Overview & Reviews

The Toyota Camry quietly debuted late in the 1983 model year, when Toyota replaced its old rear-wheel-drive Corona with the front-wheel-drive Camry, a car aimed specifically at the U.S. market. From these humble beginnings, the Camry would go on to dominate the midsize family sedan segment for virtually all of the next quarter-century, as consumers immediately embraced it for its high build quality, comfortable ride and impressive durability.

New or used, the Camry comes pretty highly recommended. As the Camry sells in such high numbers, finding one that matches your criteria should be pretty easy. It is worth noting that the family segment has improved greatly in more recent years. Many competing sedans have matched or outpaced the Camry in terms of quality and desirability, particularly in comparison to the sixth-generation model. The latest version of the Camry, however, has largely shored up the car's reputation as a go-to choice.

Current Toyota Camry
The five-passenger Toyota Camry is offered in L, LE, SE, SE Sport and XLE trim levels with a choice of two engines. The base 2.5-liter four-cylinder produces 178 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque, while the available (depending on trim) 3.5-liter V6 makes 268 hp and 248 lb-ft. A six-speed automatic is the only transmission offered, and sends power to the front wheels.

The Camry L's feature highlights include air-conditioning, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, Bluetooth, a touchscreen display and a six-speaker sound system with a USB interface. Stepping up to the LE gets you a few more features, while the SE spices things up with a sport-tuned suspension and sporty styling treatments. The SE Sport features bigger wheels, a sunroof and a power driver seat. The luxurious XLE reverts to a softer suspension and adds a sunroof, dual-zone automatic climate control, power front seats and leather upholstery (V6). A premium audio system with a larger touchscreen and upgraded navigation system can be added to XLE models.

It should be noted that halfway into the 2014 model year, the Camry's standard equipment was revised. As such, the rearview camera became standard across the board, the upper trims picked up some enhanced audio features and the Entune name was expanded to cover all of the car's infotainment systems (not just the one with smartphone integration).

In reviews, we've praised this Toyota Camry's interior, which provides roomy seating, admirable outward visibility and well-placed controls. What the cabin design lacks in cohesiveness, it makes up for with generally good materials quality, especially the handsome stitching on the dash and door panels of upper trims. Toyota's Entune system is also praiseworthy in the way it easily adds enhanced audio, information and navigation features, although the touchscreen's virtual buttons can be a little frustrating to use at times.

Overall, this Camry provides the comfort and the quiet and smooth ride that should please a wide swath of midsize sedan shoppers. Power and fuel economy are excellent with either engine as well. The only major downside is the car's handling, which isn't as lively or engaging as that of other top family sedans, such as the Honda Accord or Nissan Altima.

Used Toyota Camry Models
The latest (seventh) generation Toyota Camry debuted for 2012 and has a number of significant improvements over the previous one. The interior is significantly nicer than before, and the four-cylinder engine is more powerful. Yet the car is still unmistakably a Camry, with a focus on pragmatic appeal and convenience. Changes since have been minimal. For 2014, the SE Sport trim level joined the lineup, while halfway through that model year saw some minor equipment shuffling that included the rearview camera becoming standard across the board.

The previous sixth-generation Camry was produced for the 2007-'11 model years. In reviews, we commented favorably about the Camry's spacious cabin, powerful and fuel-efficient optional V6, plush ride quality and top crash test scores. Unlike older Camrys, though, this one was let down by disappointing interior plastics, inconsistent fit and finish and uninspiring driving dynamics for non-SE models. It's a respectable choice for a used family sedan, but we thought more highly of competing models, such as the Ford Fusion and Nissan Altima.

For most of its production run, the Camry was offered in LE, SE and XLE trim levels. The entry-level model was labeled as the CE trim, but only for the first year. Base and LE models came fairly well equipped, while the SE brought with it a sport-tuned suspension. The softer-sprung XLE included items such as a premium sound system, dual-zone automatic climate control, a power passenger seat, reclining rear seats and leather upholstery (V6). Most of the features on the higher-trimmed models were offered on supporting trims as options. Other major options included a sunroof and a navigation system.

This Camry was offered with either a four- or six-cylinder engine, with improvements made over the years. The initial base engine was a 2.4-liter four-cylinder that produced 158 horsepower and 161 pound-feet of torque (slightly lower in California and other states). A five-speed manual or five-speed automatic was available, though four-cylinder XLEs were automatic only. The 3.5-liter V6 produced 268 hp and 248 lb-ft of torque and was paired to a six-speed automatic only.

In 2010, the base engine was increased to 2.5 liters and power output was boosted to 169 hp. The SE was further pushed to 179 hp. Both manual and automatic transmissions were also upgraded to six speeds. Other 2010 changes included a restyled grille and taillights, and standard stability control, satellite radio and Bluetooth for all models.

Previous to this was the fifth-generation car that was produced from 2002-'06. As expected, it was a comfortable sedan that offered a roomy cabin, a choice of inline-4 or V6 power and, depending on trim level and optional equipment, most of the latest safety features such as stability control and side curtain airbags. However, prior to 2005, the base Camry did not come standard with antilock brakes. As with other Camrys, we generally found this generation to be very good in terms of room, comfort and feature content.

Three engines were available for this generation. The first was a 2.4-liter four-cylinder that made 154 hp (145 with PZEV emissions controls). It was mated to either a five-speed manual or a five-speed automatic transmission (four-speed prior to '05) and should be powerful enough for the majority of buyers. A 3.0-liter V6 that generated 190 hp was also available (18 hp less prior to '04) on the LE and XLE trim levels, while a 210-hp, 3.3-liter V6 (introduced for 2004) was available on the SE model only. These six-cylinder Camrys came with the automatic only. In previous years, these power numbers were higher because of a change in measurement that occurred in 2006, although actual output never changed.

Like the more recent versions, the 1997-2001 Toyota Camry sedan offered a quiet, stress-free driving experience. Many desirable modern features were also available, including side airbags and antilock brakes (which became standard on all trim levels except the base CE). It, too, was offered with four- and six-cylinder powertrains.

Although a Camry older than 1997 is likely to have quite a few miles on it, it is still something to consider for folks on a tight budget. Provided it has been faithfully maintained, a 1992-'96 Camry (which was available in coupe, sedan and wagon body styles) should be able to spin its odometer to nearly 200,000 miles without major problems. It's this final trait, more than any other, that has kept the Toyota Camry popular with buyers over the last two decades.

User Reviews:

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  A great car - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By Motown - October 28 - 2:00 am

  A great car. Only has about 2000 miles on it so too early to tell how it will hold up. But so far so good. The V6 is very smooth and quiet. Acceleration might not be class leading but more than enough for me. Highway merging capablitiy is also very good. I bought the V6 because the 4cylinder sometimes struggles when going up a hilly road ( I test drove both cars).

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  2018 Toyota Camry Brake noise. - 2018 Toyota Camry
  By Alex - October 27 - 9:49 am

  I purchased 2018 Toyota Camry xle a month and a half ago. Overall I like the car. However, Two weeks ago started to have problems with brakes. When the car sits for more than 4 hours in the garage it starts to have brake noise when driving out of garage. Then the noise goes away. After not being driven for a couple of hours it does the same. Went to a dealer twice and was told that this is rust building on the rotors and causing initial brake noise. I was explained that this is because of the material of the rotors. And unless Toyota comes up with a new part, there is no solution. Frankly annoying that the brand new car does this noise!!! Toyota, please fix it asap. Thank you.

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  ...over priced ready for the junkyard relics... - 2006 Toyota Camry
  By Lrau - October 27 - 12:00 am

  ...teen agers dont like the car, consider it an old mans car, they rather ride the bus, and thats exactly what some do... overpriced high mileage old cars...

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  210,000 and still driving! - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By mileagequeen - October 26 - 10:30 am

  Car is my office. 5,000 miles per month and 5,000 minutes on the bluetooth(echo/response needs improve). Drive in upper midwest and wish it had AWD. Not good in wet or snow. Tires-on third set. Got 75000 from factory Michelins and 100,000 from replacement Michelins(rotated every 5,000) Memory seats would be nice. Visibility is an issue that took some getting use to. No transmission problems. Love everything about Ricky but the snow and rain handling. Next car will be AWD, probably 2010 Subaru Lecacy 4 door sedan.

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  Have problems - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By hdrca - October 24 - 1:03 pm

  Have to replace front axle (good thing it was under warranty - still under 60,000 miles), now I found all 4 strut was leaking, dealer ask more than $1,400 to replace (out of warranty - over 36,000 miles). before I never believe that Toyota has quality issue but since I have this Camry and more problems found, I believe what people said about quality of Toyota is going down.

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  forget the es-300 - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By navycommander - October 23 - 10:00 am

  Long story short, I bought a loaded XLE V6 instead of another es-300 and saved about $9K. There is not $9K of difference between the two (maybe about 3 or 4). Get a wood dash kit from exoticwooddash.com (about $175) to complete the OEM wood in the XLE and you have a baby Lexus, only with better pickup and more fun to drive.

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  Great car - 1998 Toyota Camry
  By Vlad - October 21 - 9:56 am

  My parents bought this car in August 2001 and they gave it to me in August 2006. Great car and great reliability. Drove it back and forth 350 miles each way every weekend for two months between mid April and mid June. The only thing that needed to be replaced was the rear strut.

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  Camry XLE 6 Cylinder - 2010 Toyota Camry
  By Bill Bivins - October 19 - 6:10 am

  After owning only "Detroit manufactured" cars for many years (I previously worked for GM and later Ford), I finally broke down and bought a reliable, competent vehicle which, however, is not all that exciting. For my retirement car, I thought I couldnt do better than the Camry. So far, very pleasant to drive, good feel of the road, well-executed, even if unexciting, styling. You cant go wrong with Camry.

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  My second Camry in the last three years - 2010 Toyota Camry
  By Axesim - October 19 - 4:50 am

  I bought my first Camry LE 4 cycl in 2007. I had very major problems with it (transmission, brakes, burning oil, vibrations over 40 mph, torque converter, hesitation in accelerations, rattles, oil leakage and etc.). I took it to the service countless times for repair, but problems never ended. I sold it when I had only 14,000 miles on it. When Toyota came out with special offer for 2010 models and customer incentive program, I decided to give another chance to Toyota, bought 2010 LE 6 cyl this time. It is much quieter than 4 cyl. Driving is more fun, a lot of power and torque. I have only 1500 miles on it no problem so far. Gas consumption is better than my old 4 cyl.

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  Overall very happy - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Alan - October 19 - 3:00 am

  Ive been very pleased. The ride is smooth and quiet and the acceleration is better than I expected. I havent experienced any "pausing" as in other posts but have had some creaking from the dash during the cold weather (I thought it might have been my imagination until reading here). After 10,000 miles I still enjoy going for a ride! Mileage a little disappointing. 26 mpg (75% highway). On recent all highway trip got all the way up to 28!