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The Toyota Camry Solara is updated for 2002 with new front and rear fascias that give it some fresh sparkle. The changes include a new grille with a redesigned front bumper and air dam, new four-bulb headlamps, fog lamps, parking lamps, and jeweled tail lamps. New wheel designs are also available.

The Solara's styling features strong character lines and a wide rear end with a small rear spoiler (optional).

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For 2002, the SE coupe gets a new appearance package ($110 with a manual transmission and $175 with an automatic) that includes a leather-wrapped, three-spoke steering wheel, leather-wrapped shift knob, black trim and black pearl emblems and special alloy center cap for all four wheels.

Seat heaters are now available on Solara coupes ($315), as is a remote keyless entry with a trunk opener.

The Solara feels different from the Camry the moment you sit in the driver's seat. The dashboard hints at a cockpit-style instrument panel. It flows into the door panels, accented by a strip of tasteful faux wood trim. In some color combinations, the plastic, vinyl and leather interior share the rich look and feel of Toyota's upscale Lexus cars.

For 2002, additional wood trim around the gear shift in a lighter wood grain improves the interior appearance. There are still things to quibble about, however. Shoulder belts are not height-adjustable. The storage bins on the door panels are a little too narrow to be really useful.

The Toyota Camry Solara driver looks at a crisp, legible, well-lit cluster of three gauges, with the speedometer in the center, tachometer left and the fuel gauge and water temperature on the right. The stereo buttons are big and easy to find with minimal distraction; the volume and tuning dials sit closest to the driver, exactly where they should be.

Simple radial climate-control switches allow easy adjustments. The fan is a bit loud at full speed, but almost inaudible on lower settings. Camry Solara has both a cigarette lighter and an extra power outlet. From the stalk-mounted wiper controls to the sunroof button overhead, switch placement and operation are first rate.

The seats are excellent. The optional leather is supple and perfectly tailored, while the seats themselves are soft enough to be comfortable yet firm enough to keep the driver from feeling lazy. The seatbacks have a memory feature, so they return to the same incline position when they're leaned forward. The front passenger seat has a toe-operated lever that slides the whole seat forward for easy access to the rear.

Even though the Toyota Camry Solara only comes with two doors, the rear seat accommodates two 6-foot adults in reasonable comfort. Grab handles, a padded armrest, and an ashtray are available for back-seat passengers. In short, accommodations are better than adequate for taking friends out for a night on the town. When it's necessary to carry oversize packages, the rear seat folds flat to expand trunk space.

The Camry Solara convertible's headliner is covered in rich-looking fabric; it's so nicely finished that you'd be hard-pressed to know you were in a convertible.