Looking at this vehicle from the outside, one would imagine that this sport styled Camry, labeled as the Solara, would be fun to drive. The Camry in itself is a pretty mundane ride and is generally devoid of thrills. Understandably there may be those who are looking for a little styling to the otherwise always practical Camry. Enter the Solara.
The sporty redesign isn't very impressive. The car simply looks like a Camry with a few curves taken in here and there. While the interior is comfortable and sports plenty of leg room and plenty of space for taller passengers, this does not make up for the general sense of 'meh' that permeates this vehicle.
The car's handling and speed isn't anything to write home about either. Since it is a pretty close adaptation of a Camry, I imagine the internal works aren't very different from what's standard on the yearly equivalent. The pickup is average, something more fitting for the pragmatic sedan rather than the purported stylish and sporty coupe that the Solara bills itself as.
While this car is in no ways a bad ride or even a lemon, it is surprisingly mislabeled. Those who come to the table looking for a zippy coupe will be sorely disappointed. A far more accurate title for this car would be the Camry 2.0 rather than being billed as a safe, affordable coupe that young adults would enjoy cruising around in. The main competition for this model, vehicles such as the Chevy Cobalt and the Pontiac G5, hold a number of advantages in both performance and cost.
It is a far safer bet to invest in a Camry than the Solara because, essentially, the difference between the two, beyond a slight cosmetic tweak, is quite minimal. Stick to Toyota's flagship vehicle and don't be fooled by the somewhat deceptive marketing.