From the Archive: 2001 Toyota Camry Solara TRD Tested. Supercharged and lowered, it's a much quicker ride to the golf course. This article was originally published in the May 2001 issue of Car and Driver.
We tested a regular Toyota Camry Solara as part of our recent convertibles comparison test. But Toyota also sent a second Solara, tricked out with all sorts of go-fast, look-fast goodies from Toyota's TRD performance subsidiary.
The TRD people call this their Stage 3 package. It includes a seven-piece body kit (three rear valance panels, two front spoiler elements, and rocker-panel extensions); a set of 8.0-by-17-inch center-lock TSW cast aluminum wheels; 225/45ZR-17 Toyo-Proxes T1 Plus tires; Bilstein monotube struts; and coil springs that reduce the static ride height by 1.25 inches in front and 1.75 inches in the rear.
View Price on AmazonA less restrictive muffler ($391) adds an engagingly mellow tone to the Solara's exhaust note, as well as "three to four horsepower" to the output of the stock engine, according to TRD. However, the real zinger in our test car's inventory was an Eaton supercharger kit that whistles up an extra 49 horsepower and 30 lb-ft of torque from Toyota's 3.0-liter DOHC 24-valve Camry V-6.
The blower achieves nearly V-8 output—247 horsepower at 6000 rpm, 242 lb-ft at 4400 rpm—with just 4.5 pounds of boost at max, which means it's a straight bolt-on unit. No compression or engine-control-unit adjustments required, according to TRD, although the kit includes a revised intake manifold. Yours for $3500 and about 2.5 hours of labor, and it's also available for the Camry sedan.
So what do these add-ons do for a garden-variety Solara? The most obvious benefit shows up on a stopwatch. Despite a distinctly convulsive pause in the one-two upshift, undoubtedly programmed into the ECU to help the transmission handle the engine's increased torque, the supercharged V-6 towed the Solara to 60 mph in 7.3 seconds, 1.2 seconds quicker than the stock car, and knocked five seconds off its 0-to-100 time.
Results of the chassis tweaks were more equivocal. With its reduced ride height, increased roll stiffness, and larger tire-contact patch, the TRD Solara was quicker than any of the production ragtops in the lane change (61.3 mph), had the best skidpad number, and turned in a very respectable 172-foot stop from 70 mph, best of the day.
On the other hand, the stiffer suspension components and reduced suspension travel diminished ride quality noticeably and magnified the relative elasticity of the Solara's chassis. How this would affect body-shell durability over the long haul, in terms of the dreaded BSRs (buzzes, squeaks, and rattles), is anybody's guess, but it's hard to believe the result would be good.
Still, the net-net of the various TRD applications is a Solara that's far more entertaining to drive than its civilian counterpart. Whether the bits are worth an extra $8110 is a question only you can answer.
Source: caranddriver.com
