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My GMC van was starting to show its age after 25 years of dependable
service, the Millennium had arrived along with my 50th birthday, and I
decided it was time to buy a new vehicle to use for demonstrating our OBD scan
tool products (see section at the end of this article). I wanted something quiet and
comfortable and I set out to test drive all the new vehicles I
was interested in.
The Camry Solara proved to be the favored choice, so I plunked down a lot
of money and drove it off the showroom floor (that was a good day).
If I was doing it again today, I would get
a FREE QUOTE first from the folks at Automotive.com.
It is an
LEV (Low Emission Vehicle) that meets and exceeds the rigid California
Air Resources Board (CARB) standards. This is a lot
of car for a list price of less than $27k USD ... here's what the
designers at Toyota had to say about the concept:
"The Solara is about striking the ideal balance between performance and comfort, style and practicality, luxury and
affordability. It's enjoyable as an enthusiast's car but doesn't ask the driver to make
sacrifices in other areas."
Designed and engineered in North America, the Solara was initially built at
the award-winning
Toyota Motor
Manufacturing
Canada (TMMC) plant
in Ontario, then later in the US as the market expanded. It was the
first vehicle to take
advantage of the
combined talents of
Toyota's North
American styling,
engineering and
manufacturing
facilities. The plant in Ontario is also the only one outside of
Japan authorized to manufacture Lexus cars.
The deluxe SLE V6 model shares a chassis and engine design with its
Lexus cousins.
The 182 cubic inch (3 Litre) DOHC motor (used in Lexus models) has a sophisticated fuel injected
4 valve per cylinder, normally aspirated design that puts out 200 very
smooth horses (yes, that's better than a 1 hp/cubic inch ratio). It also
generates 245 lb-ft of torque that provides quite an acceleration kick at
low rpm, without straining the engine.
I have yet to find it necessary to 'floor' it - when entering the freeway,
the compact V6 provides slingshot acceleration to 70 mph in a few breathless
seconds (the zero to 60 mph time is around 7 seconds). You can forget about spinning your tires on takeoff, the
electronic traction control system makes it almost impossible for the
16" Michelin anti-hydroplaning tires to lose contact with the asphalt
(if you're keen on even more traction, read our Subaru
Forester article). The oversized four wheel disc brakes with ABS bring this car to a
perfectly straight, carefully controlled halt when required. There are
also front air bags and active harness restraints if you have to stop
really fast (side air bags are optional).
The powertrain is very quiet and the motor has a pleasant, muted growl only when
accelerating rapidly. It is so smooth and quiet at idle, it is hard to
tell if it is actually running.  I
have actually had to glance at the tachometer a few times to assure myself
that it was indeed turning over. I suspect that Toyota will have to
overstock starter gear components as it would be very easy to accidentally
try and start this vehicle when the engine is already running (Note: It
turns out that the electronics will not allow the starter to engage if the
engine is running).
The engine has generously oversized mounts (A) plus a
silicone damped shock absorber (B) that completely eliminate the
usual 'bucking' and 'hopping' behavior associated with transverse mounted
engines.
Note the exhaust manifold oxygen sensor (C) that feeds combustion
efficiency data into
the On Board Diagnostic (OBD) System that can be monitored by our scan
tool.
Fuel consumption is surprisingly low (considering the performance),
probably due in part to the 'true overdrive' feature of the silky smooth
electronically controlled 4 speed automatic transmission. At highway
speeds I found I was getting close to 35 mpg (70 mph @ 2500 rpm) with
regular gas. The electronic cruise control is perfectly smooth and adjusts
the electronically controlled automatic overdrive (ECT) transmission and
throttle position to regulate downhill and uphill speeds. All cruise functions are
controlled by the wheel mounted switch, so 'drive by finger' is entirely
possible in this car. Tapping the set switch up or down adjusts the cruise
setting in 1 mph increments - handy for fine speed adjustment while in
traffic.
Despite the comfortable ride, this car also handles very well. It will
'pancake' around corners faster than I would ever want to drive. It has MacPherson strut front suspension with gas-filled shock absorbers and stabilizer
bar; dual-link independent MacPherson strut rear suspension with gas-filled shock
absorbers and stabilizer bar. The steering is effortless with the
variable-assist power rack-and-pinion mechanism.
The unitized body has a very low drag coefficient and wind noise is very nearly
absent at any speed. There isn't much difference in interior noise level whether
you are going 30 or 70 mph.  Extra steel cross members in the engine compartment and rear frame
area provide total lateral stiffness - there isn't the slightest hint of
any chassis or body flexing, even on the bumpiest roads. Squeaks and
chafing sounds simply don't exist in this vehicle. Of course, when
you slip a CD into the in-dash CD changer, turn on the superb 8 speaker 200
watt JBL sound system, and adjust the graphic equalizer, you can't hear a
damn thing except the music ... audiophiles might buy this car just to get
the sound system, ain't no speaker rattle here even with the bass pounding
out of a U2 album!
The elegant 'Ivory Leather' interior is bright and cheerful (yes, that is wood
grain trim around the cabin) and a good match for the white flaked
'Diamond White Pearl' exterior finish. All controls are are well
positioned for logical, fingertip control and the dash and center console
lighting at night is superb.  The 8 way power driver's seat is very
comfortable and the passenger seat automatically slides forward and tilts
at the touch of a lever to allow easy access into the large, comfortable
rear seats (which fold down for extra 'pass-thru' trunk capacity). The
'set and forget' climate control system is very quiet and effective,
whether it is hot or cold outside. If you like fresh air and plenty of
light, the power tilt/slide glass moonroof with one-touch open/close
push button operation is a nice feature. Exterior visibility is good in
all directions and all glass panes have extra UV filtering contained
within.
Electronic control systems abound in this car. It will turn your
headlights on at night if you forget (the reduced intensity 'daylight
mode' is always on), dim your rear view mirror when necessary at
night and heat your electric side mirrors if it's cold outside. It will
turn on the interior lights when you use the remote keyless entry (only
the driver's door unlocks unless you click twice) and prevent the doors
from locking if you leave the key in the ignition. There are 3 HomeLink®
(Johnson Controls) buttons on
the ceiling console that can be programmed to activate doors, lights,
furnace etc. in your 'smart home' as you approach your driveway (supports
anti-burglar 'rotating code' system that changes every time you use it). The
engine immobilizer system protects against theft (and dramatically lowers
insurance costs). Naturally, the headlights will also be turned off if you forget
when you leave the car. If you forget to close the power windows like I
often do, they remain active for 45 seconds after the key is removed from
the ignition. The valet key has a different digital encoding than the
owner's key and prevents the glove box and trunk from being opened.
With all the electronic sophistication of the Solara, the OBD (On Board
Diagnostic) system hasn't been neglected either.  The DLC (Data Link
Connector) port on the Solara is tucked neatly under the driver's side dash, facing down
and flush with the lower edge. Although you can't see it without peering
under the dash, the positioning is such that plugging a scan tool in is a
relatively simple task. Note
that the car needs to be running before you attempt to establish data
communications with the on board computer because the engine immobilizer
system will shut down the port if the key is turned on without the motor
running. In this picture, Henry is inspecting the fuel injection system
and OBD emission control sensor locations, just to get a feel for the general engineering
involved in this car. His verdict: "very nice" (that's a very
enthusiastic comment, coming from this affable Scot).
When you release the hood latch, 2 compressed gas actuators gently lift the hood up
and out of the way, revealing a well laid out engine compartment 
(note the aforementioned steel stiffening brace mounted laterally between
the shock absorbers). Unlike many new cars, there is room to work on both
sides of the engine and, hey, you can actually see large patches of
concrete floor when you peer down. The right bank of dual-electrode
platinum spark plugs (front top of engine) is easy to get at; we'll have
to see how hard it is to get to the other bank when it comes time to
change plugs (that is, after the 8 year extended warranty runs out)
The data stream coming into the software scan tool revealed the structure
of the emission control system, with 3 oxygen sensors at the
heart of the emissions control system. The scan
tool readout could easily detect the 5 rpm
idle speed variation, although it was impossible to see this on the
vehicle's tachometer (this is one smooth engine!). We were also able to
observe increased system activity when the engine cooling fan kicked in,
holding the engine temperature very close to 199° F.
As expected, there weren't any trouble codes stored in the on board
memory, but we'll report later in an updated article if this happens. We arranged for a full service manual to be delivered with this car and will be thoroughly examining the control systems over the next
few months. If
you're interested in some of the screen data, please see the screen
captures below. If you're interested in getting this software for your own
car, take a look at our scan tool products
page.
Kudos to Toyota - the Solara exceeded all my expectations of what a new car
should be like ... now, if you could just marry in some of the new hybrid
engine technology with regenerative braking, it would be perfect!
Author's Update Aug 01: 16,000 miles, still in showroom condition,
running perfect, everything works, no rattles or squeaks.
Author's Update Aug 02: 17,500 miles, still in showroom condition,
running perfect, everything works, no rattles or squeaks.
Author's Update Aug 03: 21,600 miles, still in showroom condition,
running perfect, everything works, no rattles or squeaks, replaced
windshield wipers.
Author's Update Aug 04: 26,500 miles, still in showroom condition,
running perfect, everything works, no rattles or squeaks,
Author's Update Aug 05: 36,000 miles, still in showroom condition,
running perfect, everything works, no rattles or squeaks,
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