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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  196,000 Miles... Time to buy another used Camry - 2004 Toyota Camry
  By Go Toyota - March 23 - 11:07 pm

  If you change the oil, keep it tuned and do the very basics of car care...this thing runs and runs and runs. Bought this unloved Camry at an estate auction well below blue book because it had been wrecked. Had 17k on it when we bought it. Repairs were all original Toyota parts according to the local Toyota dealer. 196,000 miles later despite the abuse of one of our young male drivers and we have yet to replace any parts on the car other than brakes and tires. Were giving the car away to someone who needs reliable transportation. At 196K the engine is not using oil and the compression all checks good. I bought another Camry LE (2010) with 28K on it for the very fact that we know that these cars go the distance if you do the basic maintenance. You get a nice sedan that makes your bucks go a very long way.

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  Great CAR - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By themahn - March 23 - 4:33 am

  The car is great car over all , most people like to complain too much.There is no perfect car.I have own 4 Toyotas and the 4 Toyotas together had less problems than the Dodge I had. I would recommend the Camary any day .

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  05 SEV6 - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By Hjm - March 23 - 3:46 am

  V6 SE, quiet and smooth ride. Springs and frame are adequately stiffer, yet still absorbs the bumps. Engine power is a little low for 3.3L. Reasonable fuel economy. Seat comfort and ergonomics are perfect. 5-speed automatic transmission seamless transtion but takes a while to adapt to the drivers habit. Throttle by wire can get a little touchy sometimes. Factory Options get expensive really quick. Dual exhaust would make much sportier look. Toyota build, Lexus quality and style.

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  Tires are of poor quality - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By Lynn - March 22 - 8:33 am

  Our Camrys tires needed replacing at 20,000 miles. So disappointed. Hard to see while backing up.

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  2003 Toyota Camry - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By buckeye30 - March 22 - 3:43 am

  My car just surpassed 150,000 miles today. It has been an extremely dependable, reliable, inexpensive maintenance, and overall a great car for its value. Just do the regular maintenance and Toyota never disappoints you. I commute nearly 100 miles a day, but even though my car is nearly 11 years old, it gives me full confidence to start my day. Power is decent although there is a power lag, but you cant expect more since it is not meant to be a sporty car.

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  Buyer Beware!! Dont be fooled by Toyota legacy - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Mario - March 21 - 4:39 am

  I own the 07 Camry which has excessive oil consumption issue. See…http://www.toyotaproblems.com/trends/excessive-oil-consumption/. Toyota recongnized the problem but will not repair the issue under warranty. They declined our car even when we brought the car in at 59,508 when we noticed the car was using 1 qt of oil each 1,000 miles. They did repair the issue on some camrys and then stopped the warranty once they realized how many camrys have this issue. It should be a recall on the failed piston rings and Toyota should repair. There is a class action suite against Toyota but little or NOTHING will be done for the individual owners. Shame on Toyota for failing to take care of a manufactures issue.

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  camry - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By Dan Topolskov - March 19 - 10:00 am

  lol

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  V6 - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By 101 Toyota - March 18 - 12:00 pm

  I got V6 LE auto, so far so good, overall is very good car, had easy time in local dealership. V6 is only way to go,4 is only 1500 less. Amazing how smart is Toyota to sell so much for so less, if money is no matter go with MB E class

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  Great Experience! - 2012 Toyota Camry
  By annu62179 - March 15 - 11:09 am

  We have had our 2012 XLE for about one month now, and could not be happier with our decision. Clean, conservative styling, plenty of space and power, fantastic interior design, I could go on and on. This is our familys 3rd Camry, you cant go wrong with it. Highly recommended!

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  Sorry I didnt buy one sooner - 1992 Toyota Camry
  By Toyo-lover - March 14 - 10:00 am

  Bought the V6-XLE used in 2000 with 88,000 mi., now has 122,000. The V6 is strong, smooth, and effortless. The ride is very comfortable & smooth. It handles just the way you want it to. This is my first Toyota, and based on my experience with this one, it wont be my last!