1997 Toyota Camry Interior Review at Automotive.com
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1997 Toyota Camry Review: Interior

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1997 Toyota Camry Review

Polishing the gold standard.
Interior
The interior of the new Camry was designed at the Toyota Technical Center

in the U.S. and it displays a welcome Americanization. You notice the first

difference as soon as you sit in the car: The bottom seat cushion has been

lengthened to better fit long American legs. Plus the seat and seatback

can be adjusted to more positions, fitting a wider range of people.

The Camry LE we tested had a clean, simple dashboard with a low cowl

for good visibility. The white-on-black gauges of the instrument panel

are larger and brighter this year. A low washer fluid light and odometer

with dual trip-meter have been added. The most helpful change has been

to invert the audio and temperature controls, with the more frequently

used audio controls on top.

Several thoughtful amenities have been added. A second power outlet

is located at the bottom on the front console, next to the new built-in

tissue dispenser. The sun visors have extension panels. The front cupholders

now hold 20-ounce bottles, and new rear cupholders can take either juice

boxes or cans. There are numerous new storage cubbies, and the glovebox

is almost 30% larger.

Interior dimensions are slightly larger, particularly in rear legroom,

thanks to the longer wheelbase. The amount of sound-deadening material

has been increased, making an already-quiet interior luxuriously quiet.

The radio antenna has been replaced on all but the CE-level cars by a new

in-glass antenna at the rear that improves reception and reduces wind noise

and carwash damage.

Safety is important to family sedan buyers, and the Camry has received

several improvements in this area. Body structure has been strengthened

thoughout, as have been the rear seatbacks to resist intrusion from objects

in the trunk. The lap belt in the rear center seat has been replaced with

a safer, three-point belt. An integrated child seat is now available on

all cloth-seated models ($125).

Antilock brakes are now standard on all but the four-cylinder CE models,

which is a good deal considering they were an $1100 option last year on

all but XLE models. Traction control is also an option for the first time

on a front-drive Toyota car, available on six-cylinder LE and XLE models

($300). Next Page



1997 Toyota Camry