Regarding how Camrys drive, Motor Trend obviously disagrees. In fact, they placed the Malibu second to last (above the Altima) in their May 2010 comparison. The Camry was the winner of the comparison.
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/seda...ison/index.html
Of the Camry, they say:
"Twist the key, drive off, and the Camry continues to impress with its supple ride quality and hushed cabin environment, especially at highway speeds. St. Antoine takes up the narrative: "Okay, steering feel and handling prowess are not outstanding, but when you hustle this slice of milquetoast, it shrugs off road imperfections and carves through turns just fine. There's lots of chassis roll but no loss of control. Seemingly excels at nothing, yet it really excels at everything. A driving enthusiast might want a more involving and athletic machine, but for 99 percent of buyers shopping in this category, the Camry simply nails the mission profile."
And for those who like numbers, check out how all the sedans did through Motor Trend’s figure-eight course. The Camry beat them all except for the Hyundai. The ride/handling compromise really is as good as Motor Trend reports.
Having owned one (a Camry) for going on 6 months and 5,200 miles now, I can give you my impressions. The drive is superb. It's not a sports car, nor does it play one on TV. It has an honesty about it that many other cars don't have it. It is what it is and doesn't pretend to be something else.
OP, if you're looking for a fuel-efficient car that will eat a lot of miles very easily, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the modern mainstream 4-door sedans. I'm averaging 29.6 MPG overall with mine, and it'll get low-to-mid 30s on the road. The 6-speed automatic keeps the 2.5L I-4 where it needs to be all the time (which is usually spinning pretty slow). 0-60 of 8.4 seconds is reasonable for a car of this size and MPG. The car is simple and easy to maintain, and the ergonomics are painstakingly simple.
There's a reason why it's continually a best seller. I'm pretty sure they're still giving them away, too. In the wake of the recall press, a Camry's value is pretty good.
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/seda...ison/index.html
Of the Camry, they say:
"Twist the key, drive off, and the Camry continues to impress with its supple ride quality and hushed cabin environment, especially at highway speeds. St. Antoine takes up the narrative: "Okay, steering feel and handling prowess are not outstanding, but when you hustle this slice of milquetoast, it shrugs off road imperfections and carves through turns just fine. There's lots of chassis roll but no loss of control. Seemingly excels at nothing, yet it really excels at everything. A driving enthusiast might want a more involving and athletic machine, but for 99 percent of buyers shopping in this category, the Camry simply nails the mission profile."
And for those who like numbers, check out how all the sedans did through Motor Trend’s figure-eight course. The Camry beat them all except for the Hyundai. The ride/handling compromise really is as good as Motor Trend reports.
Having owned one (a Camry) for going on 6 months and 5,200 miles now, I can give you my impressions. The drive is superb. It's not a sports car, nor does it play one on TV. It has an honesty about it that many other cars don't have it. It is what it is and doesn't pretend to be something else.
OP, if you're looking for a fuel-efficient car that will eat a lot of miles very easily, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the modern mainstream 4-door sedans. I'm averaging 29.6 MPG overall with mine, and it'll get low-to-mid 30s on the road. The 6-speed automatic keeps the 2.5L I-4 where it needs to be all the time (which is usually spinning pretty slow). 0-60 of 8.4 seconds is reasonable for a car of this size and MPG. The car is simple and easy to maintain, and the ergonomics are painstakingly simple.
There's a reason why it's continually a best seller. I'm pretty sure they're still giving them away, too. In the wake of the recall press, a Camry's value is pretty good.