Not sure which version of the I4 yours had, but its going to be about the same. There isnt that much of a HP difference between the 2 models. I had a gen 5 I4 before the 2012 and I didn't notice much of a difference between the 2. For a daily driver, the I4 is fine. I probably would have went with the I4 again, there is nothing wrong with the it, but I wanted something with more power so I bought the V6. The car flys with v6, I have caught myself doing 65-70 on streets at times without even noticing it. I have no complaints on it, I've put about 2.5k highway miles on it so far and its great, plently of passing power, up hill power. Since I bought mine, I have only see 2 other v6's and the dealers around here only have only would have a couple if any.

If you do mostly city driving, go with the I4, you will get better gas mileage. I get around 15-18mpg in the city. If you do a even mix of city/freeway, I would get the I4 If you do mostly freeway, its up to you.

 

Not sure why your asking. Nobody buys a I4 for power. They buy it for gas mileage. And your statement is an opinion. Its enough power for me. My old 02 can get on the highway and pass with no problem. On paper there is not a lot more HP on the 12 than you have now, but different tuning and transmission will certainly give far better performance than you have now. Compare the v6 to other manufacturers. On paper its way underpowered. But for the same tuning and transmission reasons the underpowered (on paper) v6 performs just as well and in many cases better than some of the much more powerful (on paper) 300+hp v6's.

 

When you compare your '06 vs the '12, don't just look at the engine size/hp, look at the engine and transmission combo. IMHO, the 6-speed auto tranny on the '12 is great. the lower gears are low enough to provide plenty of power for passing or driving up the mountains, while the higher gears are great for cruising and fuel economy. The 6-speeds ensures you are always in the right gear. Just curious, how many gears did your '06 have?

Personally...I feel my I4 has plenty of power, even up here in Denver at 5,200ft above sea level. I took it into the mountains for 2 days a couple weeks ago and drove all over the mountains and never felt once that the car was under power. Not to mention I got 41mpgs that trip. I am a car and horsepower freak. My '07 Infiniti G35 with 306 hp was totalled in November and debated about getting another G35, but the 22mpgs were killing me. I looked into the Camry V6, but determined I don't require the full 300+hp, been there, done that. So I bought the I4 for the mpgs. I have not once regretted it once.

 

Gen 5 2.4 puts out 156 or so HP gen 7 178 HP. 20 HP is huge difference for similar in weight cars and gen 7 LE is 100-150 lbs lighter than older body styles.
But there is one thing even more important than HP: shifting points, shifting speed and usage of torque. New tranny doing all of it just right, it is one of the best 6 speed tranny I’ve seen.
I had 2007 2.4 camry and drove 2004 2.4 and 2011 2.5 camry a lot. 12’ 2.5 camry much more responsive, accelerate easier.
For me coming from gen 6 2.4 camry new camry got plenty of power and torque at any speed and RPM.
I’m not really aggressive driver, but drive pretty fast and accelerate at least as fast as cars around me. My average MPG stays around 27-29 (2007 was doing 22-24), mostly city, some service roads. But on HWY, if I keep my RPM steady comp. shows close to 40 and my absolute best MPG at 55-60 MPH is 45MPG. Of course V-6 going to be quicker, but considering MSRP, insurance, MPG I see no other choice but I-4.

 

best go test drive them yourself. Enough power for others might not be enough for you. Like leaky said, it's opinion. But it's also how you drive. If you do most of your driving in traffic, best get I4.

 

i personally went with the I4 for the mileage. its enough for my uses (mostly freeway).

i would recommend u put in an extra $500 or less and get the SE unless your bottoms dont like the stiffer ride. best bang for the buck IMHO. paddle shifters, softex seats, spoiler, sport-ish suspension, alloy rims, foglights, leather wrapped steering wheel (the steering wheel is gah awful ugly on other models IMO). mine came with michelin tires, not sure what everyone else has with their LE/SE.

 

Consumer Reports provides objective opinion & data

I subscribe to Consumer Reports magazine which is almost the car buying "bible" for the everyday consumer. They are great for comparing cars because they buy their cars from dealers without disclosing who they are. Further, while they use “test tracks” for accident maneuvers, zero to 60 times, and the like, most of their tests are real world and on public highways and over periods of time which generally include thousands of miles over months of driving.

The February 2012 issue compares the 2012 LE I4, Hybrid XLE and XLE V6. Objective facts related to engine performance found on page 57:

0-60 in seconds
I4: 8.4
Hybrid: 7.6
V6: 6.4

MPG’s - City/Highway/Overall real world* [EPA figures in brackets]
I4: 19/41/27 [EPA:25/35/28]
Hybrid: 32/43/38 [EPA:43/39/41]
V6: 17/3726 EPA:[21/30/25]

· The reason the Consumer Reports “overall” real world mileage is not proportional to the average of city and highway driving is because they run MANY more tests in the overall score than just a mixture of the city and highway results. For example, more public road conditions that include such things as twisity two-lane roads, hilly terrain, and cold starts. Their staff members and their families live with the cars to get insights that aren’t possible from brief test drives.

The magazine basically likes the Gen7 Camry, citing “overly complicated radio” as its only major complaint. Note their comment on I4 vs. V6: the “four cylinder is fuel efficient and refined with very good acceleration for a four cylinder sedan. Though that engine is strong, you can get more power if you opt for the V6 which is very quick and gives up just 1 mpg.” Also interesting is the real world comparison to the Accord V6. The April 2012 “Annual Automotive Issue” of Consumer Reports indicates that in everyday real world, the Camry V6 gets 5 mpg better mpg than the 3.5L Honda Accord.

My observation & opinion: The velvety smooth Lexus drivetrain of the 2GR-FE is as important to me as the V6 power upgrade. I doubt my old 3.0L Avalon V6 (sold to friend) got much better 0-60 time than the Camry I4 but I loved the feel of the drivetrain just as I do my 09V6 which gets 28-30 mpgs in everyday driving here in FL. [Streets here are pretty level and the climate is warm.] My V6 gets WAY better gas mileage than the 2.4L 2009 LE rental I drove about 2,000 miles when my car was rear ended in an ice storm in Kansas and sat in a body shop while parts were on back order. Also, the 2.4L was also an absolute dog on acceleration. My understanding is that the 2.5L is a significant upgrade and I would at least consider one if gas mileage was a priority. If you opt for the V6, I would expect a 10% to 15% increase in gas costs if you drive normally ….. and be pleasantly surprised if it’s less.

Price: Possibly more important than in the past is the price differential. No more V6 on the LE. This means you may have to step up for more options than you may want. Further, the V6 is currently in short supply thus fewer discounts off MSRP than the I4. [My local dealer only has 3 V6’s in stock as of today (2 SE, 1XLE).] See: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/310-7th-generation-2012/409636-2012-camry-se-v6-discontinued.html

Oh, and speaking of the "competition:" Don't even bother to test the "dated" Accord with the debut of its 9th generation not due until the 2013 model year. In addition to its infamous (in my opinion horrific) road noise, in the June 2011 issue of Consumer Reports test of the Honda vs the KIA optima ....... the KIA won out ....... and the I4 Accord had a 0 to 60 time of 9.2 seconds and one mpg WORSE overall gas mileage than the Camry V6 !!!!!

 

0-60 in seconds
I4: 8.4
Hybrid: 7.6
V6: 6.4

I've seen different numbers for I-4 and V-6 (wasn't researching TCH)
I-4 7.6-7.9 sec.
V-6 5.5-5.7 sec.

MPG’s - City/Highway/Overall real world* [EPA figures in brackets]
I4: 19/41/27 [EPA:25/35/28]
Hybrid: 32/43/38 [EPA:43/39/41]
V6: 17/3726 EPA:[21/30/25]


Based on my results 12’ 2.5LE (7K of driving), my friends 12’ 2.5 LE 5K miles,12’ 2.5 SE 4K, 10’ 2.5 LE, 12’ V-6 SE 5K,12’ V-6 SE 7K, 2010 RX 350 27K, 2007 and 2010 ES 350 V-6 definitely more powerful, but not even close to I-4 when you talking about MPG.

Of course MPG depend on many factors especially driving style, but under similar conditions I-4 always more economical than V-6.

 

Everyone will have their opinion of what constitutes enough power. However another angle to look at it is how often you need any additional power. When I was a bit younger and had no dependents I drove a little more aggressive (but never tried anything stupid and was respectful of others). However now that I have children, you'll see me in the slow lane most of the time. So it's relative to your driving habits and the frequency of usage. For me, a i4 will do just fine, esp if it's coupled to a nice tranny.

If you hammer it a few times a month, ask yourself, if it's really worth it?

 

buy the v6 before it becomes extinct!

 

The V6 Camry is officially 5.8 sec car..

 

Motor trend 0 to 60 time comparison




Test of 194 HP 3.0L 1997 Camry V6:

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/toyota/112_9610_1997_toyota_camry/viewall.html

7.9 Seconds
*****
Test of 192 HP 3.0L 2002 Camry V6:

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/oneyear/112_0310_2002_toyota_camry_se/viewall.html

8.0 Seconds
*******

Test of 2012 Camry:

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1110_2012_toyota_camry_first_test/

LE I4: 7.8 Seconds

SE V6: 5.8 Seconds

Takeoff from this:

The 2012 I4 gives about the same 0 to 60 time as the 1997 (Gen 4) & 2002 (Gen 5) 3.0L V6.

The 2012 V6 is fast by almost any standard - unless maybe you are used to a Corvette

The difference between consumer reports and motor trend zero to 60 times may be the result of optimal shift patters in the "S"mode by motortrend and "D" mode by Consumer Reports.

Anyway ..... both agree the zero to 60 time is about 2 seconds faster with the V6.

 

The V6 Camry is officially 5.8 sec car..

the v-6 camry (grocery car) officially quicker than camaro V-6 (sport car)
.

 

Just to show Grocery freshness is very important.

 

I had 04 Camry four cylinder, and now the 12 Camry four cylinder.

The new one is a bit quicker, but my impression if one thought the 04 to be slow, they wouldn't think the new one is that much faster. The transmission in the new one usually gives a more suitable gear ratio, and tends to run at lower rpm for condition. It tends to be quieter in engine noise.

FWIW I don't find these cars slow in typical driving. The power delivery is quite effortless mostly. On vacations in the Rockies and Sierras, at very high elevations, on fast steep grades, is about the only time I would like more power out of these cars.

 

how does the camrys i4 compare to the altimas?

 

Good day Gents. Thanks for all your opnions & advices. I really appreciate it. Let me think what I need & want

 

If you want the I-4 then do not drive the V6!!

coz you'll get the V6

 

yowps3 : Duly noted.