What does driving the 2016 Toyota Camry Special Edition have in common with building a new house? When you’re having a new house built, one of the more interesting and expensive decisions you need to make surrounds the quality of padding under your carpet. You learn that the thickness and density adds to longevity of the carpet, among other benefits.
Once I stepped onto the carpet getting into the driver’s seat of this blue streak metallic-colored mid-size sedan with dark blue interior trim, I knew the designers and engineers chose high quality flooring.
This Special Edition has benefited from Toyota’s decision to include special carpeting materials in the Camry as part of its efforts to reduce floor-panel vibration and noise penetration through the floor, facilitating a quieter and smoother ride. The extra cushion under my feet felt unusual, but comfortable. Really comfortable. I had a good time tapping my feet even when no music was playing. It was a good feeling.
We can tell immediately when we walk into someone’s home if they have chosen to invest in quality flooring. What we don’t know is if this level of investment extends throughout the home. We wonder if the owner is cutting corners somewhere else? Yes, nosy, nosy. I wondered the same in my test drive of this 178-horse powered 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine with six-speed automatic transmission.
More of a sporty ride than recent years, this five-seater, features Special Edition sport fabric SoftTex, 18-inch Special Edition machined-finish alloy wheels with gloss-black painted accents, power/tilt moonroof, sport-tuned suspension, color-keyed rear spoiler, and a chrome-tipped exhaust and smoke tail light. The interior offers a push button start, leather-trimmed steering wheel with audio.
Safety features included 10 airbags and whiplash-injury-lessening front seats. This Special Edition features 8-way power driver seat with lumbar support and 60-40 split folding seats with cargo access. The view from the back-up camera came through just fine on the seven-inch touch screen display. After quick review of quality features, the Special Edition has satisfied my “nosy” curiosity.
For those purchasing one of the 12,000 units of this Special Edition, passers by will be able to identify you through the exterior Special Edition badge. Passengers, if they aren’t already in concert with you, will ask you why you’re tapping your feet when the music is not playing.
2016 Toyota Special Edition Camry: MSRP: $25,715; Combined City/Highway MPG: 28.
