Toyota Solara Lives to See Another Year

Word came today that Toyota has decided to spare the Camry Solara from the guillotine — at least for one more model year. It had been widely speculated that after the Camry sedan was redesigned for 2007, the Solara would be canceled.

The Solara is, however, Toyota’s only convertible, so the automaker has made a rational decision to stay in the segment. The Solara was last redesigned for 2004, and it’s based on a nearly 7-year-old platform. Without a major redesign coming soon, Toyota’s convertible is at risk of becoming uncompetitive — even against the poorly crafted Chrysler Sebring and Pontiac G6.

There’s no information on the 2009 Solara’s on-sale date, specifications or pricing, but we’ll keep you informed as more information arrives.

This Just In: Solara Lives! (Official Toyota Blog)

Toyota Announces Natural Gas Camry Concept

Toyota is looking to join Honda as the only manufacturers to offer natural-gas-powered consumer products. The maker of the Prius hybrid is going to show off a Camry concept that runs on natural gas at the L.A. auto show in November. Called CNGs — for compressed natural gas – these cars can fuel up at one of only 1,000 refueling stations — only half of which are standard retail pumps — or home-based refueling stations.

CNGs have not proven popular, and the Honda Civic CNG is only sold in two states, New York and California. We’ve driven the CNG Civic and it performs much like its gasoline counterpart. We’re just unsure why natural gas makes sense as an alternative fuel for automobiles when there is much less infrastructure for it than E85. More demand for natural gas will also raise prices for those who heat their homes with natural gas. 

Toyota, however, says that building a natural gas infrastructure now would pave the way for a future hydrogen infrastructure. That’s a concept we hadn’t thought of before.

Cars.com Videos: 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid, 2008 Volvo V70 and More

2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid: This hybrid has a lot going for it, including great gas mileage, at 33/34 mpg city/highway, but Kelsey Mays says there’s a downside to this hybrid: its limited trunk space.

2008 Volvo V70: The redesigned V70’s interior has an upscale finish and lots of safety features, but Kelsey wonders if it’s enough to make you overlook the fact that it’s a station wagon.

2008 Infiniti QX56: This full-size luxury SUV’s 2008 redesign was a step in the right direction, but Mike Hanley says the QX56 still falls short of its main competition, the Cadillac Escalade.

2008 Land Rover LR3: The LR3 is great for off-roading, and its interior quality is good — except for one glaring problem, Joe Wiesenfelder says.

View and share all of Cars.com’s videos via YouTube.

Weekend Athlete: 2008 Toyota Camry XLE

How the heck does Toyota sell so many of these cars when the rear seat doesn’t fold down on half the trim levels? Still, even though the Camry SE and XLE can’t compete in the Weekend Athlete Olympics, they do warrant a look because they’re such common cars.

Before you say it, yes, you could just put a bike rack on it — if you owned the car. I’m really just borrowing it, so that option is out. I don’t think scratches from racks make friends in the world of automotive journalism.

As you will see, though, the Camry comes with a large trunk, though it isn’t large enough for my smallest bike, given how high I need to have my saddle. Shorter folks who run their seat lower might be OK.

2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid: Real-World Mileage

This past weekend I was on assignment in Michigan for Cars.com and PickupTrucks.com, and instead of flying the puddle-jumper distance, I drove 273 miles from my home on the northwest side of Chicago to Romulus, Mich., a southwest suburb of Detroit. This alone isn’t blog-worthy news, but for that entire drive (which is 90% highway) my car estimated that I received 35.7 mpg. It is rated by the EPA at 33/34 mpg city/highway.

Thank you, 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid. “Efficiency” and “comfort” be thy middle names. If I were a little less of a leadfoot I probably could have squeaked out more miles per gallon from the engine. Maybe next time.

Related
Cars.com Hybrid Mileage Challenge

Toyota Corolla Best-Selling Car in the Country, Sort Of

Sales numbers for June are rolling in, and the list of the top 10 sellers in the country has once again shifted. Last month the Honda Civic took the top spot away from the Ford F-150, and now the Toyota Corolla has taken the No. 1 mantle. Before Toyota can claim the spot, though, we must tell readers that Toyota includes Matrix sales along with that Corolla number because they’re built on the same platform.

We don’t agree with that form of accounting, but Toyota’s Camry came in second, so even without the added Matrix sales it still would have come out on top. The Civic slid to third.

Overall sales were down for Ford, GM, Chrysler and Toyota — yes, Toyota — as people start pinching pennies. Many other automakers saw upticks — most significantly Honda, but Kia, Hyundai and Subaru also saw numbers go up. Hyundai sold more than 50,000 vehicles in a month for the first time ever last month, with the Accent, Sonata and Elantra seeing big increases.

Below is the new top 10.

Reader Review of the Week: 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid

As a self-described "car guy," our reader reviewer, "Hoss" decided to buy the most functional car possible for his wife. He chose a 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid because she does a lot of stop-and-go driving in their hometown of Hartford, Conn. Although he has a few gripes, he still finds himself stealing the car from his wife every once in awhile to enjoy the benefits of fuel efficiency. Also, be sure to read our expert review and post your own here.

Best Cash-Back Finds: 5.16.08

There aren’t a lot of big offers this month, despite slow sales in April. Automakers are slowing their production so rows of new cars don’t sit on lots, leading to rebates. However, we have found a trio of new 2008s that are easy to recommend and offer a sizeable amount of cash back.

Many of our past picks still have significant rebates as well, including the 2008 Nissan Sentra, 2008 Hyundai Elantra and 2008 Ford Edge. Check Cars.com's Incentives page for more deals.

2008 Ford Focus sedan
MSRP: $14,755
Cash back: $1,500-$2,000
Percent off MSRP: 10.2% – 13.6%
Expires: 6/2/08
5-Year Ownership Costs

The 2009 Focus coupe was recently unveiled, and we saw minor changes to the exterior of the car. There weren’t any substantial changes to important parts, like the engine, transmission or interior. The Focus was redesigned for 2008 though, so you’re still getting a new design, and we don’t expect Ford to change much about the sedan for ’09. One change to the 2009 coupe that will stick out is a 4.6% price bump. That’s another reason to pick up a 2008 with $1,500 to $2,000 cash back. That’s a significant savings for a reasonably priced car. Plus, you can get Ford’s Sync entertainment system, too.

Toyota's New Four-Cylinder Engine

Buried deep in the Toyota Venza's press materials was news of a 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine Toyota calls "all-new." Toyota remained mum on details, but automotive forecaster CSM Worldwide puts the engine's output at 188 hp. Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong said Tuesday that because the Venza shares components with the Camry sedan and Highlander SUV, the engine would likely find its way into both vehicles down the road. Kwong wouldn't confirm CSM's numbers.

Cars.com Faceoff: 2008 Chevy Malibu, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry

The best-selling cars on the market are always mainstream midsize sedans. The Honda Accord and Toyota Camry top that list almost every month, but now Chevy has hopes that its redesigned Malibu can make some waves in that pool. Cars.com’s Mike Hanley, David Thomas and Joe Wiesenfelder pitted the four-cylinder versions — the most popular engine choice — against each other to find out which one would win without boring the owner at the same time.

Cars.comparison: Family Sedans (Cars.com)