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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  2002 Camry XLE replaced an Avalon(1999) - 2002 Toyota Camry
  By P Schomer - January 26 - 2:00 am

  I chose this over the new Avalon due to price and basically this is the same car.

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  My daily driver. - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By David Hicks - January 25 - 10:46 pm

  This is my fifth Toyota (third camry) that I have owned. This car has been very good without any problems except the factory audio system. The am/fm radio is very poor in quality, the windshield antenna does not pull in very many am or fm stations. The XM Satellite radio performs very poorly, the stations fade in and out because of the poorly designed and mount position of the XM antenna. The LCD display is a very dim green and almost unreadable during daylight conditions. The engine and five speed automatic transmission performs very good. Very comfortable ride and good fuel economy, 24 mpg around town 29 mpg on the road. I will buy another Camry, 2007 SE V6.

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  Wow! - 1993 Toyota Camry
  By Christa - January 25 - 9:50 pm

  I have a 1993 toyoda camry 4 door LE sedan and it is the best car ever. What other car is going to be running like brand new with 194,000 miles. This car is the best car ever. The only complaint I have is my paint job because it is fading but hey it is 13 years old.

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  2007 Toyota Camry - Gutless Wonder - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By CaliforniaCommuter - January 24 - 6:36 pm

  I bought this car for the following reasons, in order of importance: 1) Price (based on features) 2) Safety - front and rear airbags (for the 3 kids) 3) 4-wheel disc brakes 4) Gas Mileage. 5) Reliability (its a Toyota!). The car is gutless, however, and should not be used for passing other cars (I have a 4 cylinder). There have not been any major issues, with the exception of some brake squealing in the beginning, which Toyota fixed. It serves the purpose in which I bought it, and I really do like the roomy interior and the new styling, but there really is no fun factor to it. I still dream of replacing the Camry spot in the driveway with a Corvette.

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  Quality Car - Economical Price - 2010 Toyota Camry
  By Ryan - January 23 - 3:40 pm

  This is a wonderful car. I traded in my 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the Cash for Clunkers program, before it ran out! I wanted a comfortable car that would get great gas mileage and be very reliable. This car meets and exceeds all of those criterion. From personal experience I know Toyota builds quality vehicles. My grandfather still drives an early model Toyota Tacoma with 300,000 miles. My father has a 2006 Camry with 90,000 miles that drives today just as it did when he bought it new. I look forward to driving this car every day. Drives great and looks really slick. I got it in black and Ive received numerous complements. What I hear most is that it looks like a Lexus.

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  Squinty eyed driver - 2016 Toyota Camry
  By Starr Grubb - January 23 - 12:03 pm

  If you are driving where there is sunshine.....surprise! The visers in this car are of NO benefit, they are much too short to block sunlight. When I make a left turn, no way to see side of car or how to navigate a turn. I see the panel at the windshield and the mirror! The console is pushed back so I cannot open it..while I drive...it is a nuisance more than anything. This Camry takes off slowly and most times, it gets past that and jerks as it groans to pick up speed! My 2003 Camry is the reason I wanted another one! But I wished a thousand times I would have gotten a different vehicle! I would love to sale this Camry now! Or if I could turn it back in and get a refund...I would completely satisfied! I can honestly say I hate my new Toyota Camry. 2016. It may have several airbags for safety but the way they are arranged in car is mind boggling and blinds your vision to things outside you should be aware of on the road! Yessirreee.....my eyes are tired from squinting to see how to drive this vehicle and yes I hate the whole package!!

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  Camry 2008 Automatic - 2008 Toyota Camry
  By Prasanna - January 23 - 8:03 am

  Camry is a good vehicle to own and drive. It performs well on good roads. I have not had the opportunity to test it on bad roads, so I cant comment. I would rate the vehicle overall 5 or 6 in a 1-10 scale.

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  New Camry after 18 Years - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By tyly - January 23 - 2:30 am

  I selected the Camry for its comfort and reliability. My old 1989 Camry is still running well giving great mileage (40+mpg highway) with minimum maintenance. This new Camry is indeed very comfortable with quiet and soft ride. This car coasts well with no pedal as is the old one. Usage is too short for any words on reliability. Actually a little turned off with the new styling. What I dislike most about this new model as well as most new sedans these days is much reduced visibility, big blind spots, thick body and thin windows. Styling is to blame. I have to get the body size molding from eBay because the dealer cannot provide them. Mileage is mediocre at an average of 25.

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  Not what its cracked up to be - 1993 Toyota Camry
  By mark - January 22 - 9:33 am

  I have spent a lot of money on this car in repairs. It never seems to end every time I fix something another thing breaks. Transmission went bad at 103.000 miles over $1,800 to fix. 2 cv axles went bad at 67.000 miles. Water pump needed replacement at 71.000 miles along with the timing belt, tensioner, radiator went at 91,504 miles, now car has developed a major oil leak at 113,000 miles and was told its leaking from the head gasket a cost of $900.00 from day one this car makes all kinds of noise when cold out something to do with bushings in the front and rear. It has a 4 cylinder motor which only gets 12 miles to a gallon. My next car will not be a Toyota. Im thinking of a Nissan altima

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  Toyota Camry SE from a E 350 - 2015 Toyota Camry
  By Bruno Valenti - January 20 - 6:24 am

  I purchased this Camry SE after deciding for practical purposes my Mercedes E 350 wasnt suiting my needs. I have to say, although it is not a Mercedes( as far as weight, luxury and AWD). It is a pretty decent car for the money. It is comfortable, reliable. The base radio in the SE is just as loud as the deluxe radio, without the complications. ll controls are great, the 4 is peppy a nd suffice on the road. Braking is great. It came with Michelins so ride quality is fine. What I think is impressive is the ride noise, very low and build quality. Everything is tight, doors are heavy, no loose bumper fittings. I have to say it is better built and parts fits with no wabble or creak. My mercedes had loose parts to the bumper and the electronic luxuries of that car were way to overbearing. Great value and felt solid when compared to Honda. I would not even look at the Korean vehicles which use even cheaper materials.