2024 Toyota Camry

It might seem odd to recommend the Toyota Camry as an antidote to boredom, but that’s where we are. Midsize sedans were once seen as rather vanilla, but as an alternative to the ubiquitous SUV, cars like the Toyota Camry can be comparatively responsive, nimble and satisfying to drive. They’re also comfortable, efficient, and remain spacious enough to suit most of the driving population.

Now in its eighth generation (this version launched for 2018), Toyota has gained a wealth of experience and expertise to create and continue to build a practical and reliable midsize sedan. That’s why it’s been one of the 10 best-selling vehicles in the country for as long as we can remember.

The 2024 Toyota Camry Hybrid midsize sedan is reviewed separately.

There are no major changes for this model year. Toyota has been concentrating on the 2025 Camry, which is expected to receive a comprehensive update and go on sale at some point in 2024.

The main rival is the Honda Accord, starting at around $28K. The Subaru Legacy (with all-wheel drive as standard) begins at about $25K. The Kia K5 is closer to $25.4K, with the Hyundai Sonata (revised for 2024) and Nissan Altima in the region of $27K. The 2024 Camry Hybrid starts just under $29K.

Before buying a new Camry sedan, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should be paying. The Accord tops our resale values table for this class, although the Camry takes a strong and decisive second place.

Most versions of the 2024 Camry employ a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine generating a little over 200 horsepower, more than adequate for most purposes and better than the base units in rival cars. It’ll hit 60 mph in about 7.5 seconds, which is on par with the competition and plenty quick in the real world. In our frequent encounters with the Camry, we’ve found it brisk enough for city driving, while the engine delivers sufficient thrust to get overtaking moves completed without fuss. It does start to sound a little coarse at high revs, though.

In its everyday form, the comfy Camry doesn’t ask much from the driver apart from the basic attentions and skills to accomplish safe and steady progress. Nor does it give much in terms of involvement, amusement, or information. It’s almost like there’s an implied agreement between the car and the people in it — you do your thing and I’ll do mine.

However, we’ve found the front seats big enough to take all sorts of shapes and sizes, comfort levels are high, and outward vision is good. The SE and XSE come with a slightly sportier suspension setup compared with the LE and XLE versions, but they still don’t spoil the overall cushioned effect. Our main gripe is that the Camry can get a little noisy at freeway speeds.

A 301-horsepower V6 is available as an option in the XLE and XSE, and standard in the TRD. Again, that’s more power than the optional engines of the competition. It can shave almost a couple seconds from the zero-to-60 mph time of its stablemate. Front-wheel drive is the sole setup with the V6. But it endows the Camry with a more satisfying driving experience — especially the TRD (Toyota Racing Development), with its firmer/lower suspension and stronger brakes.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and researching the current collection of midsize sedans, including the Camry.

Fuel Economy

Despite its power advantage, the Camry also achieves competitive fuel economy figures. It tops out at 32 combined mpg (28 city, 39 highway), with all-wheel drive models peaking at 29 combined mpg (25 city, 34 highway). Those figures are in line with those of its key competitors.

With the V6 on board, fuel economy is 26 combined mpg (22 city, 33 highway) in the XLE and XSE models, or 25 combined mpg (22 city, 31 highway) in the TRD.

Both engines are happy with regular gasoline.

Whatever the 2024 Camry midsize sedan might lack in design flair, it compensates with an intelligent layout that makes everything easy. Also, the quality of cabin materials becomes almost luxurious in the higher trims. For example, the XLE has wood pieces, while the XSE replaces those with metal highlights. The interior design is beginning to look more dated, though, when compared with the sparse dash/big touchscreen approach of more modern vehicles.

The Camry has plenty of space for adult passengers with 38 inches of rear legroom — even if that’s not as much as the class-leading Honda Accord’s 40.8. A similar situation exists with trunk volume. The Camry has 15.1 cubic feet, the Accord has 16.7. However, 15.1 is still considerable, the trunk’s aperture is nice and wide, and there’s a low lift-over point. Most versions also have 60/40 split/folding rear seats to take the occasional extra-long item, but they’re fixed in the TRD variant because of extra body bracing in the pursuit of maximum rigidity.

It could be said that we’ve all seen enough Camry sedans in our lives to form our own opinions. But then again, perhaps the Camry’s styling hasn’t really registered in our memories. This may well change with next year’s purported redesign. In the meantime, though, we’d say this is a perfect sedan for those who don’t like to call too much attention to themselves.

For the Camry driver who would rather cut more of a dash, there’s the SE Nightshade with its choice of dark colors and bronze-finished alloy wheels. Or the sporty TRD running on a lowered suspension and wearing its own aerodynamic bodykit. The XSE offers a black roof and wheels finished in gloss black.

Infotainment system
We like the Camry’s user-friendly infotainment system, which comes with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto phone integration, Amazon Alexa compatibility, satellite radio, Bluetooth, and two USB ports. A 7-inch touchscreen is standard, with a 9-inch equivalent available. These are looking a little small now, though — the 2024 Hyundai Sonata offers dual 12.3-inch screens.

All-wheel drive
The availability of all-wheel drive is rare for the midsize sedan class. It’s paired exclusively with the 4-cylinder engine, bringing extra reassurance in slippery conditions. It does mean a slightly smaller gas tank, though: 14.4 gallons as opposed to the front-drive models’ 15.8.

Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+
This standard array includes forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, and intersection assistance (keeping a virtual eye out for oncoming vehicles when turning left).

Driver Assist package
The XLE and XSE versions offer this optional package that contains front/rear parking sensors with rear cross-traffic braking, 360-degree camera system, head-up display, and (although it might be a stretch to qualify these as driver assistance) heated/ventilated front seats.

Wireless charging
Standard in the XLE and XSE, optional in the LE and SE, we always appreciate the convenience of wireless phone charging.

Push-button ignition
Admittedly, this kind of feature is ubiquitous these days. But we still get a little thrill every time we push one to fire up an engine. It’s standard in the Camry from the XLE trim and up.

The 2024 Camry doesn’t go in for turbocharging. The main engine in the range is a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder unit making between 203 and 206 horsepower, depending on the trim level and with front-wheel drive (FWD) in the picture. All-wheel drive (AWD) reduces those figures by one horsepower.

Torque is a similarly moving target, with most FWD models packing 184 lb-ft or 182 lb-ft with AWD. The exception being the XSE model with 186 lb-ft to torque (FWD) or 185 lb-ft (AWD).

It’s more straightforward with the 3.5-liter V6 that’s optional in the XLE and XSE, standard in the TRD: 301 horsepower and 267 lb-ft of torque. This engine connects solely to a front-wheel-drive setup.

Both engines are paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission.

3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty

Toyota’s new-vehicle warranty of three years or 36,000 miles, whichever happens first, and its powertrain warranty of five years or 60,000 miles are both typical for this class, although Hyundai and Kia do better. Toyota also includes free maintenance and roadside assistance for the first two years or 25,000 miles.

Safety Ratings

This generation of Camry has been named a Top Safety Pick+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and took a maximum 5-Star overall score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Standard driver assistance features include forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assistance with steering inputs, and adaptive cruise control. Blind-spot monitoring becomes standard at the XLE level.