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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  best car ever - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By moneys - May 26 - 10:00 am

  this is the best car i ever driven. even better than the honda accord. the pricing is excellent. the 250plus sound system. toyota have done an excellent job in making their cars. keep it up.

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  May be best Camry yet!! - 2012 Toyota Camry
  By piratemorgan - May 26 - 1:01 am

  I say "may" because Toyota has just a little work left to do with this generation. Comparing to a previously owned 2010 Camry SE 4-cylinder--- Exterior: The new bodywork is stylish (didnt reinvent the wheel here), love the new front fascia (SE only, not fond of LE or XLE front fascia) Interior: vastly improved Performance: better downshifts, car allowed to coast now, still has mpg saving abrupt upshifts dealt with by mashing down gas pedal a little more. Nothing like having a tranny bog down a fine tuned 4-cyl.

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  Bogus sticker mileage - 2018 Toyota Camry
  By Robert Belinsky - May 25 - 7:48 pm

  Engine throttle response poor dead pedal first 1/4 depression UNSAFE ! Had rental while remote start was being installed same engine but next model up from se, throttle response was much better. Talked to service and he said next model has a better response. But was not willing to give reason why. Being a mechanic for 35 yrs. I believe upper models are programed to run better. Like the car but not happy with this problem or gas mileage. Suppose to get 39 mpg highway best Ive seen is 27.4 not to happy about this sales pitch considering I was looking for good mileage.

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  2003 Camry Maintaining the trend - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By MikePettigrew - May 22 - 2:00 am

  Excellent road feel, comfort and interior room. Ergonomic and intelligent design and a very large trunk.

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  Toyota cant be beat - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Anthony - May 21 - 8:36 pm

  This is car is far above anything in its class. Toyota showed out with this model. It is so much better than the previous model. There is a reason Toyota is about to be the #1 car maker in the world this year, because they make cars like the Camry. Everybody else needs to sit back and watch how the best do it.

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  Great car... - 1999 Toyota Camry
  By suel99 - May 20 - 10:00 am

  We bought this new in 1999 and currently have 67000 miles. This has been a very reliable car for us. It drives nice, the trunk is big and it gets decent gas mileage. The only problem I had was with the rear retractable seat belts. Both left and right broke within a week. With two kids in carseats, thats NOT OK. And of course it was just past the expiration of the warranty so it costed $270.00. Mechanically, it has been problem free. I replaced brakes for the first time at 60K and tires not much before that.

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  Engineer - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By upkar - May 20 - 10:00 am

  Camry XLE is fully loaded luxery mid size car.

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  Great Car - 2012 Toyota Camry
  By kph1983 - May 20 - 2:12 am

  Had a Toyota Camry SE V6 as a company car for three years (97,500 miles). Thoroughly enjoyed driving this car. Car combines great performance from V6 engine with good gas mileage. 70% highway driving yielded roughly 26 MPG. Strictly highway trips around 29 MPG. Camry accelerated well and handled like a smaller sports car. Comfort of cloth seats was not excellent but nothing to complain about. Extremely reliable as no other maintenance than oil changes and tire rotation. Would recommend this car to anyone!

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  Good car but, not the greatest - 2002 Toyota Camry
  By Steve D. - May 19 - 7:42 pm

  I had a Toyota camry 2002 xle v6 it was a good car I had about 200k on it. I kept on having to replace parts every year. It was something that was very unique like gas tank, I was always replacing rear rotors and brakes because a flaw on the camry is that the calipers would freeze causing the brakes to work harder on the front which caused the need for brakes to be replaced sooner than needed. I purchased my camry when it was 7 years old paying 7500 with 104,000 miles on it. Ive had to replace the oxygen sensors on it, the flex pipe twice the calatic converter, the gas tank along with the neck to the gas tank, the computer module. Also the car would stink like a burning smell. The steering wheel would always squeak when turning. I was also experiencing the engine to stall out randomly Ive taken it to Toyota dealership with them saying nothing is wrong with it except if it happens again let them know. This car has gotten me through college and graduate school and the beginning of my career. I held on to it as long as I could. The reason why I did get rid of it was I started noticing issues with the transmission and I could not back up on a hill it would just sit there and jerk. It had 200k on it and Im sure if I were to replace the transmission and then next I would have to replace the engine with a car that was 15 years old and 200k on it. I was able to trade it in and purchase a new 4Runner SUV. Every year it was costing me about 1500 dollars to keep the maintence up including basic wear and tear. I was only getting 20 city and 26 highway. My new 4runner which is a 2016 gets 18/22 so really I wasnt loosing out to much on the gas so there wasnt a big difference there. Plus Im tall and this was my only option for a college student and now that I am working I got something that I can grow into.

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  Recall the good ole camrys - 2015 Toyota Camry
  By mark Richardson - May 17 - 11:44 pm

  As ways, very hard to see out back windows so get nav. Road.noise is loud, wind noise from mirrors just like every toyota. Ridevis acceptable with this weight vehicle. Acceleration of 4 cylinders is not ad good as accord. Rear head room is good for adult.