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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  Beautiful car! - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By John of Columbus,NC - October 28 - 12:10 am

  Gave my wife the Honda Accord V6 and purchased the Camry. What a beautiful car. Not as powerful as the Accord but much more space for someone my height (73") Leather is first class, MPG on 900 mile trip was overall 27.8. Am very happy with JBL system. Trunk space is terrific. You will love this car!!!

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  Little Blue 2016 Camry - 2016 Toyota Camry
  By Velton Cummings - October 27 - 4:49 am

  It is a great car at a good price, a little loud on the highway, and gets fair gas mileage.

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  CE camry!! - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Juan - October 26 - 2:06 pm

  Surprisingly agile for a 4 cyl, auto transmission requires manual downshift for quick instant power. Should be ok for normal driving. Loaded with safety features (tire pressure indicator is cool). Very roomy in comparison with other midsizes, outstanding leg room for back passengers and trunk. Very smooth, quiet ride for the most part, a little bit of engine noise at high RPM but not annoying in the least. New design is very upscale looking, more appealing to the younger crowd (24). Road grip is good, brakes are great. Suspension even on base model is great on bumpy roads. AC very cold, all controls easy to identify and use. High quality inside/outside finish

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  Problematic - 2010 Toyota Camry
  By Downs - October 26 - 4:49 am

  I bought my 2010 Camry with 87,000 miles on it. I have had it for just over a year, and have taken two nearly 1,000 mile trips on top of daily driving in the city. At first, it was great. I was excited because Camry has always been known as being a good, reliable car. For about 4 months now, I have been having transmission problems (slipping in lower gears, no fluid leaks), and the trunk is leaking. I have found water in the trunk on numerous occasions. Both of these problems have been attempted to be fixed by a dealership mechanic with no luck. Its pretty sad that my husbands 1996 Neon has been a much more reliable car than my 2010 Camry..

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  Toyota Radio - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By BobV - October 26 - 2:03 am

  I truly like my new 2005 Camry LE. But I cannot believe Toyota would build such a good car and put such a cheap radio/speakers in it. I searched everywhere to find the specs as I would like to figure out what I replace to improve the sound. The dealership didnt have the info - I finally found it through the Toyota Website. If you have a "Toyota" radio with the first number in the model beginning with a "1" you have a Fujitsu-Ten radio. And the Specs are: RMS peak power 15 watts (comment: minimal - should be 18+).Preamp output volts:.5 (yes, .5 very poor) and CD signal to noise ratio: 65db (noisey). Speakers - cannot fine specs. If you feel same - complain to Toyota - hope they change

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  Great Car for Awesome Price - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By Julia - October 25 - 11:03 pm

  I bought my 2005 Camry SE and I love it. It has a definite sporty suspension and is very fun to drive. I am getting great gas mileage and the sunroof and 6 CD disc changer is great. Plus the manual transmission makes it even more fun.

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  Great while it lasted, beware of known issue - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By shadsie - October 24 - 8:53 pm

  I loved this car while it was running. It handled well, it was a smooth and comfortable ride, it was easy to maintain. It was wonderful. *However*, I knew when I bought this car that it had known issues with stripping head bolts. I wish I had walked away. The car lasted 180k miles before the head bolts ended up stripping and the head gasket blew. Now that those issues have been fixed, it has a massive oil leak that hasnt been found yet. Its been a nightmare. I dont know if the stripping is inevitable or not, but Ive heard of enough incidents of this to strongly recommend you look at a 2007 or newer model instead of this one. Buy at your own risk!

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  Excellent Car - 2002 Toyota Camry
  By Gymswim - October 24 - 10:00 am

  Overall very pleased with my XLE V6. Especially glad I bought Navigation and upper side air bags. Forgot to have dealer exchange Bridgestone tires (which proved unsatisfactory) for Michelins. I replaced all 4 tires with Michelins at 12,000 miles after a blowout and repeated problems with hydroplaning at speeds above 50 mph.

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  Noisy Interior - 2016 Toyota Camry
  By Pam - October 23 - 11:52 pm

  Ive owned this car for 3 months and I just noticed the side interior on the front driver and passenger side doors are noisy. It happens while driving on a bumpy road. Would not have bought the car if I noticed it during the text drive.

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  Great Car - Great price - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By Paul3637 - October 23 - 4:53 am

  Ride and engine are quiet and smooth as silk. The 268 HP V-6 has lots of zip and gets outstanding gas mileage. My LE does not have traction/stability control but I really dont need it. If you like to take corners hard, get the stability control or get the SE. I did not get the SE because all the ones in stock were loaded with expensive features I did not want.