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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  Not in Love - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Phil - April 20 - 2:00 pm

  Have put 24,000 miles in 1 year. The engine whines annoyingly on acceleration, front cupholder lid rattles when open. Right rear door rattles inside most of the time. Front seats are not comfortable on long trip. Radio lights are too bright at night. Highway mileage is 29, which I consider poor for a 4-cylinder. My 06 Avalon did as well with a V6.

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  its a love hate relationship - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By michelle1969 - April 19 - 1:01 pm

  Overall I love the car and it rides like a dream, but my car has 62k on it and my dash is melting and I have very odd shakes rattles and rolls going on. Is anyone aware of any recalls for the dash melting? Its really annoying, and for $15k (I just bought it 3 months ago). I dont think I should have a melting dashboard in a car that is only 5 years old

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  Solid performance with room - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By kbocke - April 19 - 10:00 am

  Toyota dependability and comfortable roominess. Replacement Camary with a sportier look and feel. Handles great and looks great. At first glance most people think its a Lexus.

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  2014 camry LE - 2014 Toyota Camry
  By richard - April 17 - 6:00 pm

  Not near the same car as my old Camry. Had a 2002 LE that was the best car I have ever owned. My wife and I joke that the Corolla became the Camry and the Tercel became the Corolla. The quality isnt that great, noisier, less visibility. And the topper is that the gas mileage works out to little better than my 2002 V6 was getting after 14 years and 240,000 miles!

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  Perfect car for me! - 2012 Toyota Camry
  By safari4 - April 17 - 3:09 pm

  I laugh when people call camrys boring. I drove a 02 camry and a 04 avalon for years, those were boring! Besides its a mid size 4 door sedan priced in the mid twenties, how exciting can it get? Bought the SE 4 cyc a few weeks ago. Love it! Power seats, auto dim mirrors, floor mats, plus all the standard features was plenty of bells and whistles for me. Tried the xle first which is a great value for features. The SE is a completely different feel in steering, handling, seats, and even the ride. Test drove them back to back a few times and knew the SE was the one. Glad mine didnt have entune. Ive got a iphone for that stuff and didnt want to pay an extra 1k. TEN airbags people!

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  Shouldnt have bought early production - 2002 Toyota Camry
  By Jason_C_VP - April 17 - 10:00 am

  My 2002 rattles big time (in the engine and transmission). I took the Camry back to dealer 4 times, and they couldnt find the problem. I suspect they didnt want to do the work, and just gave me some lame excuse. I learned my lesson, which is to wait until Toyota (or another manufacturer) works the kinks out of the production. I will never buy a new model until the second year. If I had spent an extra 5 grand, I could have bought the Lexus 300, which is practically the same car. Yes, my Toyota Camry still rattles.

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  2012 Camry LE Problem/Issue. - 2012 Toyota Camry
  By rikki90 - April 14 - 1:14 am

  Im driving on a city road with 200 miles on the car. All of a sudden the check engine light comes on. And im like wtf. Then the traction control light comes on and i move to the right. A few seconds later the gas pedal becomes unresponsive sometimes giving acceleration sometimes not. Then the check oil light comes on. Keep in mind the other lights are still on. Once the oil light comes on i pull off to a side road and just as i do the car stops running. Dead silent. I turn the car off. Pop the hood and Check the oil dipstick and it reads full. All lights are off but check engine still on. I decide to drive it to the dealer. 3 days later, still no response from dealer.

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  Camry still a great car - 2008 Toyota Camry
  By camryfan105 - April 12 - 10:43 pm

  I have had this car for about a month or so, love the ride and the comfort it offers, the stereo, mp3 jack and all of that are great, the transmission is a little jumpy, and the car shudders around 40-50mph. All things considered a great car overall, the car floats down the road at 60mph, have to watch my speed sometimes. I have put about 4,000 miles on it in the short time due to long distance driving and its been great, 27mpg city and 31-32mpg highway fuel economy, cant beat that. Camrys have been in my family for years and are always great this one is no exception. My first Camry that I have owned by myself, and I love it.

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  Excellent Car - 1993 Toyota Camry
  By neumeyer8 - April 12 - 4:30 pm

  This is a wonderful car. The only repairs I have had to make are the normal wear and tear for a car with 147,000 miles. My next car will be another Toyota Camry.

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  Doesnt seem like a - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By Slappy - April 8 - 10:00 am

  When people see it they say, "THATS a CAMRY?!?" It looks too good. 17" wheels, Driving Lights, Premium Pkg.