2021 Toyota Camry vs 2022 Volkswagen Passat

The Toyota Camry has long been many new-car buyers’ default choice—but not because it’s interesting. Reliability and practicality have traditionally been the Camry’s strengths, not sportiness or style.

Toyota tried to change that for the 2018 model year, when the Camry was last redesigned. The current-generation Camry adopted more extroverted styling, and engineers tried to make the driving experience more exciting, too. While Toyota’s approach has changed, the Camry still competes against the same array of midsize sedans, including the Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Mazda 6, Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy, and Volkswagen Passat.

Changes for the 2021 model year include subtle styling tweaks, new infotainment displays, an upgrade to the Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ (TSS 2.5+) package of driver aids, some changes to the dashboard trim, and the discontinuation of the Camry L trim level. That leaves the Camry LE as the new base trim level.

The Camry offers buyers more choices than many rivals, encompassing three powertrains (inline-four, V6, and hybrid), six trim levels (LE, XLE, SE, SE Nightshade Edition, XSE, and TRD), and the choice of front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD). Our test car was an AWD SE Nightshade Edition, positioned close to the middle of the lineup.

First came the Dasher in 1974, then the Quantum in 1982, then the Passat in 1990. None became household names like the Honda Accord or Toyota Camry, partly because the Passat and its progenitors appealed to a small contingent of Americans seeking European design, engineering, and driving dynamics in a car often characterized as a bargain-priced Audi. But in the midsize sedan segment, a reputation for reliability and efficiency, not design or handling, is king.

Tired of compromise, Volkswagen "Americanized" the Passat for the 2011 model year, moving production to a new factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The car's blandly attractive design, huge interior, big trunk, and soft ride seemed to be just what U.S. customers wanted, along with a ”Made in the USA” label. But those potential buyers had moved on to SUVs, and the new Passat alienated some of the VW faithful. The Dieselgate scandal didn't help the Passat, either.

VW nailed the car's coffin shut when the family car segment began to wither rapidly. So now, the Passat departs the U.S. market, effectively replaced by the Tiguan and Atlas SUVs and leaving the Jetta to serve people who still want a sedan wearing a VW logo on its grille.