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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  What a car!!! - 1998 Toyota Camry
  By badcompany2 - January 21 - 2:41 am

  We bought this car around 2008, for $5200. It had about 220,000km on it at the time. We used it at least 3 times a week, with each trip being over 200km total, we also used it for everyday driving and any trip me made. It now has 435,000km, it has has needed rear suspension work and the A/C does not work but thats are fault, we hardly used it. It now needs a new exhaust and fuel tank. We also did not maintain this car very well. Another thing is this car has very little rust, and I live in Ontario. The car is fairly comfortable and parts are available, not as available as a Chevy Truck, but what do you expect. The mileage is good at 25mph to 35mph depending what your doing. Overall great.

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  Excellent value for the price - 2002 Toyota Camry
  By Escon92029 - January 20 - 10:00 am

  This is an excellent car for the price. I drive both freeway and city miles and find the fuel economy excellent--at least 25 miles per gallon.

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  Camry XLE V6 - excellent. Extremely reliable - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Paul - January 18 - 8:26 pm

  This 2007 Camry V6 has been the most reliable and maintenance free car Ive every owned(And Ive owned at least 20 cars!). I have 130,000 miles on it, only maintenance has been two sets of tires, one set of brake pads, wiper blades and cabin filter. Oil/filter changes are done free of charge by the dealer every 5000 miles. It still has the original battery! The engine is very smooth and powerful(better than my wifes newer BMW). I still get 30 mpg on the highway. It runs the same now as it did 9 years ago. My only very minor complaint about the design is the rear seat should have folded down 60/40 instead of the small pass through. I think the reclining rear seat didnt allow for the folding, poor design choice. No one ever reclines the rear seat. Great car!

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  Desperate measures equals bad news 4 us! - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By Steve - January 18 - 10:00 am

  I bought my Camry LE 4cyl back in March of 2009 and at 23,000 miles I had to replace all four tires cause the treads were worn. I was like what? Ridiculous. I dont drive hard and I rotate every 5000 miles. Come to find out the factory tires are only good for 30,000 miles. A Firestone mechanic told me this when I went to replace my tires. Toyota is trying to cut costs as much as possible wherever possible to manufacture their vehicles in these economic times. Pedal recalls are one example. Who knows what other parts might go wrong in the future and another major recall hits. 2 of my friends own a Camry 07 and both of their cars are burning 1 qt of oil every 1000 miles! with 40000 miles on it

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  Own 2 Camrys and Love Them - 2006 Toyota Camry
  By JC - January 17 - 1:03 am

  Purchased a 2004 Camry SE with 4 cyl and auto trans, new, and loved it so much I bought the exact same model for my wife in 2006. Consumer Reports describes the ride as that of a more expensive car and they are correct. I have had absolutely no problems with either the 2004 or 2006, just normal maintenance. Hwy mileage is 33, city 24, as long as you drive sensibly and keep tires inflated to 32 psi. My tirewear has gone to normal lengths (25,000 for new car tire; 40,000 for replacement Costco Michelin tires).

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  Nice car, bad quality parts - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Michelle - January 16 - 6:43 am

  I really loved the look of the Camry as soon as I saw it. I owned a 1997 Camry XLE, so it was time for me to get a new one. I had over 100000 miles on that car without a problem or squeak or rattle. But NOT THIS CAR!! I am so disappointed in the quality. Too much plastic, too many rattles and noises. The transmission feels terrible when it shifts. It always jerks and stalls and never accelerates right.

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  UNHAPPY IN GA - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By UNHAPPY IN GA - January 15 - 10:00 pm

  I switched from an 02 Honda Accord, would love to have my Honda back, do not like the ride of this car. Car has an irritating vibration at all times, at a higher speed the vibration is so bad I have had things to vibrate out of the passengers seat. Dealership has balanced, replaced, phase matched and rebalanced the tires, car still vibrates, very annoying to drive this car. The car does look good, and is very roomy, gets great gas mileage, just dont like the way it drives and rides. The car has 2000 miles on it, been back to dealership service dept 6 times already, car is still vibrating.

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  Montana camry - 1994 Toyota Camry
  By montana mama - January 15 - 4:23 pm

  This has been a great car. My husband and I travel a lot and we have been so blessed by the reliability of this car. We are so thankful. We have driven it in a lot of different conditions and it has handled well. Our car has over 208,000 miles and its still kicking. We hope to have it for another 100,000.

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  good - 1997 Toyota Camry
  By janak patel - January 12 - 2:00 am

  satisfied

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  fantastic car - 1995 Toyota Camry
  By nursebrad - January 12 - 2:00 am

  This is the most reliable car ive ever owned. It performs super and other than the 4 cylinder whine when you need the power you would never think of it as a 4 cylinder.