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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  Camre LE 4cyl Automatic 6 Speed - 2010 Toyota Camry
  By Gail - September 25 - 8:10 am

  I just purchased a 2010 Toyota Camry LE 4cyl vehicle. I am extremely disappointed in the transmission when traveling on secondary roads. The transmission is constantly shifting up and down making the ride feel very erratic and jerky when traveling between 25 MPH and 35 MPH. The transmission begins to settle down at speeds over 40MPH; but most secondary road driving is between 25 & 35MPH. I feel very uncomfortable driving this car. I took it back to the dealership within 1 week of purchasing it and they told me that it is the computer in car causing this behavior, and it should calm down when the computer becomes accustomed to my driving habits. I wish I bought a different car!

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  Still Solid After a Decade - 2004 Toyota Camry
  By B Swan - September 24 - 6:36 pm

  I bought my 2004 Toyota Camry very slightly used - essentially new. It gave me more than ten years and more than 120,000 miles of rock solid reliable use over its lifetime. The Camry performed and handled pretty much as you would expect from a full-sized sedan of its class. It was designed as an everyday workhorse sedan with an emphasis on dependability, fuel-efficiency, and utility. It excelled at those traits and provided very satisfactory performance with the exception of the turning radius, which seemed overly wide and could be a pain in parking lot situations. I never had any real problem with acceleration when I needed it. Driving the Camry felt natural the ride was comfortable. The technology in my vehicle featured some very nice convenience features - most especially an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, auto-off headlights, and auto-locking doors. My Camry also had powered driver seat adjustment. The cars interior was roomy and comfortable. Its decor was tasteful and withstood ten-plus years of heavy use quite well. My only complaint about the interior was that the lid latch on the center console broke and repairing it was too expensive to be worth the cost. Cargo capacity in the Camry was more than satisfactory. It had a spacious trunk and the rear seats could fold down if needed. This provided as much cargo room as I could ask from a four-door sedan. The cars exterior characteristics were, on the whole, very good. It had a pleasing design and it kept its quality throughout its life. The sole outstanding negative of the 2004 Camrys body was that it had extremely low ground clearance, which could lead to scraping the bottom of the front bumper or the undercarriage in some cases. The Camrys safety seemed to be good. There was a recall on the side curtain air-bags, including my own vehicle. Other than that, I always felt that it was a safe car and in the one major collision I had with it - one which was not the fault of the car - the car was rugged enough to prevent any personal injury. Reliability is perhaps the most famous aspect of Toyotas reputation. In that regard, the 2004 Camry was absolutely incredible. Over the course of more than ten years of hard use - including a number of trips crossing multiple states - it did not suffer a single breakdown and had only one major component failure, that being a computer chip for the air conditioning system. At ten years, I would still rely on the 2004 Camry to take my from coast to coast without a second thought. And when I did replace this vehicle, I bought yet another Camry.

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  Its a good sedan. - 2013 Toyota Camry
  By Skys Camry - September 24 - 8:43 am

  It’s a nice sedan with full options. Its fast and easy to operate dashboard infotaiment system. It has power to tow trailer and great fuel economy. Paddle shifter is great for mountain roads and freeway entries.

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  2011 Camry as a family car - 2011 Toyota Camry
  By klebinek - September 20 - 7:53 am

  I chose to buy a large sedan this time and based on recommendations went with 6th gen Camry with the updated engine and 6 speed auto. I was tired of stiff ride of suvs and wanted to move away from that this time. Boy am I glad I went with a camry. Ride is plush, perfect for a 2 year old sleeping in the back. Great gas mileage and very smooth. Interior quality is not great but its not bad either. What really gets on my nerves is how these reviews now a days concentrate on sportiness and sporty ride. If I wanted sportiness I would go with a sports car, this is a family car and drives as such, I wont race anyone or hit corners fast with a baby in the rear seat.

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  It May Be the End - 1993 Toyota Camry
  By Patrina - September 18 - 4:23 am

  I bought it used at 177,000 for the original owner. It had been well maintained. It only needs regular oil changed and tune ups, the power in this car is great, and I have to say that its okay on gas. Ive been rear- ended twice with no need to go to a body shop. Now at 277,000 the transmission is going and I think I have to buy a new car, but this car has taken me everywhere I fancied with absolutely no problem.

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  On reliable car - 2000 Toyota Camry
  By Anonymous - September 18 - 12:22 am

  I got the car when it had 77k on it. Seven years later and 30k miles on it, it still is running. Other than the exterior (which rusted near the wheel arch, bottom of the car, and door frame) the car runs smooth. When I first got the car, it had an alternator problem two months later. Then the brake pads needed to be replaced at around 89k. Around 90k, the AC went out as it had a leak. Replaced it for $600 and the problem wasnt solved. Then the timing belt and water pump needed to be replaced. Gasket seal for the transmission pan at 98k, followed by an exhaust system replacement at 100k. Then finally the spark plugs had to be replaced even though it was replaced less than two years ago. Seems like the original spark plug that came with the car was superior than the one bought at Advanced Auto Part.

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  Great certified used car - 2000 Toyota Camry
  By NLS - September 17 - 10:00 am

  This car is comfortable to ride in and quiet. As a short driver I can reach pedals comfortably and have good visibility. Taller drivers are also comfortable. Lots of room in the back seat, and the trunk is roomy. Decent radio & cd player too. This car is pleasant to drive, I look forward to getting into it.

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  door and seatbelt chime - 2015 Toyota Camry
  By autofan101 - September 16 - 4:07 pm

  its a nice looking car but toyota should bring back the old ding chime instead of the beep

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  Love My New 4LE Cam - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By Edith Gipson - September 16 - 1:26 am

  I read several reviews, some mixed. But as for me, I love my new 09 4LE Camry. I stepped up from the Corolla of which I have owned 2. My first was wrecked by an 18 wheeler and the 2nd took me through 12 years of safe and low maintenance driving. My son has that one now. My new Camry gets great mileage on the highway, the ride is smoother than glass. Interior may need a little jazzing up, but it is functional and works for my purpose. Black with leather interior really makes this a handsome vehicle. I love this car, great value and hope it is a warrior like my last Corolla. Toyota is the best.

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  Buyer Beware - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By belaircarguy - September 15 - 11:53 am

  Traded my 03 Camry 4 cylinder auto for the 07 4 cylinder auto. Toyota made many improvements since 03, including more comfortable front seats, better rear seat room and comfort (rear seat is slightly higher than the front seats for easy view from the rear), air bags all around (front, front seats, side curtain), and better auto locks (these now unlock when you shift into park). Toyota made a real goof on the engine and transmission! The car hesitates (mostly when cold), and has a lack of power when accelerating from about 20-40. Transmission shifts up and down at highway speeds, which is annoying. Car pulled to the left (3 trips to the dealer to fix). Trans module replaced, but no help. Take a 4 cylinder with automatic out on the highway for an extended run. Use the cruise control and determine if you can live with the erratic up and down shifting! Perhaps the V6 is better.