It wasn’t too long ago that Toyota was seen as a company that makes well-built, dependable but boring transportation devices, many of which are fuel-efficient hybrids. To an extent, that was fine because vehicles like those are necessary, but car enthusiasts knew Toyota could offer more because they had done it before – Toyota used to be fun. In the 1990s, it built the 320-horsepower, rear-wheel-drive Supra with twin-turbos and a six-speed manual. If that was out of reach to some customers, there was the wedge-shaped, mid-engine MR2. Over the past several years, Toyota has worked to shatter its milquetoast image. It assigned the performance specialists at TRD (Toyota Racing Development) the task of making the Camry and Avalon sedans more athletic and exciting. It also (finally!) brought back the Supra (albeit with a BMW engine). Even the Corolla received the hot hatch treatment and was turned into the 300-horsepower, all-wheel-drive GR (Gazoo Racing) Corolla.
But this renewed focus on performance vehicles hasn’t distracted Toyota from two of the things it’s been doing well: it’s still making sedans and hybrids. In fact, the new 2025 Camry is now hybrid-only. The range includes the LE, SE, XLE, and XSE trim levels, all of which are available with front-wheel or on-demand all-wheel drive. Both FWD and AWD models are equipped with the fifth-generation Toyota Hybrid System (THS 5), which combines a 2.5-liter I4 with a 100-kW electric motor (AWD Camrys also get a 30-kW electric motor at the rear) and a lithium-ion battery pack, plus an eCVT (electronically controlled Continuous Variable Transmission). Base prices for the redesigned and updated ninth-generation Camry start at $28,400 for the LE with front-wheel drive and peak at $36,125 for the XSE AWD.
Our XSE test car only sent its hybrid power through the front wheels so it had a starting price of $36,400. The addition of a Midnight Black Metallic roof, 19-inch Dark Grey Metallic wheels, and the Premium Plus Package, which includes additional safety and driver assistance features, a nine-speaker JBL audio system, a 10-inch head-up display, ventilated front seats, and a panoramic glass roof with a front sunroof, took the as-tested price up to $41,770.
NEW-FOUND COOL
I’ve always respected the Camry for its practicality and dependability, but I’ve never wanted one. Before I bought my Hyundai Sonata late last year, I considered getting a Camry. It’s not that I didn’t like the design of the 2023 model, it was that it was too familiar. I had seen that generation of Camry everywhere for years. It was a victim of its own success.
A couple of months ago, one of my coworkers parked her 2025 Camry SE in our office parking lot and, for the first time in my life, I wanted a Camry. After a few eyefuls of its Ocean Gem paint, I regretted playing things safe in the Arizona heat by getting a white car. I was pleasantly surprised to see my press loaner arrive in the same exotic color, made all the more noticeable by the optional Midnight Black Metallic roof.
Given how long the previous Camry had been on the market, it was time for a redesign. The 2025 model’s “hammerhead” front end with swept-back LED headlights not only makes it look fresh and futuristic but, thanks to the large mesh grille that brings the Lexus RX to mind, it also gives the Camry a more upscale appearance. At the rear, the wide C-shaped taillights visually broaden the Camry and inspire visions of sci-fi weapons with a fuchsia arc of plasma between their two prongs.
CUL8R TRD
When I first learned the Camry went all-hybrid for 2025, I was a little disappointed because I knew that change left no room for a new TRD model. Toyota had finally made the kind of Camry everyone thought it would never release and then, after only a few years, it was gone. However, when it was around, the TRD was not enough and too much at the same time. Yes, TRD lowered it, installed larger front brakes, and equipped it with tuned springs and shocks and a cat-back exhaust, but the sum of those parts was disappointing. There was no urgency to the paddle shifts and the brakes and steering just felt off. TRD also put on a body kit and a two-level rear spoiler that made the sportiest Camry look like such a try-hard, meant to be driven by boy-racers.
Although not an all-out performance model like the TRD, the 2025 XSE has some athletic hardware as well. It comes standard with new shocks and a sport-tuned MacPherson strut front suspension and multi-link rear setup. Our tester felt taut, buttoned down, and responsive. Like the departed TRD, the XSE’s brakes left something to be desired. Its brake actuator’s new pump motor is supposed to provide “greater controllability and brake feel,” but the pedal was stiff and uncommunicative, as if it had a thick wood block on top of it.
With 225 net horsepower, the Camry XSE was also surprisingly potent and led me to another first: enjoying putting my foot down in a Camry. Even more shocking was the eCVT: It didn’t groan or feel like a rubber band the way many CVTs do. Despite all of my indulging, the XSE lived up to its potential fuel economy. According to the window sticker, it’s capable of returning 48 mpg in the city, 47 on the highway, and 47 combined. After Luke and I racked up 277.5 miles, the onboard gauge showed we had averaged 48.6 mpg.
LITTLE THINGS
Aside from moving boxes and clothing to my new house, I spent the majority of my time behind the wheel of the Camry commuting back and forth between my home and office in Scottsdale. One way, that typically takes 45 minutes to an hour – plenty of time to see how comfortable the Camry could make the experience. Every time I hit the road, I did it with the brake hold feature engaged so I didn’t have to hold the left pedal down during the countless stops that come with rush hour traffic. Despite the fact that it was already October, the summer heat refused to die down, so I was grateful for the ventilated front seats. The wireless Apple CarPlay and the massive 12.3-inch infotainment display were a useful and convenient combination.
My tedious commutes also exposed some of the Camry’s shortcomings, albeit small ones. The 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster was a visually impressive, modern piece of tech, but I found it needlessly complicated. It took some guessing and trial and error to figure out how to bring up the trip computer and fuel economy reading. For the life of me, I could not find a way to adjust the position of the head-up display. Yes, those are little things, but there’s no reason they should be so difficult.
It didn’t take me long at all to discover that the bottom cushion of the driver’s seat was too short and didn’t provide enough leg support. It was a similar story with the sunroof: seconds after opening it for my drive home one evening, I heard an intermittent creaking sound coming from it. Thinking that that may have been an isolated incident, I opened it again during another trip and the sound returned.
CONTINUED SUCCESS
Toyota has changed significantly within the past several years. As a result, it has also reconfigured the Camry as it’s dialed in its balance of practicality and sportiness. The 2025 model is the most visually stimulating one yet and combines eye-catching design with satisfying dynamics, enjoyable hybrid power, wallet-friendly fuel economy, and a pleasant (although not perfect) interior. I was surprised by how much I liked it. Take one of the new Camrys for a test drive at your local Toyota dealer. You may be just as shocked as I was.
Comments are closed