Toyota Camry XLE

Fourth Place: Toyota Camry XLE
No, that's not a misprint. By the time our driving was done and the tiki torches were quenched, the vaunted Camry, the best-selling automobile in the United States, the very definition of family-sedan excellence, had finished fourth out of four in our comparo. How? Two reasons: a value-busting window sticker and a personality so relentlessly sensible it's about as entertaining as reading the Congressional Record.

Make no mistake: The Camry is an exceptional automobile. Its legendary virtues revealed themselves early and often in our test, including a plush ride, a polished powertrain, a quiet and handsome cabin, and a level of fit and finish that's the standard of the industry. It also offers the group's largest trunk and posted the best braking numbers of the bunch. As a pure transportation appliance, the Camry is without peer.

We prefer more flavorful cars, however--even those intended for family-sedan chores. Despite its 210-horsepower, 24-valve, 3.0-liter V-6 and standard five-speed automatic transmission, the Camry posted the group's third-slowest 0-to-60-mph time and the slowest ET in the quarter mile (and the engine feeds on premium fuel). Handling is uninspiring--the logbook noted "vague steering" and "lack of road feel." And the styling, inside and out, is inoffensive to the point of being dull. "Sea of gray interior needs more color contrast," writes one tester. "Awfully conservative, organic exterior," writes another.

Other quibbles surfaced as we spent more time in the car. We found the Camry's LATCH child-safety-seat mounts to be the most difficult in the group to use; the anchors are hard to reach, buried deep in stiff seat padding. Behind the nav screen are two slots, one for audio CDs and the other for the DVD navigation disc (a plus: you don't have to remove one disc to use another), but the flip-down screen is vulnerable to breakage when open. And the screen itself is almost impossible to read when headlights are on (which causes the screen to dim) in predark conditions.

What really knocked the Camry down in our voting, though, was its Tiffany pricetag. Base sticker for the XLE is a midpack $25,405, but add the optional side-impact and head-curtain airbags, leather seats, nav system, and JBL audio system (many similar features are standard on the other cars), and you're facing an out-the-door price of $30,359. And our tester didn't even carry every available amenity.

For sure, Camry buyers who exercise restraint with the goodies (or even opt for the four-cylinder engine) can drive away with a supremely competent, superbly built sedan for considerably less money. But against impressive and far less costly competition, the Camry XLE pays too small a return on the required investment.

"The Camry's personality is so relentlessly sensible, it's about as entertaining as reading the Congressional Record."

Are we there yet? The Camry has leveraged a reputation for outstanding build quality, reliability, and resale value to become America's best-selling car in recent years. But an emphasis on ride isolation kills road feel.