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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  Best car ever. - 1995 Toyota Camry
  By mtlund15 - March 30 - 12:58 am

  Im seventeen and I owned a 95 Camry in dark green and let me just say that it was not my first choice in cars, but my parents strongly recommended the car and so I gave in. I bought my car with 165xxx miles and I have had absolutely NO problems with it, there was only one other owner of the car and he said the only thing he had done to the car was realign the front wheels. I fell in LOVE with my Camry because I could always trust it even being almost an 18 year old car. Survived the Minnesota summers and winters flawlessly. I only wish I could still rant about it, but my baby got totaled at 173xxx. I would buy another 95 Camry in a heartbeat!

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  260000 and a blown head gasket - 1994 Toyota Camry
  By redneckjdr - March 29 - 5:10 am

  I have a 94 Toyota Camry that I am the 3rd owner of. My mother was the 2nd and bought it used in 1995 with a little over 15,000 miles on it. I think that it is an unbeatable car as far as durability and reliability. The 2.2lt sohc 4 cyl has more than enough power and with the electronically controlled 4 speed auto trans it uses it in all the right rpms depending on how much gas petal is used. I have put this car through its paces for sure with 168,000 miles on it when I got it I definitely put the hardest of the 260,000 miles on it. The only major repair I had to do was replace the cv joints 3 times but that was because of hard driving. I am having the motor rebuilt because of a blown head gasket.

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  As Good as it gets for Comfy and Dependable. - 2006 Toyota Camry
  By Sidney Sands - March 28 - 2:16 pm

  Nice appearance and garage kept !!! Current owner has had it 8 years, and maintenance by Pederson Toyota. Fort Collins, CO

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  Base Camry Auto 4 Cyl - 2010 Toyota Camry
  By RAP - March 28 - 4:03 am

  Weve had the car since last April and have put about 4000 miles on it. This is our third Camry. Rides beautifully and neither my wife or I have noticed any of the annoying in-town downshifting mentioned by other reviewers. Build quality seems excellent in terms of fit and lack of rattles. Interior trim materials, however, could be somewhat nicer.

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  Car of the year???? - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By bigredjeep - March 28 - 1:26 am

  I am happy with the manual and it goes good off the line. However, how is this the car of the year? The dash slopes away from you so it is hard to use some controls on the radio. The wasted space in the radio den is amazing. The buttons are too spread out and can be hard to reach from either passenger or driver side. The steering wheel controls for the radio are awkward as they sit right next to each other instead of inverted. The radio has a blue backlighting that is very bright and can be distracting during night driving. The door locks are too small and its hard to tell which side locks or unlocks it and at night can be hard to find. Stuff rattles in the console or in the in dash storage.

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  Love My Camry! - 1999 Toyota Camry
  By Sue of California - March 26 - 9:06 am

  I bought this Camry in late 2002. It had only 15,000 miles, & leather seats & a power drivers seat. Nearly 4 years later, its my favorite car ever. Although my 16-year old daughter gets teased by her friends that its a "moms car", I repeat over & over: "Its reliable, gets 30 mpg, its easy & fun to drive & the (leather) seats are comfortable." Ive only done regular oil changes & put a new battery in it. It now has 64,650 miles & Ive put just 7,300 on it this the last year, but will drive it even more as I am a new "mystery shopper". Its my 2nd Camry & hasnt disappointed me once.

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  Tranny goes @ 80k? - 1999 Toyota Camry
  By Pat32787 - March 26 - 2:00 am

  Im very mad and upset with toyota. this 99 has been seriously nothing but problems. my parents bought the car and didnt notice it was missing a rear seatbelt, the left door has to be slammed in order to close, the brakes go way too often, the suspension sux, and recently $4grand later the transmission went at 81k miles. we had a 98 with no problems and we get a 99 and its a hunk of junk.

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  awesome deal - 2004 Toyota Camry
  By moooo - March 26 - 2:00 am

  GREAT CAR, I bought it for $14999. Yes thats right!! 14999. and it invoiced for $20k, what a deal!!!!!!!!!!

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  1st Camry ever - 2012 Toyota Camry
  By naatz1 - March 24 - 5:28 pm

  My wife & I bought our first Camry ever a week ago (see details incl competition in my post to the Camry forum "Prices Paid..."). Interior comfort, MPGs (why we got the 4cyl), reliability/quality since we plan to drive it for 10 years were all important along with safety features like the backup cam. We have over 600 mis on it and so far not regretting anything other than color: she wanted and got grey, I wanted red. The leather interior is much roomier and user friendly than Id expect in this price range. The Michelin primacy tires are highly rated and a plus, no change to drive in snow yet.

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  Its the Little things! - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By anteatersgirl - March 24 - 12:10 pm

  40K miles, 4years old... Rear Speakers cracked and fell apart, into the speaker last year. Really hard to clean out, radio buzzes when bass plays. Toyota doesnt replace part. Bad design! Had to buy new covers. Door remote no longer works. Can only get into the car by driver side. Very hard with 2 young children in car seats. $800-$1000 to replace at Toyota Dealer. Safety hazard that should be covered by the company...its not. Other than those issues I like the car very much. Its the little annoying things that just add up.