Used 2022 Toyota Camry

A good sign of the 2022 Toyota Camry midsize sedan’s enduring strength is that it’s still selling and being updated, even as the world around it continues to go woozy over crossovers. By now, the Camry name is as familiar as a close relative, having been around for 38 years. Unlike relatives, though, the Camry can — and has — changed, becoming more modern.

This generation (the eighth) launched for the 2018 model year and received a refresh last year. The current Camry is much more engaging than its predecessors. Yet it continues to include attributes that have always been at the car’s core — reliability, strong resale values, plenty of space for occupants and luggage, plus decent fuel economy.

Some manufacturers are ditching their 4-door cars completely, but the Camry is one reason why the midsize sedan scene remains vibrant.

The 2022 Camry Hybrid is reviewed separately.

A few years ago, this would have been the shortest section of any new Camry review. The verdict would probably have amounted to a barely suppressed yawn. That’s all changed.

Admittedly, the base 4-cylinder engine is tuned for excellent fuel economy rather than blistering acceleration, but it has sufficient push for most situations. A long drive wouldn’t be a chore. Instead, we would enjoy the smooth-riding suspension, along with the predictable handling and well-judged steering weight. The automatic transmission also functions with a quiet efficiency.

This easy-going overall manner is one of the reasons why the Toyota Camry has found so many buyers over the years.

The SE’s sportier suspension adds extra agility, while retaining the car’s innate composure. In any version where it’s available, the V6 makes the 2022 Camry feel closer to a Lexus with its power and refinement.

For greater emphasis on handling, the Camry TRD is a blast. TRD stands for Toyota Racing Development, the company’s performance division. This model has its own suspension — lower-slung and much stiffer than standard — as well as upgraded brakes.

Not all midsize sedans offer all-wheel drive, so respect goes to Toyota for making it available in Camry versions with the 4-cylinder engine. Apart from the main reason of reassurance in slippery conditions, it also helps apply power to the road when moving off from a standstill or accelerating out of a corner.

There is a small penalty in power output, though, as well as a little extra thirst for gasoline. Because of the extra hardware, it also means a slightly smaller gas tank: 14.4 gallons as opposed to 15.8.

This year, the base LE trim gains dual-zone automatic climate control and illuminated mirrors in the front shades, both of which make it feel a little more upmarket.

After 30-odd years of making a highly successful midsize sedan, Toyota knows what works. This is a comfortable cabin where it’s easy to get a good driving position and see out of.

The freestanding infotainment display — measuring 7 inches or 9 inches, depending on the trim level — follows a trend set by luxury cars. It tops off a cleanly designed center console that also includes a regular shift lever for the transmission. Many people will prefer that to the Honda Accord’s buttons.

Although 38 inches of rear legroom is about 2 inches short of the class-leading Accord’s, it’s still quite a lot and enough for average-sized adults, even with someone of the same height sitting right in front. The same could be said of the 15.1-cubic foot trunk. Again, not as good as the Accord’s 16.7, but capacious nevertheless.

Extra versatility is enabled by rear seats that split and fold in 60/40 fashion. The TRD model’s rear seats are fixed in place, though, because of extra bracing that stiffens the body.

Let’s forgo any subjective opinions on aesthetics and get straight to the differences between the various versions of the 2022 Camry.

The Nightshade edition, based on the SE trim, takes the Camry way out of its traditional mainstream territory by adding a grille, side mirror housings, window surround, rear spoiler, and 18-inch alloy wheels all in black.

The XLE and XSE both have their own air inlet designs up front, while brightening things up with a few chrome touches. The TRD sits lowest on its suspension, putting matte black 19-inch alloy wheels with gloss black aerodynamic additions, including a large rear wing on the trunk lid. This year, the TRD offers an exclusive 2-tone paint finish of Cavalry Blue with a black roof.

The Ice Edge color that becomes available this year on the lower trims is a light silver.

INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM
It’s easy to use and doesn’t require much (if any) digging in the manual to find out how it all works. The graphics on the display look good and Apple CarPlay integrates nicely. If we ever meet someone who doesn’t have an iPhone, they’ll probably say the same thing about Android Auto.

CAMRY TRD
Apologies for being predictable and choosing a version that’s off the usual path. But anyone who gets a thrill from driving will like 301 horsepower in conjunction with a seriously sport-tuned suspension and sport front seats to hold them in place through quick corners.

These days, a new Camry comes with 17-inch alloy wheels instead of steel wheels with plastic covers. It also has LED exterior lighting, selectable driving modes, dual-zone automatic climate control, and an 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat. Plus cloth upholstery, which is more basic.

Standard safety features are generous, including forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistance, rear seat reminder, and automatic high beams.

The infotainment system is controlled by a 7-inch touchscreen, bringing Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration, Amazon Alexa compatibility, one USB-A port, one USB-C port, Bluetooth, satellite radio, and Wi-Fi.

Camry buyers can opt for all-wheel drive, as long as they’re happy with the smaller engine. A V6 is available in front-drive variants of the XLE and XSE, but standard in the Camry TRD.

The ascending trim levels add more features, naturally, but the SE also comes with a mildly sportier suspension. The SE Nightshade version goes heavy on the black cosmetic elements. The XLE increases the luxury quotient, the XSE goes sport-luxe, and the TRD is a proper sport sedan.

Higher trims gain things like wireless charging, simulated leather upholstery or the real stuff, and heated front seats. Once at the XLE level, blind-spot monitoring is included (optional in the lower trims), along with a 9-inch infotainment touchscreen.

Among the general options are heated/ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, moonroof, head-up display, 360-degree camera system, navigation, and audio upgrades.

A 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine making 203 horsepower is deployed as standard in the front-drive LE, SE, XLE, and XSE models. In the XSE, this unit delivers 206 horsepower. Maximum torque is similarly variable, generating 184 lb-ft in most cases, or 186 in the XSE.

Throw all-wheel drive (AWD) into the mix and output goes down by 1 horsepower, accompanied by a similar reduction in torque.

The 3.5-liter V6 available in the XLE, XSE, and TRD models develops 301 horsepower and 267 lb-ft of torque, and that’s that. This engine links solely to a front-wheel-drive (FWD) arrangement.

Both engines connect to an 8-speed automatic transmission. Regular gasoline is fine for either. And both have a fuel-saving stop/restart function.

2.5-liter inline-4
202-206 horsepower @ 6,600 rpm
184-186 lb-ft of torque @ 5,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 28/39 mpg (FWD), 27/38 (FWD: XLE & XSE), 25/34 mpg (AWD)

3.5-liter V6
301 horsepower @ 6,600 rpm
267 lb-ft of torque @ 4,700 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 22/33 mpg (XLE), 22/32 mpg (XSE), 22/31 mpg (TRD)