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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  2010 Toyota Camry DONT Trust - 2010 Toyota Camry
  By MUTHUKRISHNAN SELVARAJ - May 15 - 5:50 pm

  Many of us believe that TOYOTA is a best brand and it will run atleast for 100000 miles. I also felt the same and bought the car from a dealer earlier in 2013, a 2010 Toyota Camry. Now the miles is around 84000. I used to do my oil checks, vehicle check properly. Last month also i did there were no issues reported. All of the sudden this sunday the engine started to make noise. No rains, no animals no accident it started to behave on its own. The Check engine light and VSC light started to glow, i am shocked to see this happening. I went to TOYOTA Dealer they said this is a serious problem. A car having trouble in engine within 84000 miles I was also crazy to hear it. I called the Toyota motors they simply state the engine is out of warranty and they cannot help on this as they provided only the warranty for 5 Years or 60000 Miles. Even though I explained the situation they are not ready to listen anymore and they simply declined the request. With no other options left i have to go back to my Toyota Dealer again now he told about 6000$ after an hour talk he reduced to 4000$. The part is coming only around 1000$ but the service charge they are asking for 3000$. The problem is with the ignition coil and when i read it in the websites there are chances that the car could have been gone uncontrol and its a risk factor for anyone to drive. Toyota is not ready to accept this as its fault. I believe they need to value the customers and their safety. They feel after 60000 miles whatever happen to the owner they wont care. Its a bad attitude.

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  2010 Toyota Camry DONT Trust - 2010 Toyota Camry
  By MUTHUKRISHNAN SELVARAJ - May 15 - 5:50 pm

  Many of us believe that TOYOTA is a best brand and it will run atleast for 100000 miles. I also felt the same and bought the car from a dealer earlier in 2013, a 2010 Toyota Camry. Now the miles is around 84000. I used to do my oil checks, vehicle check properly. Last month also i did there were no issues reported. All of the sudden this sunday the engine started to make noise. No rains, no animals no accident it started to behave on its own. The Check engine light and VSC light started to glow, i am shocked to see this happening. I went to TOYOTA Dealer they said this is a serious problem. A car having trouble in engine within 84000 miles I was also crazy to hear it. I called the Toyota motors they simply state the engine is out of warranty and they cannot help on this as they provided only the warranty for 5 Years or 60000 Miles. Even though I explained the situation they are not ready to listen anymore and they simply declined the request. With no other options left i have to go back to my Toyota Dealer again now he told about 6000$ after an hour talk he reduced to 4000$. The part is coming only around 1000$ but the service charge they are asking for 3000$. The problem is with the ignition coil and when i read it in the websites there are chances that the car could have been gone uncontrol and its a risk factor for anyone to drive. Toyota is not ready to accept this as its fault. I believe they need to value the customers and their safety. They feel after 60000 miles whatever happen to the owner they wont care. Its a bad attitude.

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  Smooth Sweet Ride - 1993 Toyota Camry
  By vdtrivedi - May 15 - 2:00 am

  Excillent Drive, Have had this car for almost 3 year, Hughs the road and drivs like a melting butter...Toyota Camry is the bomb

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  awesome car - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By stephan forrester - May 15 - 2:00 am

  i will never own anything but toyota;I never had any problems with the 3 I owned and I had a 1988 camry that made it to 500,000 miles.

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  Camry LE - 1998 Toyota Camry
  By Jsansone - May 14 - 12:50 am

  I enjoy this car, it runs great and have minor repairs to it. I got this car with 100,338 miles on it with one other owner and the baby is still kicking! its a great car, a huge advancement from my 2002 dodge neon. It is a very, very, very smooth ride and the engine is very quiet, sometimes when I am at a red light I have to check my RPM just to make sure my engine is still running.

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  02 Camry....not too thrilling - 2002 Toyota Camry
  By Goob - May 13 - 10:00 am

  We purchased the 02 Camry to replace the 96 which started to have problems and was getting older. We typically keep our cars until around 100k. I always go with a used car off a lease as we save big $$. We loved the 96 and it drove so nice and smooth, it was no thought to look at another make as my wife really liked it. The quality of the 02 is no way as good as the 96. The materials on the inside are cheap feeling and already show wear after 25k miles of use. We take very good care of our cars so it is not from abuse. the brakes are AWFUL. Toyota shoule be ashamed of itself.

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  Very disappointing quality - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By vizyo - May 13 - 4:50 am

  I wish I could say good things about my camry. A lot of defects that I still do not understand how my car passed the quality inspection when it was manufactured. - Trunk was not closing. It was touching the bumper. It also peeled off the paint. Toyota Dealer put touch- ups on the bumper when my car was only 3 weeks old. It is ridicules. - Heater fan was not turning off. It was running on all the time driving me crazy. - Glove box was defective and not closing well. They took almost the whole dashboard down to fix it in the service but still not okay. - Paint on the bumpers is just cosmetic with very little layer. Little flies have chipped the paint of the front bumper everywhere.

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  Love my Camry - 2006 Toyota Camry
  By Tami - May 11 - 8:30 pm

  My car was shot after 8 years and since I hate change I decided this next purchase should be something that will last over 10 years. Therefore I got it loaded with everything I love. What a car! It drives so smooth. Feels so safe. And all the research shows the Toyota Camry was the most dependable and trusted sedan to go with. The ride is so smooth and luxurious that we almost fall asleep while driving (which can be dangerous!). I LOVE automatic headlights, timing wipers, lumbar seat contols, roomy comfortable back seats, magazine holders in back doors, milk holders in large trunk.

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  My 2006 Toyota is AWESOME! - 2006 Toyota Camry
  By Gordon Whittaker - May 10 - 9:50 pm

  This is the first Toyota I have purchased and I wonder why I waited this long. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this car. It is incredibly fun to drive and extremely comfortable. The acceleration, steering, braking, etc. are better then anything I have driven since I started driving back in 1964. I love this car!

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  Great Ride for the Money - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By barryg - May 10 - 2:00 am

  Silky smooth engine and transmission. Comfortable and quiet ride. Ergonimically perfect. Looked at the Accord but liked the exterior style better.