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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  Great Purchase - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By Terry D - November 16 - 10:00 am

  Just purchased this car two weeks ago. For a 4 cylinder, this car has excellent pickup. The interior design is outstanding. The car handles perfectly. I was going to purchase the Ford Fusion which I was also very impressed with. However, the fit and finish on the Camry is better.

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  Jerky Camry - 2006 Toyota Camry
  By Chuck - November 15 - 9:26 pm

  The tranny bucks and skips at low speeds. The V6 needs a tad more HP. Interior is roomy and comfortable with loads of storage space. Trunk is very adequate. For the money it is a decent car.

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  Absolutely Not a Good Car. - 2004 Toyota Camry
  By Gautam Arora - November 15 - 10:00 am

  Please Please dont buy this car LE/XLE/SE V6 especially 5A. It tons of problems (check the forums / reviews) : 1. Very Very Poor Acceleration even a compact car would leave you behind. 2. Bad Fuel ecomomy. 3. Lots of rattles which would never go away.

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  LE V6 - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Mike Krahn - November 14 - 9:06 am

  Warning: once your car hits around 100K the oil line breaks down and you lose all of your oil which if not noticed in time could result in engine break down. Toyota is aware, but so far no recall notice has been excepted.

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  Shake, Rattle and Curse - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Kenny - November 12 - 6:00 pm

  After a year of complaining, I dumped the 2007 for a 2000 Camry. The 2000 is a much better vehicle to drive. I dont have whiplash from the tranny changing gears every 5 seconds, nor do I have pieces of cardboard wedged into the dash to stop the rattles.This car was a complete disappointment. I will bet it will go down as one of those years to avoid. How could this car been voted Car of The Year?

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  Uncomfortable!! - 2011 Toyota Camry
  By brownt90 - November 12 - 1:57 am

  Traded my 02 camry xle 4 cylinder for this car in April. Wished I would have stayed with my old car or chose a different model. The car has a good powerful v6 and a decent nav system, but those two things dont make up for the other downfalls of this vehicle. Window switch button fell inside the door, and the car suffered from a roof popping noise that the dealer fixed by stuffing felt around the sunroof. What happened to toyota quaility? To top it off, I have not found a comfortable driving position in this car. I am 63, and the seat bottom does not lower low enough to the floor like my other camry did. Because of this I am suffering leg/heel/foot pain on a daily basis.

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  Rattle trap - 2012 Toyota Camry
  By David Fass - November 11 - 12:53 am

  I am disappointed in Toyota. Besides the several recalls for this and for that, there are persistent rattles in the cabin. I thought that at the very minimum a Toyota would have a silent cabin. My 2002 Hyundai also had annoying rattles, but that was what I expected when I bought a used Hyundai. When I bought a brand new Toyota, I expected silence. No sir. Dashboard rattles and seat belt rattles, thats what I have. Also, the brakes squeal intermittently on the highway, and dealer says theyre fine. Great, thanks. Not to mention, this car did poorly on the IIHS small overlap test. I dont think Toyota deserves their reputation for quality anymore. I would have probably done better with a Hyundai or Kia.

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  Toyota Camry: Luxurious. Boring. - 1999 Toyota Camry
  By Chill Will - November 10 - 10:00 am

  The good: stiff chassis, roomy interior, high-quality materials, 60/40 split foldong rear seat, and well- finished trunk. The bad: boring design, wallowy handling, numb steering.

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  THE BEST OR NOTHING - 2002 Toyota Camry
  By Jon Ranoa - November 10 - 10:00 am

  big sedan, superb ride and handling roomy interior and aerodynamic

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  15K Miles already - 2004 Toyota Camry
  By SRife - November 10 - 10:00 am

  I bought my 04 Camry in 11/03 and have put 15,000 trouble free miles on it. I average 26 mpg in mixed city and highway driving. The car is quiet, smooth and comfortable. My only complaint is that it is so refined that its a little boring to drive. My wifes minivan is more fun to drive. Based on what dealers are asking for used ones, it seems to have held its resale well.