2006 Toyota Solara V6 SE Review
Date Posted: August 2,2006
Introduction
I
had the opportunity to drive the new
2006 Toyota Solara today. A friend had it as a loaner car and so I got
to spend some time behind the wheel, and in the passengers seat. This was a
beautiful, stylish black car.
My inital thoughts were "Wow, this is a BIG car". My second impression was "Did it start?". This car is so unbelievably quiet, I almost re-started the car. I looked down at the tachometer and sure enough, it was running.
On the road, this car handles the straight road with total confidence. On one freeway on-ramp, I was going a little too fast and had to cut my speed down a bit. When entering the freeway, I put the pedal down and held it there. The 3.3L V6 engine didn't roar and make a fuss, it just propelled the car like it should. The car wasn't quite the rocket I was expecting, but that's no big deal. This car is fast enough for how most people would drive. This isn't a race car.
Likes
- Quiet cabin
- Sporty styling
- Steering-wheel mounted controls
- Cavernous trunk
- Adjustable driver's seat
- Highway mileage - 39MPG (Imp. Gallons)
- Did I mention it is quiet?
Dislikes
- Acceleration (hey, the car is big)
- Headroom
- Overall size when parking
Conclusion
The Toyota Solara V6 SE is a great choice if you're in the market for an upscale touring coupe. It would be nice to have the torque of a V8 under the hood, but the car moves just fine without it. The mileage for this size of car is phenomenal. It is a great buy if you're shopping in this car class. I have never owned a Toyota, but if I had $34,000 CDN to spare, this would be in my garage.