Item: Toyota Camry
Rating: 3
Author: What Car? Team

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Introduction

Performance & drive

Interior

Passenger & boot space

Costs & verdict

Running costs are arguably the Camry’s strongest suit, especially if you’re a company car driver. The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/new-official-fuel-consumption-and-co2-tests-explained/n1213">NEDC converted</a> <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/new-official-fuel-consumption-and-co2-tests-explained/n1213">CO2 emissions figure</a> is just 98g/km for the base model with its 17in wheels, rising to 101g/km for the Excel with its larger 18in wheels. The icing on the cake is that – being petrol powered – it doesn’t fall foul of the 4% Benefit-in-Kind surcharge that clobbers diesel <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/check-your-company-car-tax-rate/n1255">company car drivers</a>.

Economy is impressive, too. Depending on trim and options, the official combined figure is between 50.4 and 53.3mpg, while our varied test route, which included motorways, saw almost 50mpg achieved without much effort. And <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/best-hybrid-cars-2019-and-the-ones-to.../n17013">hybrids</a> are particularly efficient in town, when they maximise&nbsp;their electric running.

Whichever trim you go for, equipment levels are high; even entry-level Design models get dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and ignition&nbsp;and auto lights and wipers, to go with their long list of infotainment features and visibility aids we've already mentioned.

However, considering the small price difference, we’d recommend stepping up to Excel trim with its LED fog lights, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, wireless smartphone charging and lane-changing assistance.

All models come equipped with plenty of safety gear, though, including <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/what-is-aeb-and-how-does-it-work/n3283">automatic emergency braking (AEB)</a> with pedestrian detection, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/the-new-car-technology-that-could-save-your-life/n17548#9">lane-keeping assistance</a> and adaptive cruise control. The Camry has yet to be crash tested by <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/euro-ncap-safety-ratings-2019-%E2%80%93-how-safe-is-your-car/n17044">Euro NCAP</a>, but we can get a good idea of how it'll perform&nbsp;by looking at the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/lexus/es/saloon/review/n17336">Lexus ES</a>. It's&nbsp;is&nbsp;very similar underneath to the Camry and gets five stars, with very&nbsp;impressive scores in each of&nbsp;the categories.

Toyota claims that the Camry has been ‘tuned for Europe’, which could be interpreted to suggest that UK cars benefit from sharper handling than their American counterparts. In reality, though, the Camry still feels like a car designed to cruise rather than corner. The steering responds in a smooth and linear manner, but soft suspension and the corresponding body lean reminds you that this is no <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/3-series/saloon/review/n91">BMW 3 Series</a>&nbsp;rival.

The&nbsp;benefit of soft suspension, of course, is increased compliancy, and the Camry is good at taking the sting out of&nbsp;bumps and potholes. However, it's so soft that the car&nbsp;tends to sway&nbsp;about&nbsp;after dealing with&nbsp;imperfections in the road surface, and this sensation only increases with speed, including when you're on the motorway.&nbsp;So, if your&nbsp;kids are prone to travel sickness, you should&nbsp;probably&nbsp;look elsewhere.

There's also quite a bit of road noise on coarse stretches of motorway, but more positively, wind noise is well controlled.&nbsp;Around&nbsp;town you hear very little from the engine,&nbsp;aided by the Camry's ability to often run on electric power alone in stop-start traffic, but the&nbsp;2.5-litre unit is paired with&nbsp;a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/which-type-of-automatic-gearbox-should-i-buy/n17022">continuously variable transmission (CVT) gearbox</a>,&nbsp;which lends a tendency for the engine to rev frantically when you demand full acceleration. And, with less low-down torque — to pull you along effortlessly from low revs like most&nbsp;diesel rivals will do —&nbsp;such soaring revs are the norm when overtaking on country roads or merging onto fast flowing motorways.

The gearbox does have a ‘manual’ mode that can be selected by knocking the auto gear selector over to one side, but we found it unconvincing in use. Even when you select a lower ‘gear’ yourself, the car doesn’t stay in it for long. In fact, we’d recommend taking a more relaxed approach by selecting ‘Eco’ mode. It allows the car to coast with the engine off in order to save fuel, which&nbsp;also helps keep the interior as quiet as possible.

Fuel 

Gearbox

0-62 MPH

http://example.com

2.5 VVT-i Hybrid

25-vvt-i-hybrid

Dunkin’ Donuts, late night chat shows, Twinkies, Sketchers, Seinfeld and the Toyota Camry —&nbsp;all concepts that, while proving wildly popular in the good ol’ US of A, haven’t transferred particularly well when they’ve been brought to the UK. And the Camry is a strong case in point.

While American buyers have always loved the idea of large, comfortable, petrol-powered saloons (Toyota sells more than 400,000 Camrys a year in the US), British buyers have typically favoured smaller, more nimble, diesel cars from 'premium'&nbsp;manufacturers. It’s the reason the Camry was canned back in 2004; while the European big saloon market went mad for diesel, Toyota didn’t offer one and sales predictably slumped.

But now, in an ironic turn of events, the Camry is back in&nbsp;British dealerships&nbsp;due to – yes, you guessed it – a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/should-i-buy-a-diesel-car-everything-you-need-to-know/n1189">downturn in diesel car sales</a>.

Available exclusively with <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/what-is-a-hybrid-car-and-should-you-buy-one/n1290">hybrid power</a>&nbsp;comprised of a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine and an electric motor, the Camry is bang on-trend and&nbsp;perfectly placed to compete with other ‘self-charging’ models (those&nbsp;that have small batteries that can be topped up automatically&nbsp;when you decelerate or use the brakes) such as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/mondeo/hatchback/review/n15">Ford Mondeo hybrid</a>, as well as <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/owning/what-is-a-plug-in-hybrid-car/n1141">plug-in hybrids</a> (that can travel a lot farther on electric power alone), such as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2015-volkswagen-passat-gte-review/n3004">Volkswagen Passat GTE</a> .

Put simply, the Camry benefits from many of the same advantages as Toyota’s smaller <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/toyota/prius/hatchback/review/n17175">Prius</a>, but in a larger&nbsp;body. And we do mean large –&nbsp;it’s longer than the Mondeo and only just shorter than <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/5-series/saloon/review/n63">BMW's 5 Series</a>.

But&nbsp;does outright size equate to a practical family car? And how does the Camry square up against conventionally powered big hitters such as&nbsp;the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/3-series/saloon/review/n91">BMW 3 Series</a>? Stick with us over the next few pages and we’ll tell you all you need to know. And don’t forget, if you want to buy a Toyota Camry, or indeed any other car, head over to <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/new-car-deals%22%3ENew%20Car%20Buying">our deals section</a> to find out how much you could save without any awkward haggling.

There’s no denying that the Camry’s interior feels more solid than those of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/mondeo/hatchback/review/n15">Ford Mondeo</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/vauxhall/insignia/hatchback/review/n17370">Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport</a>, but it&nbsp;lacks the sophistication of its closest German competitors, such as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/passat/saloon/review/n28">Volkswagen Passat</a>.

Yes, there are soft touch materials scattered around the interior, but there are plenty of harsher surfaces as well, and these rather let&nbsp;the side down. And, while the dashboard inserts in our range-topping test car stood out, we couldn’t quite work out if they were&nbsp;supposed to look like plastic, wood or copper.

The small 7.0in infotainment screen also disappoints, in both its appearance and in terms of usability. The screen's resolution isn't very impressive, the graphics for the map look rather congested and it responds sluggishly to commands. It’s also housed behind a glossy screen that reflects the sun, making it hard to read on the move. The fact that every Camry comes with sat-nav, a DAB radio, Bluetooth, and a USB socket&nbsp;is some consolation, but you cannot get <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/owning/what-is-apple-carplay/n1193">Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone integration</a>.&nbsp;Excel models have a wireless&nbsp;phone charging tray&nbsp;located in front of the gearshift lever.

Visibility is impressive front and rear, and even entry-level Design models come with front and rear parking sensors, with range-topping Excel trim adding a reversing camera. However, the driving position could be better; while the seat&nbsp;features electric adjustment, it's short on&nbsp;under-thigh&nbsp;support.

Saloon

Toyota is a company undergoing a quiet revolution, as it works hard to replace its sensible but somewhat bland reputation with one for being a bit more daring, in areas such as the styling of its cars and its enthusiastic leadership of cutting-edge technology, such as hybrid systems.

That process seems to be working for buyers, with the hugely popular and striking-looking C-HR SUV in particular attracting a great deal of interest. The latest version of the hybrid Prius is also rated highly by What Car?; it’s the first Prius to go on sale that our testers have felt can truly compete all round with existing petrol or diesel rivals.

However, it’s worth noting that this period of transition is also a work in progress, and that many of the firm’s cars are still rated as being no more than average among class rivals by our testers.

TOYOTA

CAMRY

The Toyota Camry is rather disappointing to drive, whether you're after comfort or fun, but it's a spacious choice that's very cheap to run.

Unless you’re seven-feet tall, like&nbsp;Shaquille O'Neal, you'll be fine in the front. And although six-footers will notice that the roof&nbsp;curves downwards towards the rear of the car, reducing&nbsp;head room in the back seats a little, there's so much&nbsp;space for feet and knees that there's no need to sit bolt upright — if needs be you&nbsp;can slouch slightly&nbsp;to avoid your head&nbsp;brushing the roof lining.

In terms of storage, you’ll find two decently sized cup holders located between the front seats, an armrest with a storage cubby inside, as well as a pair of usable door pockets that are just about big enough to accept drinks bottles or travel cups. 

A compact rear suspension design, along with the positioning of the car’s batteries beneath the rear seats, minimises intrusion into the boot and results in impressive luggage capacity that's a match for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2015-volkswagen-passat-gte-review/n3004">Passat GTE</a> — we fitted eight carry-on suitcases inside the Camry's boot&nbsp;with easy. Indeed, that's one more case than the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/mondeo/hatchback/review/n15">Mondeo Hybrid</a>&nbsp;Estate managed. 

The rear seats fold in a 60/40 configuration and can be released using two toggles in the boot – ideal when you’re loading awkwardly shaped items from behind the car — but the opening through to the passenger compartment is relatively narrow.&nbsp;

Design

design

Excel

excel

The Toyota Camry is rather disappointing, whether you're after comfort or fun, but it's spacious and very cheap to run. If you're a company car driver, focused mainly on cheap tax bills, it is a worthy proposition, but if you can live with a petrol or diesel instead, there are far better executive cars out there.

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Effortless long-distance capability</li> <li>Strong standard specification</li> <li>Low running costs</li> <li>Comfortable driving position</li> <li>Comprehensive yet easy-to-use infotainment system</li></ul>

Executive cars are often the choice of company car drivers, so factors such as CO2 emissions (which govern your monthly tax bill) are just as important as cruising refinement for those long motorway journeys, a plush cabin and (whisper it) the image of the badge on the bonnet.

The good news is that there are options for all budgets and tastes. If rear space is crucial and you’re willing to put up with a less-than-premium badge, the Skoda Superb is tough to beat, while if you want a premium badge on the bonnet then the BMW 3 Series is consistently one of our favourites in this class.

And don't think you're limited to just petrol or diesel-powered choices in this class,&nbsp;because at the top end the Tesla Model 3 is well worth considering for its long range and engaging driving style.

Executive

Toyota Camry review

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Review of Toyota Camry interior by the expert What Car? team. Compare in car entertainment system, driving comfort and visibility with similar cars.

There’s no denying that the Camry’s interior feels more solid than those of the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport, but it lacks the sophistication of its closest German competitors, such as the Volkswagen Passat.,Yes, there are soft touch materials scattered around the interior, but there are plenty of harsher surfaces as well, and these rather let the side down. And, while the dashboard inserts in our range-topping test car stood out, we couldn’t quite work out if they were supposed to look like plastic, wood or copper.,The small 7.0in infotainment screen also disappoints, in both its appearance and in terms of usability. The screen's resolution isn't very impressive, the graphics for the map look rather congested and it responds sluggishly to commands. It’s also housed behind a glossy screen that reflects the sun, making it hard to read on the move. The fact that every Camry comes with sat-nav, a DAB radio, Bluetooth, and a USB socket is some consolation, but you cannot get Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone integration. Excel models have a wireless phone charging tray located in front of the gearshift lever.,Visibility is impressive front and rear, and even entry-level Design models come with front and rear parking sensors, with range-topping Excel trim adding a reversing camera. However, the driving position could be better; while the seat features electric adjustment, it's short on under-thigh support.,

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