Toyota Camry is the top choice for a comfortable family sedan on the market. It offers a roomy refined interior and soft and quiet ride. The Camry has front-wheel drive and is available with a 4-cylinder or V6 engine. Both engines offer good fuel economy. The V6 Camry is also one of the fastest in its class.
The interior is practical and stylish. Large doors and elevated seats make entry and exit easy. The audio system is pretty good and the USB and Bluetooth are standard. Reliability and crash test ratings are among the best. Maintenance costs are reasonable. The Camry holds its value well and is easy to sell. In the US, the Camry is available in base L, popular LE, sporty SE and top-of-the-line XLE trim levels. In Canada, the lineup consists of LE, SE and XLE.

Toyota Camry interior

Toyota Camry

Engines: Both the 2.5L 4-cylinder (2AR-FE) and the 3.5L V6 (2GR-FE) are twin-cam engines with variable valve timing. Both engines have a timing chain; there is no timing belt. Either can run on regular gasoline. Toyota has used both of these engines for several years in many markets and they both have proven to be reliable.

Interior: The soft padding and stitching on the dashboard gives the cabin an upscale feel. The elevated sides of the dashboard are reminiscent to the late-50’s Buick styling. Check out photos of the 1959 Buick Electra. Front seats are supportive, but seem a bit smaller and harder than

in the previous generation. Visibility is good, thanks to tall windows. The JBL audio system (available in the XLE trim) sounds excellent.

Mechanical: The only available transmission in non-hybrid models is a conventional 6-speed automatic. The steering is electrically assisted. The suspension design is similar to the previous models, with MacPherson struts on all four wheels. Rear brakes are discs only. The Camry Hybrid is powered by the 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine combined with the 105-kW electric motor. A powerful hybrid battery pack installed under the trunk floor stores the electric power. The 2012 Camry Hybrid LE gets 40 mpg (5.7 L/100 km) combined.

Handling and ride: Driving the Camry is a pure pleasure: it’s soft, quiet and smooth. Road bumps and imperfections are well insulated. Compared to the previous model, this Camry handles better and feels more stable in turns. The steering is light and the turning radius is pretty good; the only downside is that it feels a bit numb around the center position. The 3.5L V6 is actually crazy fast; the Car and Driver magazine clocked the 2012 V6 Camry accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds. This is a sports-car territory; think the C4 Corvette or 4-th Gen Ford Mustang GT.

Fuel economy: The 2012 4-cylinder Camry is rated atop of its segment with 25/35 mpg city/highway; only behind the hybrids, Volkswagen Passat TDI diesel and Buick Regal/La Crosse with eAssist (mild hybrid).
The V6 Camry also offers better fuel economy than any other V6 family sedan: 21/30 mpg. During our test drive, we measured the fuel consumption of the 2012 Camry XLE V6 at 26 mpg (9.1 L/100 km) combined.

Safety: Stability control, traction control, antilock brakes, as well as 10 airbags are standard in all Camry models. The 2012-2014 Camry got the perfect 5-star overall rating in government crash tests. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) presented the 2012 Camry with the “Top Safety Pick” award.

Pros: Fuel economy; safety; reliability, soft and quiet ride, refined powertrain, very powerful V6; interior room and comfort, resale value, moderate ownership costs.

Cons: Pass-through behind the rear seats is fairly small, glove box is not very large, some of the interior materials could be better, the steering feels a bit numb around the center.

2012 Toyota Camry XLE

2015 Toyota Camry XLE, Photo: Toyota

Overall: The Camry is still the most comfortable, easy to drive family sedan on the market. It’s also very reliable: Consumer Reports ranks Toyota Camry very well, the 2012 and 2013 models are rated “Above average” for reliability and listed as ‘Recommended.’ J.D. Power and Associates gave the 2012 Camry four out of five stars for predicted reliability.

What’s new for 2015? As you can see, the exterior styling is the biggest change. The interior has also been upgraded, notably with a new information display in the instrument cluster. Mechanically, it’s still pretty much the same car.