Thoughts on 2010 Camry V6

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HangFire

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I need to pick up something for my 50-ish mile (each way) commute, which is 85% Highway and 15% City. Local place with good rep has a low mileage 2010 Camry LE with the 3.5L V6 (2GR-FE I guess?) for a good price. Apparently this engine is a beast.

I'm leaning towards the V6 because, hey, V6 power, but mostly better ride due to heavier weight. EPA is 19/28 but apparently these things due well on the highway. If I get 24/25 that'll be fine. Car has 16" wheels which is good for me, not a fan of 18's due to harsh ride and tire cost.

But before I spring I want to make sure there's no smoking guns on this engine or vehicle. I see there's some folks who suffered from early water pump failure, apparently that can be caught early just by checking the coolant level often. I'm already in that habit (2005 Honda Pilot needed constant monitoring until the radiator finally gave out, common problem for that model year). Early guidance was to pull the engine to replace, later disconnect a few things to get to it.

Anything more I should consider? Snow performance is not a big deal. If it snows I can work from home.
 
I would be more worried about the dash disintegrating than the engine on those. There was a recall out (may still be in effect) for the dash on those.
 
My wife and I are very happy with our 07 Avalon, same engine. Ours only has 70k miles on it now. It seems to tolerate her short-trip driving on annual changes of M1 EP 5w-30. The car seems to kill batteries (I think we're on the third or fourth now) but I suspect that has more to do with the short-trip usage than anything else. I don't care for the fuel burn (then again, I drive a Prius...), but that's about all I can complain about. The computed mpg hovers around 20 mpg displayed for its normal in-town use. When we take it on the road (not often anymore), it approaches 30 mpg. Good car, it has held up well. Inside our out, you'd surprised to realize it's 12 years old. With appropriate "background check," I'd recommend that Camry.
 
You should get significantly better than 24/25 mpg on the highway unless you drive like a maniac. Over 30 is not uncommon, ekpolk's Avalon is bigger/heavier with a 5-speed automatic and he gets 30 mpg, the 2010 Camry V6 has a 6-speed automatic and should do better.
Toyota has a long warranty extension on the dash, if they crack Toyota is replacing them. A lot of dashes crack (in fact, most eventually do), I don't know of any other manufacturer that is replacing them on vehicles that are so far outside of the factory warranty period. Kudos to Toyota on this one!
 
Go for it, it's a really great car. We're happy with our 1005 Toyota Avalon with 105,000 miles, it's still going strong.
 
Love the V6 in my Rav4. My commute sounds like yours- 70 mile round trip 85% highway. If I don't put the go fast pedal to the firewall I can usually get about 27 mpg. My Toyota has been very reliable so far at 80K.
 
Hope I can shed some light on this for ya.... I have a '12 Camry 2.5 and my mom has a '10 Sienna 3.5, and my friend has a 2011 Camry 2.5 (same body style as you are looking at).

I specifically bought the Camry last year because the Sienna has been that good to us... just $350 in unscheduled repairs over 183k miles (not counting tires, battery, air filters...just the VVT valve failure.)
The Sienna has been dead reliable - only "no-start" in its nearly 200k miles, when the original battery crapped out at around 5 years (and perhaps one other dead battery).
The Sienna, with its 3.5, is good for 23-24 mpg highway, while my Camry is good for 34-38. I'd place the V6 Camry somewhere in between, say, 28ish.
Speaking of the 3.5, don't be fooled by "268 horsepower"... you will have a car that is running high-5-second 0-60s. It's a great engine!

As far as years are concerned, I'd not worry about the age, though I do prefer my '12 to my friend's '11 (more spacious interior, better gauges, subjectively better styling).

If you're not worried about fuel economy go for the V6, though the 4-cylinder I have is surprisingly peppy, and I have reached a hand-calculated 39 mpg or better on at least 6 tanks of fuel over the last year.

All in all, you'd be hard-pressed to beat a Camry on all fronts, or taken as the package.
 
Originally Posted by TmanP
. . .

If you're not worried about fuel economy go for the V6, though the 4-cylinder I have is surprisingly peppy, and I have reached a hand-calculated 39 mpg or better on at least 6 tanks of fuel over the last year.
Also worth noting: the recent vintage I-4 cars are producing essentially the same hp as the V-6 cars of just a few years ago (when the 1MZ and 3MZ were still being used), not so much with torque, but still.

Originally Posted by TmanP
All in all, you'd be hard-pressed to beat a Camry on all fronts, or taken as the package.
True as to both engines. It's a personal choice, of course, but unless I was totally focused on the max economy aspect, and I assume since you're asking about a V-6 car you're not, I'd get the V-6.
 
Leaning more and more towards getting it. The model year was holding me back while the low mileage on the car is drawing me in! Will update when I get something. (Gotta get something, Honda transmission is on its way out, and Pilot fuel economy is not going to cut it anyway, much as I love driving that beast.)
 
Originally Posted by das_peikko
Does it have variable valve timing on it?

Yes. Unlike the MZ series before it, which adopted VVT mid-life, the xGR engines (2.5, 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0L) have all had VVT from the start.
 
Id say go for it. The 2GR-FE is a nice engine , good performance and economy. Does have slight water pump issues as others said but by no means a deal breaker. As with any vehicle , maintenance is important. It might be a good idea to replace the spark plugs, plenum gasket, coolant and trans fluid.
 
Originally Posted by ekpolk
Yes. Unlike the MZ series before it, which adopted VVT mid-life, the xGR engines (2.5, 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0L) have all had VVT from the start.


Hopefully it's not the hydraulically operated VVT that relies on engine oil to operate. Hopefully it's electric solenoid operated VVT.
 
Definitely go for it. The 2GRFE has got some serious power for a FWD car, anymore would be too much as it has traction issues already in my aunt's 16' Avalon. It'll get 30 mpg on the highway, we had some tanks of 32 on a trip.

We did a 0-60 in it, here's a video I recorded, I eased into the gas pedal so it didn't squeal too much. Also not in sport mode.
 
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