Toyota Camry and Chevorlet Suburban

I know its been awhile, so here is a nice double feature. I am sure some of us know about the Toyota Camry. Its a soft, cushy, squeeze as you like car that a lot of people love. I am fortunate because my sister owns one. Now the Camry is an extremely comfortable car. The suspension is very soft and the ride is very solid. The outside may be a bit conservative but very sleek and would age well. Inside the interior has all the basics covered. The radio is very nice with a standard 180W stereo and MP3 jack. Two power outlets are a plus with one of them hidden so you can leave your phone in the car without worrying to much about it getting stolen. In the driver seat you have seats that are plush, but it you drive sporty, you will swing around. The steering while is adjustable, and the radio is within easy reach. Now for the back seats, very nice. The back is perfectly reclined and there is plenty of knee and leg room, even if a six foot person is in front. With five it will be a squeeze though. The trunk is relatively average for the segment, but it is still big enough. I could even fit in there and come out really quickly. The car is pretty well priced for the segment. It starts at $19,890 for a base CE, volume car, the LE, starts at 22,500 and adds power seats and an alarm, move up to the SE and it starts at 25,000, XLE V6 starts at 27. I will not mention the hybrid because I am not a fan. Some nice options I would consider are, the satellite navigation, moon roof and alloy wheels. These options really do the camry justice in separating it from the over 400,000 copies on the road. The engines are all smooth and make good gas mileage because they all feature toyota's Variable, Valve, Timing, with Intelligence (VVT-I).
I also added competitors to the over all


Appearance: 7
Interior: 7.5
Passenger comfort (F/R) 8.5/8
Content: 8
Efficiency: 7.5
Letter Grade: B+
Competitors: Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Nissan Altima, Chevorlet Malibu, Ford Fusion, Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300,

Suburban

The suburban is the mack daddy of all urban assault vehicles. It is a massive, eight seater behemoth that I love. This thing is huge inside and out. I went to a dealer not to long ago and had the chance to sample a fully loaded LTZ with navigation. Take one sit in the drivers seat, and those with faint hearts will have to run off to a Tahoe, because this thing is huge. There was a back up camera which make things better but it still is no easy feat. In the drivers seat, there are also dual automatic climate control, Navigation, and a DVD set in the back. There are also plenty of outlets for all your devices. Second row is very comfortable and there is plenty of space, even with all three seats filled. Plenty of storage and comfy seats top that list. The third row is equivalent to a mid size sedan, but you feel separated from the front seat conversation. What is most surprising is the amount of luggage space still available behind the third row. It can still hold enough grocerys to last months! Its looks on the outside are almost daunting. It just looks at you with a face that says "f*** off." But one thing that may make people "f*** off" is the price. A cloth seated, standard SUV starts at 37,000. Now, that would have been a mid level truck. The top of the line LTZ tops off at 55000. Now that is not that bad compared to a Toyota Sequoia which is smaller but costs the same. Now under the hood is GM's powerful V8 with 325 hp, making this a big beast, but with fuel mileage of a big beast, 14 city/18 hwy.


Appearance: 8.5
Interior: 8
Driver Touch Points: 7
Comfort (F/R/R) : 9/9/7
Content: 8
Efficiency: 6
Letter Grade: A-
Competitors: Ford Expedition EL, Toyota Sequoia