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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  Great Car - 2008 Toyota Camry
  By Mr B - June 1 - 9:20 pm

  Overall a very good car and good fuel economy. Used car for long trip. Put on about 2,600 miles the car road great.

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  2011 Camry manual transmission - 2011 Toyota Camry
  By joseph_66 - May 31 - 4:54 am

  Just picked the car up on 12/28/2011. I have owned Toyotas for years. I had a 2003 Corolla for 8 years and a 1993 Toyota pickup truck both very reliable. This car is incredible and fun to drive. It feels like a sports car that is a sedan if that makes any sense. Been driving stick for over 40 years, ride a Harley in the summer. This car is my winter Harley. Just plane fun to drive, yet quiet and comfortble when I needed it to be. Cant say that for a Harley. For my first tank of gas combination city and highway, I got 26.7 MPH. I think that is pretty good. I got down to a half tank after 260 miles. So this says I can probably get 500 plus miles to a tank of gas. Thats impresive.

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  Safe car - 1997 Toyota Camry
  By rb - May 30 - 5:33 am

  Bought this car new, and had it til yesterday when my teen totaled it at 50 mph flipping it through a guard rail and into the woods. Both kids walked away from this crash with only minor injuries. Seat belts were on. It is clear that while the majority of the car is destroyed, the cabin is mostly intact. Air bags however did not deploy. Reliability was excellent, only problems were engine gasket leaking, and noisy front suspension that never actually had a problem (but sounded like it did). Anyway, we buy only Toyotas, and this model at least lived its life well.

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  Disapointed - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By Disappointed 2 - May 30 - 2:00 am

  The fuel mileage is great. The power is OK. Plenty of room. I am disappoined with the interior. I have had my Camry since Feb 02 and around 30K the interior body panels have started making snap, crackle, pop noises. I have had back to the dealer 3 times to no satisfaction. I was in a new 2003 with 2500 miles and it does the same thing. Whats up with that??

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  Excellent car good value - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By ron s - May 29 - 1:50 pm

  Great acceleration. Very good ride.

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  Standard Camry - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By Jack S - May 28 - 4:06 am

  Excellent quality overall. Fuel economy not what I expected....too low, and I drive conservatively. I would get the manual trans. next time, although the auto is very smooth! Lots of room in the cabin and the trunk. Very little routine service to perform, only oil and some inspections.

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  Camry XLE V6 is fine but lacks features - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Camry Cat - May 26 - 5:50 am

  Very quiet riding. Smart key is a great feature. Power lumbar is a nice touch for driver. Car is a big improvement over previously owned 2000 Camry XLE, particularly in handling and performance. Gas mileage on recent long trip was a disappointing 28-29 mpg. My overall impression is that Toyota left a lot of features off of the 2007 Camry that are available on its competitors models, such as the Passat. Toyota by design wants to force you to consider the Avalon. Toyaota doesnt seem to get it that some people are willing to pay for those features on a 189" vehicle without getting a car as big as an Avalon.

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  My First Car - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By Ellie - May 25 - 5:00 pm

  This car is my very first car. Im absolutely in love with my Camry. It has great gas mileage and I got the convenience B package (sunroof and 6 CD disc changer). It really is a great car, beautiful on the outside and so comfortable on the inside. I would recommend this car to anyone, its so well made for the price and worth it.

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  Pleasure to Drive - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By sponger - May 25 - 2:00 am

  The combination of the firmer SE suspension and super smooth V6 engine makes the car fun to drive. Although not a racer, the Camry has plenty of power to merge on to freeways, etc. The firmer SE suspension, 4 wheel ABS disk brakes and power steering all work together to differenate the Camry SE from the Camry your Grandma drives.

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  Disappointed - 1999 Toyota Camry
  By Toyota NEVER Again - May 24 - 6:10 pm

  We purchased this Camry new believing it would be a great car for many years. The last two cars we owned, we have for about 10 years each. Beginning within a few months of ownership we have had the following problems: front and rear struts replaced twice, transmission replaced, transmission speed sensor replaced twice, air sensor replaced along with MANY other irritating minor things. Toyota is OFF our list for future purchases! And yes - we have followed the suggested maintenance schedule!