Toyota Camry Solara
Encyclopedia
This page is about the automobile manufactured by Toyota. For other uses, see Solara (disambiguation)
The Toyota Camry Solara, also more commonly known as the Toyota Solara, is a mid-size coupe
/convertible
designed and engineered by Toyota. Created to appeal to a demographic of more sport-minded drivers than those who prefer the Toyota Camry
sedan, the Camry Solara aspires to blend "sporty" looks and style with spacious practicality. The front-wheel drive Camry Solara is supposed to have a more sporty image than the Camry sedan. However, all models of the Camry Solara only feature the "Solara" portion of the name on exterior emblems, and the "Camry" portion of the name is rarely used when referring to the car in general.
Prior to the production of the Camry Solara, the 2-door version of the Toyota Camry was simply known as the Camry Coupé. It was added to the third generation Camry lineup in 1994 to compete with the Honda Accord
and other cars in its class. However, due to it never being nearly as popular as the 4-door sedan of the Camry, the Camry Coupé was dropped in 1997.
In 1999, reviving the goal to compete with other similar coupés, Toyota launched the Camry Solara. Unlike the competing Honda Accord
sedan and the Accord Coupe which are updated at the same time, the Solara's development lags behind of that of the Camry sedan by a couple years. Instead of mirroring the now-fourth generation Camry's appearance, the Solara had its own unique design with a swooped roofline, heavily creased sides, and unique front and rear fascia. The second generation, based on the 2002 Camry sedan, debuted in 2004.
When the Camry
sedan entered its seventh generation, there were no plans to update the Camry Solara to that platform. The Solara sold below expectations, as it inherited the unexciting handling from its Camry parent. Without a major update in the works, that left the Solara underpowered compared to the new iteration of the sedan. The Solara coupe was discontinued after the 2008 model year, though it was rumored that the coupe would be revived in 2010 albeit on a different platform. The Solara convertible, which accounts for the majority of sales, continued to be produced. Then, in June 2009, Toyota announced that the convertible would be discontinued.
and was built at the TMMC
facilities in Cambridge, Ontario
, Canada
. This model featured a 4-cylinder 5S-FE 2.2 L
engine with 135 net HP
(101 kW), and 147 lbft of torque at 4400 rpm, and a V6 1MZ-FE 3.0 L
engine with 200 net HP
at 5,200 rpm (149 kW), and 214 lbft of torque at 4,400 rpm with a 0 to 60 mph of 7.1 seconds, both of which are identical engines to the 4th generation Camry, but slightly revamped to have a small gain in power (2 hp and 6 hp, respectively).
The Toyota Camry Solara is also the first vehicle in the Toyota lineup, after their 1997 partnership agreement to feature a JBL
premium stereo option, which all models came with a single-slot in-dash CD player and cassette deck. The SE models come standard with 15-inch steel rims and hubcaps, upgradable to 15-inch alloy rims. The Sports Package also adds a retuned suspension, perforated leather-wrapped steering wheel, perforated 8-way power-adjustable leather seats, an upgrade to 16-inch alloy rims, retuned steering, minor trim changes and a rear lip spoiler.
In the year 2000, the SE and SLE convertibles are also added to the lineup, and all JBL head units were upgraded to an in-dash 6-disc CD changer with a cassette deck.
The Camry Solara was facelifted in 2002, receiving changes to the grille pattern, taillights, headlights that now feature a 4-bulb system instead of 2, a chrome logo on the steering wheel (instead of an embossed pattern), and smaller fog lights. The trunk is now openable by remote and the wood trim has changed from Oxford Burlwood to Mustard Wood. New packages and options are also offered and include heated leather seats, an Appearance Package that features a 3-spoke steering wheel, leather-wrapped shift knob, black pearl emblems, and a different center cap on the wheels.
Mechanically, the 2.2 L four-cylinder engine was replaced with the same 2.4 L four-cylinder engine offered on the redesigned 2002 Camry, the 2AZ-FE. This new engine was chosen because it features the same gas mileage as the previous engine, except it offers more power and the addition of VVT-i
, a technology that improves performance and reduces emissions. This new engine features 157 hp net at 5,600 rpm, and 162 lbft of torque at 4,000 rpm, up 22 hp from the previous model.
or four-speed automatic transmission
, while the V6 was matched to only a five-speed automatic transmission equipped with a sequential automatic, also known as a Multi-Mode Transmission (MMT)
. Both engines now feature Toyota's VVT-i
technology. The Solara also moved to TMMK
for the second generation model.
In 2006, the four-speed automatic was dropped on the Solara in favor of the five-speed MMT automatic transmission.
In June 2006 a restyled 2007 Solara went on sale. On the SE, rear LED
taillights had been added, spoilers are now standard on all trim lines, with the reverse lights moved into the bumpers. The rear end "SOLARA" badging is now printed in bold uppercase letters as opposed to the previous cursive print. The SE Sport became available with its own unique spoiler; noticeable changes on the front end were smaller foglights, new badging, a slightly redesigned set of headlights and grille. Interior changes include Optitron gauges, blue backlighting in the rest of the car's controls, a new steering wheel design that is somewhat similar to the recently revised Camry SE's steering wheel, revised shifter, MP3
and WMA
CD playback capability, external audio device (e.g. iPod
, Zen
, cassette) auxiliary port connectivity, Bluetooth
connectivity, and voice-activated navigation on the SLE V6 models.
Although it gained a slightly updated appearance, it still retained both engines. Due to the new SAE-Certified testing method, the 4-cylinder model is rated at 155 hp with 158 lbft of torque, and the V6 is rated at 210 hp and 220 lbft of torque, but the output and performance is still the same without mechanical change.
, with their Talbot Solara, a notchback variant of the Chrysler Alpine hatchback developed by Chrysler Europe
before their takeover by Peugeot in 1978. The rights to use the Solara name on a motor vehicle within Europe
remain with Peugeot. From time to time, such names from the past appear on limited edition models. Mitsubishi Australia also used this name on the mid-spec versions of its Mitsubishi Magna
sedan and station wagon
.
Solara (disambiguation)
Solara can refer to:*Solara, a fictional video game character*Mitsubishi Solara, an automobile manufactured by Mitsubishi based on the popular Magna model*Toyota Camry Solara, a model of automobile manufactured by Toyota...
The Toyota Camry Solara, also more commonly known as the Toyota Solara, is a mid-size coupe
Coupé
A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
/convertible
Convertible
A convertible is a type of automobile in which the roof can retract and fold away having windows which wind-down inside the doors, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle...
designed and engineered by Toyota. Created to appeal to a demographic of more sport-minded drivers than those who prefer the Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
sedan, the Camry Solara aspires to blend "sporty" looks and style with spacious practicality. The front-wheel drive Camry Solara is supposed to have a more sporty image than the Camry sedan. However, all models of the Camry Solara only feature the "Solara" portion of the name on exterior emblems, and the "Camry" portion of the name is rarely used when referring to the car in general.
Prior to the production of the Camry Solara, the 2-door version of the Toyota Camry was simply known as the Camry Coupé. It was added to the third generation Camry lineup in 1994 to compete with the Honda Accord
Honda Accord
The Honda Accord is a series of compact, mid-size and full-size automobiles manufactured by Honda since 1976, and sold in a majority of automotive markets throughout the world....
and other cars in its class. However, due to it never being nearly as popular as the 4-door sedan of the Camry, the Camry Coupé was dropped in 1997.
In 1999, reviving the goal to compete with other similar coupés, Toyota launched the Camry Solara. Unlike the competing Honda Accord
Honda Accord
The Honda Accord is a series of compact, mid-size and full-size automobiles manufactured by Honda since 1976, and sold in a majority of automotive markets throughout the world....
sedan and the Accord Coupe which are updated at the same time, the Solara's development lags behind of that of the Camry sedan by a couple years. Instead of mirroring the now-fourth generation Camry's appearance, the Solara had its own unique design with a swooped roofline, heavily creased sides, and unique front and rear fascia. The second generation, based on the 2002 Camry sedan, debuted in 2004.
When the Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
sedan entered its seventh generation, there were no plans to update the Camry Solara to that platform. The Solara sold below expectations, as it inherited the unexciting handling from its Camry parent. Without a major update in the works, that left the Solara underpowered compared to the new iteration of the sedan. The Solara coupe was discontinued after the 2008 model year, though it was rumored that the coupe would be revived in 2010 albeit on a different platform. The Solara convertible, which accounts for the majority of sales, continued to be produced. Then, in June 2009, Toyota announced that the convertible would be discontinued.
Camry Coupé (1994–1997)
See Third generation Camry.First generation/Mark V (1999–2003)
The first generation Camry Solara went on sale in the third quarter of 1998, as a 1999 model to replace the Camry Coupe. It was based on the mechanical platform of the previous generation Toyota CamryToyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
and was built at the TMMC
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. is a Canadian automotive manufacturer and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation...
facilities in Cambridge, Ontario
Cambridge, Ontario
Cambridge is a city located in Southern Ontario at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the City of Galt, the towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair.Galt covers the largest portion of...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. This model featured a 4-cylinder 5S-FE 2.2 L
Litre
pic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...
engine with 135 net HP
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
(101 kW), and 147 lbft of torque at 4400 rpm, and a V6 1MZ-FE 3.0 L
Litre
pic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...
engine with 200 net HP
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
at 5,200 rpm (149 kW), and 214 lbft of torque at 4,400 rpm with a 0 to 60 mph of 7.1 seconds, both of which are identical engines to the 4th generation Camry, but slightly revamped to have a small gain in power (2 hp and 6 hp, respectively).
- 2.2L 5S-FE engine with 135 hp (101 kW), and 147 lbft of torque at 4400 rpm
- 3.0L 1MZ-FE V6 engine with 200 hp at 5,200 rpm (149 kW), and 214 lbft of torque at 4,400 rpm with a 0 to 60 mph of 7.1 seconds
The Toyota Camry Solara is also the first vehicle in the Toyota lineup, after their 1997 partnership agreement to feature a JBL
JBL
JBL is an American audio electronics company currently owned by Harman International. It was founded in 1946 by James Bullough Lansing. Their primary products are loudspeakers and associated electronics. There are two independent divisions within the company — JBL Consumer and JBL Professional...
premium stereo option, which all models came with a single-slot in-dash CD player and cassette deck. The SE models come standard with 15-inch steel rims and hubcaps, upgradable to 15-inch alloy rims. The Sports Package also adds a retuned suspension, perforated leather-wrapped steering wheel, perforated 8-way power-adjustable leather seats, an upgrade to 16-inch alloy rims, retuned steering, minor trim changes and a rear lip spoiler.
In the year 2000, the SE and SLE convertibles are also added to the lineup, and all JBL head units were upgraded to an in-dash 6-disc CD changer with a cassette deck.
Minor model update (2002–2003)
Mechanically, the 2.2 L four-cylinder engine was replaced with the same 2.4 L four-cylinder engine offered on the redesigned 2002 Camry, the 2AZ-FE. This new engine was chosen because it features the same gas mileage as the previous engine, except it offers more power and the addition of VVT-i
VVT-i
VVT-i, or Variable Valve Timing with intelligence, is an automobile variable valve timing technology developed by Toyota, similar in performance to the BMW's VANOS. The Toyota VVT-i system replaces the Toyota VVT offered starting in 24 December 1991 on the 5-valve per cylinder 4A-GE engine. The...
, a technology that improves performance and reduces emissions. This new engine features 157 hp net at 5,600 rpm, and 162 lbft of torque at 4,000 rpm, up 22 hp from the previous model.
Second generation (2004–2009)
The second generation of the Camry Solara was completely redesigned and introduced to the public in 2004 and featured a curvier body, with the option of adding XM radio and/or a navigation system. Based on the platform of the 2002 Camry sedan, the Gen 2 body is heavier than the Gen 1.5 body. The 4 cylinder is a carryover of the first mid generation's engine, and the larger available engine was the new 3.3 L V6 rated at 225 net hp at 5,600 rpm (168 kW) and 240 lbft of torque at 3,600 rpm with a 0-60 mph of 6.9 seconds, with a quarter mile of 15.50 seconds at 93.5 mi/h. With the four-cylinder engine you could choose a five-speed manualManual transmission
A manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
or four-speed automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
, while the V6 was matched to only a five-speed automatic transmission equipped with a sequential automatic, also known as a Multi-Mode Transmission (MMT)
Manumatic
Manumatic is a portmanteau of the words manual and automatic, that applies to a class of automotive transmissions.Manumatic refers to an automatic transmission that allows convenient driver control of gear selection. This type of transmission was introduced in the 1990s...
. Both engines now feature Toyota's VVT-i
VVT-i
VVT-i, or Variable Valve Timing with intelligence, is an automobile variable valve timing technology developed by Toyota, similar in performance to the BMW's VANOS. The Toyota VVT-i system replaces the Toyota VVT offered starting in 24 December 1991 on the 5-valve per cylinder 4A-GE engine. The...
technology. The Solara also moved to TMMK
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, Inc. is an automobile manufacturing factory in Georgetown, Kentucky, USA. It is part of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America , owned by Toyota Motor Company of Japan....
for the second generation model.
In 2006, the four-speed automatic was dropped on the Solara in favor of the five-speed MMT automatic transmission.
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
taillights had been added, spoilers are now standard on all trim lines, with the reverse lights moved into the bumpers. The rear end "SOLARA" badging is now printed in bold uppercase letters as opposed to the previous cursive print. The SE Sport became available with its own unique spoiler; noticeable changes on the front end were smaller foglights, new badging, a slightly redesigned set of headlights and grille. Interior changes include Optitron gauges, blue backlighting in the rest of the car's controls, a new steering wheel design that is somewhat similar to the recently revised Camry SE's steering wheel, revised shifter, MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
and WMA
Windows Media Audio
Windows Media Audio is an audio data compression technology developed by Microsoft. The name can be used to refer to its audio file format or its audio codecs. It is a proprietary technology that forms part of the Windows Media framework. WMA consists of four distinct codecs...
CD playback capability, external audio device (e.g. iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
, Zen
Creative Zen
The Creative ZEN is a range of digital audio players and portable media players made by Creative Technology. The players evolved from the now-defunct NOMAD brand through the NOMAD Jukebox series...
, cassette) auxiliary port connectivity, Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
connectivity, and voice-activated navigation on the SLE V6 models.
Although it gained a slightly updated appearance, it still retained both engines. Due to the new SAE-Certified testing method, the 4-cylinder model is rated at 155 hp with 158 lbft of torque, and the V6 is rated at 210 hp and 220 lbft of torque, but the output and performance is still the same without mechanical change.
Use of model name
The name Solara was previously used on a motor vehicle by PeugeotPeugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
, with their Talbot Solara, a notchback variant of the Chrysler Alpine hatchback developed by Chrysler Europe
Chrysler Europe
Chrysler Europe was a division of the Chrysler Corporation that operated between 1967 and 1979.-Formation:In the 1960s, Chrysler sought to become a world producer of automobiles. The company had never had much success outside North America, contrasting with Ford's worldwide reach and General...
before their takeover by Peugeot in 1978. The rights to use the Solara name on a motor vehicle within Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
remain with Peugeot. From time to time, such names from the past appear on limited edition models. Mitsubishi Australia also used this name on the mid-spec versions of its Mitsubishi Magna
Mitsubishi Magna
The Mitsubishi Magna was a mid-size car offered between May 1985 and September 2005 by Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited . Manufactured at the Tonsley Park assembly plant, Magna spanned three generations before being replaced by the Mitsubishi 380...
sedan and station wagon
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
.