Can you tell me why ure interested in the new Camry?

Steady ride, reliable after sales service, spare parts abundant, good resale value. I'm aware that the current batch of 2012 Camry will be CKD but it's
still a Toyota none the less.

U have a better car to recommend that beats these criteria?

Im a Toyota man and have owned a Toyota for the past 8.5 years and serviced at Toyota for the same period of time. Yes for all the factors mentioned above, i agree with you 100%. Ive had an excellent experience with Toyota since 2003. I too was eagerly waiting for the new Camry until i saw the design and only lately came to know about its specs.

Ive sorta decided that there's no way im gonna pay 150K for a car that still uses a 4 speed auto, has only basic specs when other makes are offering soo much more, and has such a shitty exterior design. Yes i may not get the level of service that Toyota gives but i think that design, specs and driving experience are as important as after sales service as well.

Resale values are demand driven and so far, demand for Korean makes are steadily rising both abroad and in Malaysia. The Kia Forte is enjoying good resale value (although not quite on par with the Altis & Civic) but nevertheless i see a bright future for them if they can keep prices low and still give great specs. They have the right intent with improving their after sales service. More service centres are opening up and they are state of the art.

Fyi, ive considered the new Camry, Kia Optima, Passat CC, BMW 3 Series and Audi A4 in my search and the Optima seems to be winning the battle for its great design, excellent specs, interior space and cheaper price. Yes i may lose out a bit on after sales service and resale value but at least ill drive a car with the wow factor and enjoy its much better specs. The Optima is also the only car in that segment which comes with 5 years unlimited mileage manufacturer's warranty.

Btw, resale value of most D segment cars dont differ much from each other as someone clearly pointed out before. So if i were you, open your mind to other possibilities and go see the Kia Optima.

Complete specs of the Optima for your perusal:


1) Theta II 2.0L MPI engine with 163HP and 198 Nm torque (Camry 2.0L is 145HP and 190Nm torque)
2) 6 speed automatic Dual CVVT with paddle shifters and Eco mode
3) HID Xenon headlights with Auto Leveling & Static Bending Lights
4) Daytime LED running lights (DRL)
5) Rear LED lights and LED side turn signal lights
6) Auto Light Control System with Escort Lights and washers
7) Electric foldable side mirrors
8) 6 airbags (front, side & curtain airbags)
9) Anti Lock Braking System (ABS)
11) Electronic Brakeforce Distribution System (EBD)
12) Traction Control System (TCS)
13) Hill Assist Control (HAC)
14) Cornering Brake Control (CBC)
15) Brake Assist System (BAS)
16) Rear Parking Assist System with rear camera
17) Speed Sensing Auto door lock
18) Impact Sensing Auto door unlock
19) Auto Cruise Control
20) 18 inch sporty alloy wheels with full disk brakes and full spare alloy wheel
21) MacPherson type suspension with Gas shock absorbers with High Performance Dampers (HPD) with sliding valve
22) Infinity Surround Sound system with 8 speakers & subwoofer
23) 6 in dash CD changer system with Bluetooth, AUX, USB & iPOD connectivity
24) Dual zone auto air con with rear air con vents
25) 8 way power seat (driver) with memory function
26) Push Start ignition with Smart Key
27) 3.5” Color TFT LCD display
28) Premium Leather seats
29) Panoramic Electric Sunroof
30) First Korean car with 5 Star NHTSA rating from America

for the resale value, i think nowaday many ppl not put into consideration, they prefer design, spec, price, follow by resale value... expcet those toyota/honda fans...

actually other brands quite good eg mazda, peuguet...just wondering why they hardly get better resale value than toyota/honda yet...

Thanks for the input. After going through the Optima thread, and people still sceptical about the car, I'll still put my cash where it is safer, no offence but I do think that the Optima is a beauty but I think Naza too ambitious with the pricetag on that car. I think it's worthwhile holding on till the Camry is out and we get to test drive and decide for ourselves.

Of course ppl will be sceptical about the Optima. Its a Korean for Gods sake! U think im not sceptical? If i wasnt i wouldnt be on all these threads talking about the Optima.

But let me ask u this question. What are you hoping to get from a Camry test drive? The new Camry isnt gonna feel much different from the current model in terms of comfort since the suspension setup is the same. Thats wht Toyota does and has been doing for many years. They give comfy seats and comfort tuned suspension to mask its severe lack of specs. They create the wow factor in the cabin and most ppl are blinded. This allows them to price the car much higher thus creating a false image of a premium model.

Keep in mind that im a Toyota fan but over the past year, ive realised that Toyota has been taking us Malaysians for a ride with inferior spec'ed cars while charging us full premiums.

Go check out the specs Toyota puts into their US models. Those are the same specs on offer by the Koreans here in Malaysia. Why is that Toyota can offer those specs in US for much cheaper prices and yet exclude them for Malaysian models and still charge us more? Because they know Malaysians will still accept and buy.

So when u talk about price, look at the specs first. Do you think specs like traction control, hill assist control, cornering brake control, 8 way power seats with dual memory, 5 years unlimited mileage warranty are cheap? How much do you think Toyota would charge to have those specs in the Camry 2.0L?

The current Camry 2.0G (high spec) costs RM155K (11K more than the Optima). It comes with only a 4 speed auto, only ABS, EBD and BA (which even Proton has now) and 2 airbags. The new Camry 2.0L will have the same specs and gearbox setup and probably cost about RM160K. Now tell me if its worth paying RM16K more and getting much less? Take after sales service and resale value out of the equation as the Koreans are improving tremendously in both these areas and in 5-7 years time, these criteria would be redundant in comparisons. Plus the Optima is a bigger car overall with more interior space than the Camry not to mention it has the wow factor which the upcoming Camry wont have for sure.

Ppl may still be sceptical bout Koreans but go check out the Forte sales. For 11 months of 2011, 5,291 units of the Forte was sold in comparison to 5,545 units of the Altis. What does that tell you? When was the last time you saw sales figures of a Korean make coming close to those of a established Jap model? U really think ppl in general are sceptical about Koreans? The sales figures show otherwise.

Analyse all you want but do so with an open mind. Going around assuming that Toyota is God won't get you anywhere. I did that before. Only when ppl start moving away from Toyota will Toyota learn that they need to make major improvements.

This post has been edited by cybermaster98: Feb 9 2012, 08:21 AM

Well Said...
I'm Driving a Toyota that i bought last year and i Regret it.. Fuel Consumption not good also.. and DAMM Boring 4 speed auto.. Should have gotten either VW or the Koreans...

This post has been edited by yzlum: Feb 9 2012, 09:34 AM

Hmm...I can see your point of argument that Toyota give craps to Malaysian as opposed to the foreign models of the same car. Forte sales are good because they got the price right. But Optima is rather overpriced. After viewing the car multiple times, are you certain you're buying the Optima since you say it's the best option or are you still contemplating?

In what way is the Optima overpriced? How much would you say its worth?

If Kia were to offer the Optima with exactly the same specs as the current Camry 2.0G and charge you say RM 130K would you buy it then? Say they offered a premium model with all the goodies listed above and charged you an extra 14K for the new transmission, a more powerful engine, the whole range of safety equipment, gas shock absorbers, comfort kits, xenon HID lights with static bending, premium sound system, etc? Not to mention better design and more interior space and the extra 5 years unlimited mileage manufacturers warranty. Would anybody say that an extra 14K for all of these is expensive?

That price was chosen so as not to weaken demand for the Hyundai Sonata but on paper the Optima has better specs than the Sonata so ure getting more for the same price.

As ive said on other threads, ill make my decision in April as im targetting the WWR number plate. So ive got another 2 months to make a decision and push off my current 2003 Vios. But so far, the Optima is leading the pack and if it stays that way till April, then that would be my car of choice.

This post has been edited by cybermaster98: Feb 9 2012, 11:31 AM

Which Toyota model did u buy?

all over these years in toyota cars lineup, i only can see Prius C & altis 1.8/2.0 are more generous spec which offer and it does selling brand. Some people is willing pay extra for the brand even get lower spec. If not, why the 'J' spec is introduce into the market?

i am agree with Cybermaster98, i am a Forte 2.0 owner since 2010 and soon to be Optima owner, the Camry spec even cannot compare with my 2.0 Forte Spec in many aspects, speed, pick up, safety, interior and exterior....only its space bigger....i test drived the Mit ASX Upgraded Model last 2 days, also very bad, loud engine, no power, only 3 airbags for 142k car?? back seat is like Viva, Build quality soso, try to open and close the Forte door then you know how good is the quality i said

+1

Any updated specs or info about the Malaysian Camry?

Toyota Camry, my first choice among Accord, Sonata and Teana, but after driven the Teana, I stop thinking more and straight paid the deposit, and already driven my Teana for 3 months, very comfortable, especially the seat like sofa, totally no regret with my purchase. And I want to tell that Nissan service, spare parts is comparable to Toyota.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaOcQ6uhawY&feature=fvwrel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOwhjlQ3Vv0 please come with this specs for malaysia market ....

This post has been edited by michspc: Feb 29 2012, 05:46 PM

Which Toyota did u own before?

have not heard any news on this new camry... probally really hit by thai flooding and japan tsunami....

Toyota seg and first gen Vios, so thinking to get Camry without hesitation, but because of my friend keep telling me the Hyundai Sonata is very nice and lots a power until I tested it, so sorry to tell that Sonata riding quality is still not as good as those japs, even it won damn a lot of awards in us, but I think those reviewer is a bit exaggerated. So I went to test the Accord then and found the Accord is quite bumpy and the noise level also higher. So thinking to back to Toyota showroom to put deposit, and in the middle, I walked past a shop selling magazine and I stopped by and take a car magazine from china to read, and inside the magazine I read the Teana selling very good over there, even beaten the Camry and Accord. Because of this mag, I told my friend that we should visit the Nissan showroom to test the Teana, and at last I purchased the Teana.