2007 Toyota Solara Review

Specifications

Elderly Express?

I live in a particular suburb thats gained quite a reputation for being an area preferred by the relatively affluent elderly. Weve several drugstores nearby, a disproportionate amount of bookstores, and our local hardware store is dominated by its gardening department. In keeping with this geriatric theme, the local roads are populated by a wide array of luxury sedans, and walking through the grocery store parking lot usually involves dodging more than a few luxury cars from the likes of Cadillac, Mercedes, and even Maserati; usually piloted by folks old enough to remember when cutting a rug didnt involve scissors. But as with any general population, there are always a few rabble-rousers; that small bunch that likes to go against the grain and break from society. Easily spotted by their choice of two-doored conveyances, the local rebels prefer Lexus comfy SC 430, as well as Bentleys Continental GT and Jaguars XK convertible. But those are pricey cars, and folks without the means of procuring such exotic machinery are those that bring us to the topic at hand: Toyotas Solara.

By far the most numerous two-door car in my little suburb, Toyotas Solara has been a popular choice among the areas residents. Comfortable, sensible, and practical, it has all the earmarks of an excellent coupe, and as of 2007, it also sports a fresh new face. Restyled front stem to stern, the 2007 Solara sports a plethora of changes, with the most noticeable being the obvious body enhancements. My tester, a lustrous metallic grey 2007 Solara V6 Sport Coupe, came fully equipped on the outside with the brand-spankin new (and decidedly un-geriatric-looking) body kit and spoiler package that, while admittedly looking like a stick-on job, was fitted with all the proper rubber gaskets to ensure that the point where the new tacked-on body panels met the sheetmetal appeared sufficiently OEM. The only real complaint about the body kit pertains to the two chin-mounted lips on the corners of the front end: while high enough to clear most low curbs, theyre too low to clear those oh-so-common taller ones, making parking in some stalls an almost harrowing experience.

Beyond the body kit, the new models visual enhancements are rather minor, with new fog lights out front (that most wont even notice) set into a revamped bumper that also houses HID headlights particular to my testers SE Sport V6 trim level. As with most HID headlight systems, the Solaras come with a leveling feature, with the key difference being that the Solaras HIDs require manual adjustment of the beams height. In an age when automatically adjusted headlights are the norm, the Solaras system seems a little archaic and in dire need of an upgrade. On the other hand, the 2007 Solaras LED taillights are strikingly modern, and give the car a very upscale look at night. Given even Toyotas own luxury brand (Lexus, for those of you that have only recently emerged from beneath your rock - by the way, congratulations on that) has yet to adopt LED taillights across their line, to find them on the back of every Solara is downright impressive. I wish I could say the same about the rear spoiler; looking suspiciously like that found on the old Lexus SC 400, the trunk-mounted wing is blessedly low-key, however it does add a certain boy-racer flair to an otherwise semi-stately car. It didnt help that my testers wing was a different shade of metallic grey than the rest of the car, mind you.

Underneath that aforementioned wing and above the rear bumpers apparently empty exhaust tip cutout (yes, there is an exhaust pipe back there, its just recessed about 6 inches too far inward) lies one of the cars best features: the trunk. Massive, easily loaded with garage sale finds, and with the capability of expanding into the cabin courtesy of the folding rear seats, the mammoth cargo bay is part of why the Solara retains the same wheelbase as the four-doored previous generation Camry its based on. The other reason it doesnt fit in short parallel parking spaces are the rear seats: comfortable, and with their own little storage bins and cupholders, they are positioned far back enough to allow for a decent amount of room regardless of the drivers inseam length. Being 6-foot-1 myself, I heard nary a complaint from the similiarly-sized aft passengers throughout the test period, although getting in and out of the back was hampered by the relatively small maze-like opening created by the short-slide front seats and their seatbelts (which are suspended on these arm thingies that do a great job of jabbing your passengers in the head while they clamber in and out).

Of course, as the driver, I never had any trouble swinging into the Solaras well-placed front seats. The long, narrow doors and derriere-height seats meant getting in was as easy as opening the door and sitting down, which, as simple as it sounds, isnt a quality often found in coupes; most are low enough to require an entry approach that involves throwing oneself recklessly over a wide sill to fall into a low seat. No doubt that ease of ingress and egress has contributed to the Solaras success amongst my shuffleboard-playing neighbors, but some credit should also be given to the excellent driving position that places the pedals and steering wheel in the perfect spots for extended cruising. Likewise, the controls; both steering-wheel and center-stack mounted, are easily manipulated, and all are clearly marked and quite large so as to be as arthritis-friendly as possible.

Above those simplistic radio and HVAC controls lives an attractive series of pods housing various information readouts ranging from fuel economy to the time, while below lies one of the Solaras storage bins. A healthy-sized cubby that also houses the auxiliary input for the stereo; its perfect for MP3 players, allowing you to plug in your iPod and conceal the whole shebang behind the poke-and-open door, which in my tester was unfortunately twisted, recessing the passenger side of the door into the opening. It didnt affect the usability of the storage bin, but it did bug me all week. Likewise, one joint on the drivers side of the center console butted up poorly, jutting out insolently while the same joint on the other side mated up perfectly.

Once Id come to terms with the various fit and finish issues and had settled into the power adjustable (with lumbar support now!) drivers seat it was time to actually get down to business and decipher what makes this car the steed of choice for the geriatric ranks. Turning the key gave me one big hint: the quietness. With a slight murmur from below the hood, my Sport V6s 3.3 liter lump awoke with nary a sound. Sliding the 5-speed shifter into the drive position was equally undramatic, and pulling away simply confirmed my sneaking suspicion that the Solara is about as far from a sports coupe as one can get. Delivering a whisper-quiet 210 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 220 ft-lbs of torque at 3,600 rpm, the 2007 Solara V6 is actually less powerful than the 2006 model, which possessed 15 more horsepower and 20 more ft-lbs of torque according to Toyotas own information. The result is a predictably underwhelming car that responds reasonably well off the line but runs out of steam at freeway speeds. Shifting the 5-speed manumatic into sport mode does little to improve the situation, and highway passing maneuvers are best executed after dropping the transmission into Sport (which immediately drops the transmission into fourth) and then tugging the shifter rearward to drop it into third. Not exactly an enjoyable task, the wheezy six protests with a raspy exhaust note but it does surge ahead begrudgingly.

The handling is no more sporting; with the stock tires howling in protest at even the slightest aggressive tendency. Leaning heavily towards understeer, the Solaras handling could never be described as neutral and Id hazard a guess that swinging the back end out around a corner would take either liberal use of the center-console mounted handbrake (hey, its there for a reason, right?) or an act of the almighty.

However, as much as the stock 215/55 R17 tires may struggle to maintain their grip on the earths crust at even moderate speeds, the Solara makes up for its unsporting behavior by being one of the most comfortable coupes around. Soaking up the bumps with a traditional MacPherson strut setup, the Camry-based coupe floats over all but the biggest bumps without complaint, leaving its occupants completely unruffled. The power rack and pinion steering is appropriately light, and maneuvering the Solara through the local lawn bowling clubs parking lot is an effortless exercise requiring only two fingers to complete.

Which exemplifies why this car is so popular amongst my older and wiser neighbors. Comfortable, quiet, and above all easy to use, the Solara is a unique automobile that focuses more on the drive than the act of driving. While other coupes may be more sporting, theyre also more demanding. The Solara, on the other hand, is content to cruise smoothly along and let the driver kick back, relax, and enjoy the scenery. Sure, it wont set your hair on fire with blistering 0-60 times, and no, it wont amaze you with its roadholding ability, but on a fine Sunday morning with nothing on the docket but a rousing game of bocci, well, there may be no better car.