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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  Hate my car!! - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By jennifer_zuri - November 16 - 6:19 am

  I wanted a Camry for such a long time. I traded my 2003 Chevy Tracker with 140k miles for this piece of junk Camry. I had the car for 5k miles and it already needed new brakes. The take off is terrible, the RPMs go very high on take off, it smells like it is burning and the interior is very poor. My air circulator turns off all the time letting the outside air in and the ride is really rough. The clearance is terrible and now @ 40k miles the dealer tells me that I have to get a fuel injector cleaner on 3 of the injectors (at 150 a pop), a power steering flush and again new brakes! WOW, what a deal!!

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  Couldnt be happier - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Paul - November 16 - 1:10 am

  I chose the SE because I wanted something with great handling, yet soft enough and quiet ride. And I chose the V6 because of the 268 hp, a 6.0 seconds 0-60 time and a 14.5 seconds 1/4 mile. Great performance. And it comes with the 6-speed automatic. Under normal driving, the RPMs never go over 2500, and at 60 MPH the engine is relaxing at 1800 RPMs. This car is fast! Ive already smoked my buddys Altima SE-R, and and a new Acura TL. And some people are saying that there are rattles and squeaks in the dashboard, well my car doesnt have any.

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  Simple Elegance - 1997 Toyota Camry
  By Mike Pratt - November 15 - 12:00 am

  We inherited this car from my great aunt a few months ago. It only have 62K miles and hardly driven. After some new tires and brake pads it was fit for a king. Its a CE addiction so it has no bells and whistles. Not even cruise control, but it works great four new and young drivers alike. I love the car for its easy to drive, handles like a dream, and is quieter then my van. - It may be a CE and my mothers car, but as a new driver I find this the perfect vehicle to start out in for its all I need - and I find it to be simplistic elegance.

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  Everything Good Except Interior Quality - 2010 Toyota Camry
  By Jason - November 11 - 4:43 pm

  I wanted a vehicle that was reliable, mildly sporty, and good-looking. The first thing that came to mind was the Accord, but I didnt find it visually appealing, and it was a bit large for me. I liked the previous generation Accord better. So the next best choice was the Camry SE. Considering Toyotas reputation for quality and reliability, this seemed to be a good choice. The car handles well and the suspension is firm, but not too harsh. So far (at 3,600 miles), Ive had no major issues. However, the interior is plagued with intermittent minor ticking/clicking/rattling sounds whenever Im on less than perfect pavement. The interior fit and finish is also disappointing.

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  99 Camry - 1999 Toyota Camry
  By Petreasa - November 11 - 10:00 am

  I owned a 1992 Camry prior to my 1999 Camry. I cant imagine ever owning anything other than a Toyota, probably a Camry. Toyotas are the most dependable, trouble-free cars I have ever owned.

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  No major problems - 2001 Toyota Camry
  By Erin - November 9 - 11:33 am

  First off the reason why I gave this a 5 in the fun to drive and exterior design is because Im only 26. I traded my 99 Honda Civic in 2004 for this Camry. I prefer the space in the Camry and the durability. I have only been left on the side of the road once and that was my fault for not replacing the timing belt sooner. Bad me! Other than that it has just been scheduled maintenance and a few headlight bulbs to replace. I commute a lot in headlight areas on the highway so im guessing that explains the headlights. I would definitely buy another heaven forbid something happen to the one I drive now. No more Honda Civic for me!

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  Out with the old, in with the new - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By kitteld - November 7 - 10:00 am

  Traded in my 96 Camry last year for a new 03 and will probably trade it in for another Camry in a few years. Ive found Toyota to be very well built and reliable even well past 100k. For my money, Totota and Honda are the two best built cars, but Toyota tends to be roomier and better priced than Honda. Very responsive V4 while still getting 32 mpg.

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  Worst Sound system - 2015 Toyota Camry
  By syedali1 - November 7 - 12:11 am

  what wrong with toyota , My old 2000 Camry factory fitted sound system is still 10 time better then toyota new premium entune sound system. Other then that it is a beautiful and Quite car

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  Needs major work on GPS and info center - 2018 Toyota Camry
  By Toyota Fan - November 5 - 9:51 am

  We bought this 2018 Camry XLE late November 2018, and the Entune 3.0 apps suite has never worked properly. We are back to using our iPhone displays. The dealer has not been able to resolve this issue even after multiple long attempts. For this reason we can not recommend this car and really regret the purchase, no way out now, major frustration. This is a real problem for Toyota, they need to focus and resolve as other brands have.

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  exceptable not exceptional - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By tom totalo - November 5 - 9:13 am

  I liked the car prior to buying but after three months I dont care for it any mor. Perhaps because Ive driven a friends 07 Honda.