The Toyota Camry has been completely redesigned as a next-generation car for the 2025 model year. As it has been for the past three decades, the Camry’s biggest rival is the Honda Accord.
The new look and technology push the Camry into modern territory, and Toyota is taking a big step by offering it only as a hybrid, which results in it getting up to 51 miles per gallon (mpg). Toyota sells the model in four grades: LE, SE, XLE and XSE.
After spending two weeks behind the wheel of the Camry, a week earlier this year and a week in November, I can confirm that it is more than capable of everyday driving duties, but lacks some of the refinement that the Accord offers.
Toyota Motor North America
CHANGE: Driver information display
The fully digital information display in front of the driver gives the driver all the information they could want… all at once. The information lacks the level of detail found in most other cars when displayed on a traditional screen format. Indicators, on-screen animations, and traditional numerical displays are juxtaposed together in a way that looks like a spilled puzzle that was started but quickly abandoned.
CHANGE: Side mirrors
For decades, automakers have offered auto-dimming side mirrors through a coating that’s mostly imperceptible during the day, even on entry-level models. The Camry was not equipped with any such coating, which meant that bright headlights, whether from small cars or large trucks, blinded the driver.
CHANGE: Cruise control
Automakers are constantly trying to reinvent the wheel and often take the bits that worked best and screw them up in the process. The steering wheel in the Camry is no exception. Its cruise control function is a single button to increase and decrease speed instead of switching. To make matters worse, the buttons weren’t in a natural place for the finger and they don’t feel much different to the finger.
HOLD: Engine
The Camry’s 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine generates a combined 225 horsepower (hp) for front-wheel drive models and 235 horsepower for all-wheel drive models. That’s enough. The engine is also efficient, which is a big bonus for commuters.
CHANGE: Mute sound
Too much noise enters the cabin from the front of the car. It’s loud enough on the highway that you have to turn up the stereo volume to compensate and yell a little while on the phone. While I understand that tires and road surface play a part in this equation, there is no doubt that this noise level was achieved due to a poorly insulated cabin.
