2025 Toyota Camry Carefully Evolves
Although the Toyota Camry has been usurped by the brand's RAV4 crossover as the bestselling vehicle in the U.S. that isn't a pickup truck, nearly 300,000 of Toyota's family sedans still found homes last year. We're clearly not alone in preferring the lower starting price, greater fuel efficiency, and tidier driving dynamics that sedans generally hold over their utilitarian kin. But radically altering the Camry's formula is something Toyota doesn't take lightly, which meant cautious evolution led the way for its ninth-generation redesign.
If you don't glimpse the 2025 Camry's chiseled front end and gaping maw, it easily can be mistaken for the outgoing model that it mirrors in almost every dimension. As before, SE and XSE trim levels are billed as the sportier versions, featuring black grille accents and a more responsive chassis versus the LE and XLE's chrome trim and softer setup.
The big changes are under the surface, where all grades feature Toyota's fifth-gen hybrid powertrain. An Atkinson-cycle 2.5-liter four-cylinder continues to be the hybrid's prime mover, gaining an extra eight horsepower for 184 in total, bolstered by 163 pound-feet of torque. Likewise, a more powerful traction motor (134 horses, up from 118) works with a second motor that choreographs the hybrid system's planetary gearset so it ultimately acts like a continuously variable transmission. Total output climbs from 208 ponies to 225. Opt for the $1525 electrified all-wheel-drive system—a first for the Camry hybrid—with its own 40-hp rear-axle motor shared with the Prius AWD, and that combined figure creeps up to 232 horsepower.
A lithium-ion battery with an estimated usable capacity of 0.6 kilowatt-hour sits under the back seat, and Toyota figures a combined fuel economy range of 44 to 51 mpg depending on the model (EPA estimates aren't available yet). That's 2 mpg worse on the low end for an all-wheel-drive XSE versus an outgoing XSE hybrid that lacked AWD and 1 mpg below the thriftiest front-drive version. But considering the last Camry hybrid we tested, a 2018 XLE model, returned 44 mpg on our 75-mph highway test and averaged 40 mpg overall, any version of the new car will be far stingier at the pump than previous gas-only models, which topped out at 32 mpg combined.
The extra spring in the Camry's step is most evident around town, where the shove of its stronger electric motor can be felt in low- to mid-throttle applications, boosting responsiveness. And with estimated curb weights held a good amount below two tons across the board, 60-mph times should remain in the seven-second range. Sadly, the sub-six-second 60-mph sprints of the outgoing 301-hp V-6 models are a thing of the past. Additional sound insulation better isolates the new Camry from wind, road, and powertrain noise, while slightly firmer suspension tunes lend all versions tighter body control when plying twisty switchbacks, all without impinging on their cushy ride (the base LE has 16-inch wheels, with higher trims getting 18s or 19s). The four-banger still tends to drone under heavy loads, but our main dynamic gripe is the steering, which seems decidedly artificial in its numb on-center feel and lack of increased effort when rounding corners.
Smudge-prone piano-black trim is splashed across the Camry's dashboard, but the rest of the interior brings pleasant upgrades throughout, including attractive, trim-specific upholstery, plus revised seats that provide ample support and long-haul comfort. Depending on the trim, digital displays range from 7.0 to 12.3 inches for the driver, while the center touchscreens running Toyota's latest infotainment software span 8.0 or 12.3 inches. A 10.0-inch head-up display is available on XLE and XSE models. Overall cabin space remains generous, as do standard convenience and safety features, though you'll have to pay extra for a surround-view camera system, lane-change assist, and parking assist with automatic braking.
Value has long been one of the Camry's strengths, and the 2025 model starts at $29,495, which is nearly $2000 more than the ask for last year's base four-cylinder LE yet $455 less than the previous entry-level hybrid model. Combined with its updates, the new Camry should be a stronger match for its longtime rival, the Honda Accord, when we stage the inevitable comparison test. A return to the top of Toyota's sales charts is far less likely. But for the sedan faithful, this is a better Camry.
You Might Also Like
