Toyota Camry Atara: Road Tripping with the Makepeace Family
We recently visited the Hunter Valley for a weekend family getaway and to road test the new 2012 Toyota Camry Atara.
As major fans of Toyota it was not hard for us to love this vehicle and wish that it could be ours for longer than a weekend. Going back to the crappy Daewoo was kinda cruel and depressing.
The Toyota Camry Atara runs beautifully and smooth and is very comfortable to travel in. Kalyra was very excited to be driving in her new grey car and enjoyed the space that she and Savannah had. Her for colouring in, some singing time and for some comfortable sleeping, and Savannah, well just for sleeping.
Mummy and Daddy loved the cool features like push button ignition. No keys necessary. Just put your foot on the brake, press the button and away you go, no more revving needed.
A smooth ride
The reverse camera function was pretty nifty to avoid those rear end collisions from those other cars you don’t see, or are too careless to look for. Yes, it has happened to me before in a Target car park in the States. That was with our Toyota Sienna and lucky for us there were no dents or scratches. (Man we loved that van!)
I do find the reverse camera a little difficult to get used to, I think it is more of a letting go and trust issue. But for an extra sweep of the eyes it does provide that extra protection.
There was plenty of space in the boot for all our gear. And with two suitcases, a stroller, a bulky pram and a carton of wine we bought home with us, we had enough space to stock it up. Perfect for a family road trip.
Toyota Camry Atara
The leather seats were comfortable and cushy, the music loud, there were plenty of cup holders, and the air-con worked a treat. I mention that because the Dawewoo’s doesn’t. Lucky for us its been a bad summer.
Oh and its sleek and stylish for a family car too.
The only thing I didn’t like was that the lock didn’t automatically unlock when you opened the car door from the inside. You had to manually do it. Very picky, I know.
But I do find with Toyota cars there really is not a lot to dislike.
Here is a video of the Toyota Camry Atara and the chaos of a Makepeace family road trip.
Are you a fan of Toyota and road tripping? What fun do you get up to on the road?
Comments
Johanna
Toyota Camry Atara looks amazing car to drive. Hunter Valley looks a fab place to visit too. Loved the video, and the ‘chaotic’ family road trip – loved the singalongs :)! Took me back … although we used to sing 10 Green Bottles over and over until everyone fell asleep.
Melissa
Oh my goodness I LOVE IT! Kalyra’s singing is adorable!
Looks like an awesome car… Toyotas are great – my mum used to drive a Rav4 and to this day swears it was her favorite car.
Caz
Thank you! She sure does amuse us. She’s way better than Craig :)It’s lucky for everyone that I was not singing on the video
Lisa@ Hotels in Torquay
Never tried driving one but your reviews had me considering the Toyota brand! I’m buying a new car since I’ll be driving all the time because of work. I need a dependable car that also saves on gas.
Lisa
Caz
I think Toyotas are really dependable. We never had a problem with our old one and it was pretty good on fuel as well.