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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  The Perfect Car - 1997 Toyota Camry
  By yayyyy - September 8 - 3:46 am

  Everyday Im impressed by some subtle ingenious design feature on this car, such as the clock display is brighter during the day than at night, or the moonroof still closes even after you take your key out of the ignition. Ive never had a problem in the 110000 miles Ive put on it, and Ive even gone several thousand miles over the suggested oil change without issue. I was thinking of switching to a Saab but after reading those reviews Im sticking with this Camry. It also has many luxury Lexus features like dual power seats, a quiet engine you cant hear, Harman Kardon sound system, etc. We have one Camry among five cars (two Audis, an Odyssey and a Corvette) and we fight over who drives the Camry every morning.

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  First Camry, Second Toyota - 2011 Toyota Camry
  By bobw8 - September 7 - 1:50 pm

  Toyota Corolla "S" was the first Compact family car owned. Loved the MPG and attractive styling. Lots of nice features - however, always had mid sized/large cars and Corolla was just too small and did not like sport suspension. Dealer got me out of my lease 11 months early and put me in the Camry LE. Feel I paid top dollar to do this but am, at this point, very happy. Too early for complete review but will definitely do follow ups and keep in touch with this site. Initially I am very pleased.

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  I Love my new 2010 Camry SE - 2010 Toyota Camry
  By Zak - September 6 - 9:56 pm

  I checked out the following cars before I purchased the SE Camry: Accord LX/EX & Mazda 6 different trims. I liked all makes, but Mazda6 was a little smaller, Accord steering was heavy. The Camry was the best bang for the buck and you get more options as standard. I chose SE over LE for the sporty looks, performance and handling. The SE is worth the extra $1500 over the LE.

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  236,000 Miles and Counting - 1998 Toyota Camry
  By John - September 4 - 5:43 pm

  I bought this car new and added a trailer hitch for towing. Im using a 5,000 mile oil change schedule and change the air filter regularly. It has 236,000 miles on it and runs like it did when it was new. I have no idea how long I should expect to wait before I can get a new car! It still has the original clutch, even with me pulling a trailer now and then. I have replaced one tie rod that had a little play in it, and an oxygen sensor. Currently the check engine light is on so an oxygen sensor is probably out again.

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  Bad ride - 2016 Toyota Camry
  By anm - September 3 - 12:06 am

  I like my new Camry as far as looks, however, I find the ride to be thumpy and a lot of roll and pitch. I feel everything in the road surface. Test driven models seemed OK but the one I actually bought seems to not ride very well. Also, I dont like the head rest leaning so far forward. Really hard to sit in a good ergonomic position w/o having the headrest pushing my head forward. I would like all car manufacturers to have repositionable headrests, like the 1994 Camry had.

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  My Wifes Car - 2012 Toyota Camry
  By Edward Sander - September 2 - 11:41 pm

  The two features that I find most disappointing is the interior noise level. With the radio on at a conservatiive volume it is difficult to carry on a conversation. Second is the navigation system. This is simply an embarrassment. The category search feature is next to useless. I use my dashboard Garmin, my reliable Garmin, my feature rich Garmin.

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  96 camry - 1996 Toyota Camry
  By frankyboywhatajoy - September 2 - 2:00 am

  the best car i ever owned, better than the honda accord.

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  Good Car - 1999 Toyota Camry
  By thebelltolls - September 2 - 2:00 am

  This is a fine car for most everyday commuting and long distance travel. Have had no problems with it since we bought it new. Had a small problem at first with the speedometer lens developing a crazing. Gas mileage could be better in city driving. Handles very well in snow and ABS is great in icy conditions. Console layout is not the best and would prefer a column shift. Roomy though.

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  Misery - 1997 Toyota Camry
  By The Miami Driver - September 1 - 10:13 pm

  I purchased my car in mid 1998. Everything started going good, until the year 2002. My transmission has failed twice, leaving me broke and stranded. My gasket is always leaking no matter how much I get it replaced. The window motors hesitate to go up or down. The driver door handle broke on the outside, which means I have to get wet in the rain or do extra work to open the door from the back. Not to mention I had it fixed twice. To add to my misery, the passenger door can not open from the inside, causing the passenger to put the window down with my hesitant motors. The interior is falling apart, but I only average about 5,000 miles a year!

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  First Time Toyota Owner - 2012 Toyota Camry
  By chopn - August 31 - 4:13 pm

  Bought as a replacememt car for my wife as a daily driver. We purchased a 2012 Toyota Camry se and really love the car. We had the car for a month and decided to go on vacation and we loved the car even more. I am not a small person but I love the way the driver seat feels and i have plenty of room, easy to see out of windshield and side mirrors. Plenty of room for drinks in the cup holder and the usb port area have room to hide your cell phone because your connected to the bluetooth EnTune system. Has great fuel millage and the ride is very quiet with no road noise. We looked at other cars but the camry is the one for us.