Looking at new Camry or Corolla for the wife. Primarily to putz around suburbia.

On paper, Corolla SE (want disk brakes all around and hubcap-less wheels) seems sufficient but concerned about pick up and the CVT transmission. She doesn’t drive fast but I want decent pick up to smoothly merge into traffic.

Camry LE seems good and more powerful (but only a 4 cylinder). No real cons yet other than maybe larger and more expensive than we need or want. I think the price delta is about $2-4K.

Anybody have experience with the 2018’s?

I would really look hard at a Mazda3 instead of either of those, but if you were really set on Toyota, the Corolla seems like it would be fine.

had a 2016 Camry 4 banger for a rental while out of town,

plenty of pep, plenty of room, and overall a nice sedan

rode in a coworkers 2016 or so Corolla (maybe a 17,,not sure)
don't know if it is a CVT or not, but it rode well and was peppy when he stood on it,

does it have to be new? you can usually find good deals on Camry ex-fleet or lease cars a year or so old,

Currently driving a 2015 Mazda3 4-door sedan. Love it, lots of power (Sports Grand Touring trim) with a lot of features usually not found on compact vehicles (radar-guided cruise control, auto headlights, blind spot monitoring, backup camera, etc).

My previous car was a 2005 Toyota Camry LE. Loved it too, it was my first car.

If you want a family-sized sedan, a Camry is hard to beat. If you want a small daily commuter, I would recommend the Mazda3 but get a 5-door (hatchback) since the trunk on my Mazda3 4-door feels really small, especially coming from a Camry as my last vehicle.

we had both as a rental during the time our RS was in the shop. I was not impressed with either. To tell you the truth, the lil Huyndai that we picked up as our third rental during the 3 months with out the rs was our favorite of the 3. heads and tales above.

I would also recomend the mazda 3 4door. Or even a Focus ST over either of the toyotas

Got my son a 2011 Camry LE for college (only had 20k miles on it) and its been a terrific vehicle. No issues to report and it gets very good fuel economy.

Another nod for the Mazda 3, great little car especially the hatchback.

RE: Corolla with CVT.
Not sure about your concern. Did the one you tried seem reluctant to get going? Subaru has the best CVT programming I've experienced.

CVT does take a bit different driving style, but the additional economy and reliability is worth it

I had a Corolla a couple of cars ago. It is a decent car. Pretty comfortable for its size, and it has plenty of power for normal driving. It is no race car, of course, but you won't be lagging behind on the on ramps. Mine had a conventional auto, but the CVT ought to help get a little quicker response out of the engine.

I also suggest looking at a Mazda. Mazda gives you some nice features over Toyota and Honda. They are also a little more fun to drive.

I have had a 2016 Camry SE two years no issues. Its a 6sp 4 cylinder plenty of pep. I have rented a Corolla twice nice car but prefer the added size of the Camry for everyday use. Honda is a bit nicer but also a bit more in price. Also having a local dealer helps.

On our recent trip to Tampa to procure a car for our youngest daughter, We drove both Toyota Corolla's and Honda Civic's.

Hands down, the Civic won, quieter all around, far less engine noise, and a smoother ride, buy once, cry once.

The Camry is the ultimate car for the "gray man."

It makes zero negative impressions. In fact, it makes no impressions at all.

Someone could be a billionaire and drive a Camry and people would just say, "He didn't get to be a billionaire by wasting his money!"

Someone else could be dead broke and drive a brand new Camry and people would just say, "That's a very practical choice, will probably last him forever."

If you see 4 adults climb out of one, no judgment. If you see two car seats strapped to the back, no judgment. See someone driving to work in one, no judgment. Park it at the airport, at the Ritz, at the strip club, or the dive bar, it just kinda fits in.

The Camry is the default by which all other cars are measured. If I ever needed another car to just putz around in with no particular need or desire, the Camry would be it.

'12 Corolla here. My second, the first was an '03.

Plenty zippy enough for the superslabs, drove mine to Michigan and back last summer on I90 going out and I80 coming back. No problems keeping up, still turned in 35+ MPG.

Not all that comfortable for all day drives tho. For a commuter, I think it'd be hard to beat. Never driven or ridden in the Mazda or Honda so can't speak to comparisons.

Edit: Drove a rental V6 Camry for a couple of days while my Tundra was in for a recall. Can't say I noticed a heck of a lot of difference in either comfort or driveability from the Corolla.

I just bought a 2011 Camry LE with under 95K miles for $7K. No way would I buy a new car, throwing too much money away initially. I’m a girthy guy and the Toyota’s feel roomier than Honda equivalents. We chose the Camry over the Corolla because it was bigger, still gets 33mpg and really the Corolla didn’t have any overwhelming advantage over the Camry unless you just must have a small car. A buddy of mine has one 10years old with 294K miles on it and all he has ever done to it is routine maintenance. My FILs home health nurse has over 500K miles on his. Japs can build a 4 banger!

IMO there is a big difference between the Camery and Corolla with the Camery edging it out on every front except MPG (non Hybird) and price point. If you can afford the Camery I say go for it. More comfortable ride and amenities depending on trim level. Resale will also be better if that's a concern. They will both give you well over 200,000 miles provided maintenance is kept up.

I've had two Camerys and my son had a Corolla. We also had two Honda Accords.

2010 Camry owner here. We bought this vehicle new, have only put 62K miles on it.

New tires a couple years ago,,full brake job last year, oil changes every 5-6K, and add gasoline have been my only expenses for it.

Wife has 2009 auto Corolla base edition. Gets 30 mpg. It uses oil, have to add 1 qt every 2000 miles. Had to get the hood and roof repainted last year. Per the paint shop it was a paint failure. Contacted Toyota and they said it was out of warranty. Just my experience.

I don't think these two models compete very often. Corolla owners generally step up to the Camry. The Corolla would get slightly better gas mileage and the Camry would win most other comparisons.

I sold my Camry to a Toyota Tech, it had 180K of hard but well maintained miles on it...it was a great car!

My daughter has a 2015 Camry. It's been a good car. We actually drove it for a year while my daughter was deployed, and enjoyed it both on the road and around town. Plenty of creature comforts.

I've got a 12 year old Matrix (Corolla wagon basically) and it's fine. 1.6L and it gets me into 75 MPH traffic at the onramp no problem. I just had to get used to revving at higher rpm (had 8 cylinder vehicles before). It's been pretty reliable.