BMW Is Making Fun Of The Toyota Camry With A Used 3 Series Sedan

Timothy Cain
by Timothy Cain

Call them frenemies. BMW and Toyota are working together on a high-profile sports car project that will result in a long-awaited Supra successor and a replacement for the Z4. Two heads are better than one.

“The concept works, the platform can deliver and now we have two proud sets of engineers — one group German, one group Japanese — who are each fighting and arguing for the car they want,” BMW sales boss Ian Robertson said last year.

The fighting and arguing extends beyond the R&D facilities in Munich and Toyota City.

On a mission to exalt its 3 Series in a certified pre-owned commercial, BMW sought to make fun of a typically bland midsize sedan. 2001 Chevrolet Malibu? 2006 Kia Optima? 2017 Subaru Legacy?

No. BMW chose the most basic, beige, new Toyota Camry to make a point on behalf of a bright red pre-owned 3 Series.

Hardly the work of a BFF.

Like any good Canadian, I was sitting down with some pop and chips for some NHL playoffs action when, apparently, a stroller commercial popped up. See, strollers grab my attention, presumably because of the joint fatherhood/wheels affection. But then the strollers switched to bicycles, and it became clear that this wasn’t an advertisement for strollers but rather for twin boys. Buy one, get one free.

The twins stroll together, bike together, graduate together, get married together, and clearly buy identical side-by-side homes together. They dress alike, do their hair the same way, and carry messenger bags and coffee flasks.

But then their paths diverge. As the brothers leave for work, one exiting 69 Maple Main Street on the way to a red, F30 BMW 3 Series, the other leaves 71 Maple Main Street and pauses.

Timothy Cain
Timothy Cain

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  • Oreguy Oreguy on Apr 19, 2017

    We currently own two Hondas. An '04 Pilot driven daily and an '01 CR-V that we keep for my step-daughter's college transportation. Both have 100K+ on them and neither have required major maintenance beyond fluids, pads, tires and struts. The combined costs over the period of ownership have been laughably cheap and simple compared to the Mini, which by the 50,000 mile mark has required a $4,000 clutch, a $1500 timing chain - (fortunately offset by $900 BMW/MINI class-action settlement), and a $1200 valve cover replacement to correct a PCV issue thought to be the cause of high oil-consumption. I keep synthetic oil by the case so I can top off the Mini every other week. I would gladly trade our BMW Mini for an original Mini Cooper, Lucas electrics and all. We've learned our German car lesson. BMW's grow on trees in the Pacific NW, second only to Subarus. Audi's are catching up. Folks around here love being seen in them I guess - makes them feel real special. The Kool-Aid at the dealership must be spiked with something addictive. I wonder what the Honda service center in my neighborhood serves. I just can't seem to remember where it is.

    • Driver123 Driver123 on Apr 21, 2017

      It fascinates me how people who keep cars for 12+ years buy German cars. Why? It is common knowledge they are not as reliable as Japanese. You simply pay for driving enjoyment that's it. Lease it. Lease is not financially sound? Well then BMW is not for you. I simply lease it for 3 years and don't care if it spends week in the shop, I get a loaner.

  • Ko1 Ko1 on Apr 19, 2017

    Beige Camry? I've been staring at the picture for several minutes now and I even tried the thing you do for those "magic eye" pictures thinking that maybe they digitally blended it into the background or something. So far, I've found three ninjas hiding in the scene but I still can't see a beige Camry...

    • See 1 previous
    • Ko1 Ko1 on Apr 20, 2017

      @don1967 Jeremy Clarkson once parked a white Toyota Corolla among a group of home appliances and pretended not to be able to find the car. The joke is that certain Japanese cars are so bland, so reliable and so common that they're just "there"; like your fridge, stove and dishwasher, and you don't really notice them.

  • Ponchoman49 Ponchoman49 on Apr 20, 2017

    Not surprised in the least they chose a beige wheel cover basic LE Camry for the comparison. They are literally all over the place with numerous examples down at the rental counter in silver and beige, plastic hub caps and about as much emotional appeal as a brick. The vast majority of these cars are being driven by 60-80 year old folks or little old ladies with resulting bashed in rear bumper corners in base LE trim going 20 in a 40 zone. The point BMW is making is that if your into cars the Camry is probably not even on your radar. Virtually any "car" guy I have ever met doesn't own one either so the pick is driving a point home pretty well I think.

  • Driver123 Driver123 on Apr 21, 2017

    You buy German car if you either enjoy working on it yourself or you want to keep it as a low mileage collectible. Otherwise you lease it. If financial side of lease os not for you then don't buy German cars. It is simply part of the price.

    • Arach Arach on Apr 21, 2017

      But if you like to work on it yourself it has to predate 2006...

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