Our Opinion - 2023 Toyota Camry Review The Camry is the best example of a midsize sedan, a car losing both new models and sales as SUVs have become more popular. The Toyota Camry has maintained its position as the best-selling passenger car for the past 20 years, even though the market has seen significant shifts. It has a hybrid model that gets excellent gas mileage and a good reputation for being reliable. The current generation of Camry is elegant, especially when it has the sporty-looking TRD trim or the Nightshade package, which will get bronze wheels in 2023. Also, while some of the Camry’s competitors, like the Honda Accord and the Hyundai Sonata, have switched to four-cylinder engines, Toyota’s midsize sedan still has the 301-hp V-6. Even though it’s not very fun to drive, it’s a reliable and easy-to-use daily driver thanks to its safety features, efficient engines, and roomy interior. What's New? The Nightshade upgrade for the SE trim, which will be available in 2023, adds a black frame to the headlights and taillights to match the model’s black front grille, rear spoiler, mirror caps, and emblems. Surprisingly, the 19-inch matte bronze wheels don’t look out of place on the Nightshade. The package can be used with Midnight Black, White, or a new shade of blue called Reservoir. More driver-assist features are added to the rest of the Camry lineup. These include automatic high beams and a forward-facing camera that can read some traffic signs and show them on the digital display. Pros And Cons Pros: A smooth ride and has good handling. Option of a quick V6 engine A lot of space in the seats A way to have fun that makes sense Cons: The trunk is smaller than usual for this type of tree. The cabin is noisy from the wind and the road. Engine, Transmission, and Performance Even though the eight-speed automatic transmission and four-cylinder engine are both smooth, the power plant doesn’t move fast enough. The Camry hybrid is powered by a less powerful version of that engine, a battery, and two electric motors, but it’s no more fun to drive than the original engine. The real star of this lineup is the 301-hp V-6 engine, which is available on the XLE, XSE, and TRD models, as well as the variant. Also, we’re glad to say that we no longer hate driving the Camry. It’s surprising how well it handles and how smoothly it rides. When you turn a corner, the steering has a nice weight to it, but it feels light when you’re driving through a parking lot. Even in the hybrid model, which has to use both friction and regenerative braking, the Camry’s brake pedal was quick and not too soft. Safety Still, it’s great that Toyota has made driver-assistance technology a standard feature on all Camry models. Among the essential safety features are the following: Automatic emergency braking and a warning of a possible front-end collision are standard. As well as the usual lane-departure warning, it has a system that helps you stay in your lane. standard adaptive cruise control Internal and External Cargo Capacity We drove the top-of-the-line XLE and the cheaper SE versions of the Camry. Both cars have a lot of space and are comfortable, but the XLE is a step above. But the quality of the materials is very different between the cheaper models and the more expensive ones, and the middle part of the dashboard’s design turned some of us off. When the back seat is folded down, the Camry has a lot of storage space inside and outside. Even though it’s not the best in every storage category, it’s still a strong contender. Toyota moved the Camry hybrid’s battery from the trunk to under the back seats so customers wouldn’t have to give up cargo space for better gas mileage. Fuel Economy and Actual MPG The Camry line did very well in EPA tests, and a four-cylinder model did very well in our extensive testing on real-world highways. The base LE hybrid got 51 mpg in the city and 53 mpg on the road. The LE and SE models with the four-cylinder engine got 28 mpg in the city and 39 mpg on the highway. However, higher trims of the hybrid gave up some fuel efficiency for more luxury, while V-6-powered cars got up to 33 mpg on the road and up to 22 mpg in the city. In our highway test, a four-cylinder Camry SE got 45 mpg, which was six mpg better than its own EPA rating. This made it the most affordable non-hybrid car we’ve ever tested. It was one mpg better than the Camry XLE hybrid we tested. Infotainment and Connectivity Entune 3.0, Toyota’s touchscreen infotainment system, comes standard on all Camry models. If you want, you can upgrade to a better version. Entune did pretty well in our tests and had a lot of different features. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility are included as standard features in this vehicle. Price and How to Choose We’d choose the XLE Hybrid because it’s the best example of what the Camry does best: it’s a comfortable family sedan with almost as many comforts as a Lexus. When driven slowly, it gets excellent gas mileage. The standard leather interior is nice-looking, extensive, and well-equipped, and the car rides and goes well.
