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 I have ever owned - 1999 Toyota Camry
  By tronan - July 17 - 10:00 am

  Have owned the Camry for 5 years and have only had to replace wear and tear stuff like brakes and tires. The only problem I ever had was that my passenger window power motor went out. Gets great gas mileage and has some umf when hitting the gas for a 4cyl. Will definately buy another.

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  Camry XSE is the biggest bang for the buck - 2016 Toyota Camry
  By Delbert DeGroat - July 17 - 4:11 am

  I bought a 16 Camry XSE after owning a Subaru Legacy. The Legacy developed an engine knock and Subaru wouldnt warranty it. They said it came from abuse. I never abuse my cars! I considered Honda, but hated the vague CVT transmission. Toyotas Ive owned in the past were always great. This one is too.

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  What happened Toyota? - 2008 Toyota Camry
  By kueker87 - July 16 - 10:40 am

  I had a 93 Camry and put over 250,000 miles on it. Loved it... So I upgraded to the new Camry expecting the same sort of reliability and quality, which I still expect to get, but the car does have a weird shuddering problem around speeds of 40-55 mph, especially going up hills. I took this to my dealership (very friendly) and they told me that is just what happens when youre trying to push a car up a hill at 1200-1500 rpms at 40-55 mph, the engine has to "shake" a little to get up... The remedy is to drive in GEAR 4 when youre town driving - Drive in D on interstate. I havent had an issue with the shuddering since. Toyota should still try and locate the problem and issue a recall.

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  Two Times Disapointed - 2002 Toyota Camry
  By dickwillie - July 16 - 7:13 am

  I bought a Camry for its reputed quality. I was sadly disapointed. I bought this car new and have had numerous mechanical problems. First the back tires were chewed up within the first 7000 miles. Then the brakes developed a terrible shimmy when applied. Next the computer freezes the the electronic dashboard displays locking out all electronic systems, e.g., ABS, airbags, traction control. Next the transmission is failing. You might think this is a fluke, but I also owned a 1999 Camry that had may of the same problems. I thought that car was a fluke. I will not by another Toyota. If I am going to have problems with a car it will be an American car.

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  Reliable Camry - 1993 Toyota Camry
  By Veldboom - July 14 - 2:00 am

  This car has been outstanding except for sunroof wind noise. Since the dealer indicated such noise was normal, I could not even get it fixed under warrantee.

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  Great Car - 1996 Toyota Camry
  By gatech fan - July 12 - 10:00 am

  Great car. Rides quitely. Very reliable. This is my wifes car and it has served us well

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  Excellent Driving Car - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By Faye Volcy - July 12 - 7:20 am

  This is my second Camry. Performance and comfortability are excellent. The design is great. However the front and rear bumpers are a bit disappointing. The camry sits so low that I scraped paint when I parked and didnt even know it. It was a small scrape. I returned to the dealer to have it fixed and was told they would have to replace the whole front bumper. Since then, I have noticed many Camrys that have the same problem as mine. I didnt have it fixed because I would probably be replacing bumpers forever with the design of the car. I will replace it when I get ready to sell it which will probably be soon. The cars exterior is too delicate for me.

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  The 92 Camry - 1992 Toyota Camry
  By Nick - July 10 - 11:06 pm

  Good Car! I bought this car off my grandparents, and they did not baby it. For the first 5 years my grandfather drove 19,000 miles year, and then he gave it to his wife. The car has over 131 K miles now. Runs great on regular gas. 4cylinder gets about 26 avg. mpg. Only had 1 major problem and that was the transmision went due to pulling a boat for 10 years. Also muffler went after 12 years other then that this was a great small car and has all the features you could need. Greater stater car for kids. Power windows, locks, mirros, cd player, etc.

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  I love my camry - 1999 Toyota Camry
  By peachofcake - July 10 - 8:56 pm

  Of all the cars Ive owned, the Camry changed my opinion on what a good car should feel like. I had no idea I could have such a smooth ride, a quiet cabin, and a reliable car all in one. After the first day owning my Camry, I decided I was never going to own another American car. After 2 1/2 years, I have replaced tires, brakes, and the battery, but everything else is still working like fine without any repairs.

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  Reliability is not all - 2011 Toyota Camry
  By james - July 10 - 5:20 pm

  That is my first Toyota and after driving my Audi for 10 years. Everybody said Toyota is reliable and Camry is comfortable. I think cars like Audi, raise your expectations from what a "car" can deliver. Camry is extremely uncomfortable compared to my Audi. It vibrates a lot on the road. The road noise is high. After two hours of driving, you easily feel it when you get out of the car. Worst of all, the whole car waves, once one tire hits a road obstacle or a dip. That is, the suspension on each wheel are not that independent. The car is not that stable on sharp turns either. This is a technically poor car. I guess people who claim Camry is comfortable, have never owned an advanced car.