Ron Perry’s Opinion of the 2007 Toyota Camry’s Quality:
Surprisingly for a Toyota, there were several quality issues I noticed upon inspection of the Camry. On the exterior, I found hood gaps that varied from side to side, the gaps where the A-pillar met the fenders varied in size, and a strip of black window trim was coming un-glued and was bowing out.

Inside, the bad news continued. The small door behind the shifter was poorly centered and the instrument panel displayed gaps around its perimeter. Several parts weren’t flush where they came together and the A-pillar covers felt loose and sloppy. I also felt a better grade of plastic could have been used on the interior surfaces, which would have helped rid the Camry of the rental car feel that plagues many midsized sedans. Honestly, I was surprised to see this many quality issues with a Toyota.

Thom Blackett’s Opinion of the 2007 Toyota Camry’s Quality:
No car with a $31,000 price tag, regardless of whether it’s a Chevy or a Toyota, should exhibit the kind of quality issues we found with our 2007 Camry XLE V6 tester. Among the points most notable were irregular gaps on the sides of the dash; a dash cap that was lifting by the side vents; sections around the instrument panel that were not flush; inconsistent gaps around the glovebox and the cubby forward of the shifter; loose pillar covers; a squeaky shifter plate cover; open spaces between the rear door plastic panels and the leather inserts; multiple grain patterns throughout the cabin; and a fuzzy headliner in lieu of preferred mesh. To its credit, this Camry featured soft leather, a light-colored wood that only I seemed to appreciate, and soft plastic on the dash.

But, c’mon people, this is a Toyota Camry, the godly car pointed to for decades as a shining example of what imports were doing right and Detroit was fouling up – namely, building a quality vehicle. Based on the details of several Toyotas we’ve recently evaluated, including this Camry, it’s obvious that times have changed. Buyers blindly opting for Toyotas based on reputation owe it to themselves to thoroughly inspect their chosen model before signing on the dotted line.

Christian Wardlaw’s Opinion of the 2007 Toyota Camry’s Quality:
For years, our editors have been noticing a general degradation of build and materials quality in Japanese cars, but we’ve always written such observations off as oddities given the exceptional attention to detail these brands have historically exhibited. With our test sample, a 2007 Toyota Camry XLE V6 with less than 3,000 miles on the odometer, it’s time for us to stop making excuses. This test sample, more than any in recent memory, served to underscore that the domestics have made great strides in build quality, while vaunted brands like Toyota are beginning to struggle.

The assembly and materials quality of our test car was worse than some recent General Motors products we’ve evaluated, certainly not up to the standards one expects with a $31,000 price tag and definitely not up to snuff compared to a Hyundai Azera that was in our parking lot the same week as the Camry. There is no excuse for the numerous problems with panel fits found inside and outside of our test car. Our Camry constantly creaked and squeaked and rattled inside. The plastic used for the back of the steering wheel spokes and the sides of the center console emitted that same hollow, cheap rasp when fingernails scraped across it as that for which we’ve excoriated Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors countless times in the past. The leather was stiff and cheap feeling, the paint displayed an orange peel finish at a glance, the dash pad fit poorly around the driver’s side air vent, and with just a twist of my wrist the passenger A-pillar trim popped off in my hand. I’ve got a litany of little problems that I uncovered with the Camry, from the flushness of fit of the front speaker grilles to the inconsistent finish of the headliner at the plastic C-pillar trim panels, but space is short.

We’ve come to expect this kind of indifferent assembly from the former Big Three automakers – in particular General Motors. But after taking a close look at the way our 2007 Toyota Camry was assembled and the materials used in its construction, and comparing these observations to the sticker price and what we uncovered in as thorough a probe of that $27,000 Hyundai Azera we test drove the same week, I have no other choice but to conclude that Toyota has lost its Camry mojo.