So I drove one of my buddies Toyota Solara (2000 V6) a few days ago and all I can say is that I came away very unimpressed. I know the Camry Solara isn't supposed to be as sporty as the Accords are, but the differences between the two shocked me. First of all, the interior of the Solara wasn't up to the design, ergonomics or quality of the Accord. It has this waterfall appearance, and while the stereo sounded a bit better than the Accord (it has JBL speakers), the radio and the automatic climate controls weren't as well designed as the Accord's. Also, no sort of radio controls on the steering wheel. Next, the parking break and gear shift felt low quality, and lacked the firmness of the Accord. The parking break felt like I could break it off compared to the stiff, metal tipped piece in the Honda. Next, the engine sounds LAME. Yes, maybe I have gotton used to the sweet note of Honda VTEC, but this thing sounded uninspiring. Off the line, the car didn't seem very eager, almost a bit sluggish. The 4 speed automatic downshifted MUCH faster than the unit in the Accord, but it didn't shift as smooth. Then we get to the handling. I felt like I was piloting a boat around curves; none of the confidence inspiring lean of the Accord, and certainly not the same precise steering feel, comming off extremely numb and light.

I'm not trying to bash the Solara, but being based on the "renowned" Camry, I thought there was a reason it garnered so many sales. I didn't know how good I had it in a Honda, I suppose. I felt like I stepped into a more sophisticated car the minute I drove off in the Accord, I can't explain it, just the way it feels, sounds, and drives. The Camry certainly is not a drivers car. It has a great stereo thought:thmsup:

Many Toyota models have gone "Detroit" with the character of the car, the option menu, and the quality.

This seems to be a case where becoming number one, has inadvertantly turned the cars into "number two"

:lmao:

I haven't personally driven a Solara, but that particular car has been critically panned as the weakest vehicle in the Toyota lineup. The convertible fares even worse with structural rigidity that apparently rivals that of a wet noodle.

If the only thing that the Solara has on the Accord is a better sound system, then this is a very good thing. At least we can upgrade the quality of our sound system by simply buying some speakers. It would take a lot more to make the Solara as rigid as the Accord.:thmsup:

I had an 07 Solara for about two weeks or so (what a fiasco that was!) and while the car was very nice overall, I have to admit that I was having a bit of buyer's remorse towards the end. The good: the car, IMO, was more refined than the Accord. It was much better insulated and the suspension absorbed all of the road imperfections like a sponge. The car felt solid and sophisticated as a whole (this was the std. coupe and not the convt. model) and was superb on the interstate. The interior was well designed and nicely detailed (much nicer than the Camry!) The fit and finish seemed slightly better in the Solara than in the Accord. There were a lot of similarities between the inside of the Solara and the Lexus ES330, moreso than the Camry. The Solara had features such as automatic (projector) headlights, door locks, std. fog lights, bluetooth, gated shifter, std. auto-dim mirror with compass, one-touch sunroof controls and a trip information center which were not available on the Accord (minus the trip-info on models with navi) However, the Solara did not have dual zone climate control, High/low settings for the heated seats, heated mirrors, satellite radio, material covered pillars or the ability to control the windows with the remote. The handling was likely comparable to that of the Camry SE.
The bad: The automatic transmission was not responsive at all. There would literally be a 4-5 second pause before the transmission would downshift at heavy or full throttle! This has been a major complaint among ES330, Camry, etc. owners. Apparently, it is a software problem. Furthermore, the car felt as though it was pulling back every time it shifted. The Accord's automatic is far superior to the Toyota's. After only a few days, a rattle developed from the rear speaker shelf (which was a solid piece of hard plastic) During the morning when the cabin was cold, I couldn't turn up the music volume without causing the entire rear shelf to rattle as if I had two blown speakers. The door panels were also a little on the cheap side. Bottom line: I liked the Solara a lot, but I didn't wind up liking it as much as I initially thought I would. I wasn't disappointed to have to return to the Accord. I'm now on my second 7th gen Accord and haven't looked back.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b5/ItsaHonda/CarAlbum411.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b5/ItsaHonda/CarAlbum416.jpg

Did you buy a solara? Then trade it for the accord?

Yes the next generation Solara is MUCH more refined inside. The first generation I drove I wasn't really impressed with inside.

The only Toyota I like is the Avalon, that thing looks great for long distances.

The only Toyota I like is the Avalon, that thing looks great for long distances.

my grandparents have one.

They're fugly to me.

There isn't a single Toyota model that interests me now. They must have the most boring lineup of any car manufacturing right now. It's hard to believe the Toyota of today is the same company that produced the Supra and the Celica. People criticize Honda for being boring but Toyota takes the cake. At least Honda has the S2000, the Civic SI, the Fit, and the 6-speed V6 Accords. Toyota doesn't have anything as interesting or fun to drive as those cars, not even close.

Boring, reliable appliances is all a Toyota is today. Zero passion in their products. The new 08 Accord is going to rape Toyota for the mid size sedan and coupe market sales IMO.

Maybe they started with a Lexus and took content out to make it a Toyota?

I am starting to see "GM" corporate happen within Toyota.

Microsoft used to use a policy called "embrace and replace." They ousted Lotus with Excel, and Wordperfect with Word, for example.

I sense that Toyota may be doing the exact same thing with GM

Maybe they started with a Lexus and took content out to make it a Toyota?

I suppose.

I believe it's based off of the SC430.

how's the leather in the solara? most of the toyota's i've driven have very high-quality leather, unlike the ones you see in our accords.

Hi all,

I have an 06 Accord and my wife has an 07 camry. Here is a quick comparrison of the 2.
This is my first Honda and overall give this one a thumbs up.:thmsup: :thmsup:Only mechinical issue:battery needed replacing at 20k. :paranoid: I have a feeling this may be an ongoing issue/based on dimming of lights when A/C and other things are on at the same time. This went away when the bat was replaced. Jury still out. :paranoid: Misc issue: I have 2 rattles one in the RF passenger door. Play some base and here we go. The other is located next to the nav unit. Stick a piece of paper betwen the seem and it goes away and also when the cabin comes up warmer temp. I am very happy with this purchase!
NOW the Camry.
We have the 4cl LE. I really do not like driving this car. We only have 6k on it and have had it for 10 months. There is one mechinical issue that I have not been able to solve. I get a vibration in the cabin of the car at speeds over 71. The passenger seat will vibrate like crazy and you can hear a muffled sound like a rock is stuck in the tire. I have checked all the tires and I get no vibration on the steeringwheel. I will wait till it gets so bad that it becomes real noticable.
Quality: The cloth seats are ok but get wrinkles from time to time and the road noise is quite lound especaily when it is raiing. I have driven other toyota's and felt like the overall quality was great and now this one feels as cheap as a GM or Ford. I guess that is how it is when you are trying to be #1. I am sure it will turn in some good miles but question with recalls.
The single most annoying issue is the delay. Give gas and wait for it to react or just slam to the floor and make it happen sooner. :dunno: What a crock of :censored:. If this was my daily driver I would have to trade it because of this one reason. Dealer says no issue that is the way it is. This may be one of the reasons why only 6k in just under a year. My wife has been out of the country for 2 months visiting family and I drove it one time to get it washed.
Ok enough bashing Toyo for today. :biggrin:

The single most annoying issue is the delay. Give gas and wait for it to react or just slam to the floor and make it happen sooner. What a crock of .>>

I found that to be extremely dangerous in the Solara. Pounce on the accelerator and the car just pauses.... <crickets>.... and then reacts. By far one of the worst automatics I've ever driven.

how's the leather in the solara? most of the toyota's i've driven have very high-quality leather, unlike the ones you see in our accords.>>

The leather in the Solara was softer than the leather used in the Accord, but i'm certainly no expert on leather quality.

I perfer Accord Coupe over the solara. The reason is that I don't like the way it looks from the back. It doesn't look as sporty. Coupes are a good balance between style and muscle.

I test drove an '05 Solara, but ended up buying my '05 Accord. I liked the Accord's exterior and interior styling better. I also like the Accord's 2.4-liter engine over the Solara's 2.4-liter. The Honda engine feels a lot more powerful. Whether it's transmission characteristics or actual power/torque curve differences, I don't know, but I found Honda's engine preferable. The Accord also feels more buttoned-down on the road to me.

I found that to be extremely dangerous in the Solara. Pounce on the accelerator and the car just pauses.... <crickets>.... and then reacts. By far one of the worst automatics I've ever driven.

I drove a 95 camry v6 xle for 8 years and the delay from pushing the gas is something you get used to and don't even notice as you get used to the car (for me) It was also a very very quite car. A few time I started the car and restarted it not knowing it was on (It was my first car) and that required new starter parts.

I loved it, never had problems, and though I love my Accord, I feel it was much better built. Fast car to... once you get to to learn how to drive it well.