2004 Toyota Camry Solara New Car Buyer's Guide

What's New for the 2004 Toyota Camry Solara?
The Toyota Camry Solara undergoes a complete redesign, inside and out, for 2004. Inside the sleek, new exterior sheetmetal (which evokes the pricey Lexus SC 430), you’ll find a handsomely furnished interior that’s more commodious than last year’s model. Three trim levels are available: Standard SE; SE Sport with a body kit, special interior trim pieces and a stiffened suspension complemented with larger wheels and tires; and SLE with wood-grain trim, automatic climate control, a power driver’s seat, a power moonroof, and a six-disc CD changer. All trim levels can be had with the standard inline four or the optional V6 powerplant. This year’s four-cylinder engine is still rated at 157 horsepower, but the smooth-revving V6 gets a boost to 225 hp. Options for the Toyota Camry Solara include XM satellite radio and a navigation system.

Advantages of the 2004 Toyota Camry Solara:

• Lexus levels of style and sophistication at a Toyota price
• More athletic than expected
• Comprehensive safety features list
• Large and comfortable interior

Objections to the 2004 Toyota Camry Solara:

• Funky black XM satellite radio receiver tacked onto rear end
• Tall trunk liftover
• Teensy control buttons when navigation system is ordered
• A touch too much suspension noise gets into the cabin

Editor's Advice:
We don’t think it’s a weakness to admit fidelity to the Toyota Camry; but sometimes you want something a little zippier and more stylish, without sacrificing the quality and comfort that the ubiquitous family sedan has to offer. Enter the Toyota Camry Solara. Conceived, designed, engineered and built in America, the second-generation Solara is bigger, faster, more fun and more stylish than its predecessor. Rather than the Fast and the Furious, think of it as the Prompt and the Mildly Peeved.