2025 Toyota Camry First Drive: A Lot More Fun

MotorTrend

Our first time behind the wheel of the all-new 2025 Camry yielded a startling discovery: The latest version of Toyota's best-selling midsize sedan is actually quite fun to drive.

Transcript

00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:03 Even though everyone and their mother is buying SUVs,

00:13 it doesn't mean Toyota has forgotten

00:15 about the humble sedan.

00:16 This is the 2025 Toyota Camry, all new for its ninth

00:20 generation with sleek looks and a hybrid-only engine.

00:25 Let's check it out.

00:29 The new Camry gets its new face from the new Prius.

00:33 And that is a very good thing because we

00:34 love the way the Prius looks.

00:36 And in this application, it looks fantastic.

00:38 Couldn't come soon enough because the old Camry was

00:40 starting to get very, very dated.

00:42 As we move along the car, I want to show you

00:46 that the new Camry still has significant backseat space.

00:51 Getting into this backseat might be a little hard for people

00:54 taller because of the sloping roof line.

00:56 But once you're back here, comfortable bench,

00:59 nice back support, good leg room, good recline,

01:03 all of these spacious things that the Camry

01:05 has been known for.

01:06 And finally, a thing that we all love and expect,

01:10 a spacious trunk.

01:13 OK, let's get to driving.

01:15 It's just a little funny that I am driving a Camry today

01:22 as opposed to sitting back there because I'm in an Uber.

01:27 The new Camry is now all hybrid.

01:30 In front-wheel drive setups, that

01:31 means a 2.5-liter four-cylinder that

01:34 is aided by two electric motors.

01:36 And total system output there is 225 horsepower.

01:40 This, the all-wheel drive version,

01:42 is that setup with a third electric motor driving

01:45 the rear wheels for a total system output of 232

01:48 horsepower.

01:50 It's not bad in here.

01:52 It feels spry.

01:53 The ride quality is also pretty good.

01:55 It corners pretty flat.

01:56 So it's actually a pretty enjoyable car to drive quickly.

02:00 I have to actively resist the urge

02:04 to drive it like a sports car.

02:06 It kind of makes you want to in a Camry.

02:10 How wonderful is that?

02:11 All those years of people criticizing the Camry

02:15 for being a washing machine, an appliance on wheels,

02:18 I think they would have to eat their words here.

02:20 You can feel the liveliness in the chassis here.

02:24 After driving it for just a short time,

02:26 here's what the new Camry does well.

02:28 The steering for sure feels tightened up.

02:31 It's quite responsive now.

02:33 And you actually get pretty good feedback through the wheel.

02:37 So you get more confidence driving this thing.

02:39 Sometimes with hybrids, there's a problem where you break

02:43 and you feel the weird trade-off between regen

02:46 and friction brakes travel through the pedal.

02:49 That is no longer the case here.

02:50 The braking feels very, very natural and intuitive.

02:54 Also, because of the hybrid setup,

02:57 there's a ton of low-end power.

03:00 I think something that could be a problem area for a Camry

03:04 is the all-wheel drive is not permanent all-wheel drive.

03:08 It's an electric motor that drives the rear wheels.

03:11 It really only steps in when the car senses it's needed.

03:16 So in a low traction situation, if it

03:19 senses any sort of slippage, then it

03:21 will activate that third motor for the rear wheels.

03:23 But otherwise, the car effectively

03:24 functions as a front-wheel drive car.

03:27 It makes sense, because you don't always need all-wheel

03:30 drive and your mileage will suffer.

03:32 But for some people, maybe the peace of mind

03:35 of just wanting consistent all-wheel drive

03:37 might balk a little bit at this setup.

03:41 Once you floor it, you see that it is not the most

03:44 powerful car in the world.

03:46 The urgency to get there is there.

03:48 So it's not a drag race winner.

03:50 It's agility.

03:52 That is the strength of the new Camry.

03:54 We're learning things on this journey, friends.

03:56 And the thing we've learned today is the new Camry is fun.

04:00 As the best-selling sedan in the United States,

04:03 the Camry is a very important car for Toyota to get right.

04:06 And it did.

04:07 The new Camry is spacious, comfortable, quiet,

04:10 also with the added bonus of being really, really fun

04:13 to drive.

04:14 I'm very pleasantly surprised.

04:16 And man, it makes me wonder, you know,

04:19 Toyota had the bravery to GR a Corolla.

04:23 What is stopping it from doing the same to the Camry?

04:27 I'm getting ahead of myself.

04:29 Camry prices start between $29,000 to $37,000,

04:32 depending on trim.

04:33 But regardless of whatever you get,

04:35 you can expect something that just works.

04:38 Thus, keeping the Camry as the cornerstone

04:41 of the American sedan market.

04:44 (dramatic music)

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