04 SE Sport vs 04 SLE

by **fotodad** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 7:21 pm

I have always liked the looks of the Solara. So now that it's car buying time, I'm seriously considering getting a 2004. I went to my local dealer and he had two in stock: SE Sport and an SLE. The salesperson went over the options each car offered and I took them both for a spin. Now, the sales guy said the SLE I drove was the bigger V6 engine and the SE Sport that I drove had the same engine. Is that true? It seemed the Sport model had much more spirit and guts than the SLE when accelerating. Am I nuts or is there a difference between the two engines? I'm positive both were V6s.

Side note: I loved the looks of the aero-package on the sport and I really liked the sport suspension when driving the sport version. But I must have leather and a 6-disc changer. I can live without the climate control, though it would be nice to have.

Thanks for any feedback!

by **Flipside909** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 9:03 pm

fotodad wrote:Now, the sales guy said the SLE I drove was the bigger V6 engine and the SE Sport that I drove had the same engine. Is that true?

No that is not true. Another great example of glorified liars. Salespeople. He's full of $hit if he told you that. The 3MZ-FE 3.3L V6 is the same all across the board. If it's leather you want, get the SLE.

by **hari-bhari** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 11:28 am

yea all the V6s come with the same engine and transmission (5 speed-automatic), although i beleive the 4 cyl is still linked to the old 4-speed. so the better performance u felt in the se sport might be in your head, and also nominally due to the sport suspension (less squatting during acceleration).

by **pantyninja** » Thu Aug 28, 2003 7:30 am

If you must have leather then the SLE is the one for you. Also you may have driven an SLE with the standard 4 cylinder engine. Hari_travedi is right all 6 cylinder engines are the same. The high end audio system with 6 disc player is an option on the SE-v6 sport. Bear in mind you will have to suffer the wood grain interior in the SLE :cry:

. If that's okay then go for it. I think the sport suspesion is worth the sacrifice of leather seats.

by **V8killa** » Thu Aug 28, 2003 9:29 am

It is not in his head the Se is lighter than the SLE that is why it may feel a little more sportier....

by **64Galaxie** » Thu Aug 28, 2003 11:55 am

As far as I can tell from all I have read the V-6's are all the same. One thing I DID notice from my trip to the dealer was that they had a 4 cyl SLE which struck me as odd. Then again I might have been high when I stopped by the dealership. Now that I think about I stopped by on my way to get something to eat...........................

by **Flipside909** » Thu Aug 28, 2003 7:10 pm

V8killa wrote:It is not in his head the Se is lighter than the SLE that is why it may feel a little more sportier....

Actually, they aren't that much in weight difference. It's the difference in the Sport suspension compared to the soft tuned SLE and other trims.

by **fotodad** » Fri Aug 29, 2003 9:01 am

Thank you, everyone, for the insightful thoughts on the 2004 V6 engine! As I mentioned earlier, I drove both the V6 sport and the SLE V6. Overwhelmingly, I like the ride better on the sport due to what Toyota call its "sport tuned suspension." But I can't live without leather seats which are standard on the SLE. Plus the heated seats are nice as is the functionality and appearance of the climate control. I'm leaning toward the SLE, but I'm wondering what Toyota SPECIFICALLY does in the "sport tuned suspension" because if I buy the SLE I'd like to install the sport tuned suspension. The sales guy said the only big difference in the suspensions are the type of shocks used. That seems to make sense, but there must be more to it than that! Any thoughts? Also, if I buy the SLE and have the dealership put on the sport version shocks, what would be a fair price to have them do it? I don't want them ripping me off!

Thanks again folks for all your valuable insight. Hopefully you can kindly offer some more!

by **happy_aggies** » Fri Aug 29, 2003 9:12 am

Call around, perhaps Tokico or KYB made shocks for the 04 Solara.
Also check around who made Springs for 04 Solara as well. Eibach, Tein, etc.

That should give at least the same or better suspension setup.

by **Ragtop George** » Fri Aug 29, 2003 10:46 am

According to the toyota web site, the sport suspension has different springs and shocks.

George

by **fotodad** » Fri Aug 29, 2003 12:29 pm

Ragtop George wrote:According to the toyota web site, the sport suspension has different springs and shocks.

George

Thanks, George! Now why didn't I think to look at their website?!

04 SE Sport vs 04 SLE

04 SE Sport vs 04 SLE

Re: 04 SE Sport vs 04 SLE

Thanks for the valuable responses!

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