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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  Old Persons Car - 2004 Toyota Camry
  By Honest One - March 6 - 10:00 am

  Toyotas top of the line sports edition with the 3.3 liter (225hp) engine needs some fine tuning. Toyota should replace the current 5 speed transmission. The trans should be propelling the car forward and not shifting from 1st to 2nd gear at 8mph. Pick-up is compromised due to the low 8mph shifting. It would be nice to keep pace with mini-vans and compact cars from stop lights. Obviously people who rave about this 5 speed transmission have never driven a real drivers car.

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  very sporty - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By tzn - March 6 - 10:00 am

  When i saw the o5 camry SE V6 i just fell in love wiht it....even thought i was in the middle of comparing it with the accord(research), i knew this car was the winner, and after i test drove the car, i was 110% sure i was getting this car.

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  Sport Model (Love It) - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By JENNJEEPB - March 5 - 6:10 am

  This is our first toyota. Everyone we have spoken with stated we made the best choice. Take a look at used car lots, why do you wonder? you see very few used toyota on used car lots. People buy them and run them for 300,000 and 400,000 happy miles.

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  Friendly and Comfortable - 2017 Toyota Camry
  By Amanda Bridges - March 5 - 1:28 am

  Love the 17 model! Comfortable and roomy! Great value!

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  This is the Beast - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By dude - March 2 - 6:00 am

  Toyota has done it once again. I bought this car with 33,000 miles, and just changed the tires due to the carelessness of the previous owner mixing tires. This car is probably one of the most comfortable cars on the highway you can afford. With the MacPherson shocks you and the passengers wont feel a thing. We took a road trip Ohio to Illinois in it, and the people sitting in the back slept the whole way, not even a sound or bump woke them up. The best part about this car is the engine and transmission, it is unlikely you would hear the engine and feel the transmission shift.

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  DO NOT BUY CAMRY I REPEAT - 2008 Toyota Camry
  By Honest Opinion - February 28 - 9:53 am

  This is a horrible car. All the talk about Toyota quality is really nothing more than marketing-hype. The so-called quality is NOT there. Rather, this car is riddled with many problems--some of which are really serious and dangerous. First, the transmission is really bad. It slips all the time and shifting is very poor. It could cause "unexpected" acceleration, and can cause serious accident. Second, the quality is bad. The gaps between parts (e.g., dash board) are wide and uneven. 1970 Dodge is probably better assembled than this. Ive already visited the dealership three times because of various problems. Third, dont expect any fun in driving this car. Steering is very unresponsive.

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  Toyota, not that great - 2002 Toyota Camry
  By eR1c - February 26 - 4:03 pm

  Our Toyota Camry SE (4cylinder) has 85,000 miles on it currently. Heres what Ive had to replace over the past 5 years of ownership: 1) air conditioning condensation liquid leaked into interior cabin of car -about a 1/4 gallon of water leaked after each drive resulting in damaged carpets and sound deadening material. 2) Original tires wore out in 6,000 miles!!!! 3) Rear wheel bearings replaced 2x. 4) Reset engine light ($90) because gas cap was left off car one time after fill up.

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  A first rate vehicle - 2011 Toyota Camry
  By poetman - February 25 - 11:16 pm

  To sum it up, this is an excellent car: comfortable, quiet, with superior performance. It even handles well, better than two Lexus vehicles that I have owned. The fit and finish is flawless, as is the ease with which the controls can be handled, including the navigation system and the back-up camera.

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  Expected Better - 2002 Toyota Camry
  By gpowell - February 25 - 2:00 am

  This is our first Toyota and it is a good car but I expected better. Ride is very good and engine is very quiet. I have two issues with this car. The sweaking noices that come from the dash. The dealer has fixed some but said that these noises are normal?? The other issue I have is with the tires. For a front wheel drive this car does not like snow. I think the problem is with the tires. I requested Michelin but the dealer said the brand was not available on this model. By next winter I will need replacement tires so maybe new tires will help with winter driving.

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  02 Cmary LE - 2002 Toyota Camry
  By Justin H - February 24 - 1:53 am

  Before this I owned a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Unfortunately I was involved in an accident and had to sell it, I bought this car and I love it so far. I bought it with 99,000 miles on it. Its just about to turn over 104,000 and I love everything about it. It drives like its a brand new car. The only problem with it is there is an exhaust leak somewhere. Its fun to drive and reliable. I plan to drive it through my college career and possibly get a Tundra after that. Great car!!!