Heavily facelifted sedan comes with a choice of front-wheel drive and 225 hp or all-wheel drive and 232 hp
by Chris Chilton
1 hour ago
Think sedans are dead? Tell that to the Toyota Camry, America’s favorite three-box family car, which was the fifth-best-selling vehicle in the U.S. last year, and the most bought thing on four wheels that wasn’t a truck or SUV. With that success in mind it’s understandable that the new 2025 Camry doesn’t start from scratch. It’s a heavily facelifted version of the old sedan, but one with enough new content that should keep the tills ringing at Toyota dealers.
The big Camry news for 2025 is that the compact sedan is going hybrid-only, and that the hybrid system is no longer restricted to front-wheel drive models. Both the front-drivers and the AWD cars use the same basic 2.5-liter inline four, augmented by two electric motors, but while the front-wheel drive version generates a combined 225 hp (228 PS), the all-wheel drive car makes 232 hp (235 PS). The all-paw Camry is, in fact, nominally front-wheel drive, the AWD capability coming from a third, rear-mounted electric motor that chimes in when needed.
More: 2025 Toyota Crown Signia Is The Mid-Size SUV That Wagons Its Own Way
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Toyota hasn’t revealed performance figures for the new engines, but it does say the hybrid system has been tuned to reduce engine revs, which ought to minimize some of that annoying mooing you normally get from Toyota and Lexus hybrids due to their continuously variable transmissions.
What of the meaty 301 hp (305 PS) V6 in the current car, you say? There’s no sign of it, and maybe it won’t be missed, given that Toyota told us only 7 percent of Camrys sold so far this year have been equipped with the lusty 3.5. By the same token, it’s interesting to note that only 11 percent of current buyers opt for the hybrid, while 82 percent take the straight gas motor. But there’s another good reason for ditching the V6, and it’s that it helps Toyota put real space between the Camry and the Crown, which is more expensive, but is also only available with four-cylinder power.
We had wondered whether Toyota might borrow some crossover ideas from the new Crown for the 2025 Camry, and it even published a teaser last week that seemed to hint the the Camry could be about to gain some ground clearance and set of arch spats. Instead, America’s preferred sedan sticks to America’s preferred sedan format, meaning the Camry has a traditional car ride height, a separate trunk and no plastic arch cladding.
Crown and Prius influences
But there are definitely still some Crown influences. You can see it in the nose, which is like a fusion of the snouts on the Crown and Prius, and also in the design of the interior, which isn’t lifted directly from the Crown, but does bear an uncanny resemblance. All grades get keyless start, dual-zone climate, a wireless phone charger and a comprehensive safety package that includes blind-spot monitoring and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert. But while the LE and its SE brother settle for a 7-inch digital gauge cluster and 8-inch touchscreen, the XLE and XSE get an upgrade to two 12.3-inch displays.
The SE shows off its sporty side with aluminium pedals, paddle shifters, a black mesh grille and canards on the front bumper, a body-color spoiler, rear diffuser, dual-tip exhaust and black Camry badge, and backs that talk up with a firmer suspension setup. XSE goes a step further with 19-inch wheels (up from 18s) and leather-trimmed, heated seats, plus acoustic glass, ambient lighting and smart-key access. And if you want all the luxury stuff from the XSE, but think canards and spoilers are best left on the racetrack, XLE is your car.
The days of the sub-$30k Camry could be over
The 2025 Camry should be available at Toyota dealers in spring 2024, though since that’s still some way off, prices have yet to be announced. An increase over the outgoing car is inevitable, but in making hybrid power standard is Toyota at risk of losing a big chunk of its audience, purely based on price? The 2024 ICE Camry – which Toyota said accounted for 82 percent of sales, remember – currently starts at $26,420, while the 2024 Camry Hybrid kicks off at $28,855.
What do you think of the new Camry? Has Toyota done enough to the six-year old sedan to keep it on top for years to come? Leave a comment and let us know.