hello... i havent played with or serviced a 2002-2003 yet. i have heard exactly what you are saying though from 2 customers. does this car have a cable for downshifting the transmission, or is it electronic? the 2001 avalon has a down shift cable on the v6. it was out of adjustment from the factory(maybe on purpose for fuel mileage reasons). at full throttle , i adjusted the cable to be at full extension just like on every other camry ive owned, and now it takes off solidly,and downshifts accordingly. i think toyota may be doing it on purpose on the v6. i thought the se had better brakes,bigger wheels,bigger sway bars... im going to the dealer today to check this out...i have 3 customers considering camrys on my recommendation. i dont want to be wrong. boopdad