- Original Base Price: $39,100; Black Book Value: $19,650; Red Book Value: $17,950
- Engine: 3.3-litre V-6
- Horsepower/Torque: 225 hp/240 lb-ft
- Transmission: Five-speed automatic
- Drive: Front-wheel-drive
- Fuel Economy (litres/100 km): 11.5 city/7.5 highway; regular gas
- Alternatives: Saab 9-3 Convertible, Ford Mustang, Volkswagen Beetle, Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder, Chrysler Sebring
In 2004, Toyota overtook Chrysler as the No. 3 car maker in North America. For both companies this was huge — if for different reasons and, in hindsight, it's not hard to see why.
Toyota was busily producing driver-friendly, well-built and reliable cars throughout its entire range — still is. Some accused the company of building cars that are a tad on the conservative or bland side, but Toyota designers have always seemed to have an almost infallible grasp of what people want in an automobile. This partially explains the huge success of the Camry and Toyota now being No. 1 worldwide.
One of the offshoots of the Camry was the Solara, which replaced the two-door Camry Coupe and was offered as both a coupe and convertible in 2004. Attractively styled but still fairly unadventurous, it was aimed at drivers who wanted a slightly more interesting driving experience, but didn't want to get too carried away.
In '04, it got a bit of a restyling job, and was designed and built in North America. Although there were three versions of the coupe, the convertible was offered as a V-6 engine-equipped SLE only.
With twin overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, this engine displaced 3.3 litres and developed 225 horsepower at 5,600 rpm. It had some get up and go, but only if you really put your foot down.
The base price for the Solara Convertible in 2004 was $39,100 and it came well equipped. Standard kit included air conditioning, power windows with automatic up/down for driver and passenger, power door locks, remote keyless entry, tachometer, AM/FM/CD stereo with six speakers, tilt-telescoping steering wheel, cruise control, heated mirrors, front airbags and heated outside mirrors.
Seating surfaces were leather, and there were also front and seat-mounted side airbags as well as ABS, and vehicle stability and traction control systems.
The power top of the Solara came with a glass rear window and, after releasing the two corner latches (nicely hidden by the sun visors), you pressed the dash-mounted button and down she went. It took about 25 seconds and, once down, tucked away neatly behind the back seat.
If you're a neatness freak, there was also a tonneau/boot cover you could use to completely conceal the top.
A nice feature of the Solara convertible then and now is a fairly large trunk, which will accommodate a surprising amount of luggage.
The convertible seats four, but those in the back should be on speaking terms, because elbow room is at a premium. It's also a little tricky to access the back-seat area, but no worse than other vehicles of this kind.
Like just about every other Toyota product, the key to the Solara Convertible's appeal was its willingness to please.
It has always been an immensely driveable automobile, with no bad habits, questionable ergonomics or, most importantly, complicated electronic gewgaws. In that respect, it isn't that different from the present-day version.
It doesn't qualify as a sports car, but the Solara Convertible can fulfill that side of the equation — to a point. It handles reasonably well, all things considered, but is primarily aimed at drivers who just like having the wind in their hair and being out in the elements.
Transport Canada has just one recall notice for the 2004 Solara, and it concerns an almost meaningless incorrectly labelled gross vehicle weight sticker for the axle assembly.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is equally silent about the Solara, with but two recalls on file, and they're actually for the Camry (the Solara was sold in the States as the Camry Solara). One concerns possibly faulty side curtain airbags, and the other a child-seat warning.
Surprisingly, perhaps, there are 35 technical service bulletins on file for the 2004 Solara. Cooling system contretemps seem to be fairly common, but there are also reports of inordinately loud highway noise due to the top not fitting properly, suspension squeaking and some leakage during rain.
Consumer Reports, meanwhile, puts the Solara smack dab in the middle of its overall scoring scale, singling out things like value, cargo room, and handling and braking for criticism.
Marketing research firm J.D. Power, meanwhile, doesn't have much to say about the Solara either, but bestows a "better than most" dependability rating on the '04 Camry, which, of course, the Solara is based on. Initial quality surveys are all "about average" or better, and the only real negative concerns the vehicle's overall styling.
