2005 Corolla XRS or Camry SE V6?

2005 Corolla XRS or Camry SE V6?

I have pretty much narrowed down my car choices to these two, after I get rid of my existing Camry. I love the size of the Camry- nice and big, it's also a great looking car in SE trim, the V-6 is awesome, Toyota quality, drives pretty sporty for a Camry, ect. I just wish they'd offer the sequential shifter from the Solara when the 2005 Camry comes out. The Corolla XRS is smaller but has a manual and would be more fun to drive, a little bit better on gas, a bit more appropriate for my age, again, toyota quality, ect.

Of the two, money not being an object, which would you take?

just FYI, this is my existing car-









Since then I've added new white faced gauges, a remote start and keyless entry/alarm, rear sway bar, front strut mount, and clear corners at the back. I'll take new pics sometime soon...

-Michael-

haha i think if u wanna be a bit more sporty, yet save gas, go for XRS. if u wanna juss cruise, chill...make ure ladies comfortable, go w/ camry. but ideally for my age...and height, id get XRS haha. then for sure when i get older, i'd go w/ a bigger car

I believe the XRS will only come spec'd as a manual. The Camry's V6 is the same motor (3.3 L V6) that shows up in the Lexus ES300 and R30 and is only available in Automatic form. Your choice comes down to whether you want a large, comfortable cruiser, or a sportier, smaller, row-the-gears-yourself, car.

Personally, my commute takes me over rough potholed roads. If it were me, I'd choose the Camry... since it has a longer wheelbase (smoother ride) and can easily swallow four golf bags with no sweat! A plus is the seat are waaaaay better than the current Corolla. I haven't had a chance to sit in the Corolla XRS, but if they're anything like the regular Corolla, they suck.

Definitly XRS. I think that is going to be alot faster then the camry, but then again, I dont know for sure.

I'd go w/ the XRS, but i'm the type of person who could give 2 shits less about comfort and luxuriousness. Driving is fun to me, and not a chore..........Put a 6 speed in my hands and I'm happy.

See, I'm 16 and about 6'1"- 6'2" maybe. The Corolla is already a tight fit for me, and I'm not done growing yet. The only real problem is the limited legroom. It gets difficult for me just to drive an automatic Corolla since I wear a size 14 shoe...the pedals are so close together and I can't imagine trying to step on the clutch AND the brake! I think I'd rather have the ability to mash the throttle and instantly have that torque kick in, than say have to rev into near redline to get moving (2ZZ-GE). It's just going to depend on scholarship money and saved money...LoL... I also like to have room for friends and my stuff, which the Camry would be better at. Not to mention that TRD has said that the S/C for the 3MZ-FE is supposed to make about 340HP when it's released :twisted:

-Michael-

As for speed, it's probably a tossup. The new Solara has been clocked at about 7.0-7.1 0-60 and I haven't seen a test with the new Camry in it. Considering that the Camry is a few pounds heavier, I'd bet it's 0-60 would be 7.2-7.3 seconds. The stock corolla is like 8.0 seconds 0-60 but with an extra gear and the additional HP, I'd bet it could snap off 0-60 in 7.4-7.5 or so.

The SE V-6 is about 15.3 lbs per HP, and the XRS is about 15.7 lbs per hp. so the Camry gets the nod (by a hair) for power to weight ratio.

-Michael-

id deffinately go with the corolla XRS. Definately would rather have that 6 spd. i love to drive and control the car myself. altho that camry is appealing but thatyll be a car for when im old and lazy.

The Acura RSX Type S (in the same price league as a Camry SE V6) gets to 60 mph in about 6.0-6.2 seconds. The RSX (not XRS) handles better than either the XRS or Camry SE and also sports one of the best gearbox/clutch setups. If I was in the market, I'd spring for an RSX Type S.

i'd get a celica gt-s over rsx type s. iono cuz maybe im juss a toyota guy haha and the celica looks sleeker. but dont get me wrong. i think rsx are cool too.

I'd go for a Camry V6 SE... instant torque compared to the XRS.. where the party doesn't start until past 6000 rpm. In the Camry 6000 RPM is already redline or close to it and be pushing 225 hp and 240lb tq. Plus the Camry is much more confortable. I find my friends V6 LE camry is more solidly built than my corolla.. and that 5 spd tranny is SMOOTH... Just my $0.02

Honestly, I probably wouldn't buy either of them. I'm 6'2" and wear a size 12 myself so I understand your legroom problems with the corolla. The 2ZZ is a fun little engine, but I still feel that the powerband is too narrow, having to keep the engine over 6k just to make power can get kind of old if you have to do it everyday although the damn things sounds so good at full lift, but I can't really judge the car until I get in one. As for the camry, I believe there is a reason that it is the number one selling car in the country and that it is bought mostly by the over 40 crowd. The camry is the least offensive car I can think of and probably has one of the most detached rides i've ever felt(or didn't feel), power delivery is nice and smooth and torque is always nice, but the thing just isn't fun to drive, it has no personality. That perfectly describes what the majority of camry buyers want, and if you want a nice smooth, solid car than the camry is a good choice, just don't let the power numbers fool you into thinking its some kind of sports car i'm tired of hearing about all this kids that kill themselves because they think their damn accord is a sports car. If you're looking for a compromise between the xrs and the camry, you might want to consider a Mazda 6, or the rsx as bimmernut suggested(and I say this even though I passionatly dislike honda). As for the celica, I think the chassis is great but I still feel the car is overpriced for what it is. All in all I think you should go out and drive as many cars as possible until you find something that fits your driving style (and big shoes) and research, research, research. Toyota is solid, but there are lots of other nice cars out there especially for the '05 model year. Happy hunting.