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

I agree that Nissan is towards comfort, but the Teana rides and handling is much better then the Toyota Camry, as for the interior design, I quite like it, at least it is not as complicate as the Sonata and Optima, which given me a feeling of "too much" buttons that did not properly place. For Optima K5, actually I have tested it once even the showroom still di not have any test unit, honestly, I felt the interior design for Kia Optima is kinda outdated, just look back the 90s' Camry, it is quite identical if you see carefully the dashboard design. As for the rides and handling, I think you should test drive the Teana again and you will find the difference, people told me that the K5 handling like European cars, but I honestly tell you that I found the Teana rides and handling is the most close to the European cars, maybe it is because Nissan share the platform with Renault, and this Teana platform actually is designed by Renault. Just Nissan tune it to softer side for more comfortable, but not as soft as the Camry. The engine output on paper for K5 actually beaten the Teana hands down for the 2.0, but when you drive it in real world test, the result will be in opposite direction. So please do not bash me or what, I just write out what I have gathered so far for these D-segments vehicle, especially those new K5 owner. And now I'm eager to test the all new Camry and see what Toyota able to improve since it is using back the same platform, engine and gearbox for the 2.0 version.