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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  Camry LE V6 - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By James - March 17 - 2:40 am

  I have Toyota and BMW cars. For the price, this Camry is a better buy than BMW. It does everything well as BMW except handling. Among my Toyotas, this is the 1st one that Ive felt fast.

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  Very nice car - 1994 Toyota Camry
  By cleveland,ohio - March 16 - 9:40 pm

  i have 189,000 and i bought this 2 years ago from a 2 owner and the for 1700 hundred dollars car has a small oil leak but thats ok a put cv joints on it 8 months ago and just put sway bar links 2 days ago and a year ago put strut on all the around and change timing belt a year ago very clean car and i will by one more. get one soon.

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  Disappointed - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Nashua NH - March 16 - 10:10 am

  Bought this car based on owning other Toyotas. After slowing down, transmission has to be "kicked" to speed up. Doesnt have quick pickup to pass or after complete stop. Visibility terrible due to airbags and head rests. Cant believe any engineer would pass these defects. All tires replaced 26,000 and two more a year later. Every maintenance appointment brings a new problem. Ride seems comfortable and gas mileage fairly good averaging 26 city and 30 open road. Not like my 1996 model, though.

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  CAMRY or ACCORD? - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By easyed87 - March 16 - 10:00 am

  We were deciding between the Camry and Accord and the deciding factor was the smoothness of the ride. The Camry is large enough for a family of 4 with plenty of trunk space for road trips. It has averaged 35 mpg on highway trips and approximately 25 mpg in city driving conditions. I would highly recommend this car to anyone in the market for a mid-sized sedan.

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  HUGE Mistake - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By BCQVETTE - March 15 - 11:23 am

  I have had 3 other Toyotas and I only wish I had read these reviews before I wasted my money on this car. The SE with the Ground Effect package looks very nice, that is where it stopped. After almost getting "T" boned for the 3rd time in a single day and the Dealership telling me I was his only one complaining, I sold it. I tried to get them to do the Computer test, but they told me nothing was wrong and my VIN number was fine and already had all the fixes on it (it was made in July 2007). I had it for 6 weeks and 4500 miles. I did not feel safe in it and sold it to another dealership. I am taking the loss knowing I should have done more homework before buying this car.

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  battery issues - 2014 Toyota Camry
  By sonia - March 15 - 7:55 am

  If you dont drive a distance daily you will have problems with a dead battery. I have had my battery replaced twice and I purchased my car in 2014 brand new. Apparently because I work very close to home my battery gets drained and when the weather turns cold my battery dies. I was told because of the electronics the car needs to run more to keep the battery charged. I had an Avalon for many years and never had this issue because it didnt have all the sophisticated electronics. So the solution drive around more to avoid this problem. Crazy!!

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  Love my new 2011 Camry LE! - 2011 Toyota Camry
  By ericklaseca - March 9 - 4:10 pm

  The Toyota Camry LE drives like and looks like a luxury car. The manual/automatic transmission is ingenious and useful. The trunk is huge as is the interior cabin. You feel like youre riding on a cloud and theres no road or engine noise.

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  10K Miles and No Complaints - 2013 Toyota Camry
  By rurod - March 8 - 4:58 pm

  I bought my Barcelona Red 2013 Camry SE last August and have enjoyed the car immensely! I recently went in for the 10K Service, which so far services for the first two years of the car are paid by Toyota. The cars ride is excellent, however the car does not absorb some of the badder bumps on the road due to the sports suspension. Handling is good, not too much lean in turns, and goes where you point it. I drove the other non SE Camry models and the ride in those was too soft and mushy. I fully expect this car to be reliable and long lasting - I tend to keep my cars forever.

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  TRUST ME... THIS CAR IS AWESOME! - 2000 Toyota Camry
  By ToyotaChic - March 8 - 2:00 am

  I bought the 00 Camry a few years ago, and it hasnt EVER given me problems. The breaks get loose once in a blue moon, but ONLY when you abuse them. The camry is so much fun to drive, its safe, practicle, isnt a gas guzzler (which is GREAT to know now w/high gas prices) and its just AWESOME! really, GET THIS CAR!

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  Transmission problems - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By lifethenwork - March 6 - 10:03 am

  Ever since I purchased my Toyota, I have had problems with the transmission wanting to downshift when going down a hill, and also not wanting to shift up when accelerating on the highway. The front dashboard has begun to pop up little air bubbles underneath the layer of vinyl covering it.