise the nameplate "Camry", in the same way a Honda Accord is referred to as just that, and not a Honda Accord Nav Luxury, for instance. I don't think it will work. I think the naming system is confusing. It's not like Toyota is ever consistent with model designations anwyay. It used CSi and CSX, etc for two series, then went with Altise, Ateva, etc. What about the Conquest? Or the Azura? Or the CSi Executive? Or the Touring (no, not the limited edition special, the pre-Sportivo model)? And what now about Sportivo? And why can I buy a Corolla Ultima, but not a Camry Ultima? And why is a Pressara better than a Prodigy? What does AT-X mean? Oh, my head is spinning...it's time for nap.

I think the SX, SL model designation is naff. I prefer actual names, especially for top-spec models (Ultima, Grande). The letter designations remind me of 1980's Falcons and Commodores. Letters are meaningless unless they have a long history (eg: Merc S-class). Is an SX better than SL, or vice versa? Given the discreet nature of the Camry lookswise, at least a fancy sounding badge on the rump tells the world you are not driving a fleet car special. I think it is more likely than not that these letters will not survive past the gen 7 Camry.

I actually do the clean routine partly as a way of relaxing. I have always enjoyed cleaning cars - if I win the lottery I may buy a car detailing business.

1. Aem - 07 Silver Sportivo - Sydney 2. 2XS - 07 Black Sportivo - Brisbane 3. Private número - 07 Altise - Melbourne 4. Martinj - 09 Sakana Silver Ateva - Brisbane 5. Tash - 06 Gold Sportivo - Vic 6. simplyvandinh - 07 Silver Ateva - NSW 7. Martinj's wife - 09 Silver Ash Ateva - Brisbane

2XS, I recognise the carpark in your photos as Sunnybank Plaza (rooftop, McCullough St side). I am a Sunnybanker too - southside yo! You may have seen my car at times...ultra shiny, glow in the dark Sakana Silver '10 Ateva. FULL 2 hour detail every week, y'all! No personalised plates, no mods, dark tint...keep the cops off my scent, know what I mean. Saw a blacked out Aurion today at Market Square (Sunnybank) with a Toyota bonnet badge. These are commonly available in south-east Asia, but on a trip to Saigon last year I declined on the basis they might stuff up airbag sensor (or somesuch) in a crash. Bought heaps of custom Toyota branded head-rest pillows, etc instead. Anyone know if you can buy silver aluminimum door handle covers (for the groove in the door where the handle is) in Australia?

I am thinking WTF right now... The question posed on this thread is more so dealing with a budget of around $50k, the average price of a used Lexus LS430 now. The new alternative for that money is a good value top-spec maintstream car (like Camry or Aurion), or a wannabe social climbing vinyl-trimmed, midget-sized baby BMW, Merc, Lexus or Audi. I won't mention the "domestic" duo of Falcon (Fairmont, G9, whatever) or Commodore (Calais, Statesman, Bogan de ville, whatever) because well, would you really want to? On a budget of $5k to $25k definitely go used. As someone has pointed out, there is a plethora of 1-4 year old cars in that price range that have suffered the worst of their depreciation expense.

It doesn't make sense not to have illuminated vanity lights standard on the higher end models. It's standard on my Rav4 Cruiser and the Aurion ZR6. Agreed. Illuminated vanity lights are an essential, as are rear reading lights on top-spec model. The Toyota website does not refer to any option packs, or even optional sun-roof on new Camry. However, I am sure they will get on top of this.

I think everyone agrees on the higher depreciation of new cars in the first 6-12 months after purchase, but who actually ever sells their new car in that period to realise the loss? It is therefore a weak argument. My fairly recent experience involved buying a demo Camry with 1000km for $31k, and an identical model new for $35k. Both were discounted from RRP as they were built in the previous calendar year, and there was no alternative colour choice for either car. The availability of the demo was fluke, and it's availability had nothing to do with my research, negotiating skills, or attempts to play different dealerships off against each other. The demo was $4k less, but at the same time had used up over 9 months of its warranty already when it left the dealer. It had also been used as the demo for a major metropolitan dealership. I think it depends on your stage of life and prefered car, as to whether you get new or used. My first two cars purchased by myself were used, as the new alternative for the money was....a very expensive bicycle or a motor scooter. If I wanted a Lexus LS, I would be forced to buy used as I would rather spend $180k on an investment property at my stage in life. On the other hand, when I go to upgrade to another Camry or Aurion in a few years, I will honestly more likely than not buy new. BTW - VF-X that video clip is superb. If that is your wife waking up every morning, you are indeed a fortunate man.