I drove my mom's car (it's in the title) tonight and I would definately say that the handling is way superior stock to my max stock. Anyways, what are the HP and 0-60 numbers on the Camry? The car seems slower than the max, but I think it is actually quicker. It's kind of hard to explain. It's like you're disconnected from the engine, whereas in the max, if you stomp it, you can feel it in the seat of your pants.

 

190hp and 200ft+/- torque...I think the autos pull low 16's, but I don't think that they made the V6's in 5speed. I guess you could say its comparable to the 5spd VE....

 

My friend has a 92 LE V6 Camry, it's an auto but I took him in my 93 SE twice.. I pulled on his *** mad hard in second gear, especially at 4k RPMs and over.. They are nice cars, my dad wants one, I was considering it when shopping, along with a Legend.. but neither were easy to find for the deal I got on my car.

DA-MAX is about right.. they have 185 or so hp stock, the thing about the Camry that might give it more advantage is the silky smooth auto transmission, my friends Camry has 98k on it, tranny is just beautiful, never shifts hard, u can say smooth as a baby's ***

I've driven that Camry as well, they gain speed smoothly and I think they are more quiet, u don't notice when u are going 40 or 60, my max is very noisy and I can feel every single shift, i can feel the car hesitating between gears and having trouble shifting sometimes.

And I know how you feel about it being slower but quicker... I think it just has a lot to do with the overall feel of a Max compared to it. Max has a stiffer suspension, tight steering, gas pedal has a very rough/tight feel to it and it's just more edgy in general, along with the auto tranny... When the Camry is smoother, quieter, softer, etc.. but they are still quick.. However, I believe they are also heavier then the Max.. I read posts from VG owners who said they raced and beat V6 Camry's..

 

Yeah, they make the Camry V6 with a 5 speed, but not the XLE trim. I think it's only the CE and LE, but don't quote me on that....

I think the Camry feels more disconnected is they are tuned for comfort, and the Max is a 4DSC.....

 

Let me put it this way, I test drove a '93 Camry V6 for a friend and agree it feels a lot smoother than the Max. Between the two, I'd rather own the Max because it's easier to tell when you are stomping on it.

The Camry felt like "he stomped on the gas, uhhhh, let me think about it, go!" Whereas the Max (and some of the firebreathers I have driven) are more like, "He stomped on the gas, let's go!!!"

 

After driving it last night, I would say that everything about the car is smooth. From the minimal body roll, to the auto tranny, to the engine, everything is kind of laid back and relaxed. It is a great car, but not a whole lot of fun to drive. I'll stick with my max and it's body roll, harsh shifting, and seat of the pants engine response.

 

I know one thing the previous gen auto V6 camry's are pretty fast. I believe they had like 185-188hp or something like. At the track I seen one bone stock run consistant 15.8-16.0s all day long. When you say handles better what do you mean? Does the car have a better steering response, less body roll, easier to manuver or does it just rider more comforably?

 

Hmmm, where to start. I drove the car on one of the windiest roads around at the normal 15MPH above the speed limit I did and here is what I noticed:
1. Better steering response.
2. Tremendously less body roll.
3. Better traction.
4. I felt comfortable at this speed whereas in the max I feel a little bit on the edge.

I did forget to mention that my mom's car has 60K miles on it while mine is coming up on 134K miles. So there will be a difference, but in the end I would have to go aftermarket to get the ride of the stock Camry.

 

Are you still on your stock/original suspension? That would/may explain your various compliments of the Camry's suspension. 134,000 miles is alot of milage for you suspension.

 

It's a lot of mileage for a lot of things. Anyways, no part of the suspension has ever been replaced and my mechanic says that the struts aren't leaking. I can tell the suspension is worn out, but it doesn't bother me that much and I don't have the money to do what I want (Intrax, Tokico, Suspension Tech Sway Kit, OBX FSTB).

 

A GXE, with >50k miles, on the original suspension, handles like a POS. The struts are shot. You don't need an external leak for the struts to be worn out. You don't have to do anything fancy to make a GXE handle decent. New struts and replace the worn out rubber bushings would have you buzzing past a Camry. Most of the folks here seem to have high milage, whomped chassis, and have no idea how these cars handled when new.

 

Actually, they did make a 5-speed of that model; it was called the SE. Hit 0-60mph in about 7.3 seconds.

 

I raced an XLE V6 when my car was stock. We raced 3 times and I beat him every run.

 

The 92 and 93 SE V6 had 5sp. Then in 97 & 98, the CE had 5sp. Then they dropped the V6 from the CE line cuz why would someone buy a base model car but pay for the V6? So 99+ had 5sp in the LE's.
Jay

 

My mom has a 96 V6 XLE. It's pretty fast. I agree, the car has an odd power sensation. The engine is so smooth at any RPM and the only thing you hear when you rev it to redline is just a very soft roar and pulls hard when you rev it. Mid-range power is so WOW because it will downshift so fast and get right into the "meat" of the power. It feels very luxurious and smooth. The car is very tight when you drive it around. I agree, this car feels alot better through corners and has less body roll than my sisters 3rd gen Maxima, even with her new struts. Some things I've observed:
Camry downshifts in a heartbeat
Camry has less body roll
Camry is significantly quieter
Camry has a smoother ride but it is still controlled
Camry feels faster than an automatic VG and VE
Maxima has way better steering feel
Maxima has better (louder) sounds
Maxima 3rd gen looks better
Maxima feels roomer
Maxima has faster upshifts
But you are comparing a body style that started in 1989 whereas the Camry in 1992. The 1992-1993 Camry's had a 3.0L 185HP engine. 1994+ had a slightly larger 3.0L 188HP engine and more torque.

BTW, slam the door with the two. You'll instantly know who has the better sound I think Cincy94Max knows this answer.

 

My Sister has a '97 XLE V6 auto and I would have to say it is MUCH quieter than mine, both engine sound wise and wind noise wise. But if you asked me to choose between her 70,000 mile Camry and my 118,000 mile Maxima, I would take mine in a heartbeat. This is not a prejudice answer either. I've been all up on both cars and literally ripped the throttle open on both and tore into turns. My Maxima feel way more powerful and it handles so much better than her car, by the way we both have stock suspension and engines. Bottom line, in my opinion the Maxima reigns superior.