2025 Toyota Camry Review and Test Drive
Married car journalists take turns in the driver seat of Toyota's best-selling sedan to compare notes on the car's 2025 updates.
Christian Wardlaw
The Camry is available in LE, SE, XLE, and XSE trim levels, and base prices range from the high $20,000s to the mid-$30,000s. That price range includes the destination charge to ship the car from the Georgetown, Kentucky, assembly plant to your local dealership. Three of the Camry's competitors include the Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, and Kia K5.
For this review, Liz Kim and Christian Wardlaw, automotive journalists who are married with children, evaluated a 2025 Camry XSE. Options included two-tone paint, 19-inch wheels, and the Premium Plus package, bringing the manufacturer's suggested retail price to $41,770, including the $1,095 destination charge. Toyota provided the test car for this Camry review.
Christian Wardlaw
Is the 2025 Toyota Camry a Good Car?
Chris Wardlaw: Anyone looking for a reliable car that will probably run for a long time with minimal operational, maintenance, and repair costs should consider a Toyota Camry. It even has a sense of style, is decent to drive, and offers user-friendly technology. But its rivals are just as appealing, and in some cases, more so.
Liz Kim: The Kim family has a long history with the Toyota Camry because Pops simply wanted a reliable method of transportation. Our various Camrys excelled at that, but they were boring. The 2025 Camry XSE, with its improved stylistic flair and driving manners, is anything but boring, making it a family car I would recommend for reasons other than just reliability.
Christian Wardlaw
The 2025 Camry XSE Has Good Looks, Decent Comfort, and an Adequate Trunk
Liz: When Chris told me I'd drive a Toyota Camry for a week, I was prepared for a snooze fest. Happily, this sleek sedan surprised me, starting with its good looks. Deeply sculpted lines, a racy silhouette, and a memorable Ocean Gem paint job with a black roof oozed style. While the dramatic lower grille design takes some getting used to, the Camry is edgier and more futuristic than ever.
That theme continues inside, where designers use ribbon-like horizontal lines to define the dashboard and add character to an otherwise plain cabin. My only complaints related to the all-black interior, which I generally dislike, and the unexpectedly tight rear legroom, compared with some rivals in the segment. The trunk is relatively small, too, but it accommodated my typical Costco haul without much drama.
Christian Wardlaw
Chris: It's true the Camry feels smaller inside than its key competitor, the Honda Accord. Though tight on legroom, the soft front seatbacks help when my knees and shins make contact, and I thought thigh support was good and the backrest angle comfortable. Rear air-conditioning vents add comfort, too.
The trunk space is among the smallest in the midsize car segment, but you can load a full-size suitcase on its side to maximize the space. My complaint is that you can't close the trunklid without grabbing the top of the lid itself, possibly getting your fingertips dirty on the paint.
Stylistically, my favorite thing about our test car was the 19-inch wheel design. It's terrific and gives the Camry XSE plenty of presence. And that Ocean Gem paint makes me dream of our next tropical vacation.
Christian Wardlaw
Effective but Not Flawless Infotainment and Safety Tech
Toyota improved the 2025 Camry by adding its latest infotainment and driver-assistance technologies. Our fully loaded test car had numerous tech features, including a 12.3-inch digital gauge panel, a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 10.0-inch head-up display, and Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 enhanced with optional Traffic Jam Assist.
Chris: I find the Camry's infotainment system unnecessarily distracting. During the day, the display lacks contrast, making it harder to quickly scan for information. It also doesn't have a home screen showing multiple data panels, causing further distraction when changing to the desired menu or display as the car covers tens of yards of pavement while you're looking at the screen.
Pairing my iPhone was simple enough, and streaming music wasn't any trouble. It's easy to switch between the native environment and Apple CarPlay, and the Drive Connect subscription's digital voice assistant quickly and accurately responded to my commands. However, I experienced several "network is busy" notifications.
Liz: I thought the infotainment system was easy to use and intuitive, but physical buttons and knobs are always preferable to touchscreens when driving. Toyota provides a stereo power/volume knob and climate control buttons, but a radio-tuning knob would have perfected the layout.
Christian Wardlaw
Chris: Regarding the driver-assistance technology, everything worked as I expected. Proactive Driving Assist promotes safe following distances through subtle braking, and in the Camry, this technology is discreet enough that I used it all week.
Our test vehicle had Traffic Jam Assist. It works at speeds under 25 mph and allows hands-free driving in heavy traffic. However, when it first activates, it requests permission for the driver-monitoring camera to record you, which I'm certain will unnerve some people.
Liz: It's also worth noting that Traffic Jam Assist is subscription based after a complimentary trial period. I didn't use it but found the lane-centering assist too intrusive. Nevertheless, it and the lane-keeping-assist systems are effective, and it's good to know that the Camry has your back if you're ever distracted.
Christian Wardlaw
Zippy Camry XSE Is More Fun Than Expected and Effortlessly Efficient
Toyota has dropped the previous gas-only four-cylinder and V6 engines from the Camry lineup, leaving a hybrid powertrain good for 225 horsepower. It uses a continuously variable transmission (CVT) to power the front wheels but is also available with AWD. The official fuel-economy rating for the Camry XSE is 47 mpg, but we observed 37.9 mpg during a week of family duty in the Los Angeles suburbs.
Liz: Step on the gas, and you'll be surprised at the Camry's lively engine note and sensation of instant torque. Add a tight turning circle, responsive steering, and suspension tuning that delivers decent road feel without diminishing that customary Camry cushioning, and the XSE impressed me with its overall athleticism. People living in areas with inclement weather will appreciate the available AWD system.
I suspect spirited off-the-line sprints — all done in the name of evaluation, of course — may have contributed to our lackluster observed fuel economy. Still, getting 37.9 mpg without trying in a family-sized car is nothing to sneeze at.
Christian Wardlaw
Chris: What impressed me most about the Camry XSE, aside from the fuel economy, was the ride and handling. When I drove it enthusiastically, it felt vacuumed to the blacktop on Mulholland Highway — an iconic twisting road I drive on regularly. Better yet, Toyota achieves this without stiffening the suspension to uncomfortable levels.
This car is zippy enough, and fortunately, the CVT isn't a bother. On the highway, the new Camry seems quieter, too, adding to the car's newfound sense of refinement. Dynamically, my only complaint is the numb feel of the brake pedal in city driving.
Christian Wardlaw
Liz Kim and Christian Wardlaw met when they worked together at a major automotive media outlet. A couple for more than 20 years, they are parents to children and pets and have collectively test-driven and reviewed thousands of cars, trucks, minivans, and SUVs since the 1990s.
Written by humans.
Edited by humans.
Liz KimLiz Kim has been writing about cars, SUVs, and trucks since 1999. She started her career in news, features, and car reviews, and has crafted automotive marketing copy for several agencies. But what she enjoys most is ferrying her family to explore the nooks and crannies of Southern California, where she lives. She calls a 2020 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid her daily driver.
Christian WardlawMy first word was “car.” That’s what I’m told, anyway. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with them. The design. The engineering. The performance. And the purpose. I’m a car enthusiast who loves to drive, but I’m also most interested in the cars, trucks, and SUVs that people actually buy. Anybody can tell you that a sports car is fast. What you need to know is whether or not you should buy that new SUV, and why. My life purpose is to help you make that decision.
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