First introduced as a 2000 model, the Toyota Camry Solara convertible became an instant favorite of mine.
What’s not to like about a vehicle that’s based on the best-selling Camry and combines Toyota quality and affordability with the ability to carry four adults comfortably in an open-air atmosphere?
I’ll tell you what’s not to like. It’s the added-on TRD performance package that came with the red-flame 2001 Solara convertible I recently tested.
The premise is good. Dealer-added TRD packages — TRD stands for Toyota Racing Development — are now available on a wide range of vehicles, from the Corolla and Celica cars to the Tacoma and Tundra trucks, adding sportier looks and/or sportier rides.
The best thing is that these parts come with a full warranty from Toyota, unlike those you get on the after-market.
In this case, our Solara convertible came with nearly $8,000 in enhancements (not counting the cost of dealer installment) that include body panels, different tires and wheels, a sport strut, lowered springs, a super-charger and a sport muffler. That means the TRD version of the Solara SLE V-6 convertible costs nearly $40,000.
Before I put the key in the slot I was impressed. The Solara convertible, like its sibling Solara coupe, doesn’t stray far from its Camry heritage. That means it’s a very conservatively styled vehicle. The TRD stuff improves on that theme, with streamlined front and rear body panels, neat-looking 17-inch wheels and a more pronounced muffler. And the lowered suspension (about 1.25 inches) gives the car a more aggressive, ready-to-ride stance.
It didn’t take long on the road, however, for my sweet first impression to sour.
I did like the super-charger part of the package. Gary Reed, TRD’s senior manager for sales and marketing, said it adds up to 70 horsepower and 62 pound-feet of torque to the normal Solara V-6, which is rated at 198 horsepower and 212 pound-feet of torque. The difference feels (and drives) substantial. Acceleration is brisk, almost sports-car-like.
But unless you own your own paving company, I can’t imagine this car would be much of a kick.
That’s because the suspension part of the upgrades, and I use that term loosely, ruins the whole thing. Instead of improving the handling, it makes a mockery of what Toyota’s engineers intended for this mainstream machine.
This is the roughest ride of any car that I’ve driven in recent years. As opposed to the tight cars that I’ve really loved — Porsches, BMWs and even Toyota’s own Lexus IS 300 come to mind — this one is simply bone-rattling.
You don’t notice it on smooth patches of highway, but how many of those really exist these days? Any railroad track, any highway or bridge connector, any pothole — and it’s cover-the-kidneys time. The car hits hard and shakes, rattles and rolls.
Even worse, and this is the theory of a non-engineer here, is what the effect is on the Solara’s convertible top.
Convertible technology and engineering has advanced so much in recent years that these cars now offer quiet rides when the top is raised. Sure, it’s noisier than if you were in a coupe or sedan, but the world outside is definitely left outside.
On the Solara test car, I had trouble getting the easy-to-raise roof to close completely. Well, that’s not exactly right. It seemed to close fine, and it’s two latches snapped easily into place. But when I drove at 30 mph, lots of air got in, making it sound like a mini-tornado inside. At highway speeds and beyond, it was a full-fledged hurricane-like noise level.
With the top down, that part of the driving experience improved, but the hard-as-nails suspension remained a constant irritant.
Lots of owners swear by — and not at — their TRD Toyotas, so I’m willing to give the next one that rolls by a chance, but this Solara convertible was just TRD (Too Rough to D e).
