The Toyota Camry has been around for a very long time now. For so long, in fact, we still see a few specimens of even the first generations that came to the States still on the road today mainly due to their reliability. Who would have thought that the Camry moniker would still be around after forty years and going strong in the automotive world?
We are sure not many people thought that the name would still be around. Without any hiatuses, mind you. We had a new hybrid model for a week and were able to determine if it is still going as strong as those believers' faith in the Camry has or not. So, without further ado, let's dive into our list, shall we?
10 Ride Comfort
The first day we got the Camry, we took a trip to Asbury Park from near Camden, New Jersey to get to a concert. Let us tell you that the Camry offered such ride comfort that it is hard to beat for a sedan made in Japan. The suspension kept everything from being tiresome and painful that the New Jersey roads suffer from potholes and uneven roads. And to sit in a vehicle for such a length of time, there were no issues with our backs or anything else that would make us hurt after a long drive.
The seats did just that by providing said comfort and support needed. Steering is direct and relaxed without any need to fight to turn the wheel you want to go. Braking is stupendous and bitey when needed to come to a stop. As for road-noise, there really wasn't any to complain about. All in all, the Camry is easy to love.
9 Powertrain
The Camry has a hybrid system mated to a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine making a combined horsepower of just 208 being sent to the front wheels. We achieved fantastic fuel economy having driven almost 300 miles in total in a week and only saw the needle on the fuel gauge drop slightly below half a tank. We average, with our driving habits, 41 miles per gallon. This Camry is, without a doubt, not a performance car so there is no need for its zero to sixty time or how fast it can do a quarter-mile.
It is simply an A to B car, and that is just fine and dandy. What more could you want from a hybrid system vehicle other than great fuel economy? The Camry eventually gets to sixty in a reasonable fashion and that is about it and all that is really needed to be said. It isn't fancy in that sort of way.
8 Exterior Styling
As for exterior styling, the Camry is beautiful as it is elegant with its curves, lines, and edges. It is designed to attract a younger crowd while keeping some sort of attraction to everyone else. But mainly the younger crowd. There aren't any prominent lines that really stand out since they all blend together to form an elegant piece of metal. Okay, well maybe there is one and it flows from the front wheel at the bottom and works its way through the doors and up into a swoosh in front of the rear wheel.
As for the front fascia, the Camry seems to take a bit of Lexus DNA and have a straight-lined grille but instead goes fully across and works itself into the same length as well, sort of, as it gets closer to the logo. They have also been spread more apart and allow us to see more of the radiator and metal that lies under the hood and headlights. The finishing touches on the ends of the lines being the single convex curve give the Camry some character. It doesn't look menacing but it isn't soft-looking either. To be honest, it looks a bit snake-like.
7 Interior Design
The interior design of the Camry is in better words simplistically welcoming. The seats are as big and plushy as they are comfortable. The off-white color scheme matched with the matte black trim with metal and plastic add to that emphasis of welcoming as a sort of being very easy on the eyes. The trim of the Camry blends well together and creates a pleasant harmony of materials to be felt and seen. The controls of the infotainment system as well as everything else are angled in such a way to make the driver's seat sort of cockpit-like and seem to isolate itself from the rest of the cabin.
Speaking of cabins, the cabin space inside the Camry is what it should be for a sedan. The four seats can be occupied by full-size adults without any discomfort. As for trunk space, the Camry has been known to have a vast amount of volume that can be filled up in the back and it still rings true for this one as well. Put a few suitcases in there and a snack cooler and off you go onto your vacation. The cherry on top of the interior design is the heads-up display.
6 Price And Safety Options (Taken From Build Sheet)
So, how much does this Camry cost? After adding everything up, the final price comes to $38,369. An odd number for sure since most car prices usually have a zero at the end. What does it get a potential owner? Well, for safety, the Camry comes with Toyota Safety Sense, pre-collision system, pedestrian detection, full-speed dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assist, and road sign assist. It also comes with blind-spot monitoring, a backup camera, rear-cross traffic alert, intelligent clearance sonar with rear-cross traffic braking, and adaptive headlights that turn in the direction of the steering wheel and vehicle.
5 Comfort And Conveniences (Taken From Build Sheet)
As for comfort and convenience, the Camry comes with an infotainment system with Bluetooth compatibility, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto capabilities, Sirius XM Radio, heated and ventilated powered front seats, dual-zone auto climate control, sat-nav, premium audio system with 8 JBL speakers, subwoofer, amplifier, power tilt, and slide moonroof, drop-ship indicator, bird's eye view camera, and a tilt and telescoping heated steering wheel.
That is literally it for the convenience and comfort options the Camry has. It is very spartan when compared to other vehicles but then again it does have a lot more than what other cars have at a higher price tag. There are also some options people are not as excited to have because they're used to them by now. Every newish car now comes with Bluetooth capabilities and a tilt and telescoping steering wheel. It is a bit stale but it is something we are all used to. But there isn't much to add on for options either.
4 Safety Ratings
As far as safety ratings are concerned, the Camry won the 2022 "Top Safety Pick" from the IIHS. It received nothing lower than a "Good/Acceptable" mark in the "Overall" rating which was given only to the headlights that vary by trim. The Camry received superior marks in the "Frontal Crash Prevention" sub-categories of the category of "Crash avoidance and mitigation" in both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian accidents. And that is the standard system.
The Camry received "Good" marks in the entire "Crashworthiness" category and a "Good+" mark in the "Seatbelt and Child Restraints category. Looking deeper into the categories that are broken down, there are a few "Acceptable" marks in certain test categories that the safety team was looking for. For example, some of the "Overall" ratings for high beams and headlights were given the "Acceptable" mark. But that seems to be the only "Acceptable" mark to be given.
3 What It Is Missing
The Camry, to put it honestly, is not missing anything in particular given what it is and what it offers wholly. What would cost more money as an option would be heated rear seats and even maybe ventilated seats in the back as well as they are in the front. And maybe along with that, the front-powered seats have the memory setting, at least for the driver. But as noted, these will be extra. Some cars at this price already have this at an optional level and have the added price tagged on as well.
The backseats also already have a pull-down armrest with cupholders. Regardless of what we say is missing, these again are only options that could be added on (possibly) if the manufacturer allows them to become something. Maybe it is just wishful thinking. Or if we say it enough, it will eventually happen. But for now, it is what it is. And it is fine that way.
2 The Faults/Problems
Now, you would think that in the world we live in today, the technologies offered in a vehicle would live up to our standards, right? Well, that is not the case with the Camry. What do we mean by that? We mean that in a world of iPhones and Galaxy phones with their ultra-clear and high megapixel cameras and screens that cost between a phone like the Samsung A32 ($150 used) we personally have and everyone else's newest iPhone ($1,000+) that a car that costs 38 times more than the iPhone would have a better system, right?
You're dead wrong. The Camry's camera and screen system are the equivalents of the likes of an old Motorola Razr. It should be a crime to have that horrible of a system regardless of the price. And it isn't like this is a Toyota problem, we have seen this horrible system in a Lexus we listed off as well not too long ago. This problem has now been addressed by us. Hopefully, Toyota sees this and fixes it as soon as possible. If you do not know what we are talking about with the quality of the system, go ahead and schedule a test drive of one or take a ride with one of your friends who has one. If not, go look at old cringy photos of yourself back in high school and middle school on that old camera phone you had. Enjoy.
1 Is It Worth The Money?
So, is the Camry worth the money? Of course, it is. It has great ride comfort that will be hard to match for its price. The fuel economy is superb. It has a reasonable price tag. And it is a Toyota. It is a reliable brand that knows what they are doing when it comes to building cars. Clearly, they have some sort of sense in how to put a camera and system in it but they have gone bonkers with putting a good one in. But it functions and does its job.
Sure, we can complain about the camera and system it comes with but that is just minuscule and can be fixed in the future if Toyota learns from this. If not, we won't stray away from this criticism. Other than that flaw, the Camry is a brilliant car and would be greatly appreciated by any owner for never letting them down by breaking down on the side of the road.