You cannot deny that Toyota has a winning formula with the Camry. It outsells just about everything else in the world because it provides good economy, reliability, is conservatively styled, and offers decent safety. On a pure "by the numbers" approach, who wouldn't buy one? But for some, the emotional aspects of driving a performance driven brand with some style is worth the extra maintenance and costs associated with a highly tuned machine. To each, his or her own. Not everyone needs, wants, or can afford an X or other luxury make.

We always forget that we gearheads make up only 10% of the driving public. Road feel and fun matters to us. Most everyone else does not want to deal with a cam sensor that faults. Window regulators that blow after 50K miles or 4 years, which ever comes first. Fuel senders that suddenly stop working and cost $400 a piece. Most people want a realiable car that will get them from point A to point B.

We all want a big freakin smile on our freakin faces when we arrive and that is the difference.

bingo

I tried my level best to love a perfectly competent brand new Accord EX-V6. It made so much sense...it just left me cold. It had bits and pieces of excitement baked into it in places, but not enough bits and pieces in enough places to light my fire. It is a great car for 90% of car buyers. It paled in comparison to any BMW, or at least any BMW I've ever owned.

A Camry/Corolla/Accord is a great car to recommend to your sister-in-law who buys one new car per decade, or to a colleague who justs wants Point A to Point B transport and wants to do just that for 200,000 miles, but they aren't for everyone. I had my Accord exactly four months before I found my X5, my second one, and I never looked back. My wife, however, loves her new Civic Si. And this is a woman who has owned a V8 S4, a twin-turbo S4, several hairy-chested V8 pony cars...the list goes on. Different strokes, right?

Mike

ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..... not very interesting to look at or drive, but a ton quality and reliability for the buck.

I get careless with driving Toyota products cuz they're so boring to drive, it seems like everything else is more important: picking out the right CD, adjusting the radio, staring at that M3 next to me.......