Toyota Camry (US) review

If you’ve been avoiding the Camry thinking it’s baseline rental fleet fair, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. The now-permanent hybrid system quietly springs to life and sets the car off, kicking over the engine only until you’re well on your way down the block. This transition isn’t seamless but it is smooth. Some of the hybrid’s benefits make themselves known immediately, like the near-silent coasting on the e-motor or when the electric bits give the engine a leg-up.

What takes a bit to realize is how infrequent gas station trips become with this car. After a week of errand running to and from the city, we averaged around 39mpg, probably missing 40 due to liberal use of the 'sport' mode.

Like a well prepared tofu, the ride is springy but firm, so it’s comfortable but responsive when it comes to lane changes or quick corrections due to erratic traffic behavior. This helps reduce the stress of stop-and-go traffic or chaotic city streets.

Overall, the latest Camry is quite comfortable, and borderline luxurious when it comes to absorbing the bumps of pot-marked roads and dips. Similar to the interior quality and the gadgetry, time and tech have reduced the gap between this volume commuter car and the expensive luxury offerings in terms of ride quality.

Is it a rival for the Benzes and Geneses of the world? Surely not, but what it offers will be more than enough for someone uninterested in dropping that kind of cash for a comfortable runabout.

How sporty is it?

Much of the Camry’s performance grunt is front loaded, and in that regard, the car is positioned to make a good first impression. In its normal setting, the Camry is docile but alert, and when switched over to 'sport' there is a palpable shift in steering stiffness and throttle activity. Much of it is providing the sensation that it’s become more sporting than actually being so, but it’s engaging and it keeps the combustion side of things at the ready.

As such, the Camry is punchy and decisive when called to make a quick lane change, enter a highway, or maneuver around meandering fellow drivers. Its deftness will make you wonder if the new Camry is something of a sleeper sports car, but don’t get it twisted. When it's given enough room to run, the powertrain is woefully lacking in urgency, and the sedan chafes at being even reminded of its limits, which is being generous. The Camry is quick to dissuade a jaunty dash before it begins, feeling like a rubber band threatening to snap when pushed around a corner.

Sporty or not, the brakes are spongey and prone to that regen-induced bounce back that plagues certain hybrids.