I have an '08 Camry XLE, and I absolutely love the car. The redesign in '07 made some huge advances to the car's interior features. The navigation system works well and the touch screen is very user friendly. The odometer/instrument panel is much like the Lexus's now in that it's blacked out until the car is on.
This car has tons of head space (I'm tall), leg room, cup holders, and storage compartments! I love the AUX jack for my iPod, and though it is not extremely easy to access, it's placement near a power outlet is ideal. The 8-speaker JBL sound system is amazing and produces quality audio at any volume. The pollen filter is another feature that I will appreciate come Spring. One of my favorite features of this car is the rear window shade. Although manual, it is a huge comfort feature for rear-seat passengers and helps to keep the car cooler while sitting in the sun. The back seat is great for passengers with plenty of leg room, rear air vents, cup holders, reading lights, and (extremely cool) reclining rear seats. The downside to having the reclining seats is that they eliminate the folding rear seat -- leaving you with only a small pass through for a broomstick.
This is a great-looking car. The Camry has been bland since the late 90's redesign, but has finally come back around. The only real interior complaint I have is that the instrument panel and navigation unit are too bright at night. You can adjust both (independently), but it isn't convenient to do, and you would need to adjust back for daytime use. Tying this in with the auto headlight sensor and adding an auto dimmer would be nice. The moonroof's auto open/close feature is a nice extra and though I don't have a wind deflector, the moonroof stops short of being completely open to reduce wind noise.
I will openly admit to not knowing much about what's under the hood, but I have already experienced a slight issue with the transmission. When merging into interstate traffic, there is a much-to-long hesitation before accelerating (after pushing the gas pedal) - causing scary, potentially dangerous moments. Check out some owner reports at www.nhtsa.dot.gov , and test this out during a test drive! Other than this, the 4 cl. engine is quite powerful and the car handles well and is quiet.
These are my opinions/observations after 1 month and 1,000 miles in this car.
Pros —
Styling, features, comfort, interior, value
Cons —
acceleration hesitation (4cl.) when merging into freeway traffic. Instrument panel too bright during night driving.
