Depending on whom you ask, either the Honda Accord or the Toyota Camry is the best-selling car in America. Based on total sales, Toyota moved a mind-boggling 408,484 Camrys last year, while Honda cranked out 366,678 Accords. But, when you strip what are known as fleet sales out of the equation—those transactions made with rental-car companies, business entities, governments and similar types of sales—the story changes. According to Honda, people like you and me bought more Accords than we did Camrys last year.
Certainly, the battle for midsize sedan supremacy continues for 2014, and Toyota has made one very important mid-year change to its popular Camry, one that gives consumers an excellent reason to keep it on the short list of contenders when shopping for a new family 4-door. We’ll get to that later, as well as how to make sure you can take advantage of the improvement. First, let’s talk about the three distinctly different kinds of Camrys that Toyota offers.
When shopping for a new Camry, you can pick the one everyone else does, you can pick the one that is actually fun to drive, or you can pick the one that gets awesome gas mileage. We test-drove the most entertaining version of the car, the Camry SE with the optional V6 engine and a set of floor and trunk mats, for a total of $28,885 including the $810 destination charge.
If you’re more interested in a cushy ride, you want a Camry L, LE or XLE. The Camry L ($23,235) comes in any color you like, as long as you like silver. Dealers install the only upgrades for this model. These are the reasons why most people select the Camry LE ($23,680). It comes in a wider range of colors and also includes a fancier grille, automatic headlights and power door locks with remote keyless entry. Plus, the Camry LE can be optioned with features like an 8-way power driver’s seat, an upgraded Entune Audio Plus infotainment system and a power sunroof.
Luxury seekers will prefer the Camry XLE ($26,620). Fog lights, extra chrome trim and 17-inch aluminum wheels are standard for this model, along with fake wood for the interior, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated outside mirrors, an 8-way power driver’s seat, a trip computer, a power sunroof, dual-zone automatic climate control and an Entune Audio Plus infotainment system.
A lengthy list of options is offered for the Camry XLE, starting with a V6 engine. Additionally, option packages add leather seats, heated front seats, a power sunroof, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, a universal garage door opener, Smart Key passive entry with push-button start, an Entune premium audio system, Entune App Suite technology and a navigation system. Toyota also offers a Blind-Spot Monitor, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert and Safety Connect telematics with an SOS emergency button and Automatic Collision Notification service for this model.
If you’re interested in maximizing your fuel economy, get the Camry Hybrid. It's EPA-rated to return about 40 mpg in combined driving and is offered in LE ($27,140) and XLE ($29,435) trim levels. Standard equipment is not the same as for the regular LE and XLE models, though, with the Hybrid LE adding an acoustic noise-reducing windshield, unique interior trim, a dual-zone automatic climate control system with a humidity sensor, a Smart Key passive entry system with push-button start and upgraded Optitron gauges with unique hybrid displays when compared to a standard Camry LE.
Toyota offers no options for the Camry Hybrid LE. Instead, buyers need to upgrade to the Hybrid XLE model, which is equipped similarly to the standard XLE while adding the Hybrid LE’s unique features plus rear air vents and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror with a compass. Options for this model are nearly identical to those for the standard XLE.
For 2014, Toyota is offering a limited-edition version of the Camry Hybrid decked out in SE trim ($28,755). It pairs the look of the standard Camry SE with a fuel-efficient hybrid powertrain, but the SE trim’s sport-tuned suspension doesn’t carry over for SE Hybrid duty.
You didn’t read that wrong. The Camry SE ($24,550) is equipped with a sport suspension, as well as a strut tower brace and a trunk brace to stiffen the car structurally. Paddle shifters are added to the transmission, and the SE sits on unique 17-inch aluminum wheels with lower profile tires. Automatic headlights with a darkened appearance, fog lights, a body-color mesh grille, a body kit and a rear spoiler are also standard for the Camry SE, and this trim is also equipped with heated side mirrors, sport fabric seats with leatherette bolsters, a sport steering wheel and lots of silver interior trim. Options for the sportiest Camry include a V6 engine, 18-inch aluminum wheels, and all the upgrades available for the Camry XLE with one exception. Toyota does not offer its Safety Connect telematics system for the SE model.
Whew. As you can see, Toyota offers a Camry for just about anyone, and even with all the popular options added, the sticker price for a loaded XLE Hybrid remains below $36,000. It’s not hard to see why the practical Camry is so appealing to many people.
Of the different versions offered, though, my favorite is the car pictured here, the Camry SE with available 18-inch aluminum wheels. The SE model is offered in white, black, shades of gray and this color, called Barcelona Red Metallic, and the tasteful appearance modifications are just what the regular Camry’s detestable, generic, slab-sided, chrome-mustachioed styling needs to make this car look more appealing.
The Camry SE’s interior isn’t as cleanly executed, relying too heavily on silver plastic trim, 2-tone seats and increasingly trite exposed stitching to emphasize its role as the sporty trim. Ergonomically, though, just get into this car and drive it. There’s nothing to figure out, really, underscoring the car’s general simplicity.