There are certain things that we have learned around here after 10s of thousands of stories and millions of words about cars over the years. There are some people who are unwilling to move off of even the most basic and aged opinions and others who maintain a pretty open mind about stuff. We’ve always kept our minds open when it comes to the time we have been able to spend with new cars. Why? Because for starters the wants and needs of buyers (you the readers) are all different and simply locking into a set of opinion standards and holding every car accountable to them is lame and unfair.
We say all this because we recently had the keys to a the 2025 Toyota Camry XSE with all wheel drive. We had the car for the better part of a week and put a lot of miles on it, did normal people car stuff with it, and did our level best to form an open and honest opinion on this car. There’s millions of Toyota Camrys on the road today not because of some sort of happy accident, they are the mass market car that has been at the top or near the top of sales charts for decades on end. There are now more options, levels, and choices for buyers to make to tailor their Camry the way they want it. This one? This is the way we think many of you would set the car up if you were in the market for it.
For starters, every new Camry you see is s hybrid. All of them. Famously Toyota’s leadership has been among the few clear voices in the automotive world that have maintained for years that hybrid technology is a far more sensible and workable path forward than full on EV replacement of the world’s automotive fleets. This car is a shining example as to why they are spot on. With more than 40mpg in efficiency, nearly 600 miles of driving on a single tank of fuel, a curb weight of 3,700lbs, and the combo of a direct injected 2.5L four banger and a supplemental electric motor to give there car a combined 232hp, it’s as tidy and seamless as powertrain package that exists in the world today. Not taking shots at the average Camry owner but these cars are designed and intended to be as “user friendly” as possible. This one is.
The CVT transmission is interesting in that it’s programmed to “act” a lot like a normal geared unit. It does not feel like you are stepping into a bucket of Jello when you hit the gas and likewise the engine does not bray and scream without producing any sort of equivalent forward motion.
The engine bay is the definition of function over form. Again, not taking shots at Camry owners here, but the reality is that this is a view a tiny fraction of them will likely ever see themselves. We’d love to poll owners on the street to see if they could even find the release handle in under 30-seconds. Not that it is hidden, just that they have never used it nor of they plan to.
The interior here was a shocker for us, to some degree. The shade of red used on the leather was seemingly kind of wild for a Camry. It was kind of like ox blood on steroids. Seating was comfortable, supportive, and what one could expect from a Camry. You could very easily and nicely swallow up those long range tanks of gas in quiet comfort inside this car. We liked the verve of the interior which kind of gives this car a little fun attitude and personality. If the interior were a cave of just black plastic and leather, it would not have been as frankly fun to pop into the cabin and go for a ride.
The only real objection we had in the driver’s area was the pedals. There’s limits to touches that imply a sporty nature and attitude but then there’s stuff that just kind of comes off as corny. The pedals work and feel fine but the look is a little more than we’d expect. Other than that, it’s a nice and somewhat busy layout. The screen is nicely integrated, there are real buttons to operate HVAC controls, the shifter is good, if not really a shifter, and there are plugs for any sort of device you’d want to juice up or connect to the car.
Styling is nice, unassuming, and classy. The hallmark of the Camry has always been to blend in, appeal to a wide swath of the car buying public and effectively touch enough different areas of style that it catches some as classy, some as sporty, some as refined, and others as modern. Effectively people see the Camry as they want to see it and go from there. The trunk is huge, the 19″ wheels are nice, and the all wheel drive is not just good for bad weather, the car handles well, to boot. The XSE also has sport tuned shocks and springs as well as larger sway bars which tighten up the whole chassis package.
So the end result? The Camry is the kind of functional, do it all sedan that it always has been but it’s the best version of itself that’s been produced. The interior was a little much, the driving dynamics are on point, the powertrain is seamless and just powerful enough, and the economy with it’s 527 miles of range is next level. For an as tested price of $42,000 and change, this is a lot of car for the money and if it does what its predecessors have done, it’ll likely be worth every penny.
