2006 Toyota Camry Reviews, Pricing & Specs
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A full-size vehicle masquerading as a midsize car, the 2006 Toyota Camry supplies everything you need and want in a reliable family car.
In what is likely its last year before a complete redesign, the roomy 2006 Toyota Camry sees no significant change. Due to the new Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) engine testing rules, the horsepower figures drop a bit.
Buyers choose from Toyota Camry LE, SE, and XLE trim levels, and the 2006 Camry offers a four-cylinder or a V6 engine. It is one of the largest vehicles in its segment and shares its platform and vehicle architecture with the Lexus ES.
Lacking in terms of visual excitement, the 2006 Camry boasts a clean, conservative, and cohesive design. The sporty SE trim is the looker of the bunch, featuring darkened headlamp housings, attractive aluminum alloy wheels, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. With the V6 engine, it also comes with leather seats. Naturally, the luxury-oriented XLE emphasizes chrome detailing and shiny wheels along with fog lights.
Continuing the luxury theme, the Camry XLE’s interior features a power sunroof and fake wood on the dashboard. With SE trim, the cabin has metallic accents. The less expensive Camrys are, understandably, less interesting in terms of interior design.
Quality is a high point for the 2006 Camry, from the materials to how the switchgear feels when used. Full instrumentation, sensible climate controls, and comprehensive (if cluttered) stereo controls integrate into a design emphasizing symmetry, minimalism, and practicality.
Every 2006 Camry comes with a standard 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine making power specs of 154 horsepower. Toyota builds the car with a five-speed manual gearbox as part of the powertrain, but most (if not all) that you’ll find on dealer lots will have a five-speed automatic transmission. Power is delivered to a front-wheel-drive (FWD) drivetrain.
As an option, a more powerful 3.0-litre V6 engine supplies 190 hp in the Camry LE V6 and XLE V6 and 210 hp in the Camry SE V6. In Canada, the XLE grade is only offered with the V6 engine. The SE also has a sport-tuned suspension, upgraded brakes, and improved tires, and it does provide a bit of driving fun.
Exuding refinement, the Camry four-cyl is peppy enough for daily driving, though when you load it up for a family road trip, the engine can struggle when merging onto highways, passing slower traffic, or climbing mountain grades. You can solve that problem by choosing the V6 engine, which delivers far more satisfying acceleration with a slight penalty in terms of fuel economy.
Most Camrys are capable if forgettable drivers. To extract any semblance of enjoyment from the journey to the destination, you’ll want the firmer and more communicative Camry SE.
With plenty of seating for up to five passengers, the 2006 Toyota Camry is nothing if not roomy. Up front, the driver and passenger enjoy expansive space and the car’s backseat is positively huge with plenty of headroom and legroom. Storage is plentiful, too, and the trunk holds a whopping 473 litres of cargo.
Though the base Camry looks that way, it includes everything you really need, such as air conditioning, power accessories, cruise control, keyless entry, heated side mirrors, and a CD player. The XLE adds an eight-way power driver’s seat and power moonroof, while the SE installs the racier look, the sportier mechanicals, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Heated seats for the front row are included in the on the SE and XLE grades.
At the top of the trim ladder, the XLE provides fancier trim, automatic climate control, a premium sound system, and more.
Every 2006 Toytoa Camry is equipped with antilock brakes and dual front airbags. Side curtain airbags for the front and rear passengers, and side-impact airbags for the front seat occupants, are optional. Get a Camry with a V6 engine, and it has traction control and stability control, which is helpful when drivers start to lose control of the car on a slippery surface.
Based on crash-test results published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), you’re going to want those side airbags. Without them, the 2006 Camry gets a Poor rating for side-impact collision protection. With them, the rating leaps to Good. In the moderate-overlap frontal-impact test, the 2006 Camry scores a Good rating for driver protection.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found similar results. Frontal-impact protection earns the highest five-star rating for both front seats. Side-impact protection for the front seats rates four stars, but for the rear seats rates a mediocre three stars. The NHTSA’s test vehicles did not have side airbags.
With window stickers starting at nearly $25,000 in Canada, and with a loaded XLE cresting well over the $30,000 mark, the 2006 Toyota Camry isn’t cheap in terms of price. But when you get into one and fire up either of its silky smooth engines, and after you drive the car for a while, you realize that the 2006 Toyota Camry also isn't cheap in terms of engineering, quality, and refinement.
You might pay a lot for a new Camry, but you get a lot of new car in return. And the Camry will return value as a used car for many years, too.
Note: Images show a US model.
