TOKYO (AP) -- Toyota's top-quality reputation is tarnished these days because of a rash of safety recalls. But that's not stopping the Toyota Camry from outselling all other cars in the country.
In fact, sales this calendar year of the Camry, a perennially popular family sedan over the years, total nearly 190,000 and are up 2.8 percent through the first seven months of 2010 compared with the year-earlier period.
I found out why when a woman in a parking garage elevator wanted to know how I liked the new, 2010 Camry she saw me driving. She quickly confirmed she's a Toyota loyalist and had fond memories of her old, durable Camry. She was driving a Lexus now, having moved up to Toyota's luxury brand.
She clicked off many positive attributes of the Camry: It's attractive in a mainstream kind of way, easy to settle into and drive and comfortable to ride in. Basically, it's a no-fuss car that fits busy households.
And for years, the Camry has been a sedan known as a smart buy because of its popularity, reliability and class-leading quality. For 2010, the "smart buy" label may be appropriate for some new reasons.
A new four-cylinder engine boosts horsepower from 158 in the 2009 Camry to at least 169 in the 2010 model. The four banger also provides improved fuel mileage -- up 1 mile per gallon in government ratings in both city and highway travel for a combined rating of 26 mpg with automatic transmission.
In addition, starting retail prices for base 2010 Camrys are lower than those of some major competitors, plus Toyota has been generous this year with sales incentives. Specifically, the front-wheel drive, base, 2010 Camry has a starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, of $20,155 with manual transmission and 169-horsepower, 2.5-liter four cylinder. With automatic transmission, the lowest-priced 2010 Camry starts at $21,205.
In comparison, the 2010 Ford Fusion, another mid-size family sedan, has a starting retail price of $20,420 with manual transmission and 175-horsepower four cylinder. The lowest-priced Fusion with automatic has a $21,295 retail price, including MSRP and destination charge. The competing Honda Accord sedan starts at $21,805 with manual transmission and 177-horsepower four cylinder and $22,605 with automatic. But the newly styled-for 2011 Hyundai Sonata starts lower than all of them -- $19,915 -- and has much more four-cylinder horsepower, 198.
All Camrys come with air conditioning, power windows and door locks, cruise control, 16-inch wheels, traction control, electronic stability control and steering wheel-mounted audio controls.
But I was surprised at the amount of tire and wind noise that the test Camry, an LE automatic, let into the passenger compartment. The ride was smooth and bumps were kept away from passengers. But the Camry didn't seem as insulated against outside sounds as I expected.
The 2010 Camry comes with slightly revised styling. So the grille and front air dam on the test car were bolder than that on the 2009 predecessor, and headlights were a bit larger, though I had to park next to an earlier Camry to really see that change clearly.
At the back, the 2010 Camry has restyled taillamps with light-emitting diodes providing bright brake lights. All in all, the look is neither jarring nor emotive and contrasts with more modern designs as seen on the 2011 Hyundai Sonata.
For a total price of $22,660, the test Camry LE had good-looking fabric seats that held me nicely in place, though the car wasn't sporty enough for exciting driving through mountain twisties. There was noticeable body sway and weight transfer from side to side during those kinds of maneuvers and steering felt a bit numb.
The lack of a "road car" feel in the Camry LE, however, did not diminish the pleasing performance of the new four-cylinder engine. It's larger in displacement -- 2.5 liters vs. 2.4 liters -- than the 2009 engine. And with twin cams, Toyota's variable valve timing and new six-speed automatic transmission attached, it worked admirably in city and highway traffic.
A couple passengers, in fact, didn't realize the Camry had only a four banger under the hood, because acceleration was smooth and perky. Torque peaked in the tester at 167 foot-pounds at 4,100 rpm, and provided good "oomph" to get the 3,300-pound car moving at a good pace from a standstill. The engine sounded confident, too. There was little of the cheap, buzzy sound normally associated with four-cylinder engines that are stressing to accelerate.
The best part was the mileage. The model I drove was rated at 22/32 mpg, and I managed 24.5 mpg in combined city/highway driving. Not bad for a car that's 15.8 feet long and has good room for up to five passengers. The Camry also is available with a 268-horsepower V-6, but mileage ratings drop to 19/28 mpg.
Controls are easy to reach and understand. When I sat in the back seat with the front seats up on their tracks just a bit, I could extend and stretch my legs. The back seat also offered good headroom of 37.8 inches and enough space, widthwise, that three adults could ride without feeling too cramped. The trunk is good-sized at around 15 cubic feet.
Some models of Camry have been among more than 3 million Toyotas subject to U.S. safety recalls over the past year after reports of Toyota vehicles suddenly accelerating and drivers unable to stop them. Government officials continue to search for causes, including whether some drivers were possibly pushing on the gas pedal instead of the brakes.
Meantime, Consumer Reports has suspended its "recommended" status for the Camry and seven other Toyotas.
The 2010 Camry earned five out of five stars in government laboratory crash test results involving both frontal and side crashes.
