• The name Camry comes from the Japanese word kan-muri, which means "crown." Before the 1997 model, Toyota offered coupe and station wagon models, but the 1997 Camry only came as a sedan. The family car has either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission, with basic safety features and entertainment systems.
  
  

Engines

• Several types of the Toyota Camry were offered in 1997. The CE, CE V-6, LE and XLE models have 2.2L four-cylinder engines, while the LE V-6 and XLE V-6 have 3.0L engines. The V-6 models generate 194 horsepower, while the others deliver 133 horsepower. The CE and CE V-6 have standard five-speed manual overdrive, with optional four-speed automatic overdrive for the CE model. Other models come with standard four-speed automatic overdrive. These vehicles can travel between 19 and 23 miles per gallon of fuel in the city and between 26 and 31 miles per gallon on the highway.
  
  

Comfort and Safety

• Compared to the previous model, the 1997 Toyota Camry has an extra two inches of wheelbase, allowing it to have larger rear door openings and more space for the rear seat. All models seat a maximum of five people and have four doors. The LE, XLE, LE V-6 and XLE V-6 come with standard cassette players and power windows. All models have both driver and passenger air bags. All models except for the CE are equipped with ABS braking systems.
  
  

Considerations

• The V-6 model of the 1997 Toyota Camry sometimes has coolant leaks around the cylinder head gasket. The steering sometimes produces groans due to a worn bushing in the steering rack housing. Past recalls on the 1997 Toyota Camry occurred due to a nonfunctioning park/brake interlock solenoid on the transmission and ice forming in the brake booster vacuum hose at low temperatures, eliminating vacuum assist to the brakes.