2016 Toyota Camry offers solid value, hybrid version

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, August 23, 2016

When it comes to passenger cars, there’s an undisputed champion on America’s roads. The Toyota Camry is the best-selling passenger car in America, and has taken that title every year since 2001. In 2015 Americans bought 429,355 Camrys. The second place car was the Honda Accord at 355,557 units. The mid-size sedan market is a big business, and Toyota’s been winning in this market for years.

It’s not hard to see why the Camry is so popular. The car offers reliable family transportation for five, a great set of features, and world-class reliability. The Camry consistently earns four to four-and-a-half points out of five in the J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study rating, and Toyota backs the Camry with a standard 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, plus 2 years or 25,000 miles of free maintenance. The durability of the Camry is legendary, with many cars racking up more than 250,000 miles.

The list of standard features on every Camry is impressive. The most basic trim level, the Camry LE, offers air conditioning, backup camera, keyless entry, tilt-telescoping wheel, trip computer, cruise control, and an Entune multimedia stereo with a 6.1-inch touch screen, voice recognition including Siri Eyes-free, Bluetooth hands-free phone support, and satellite radio.

As you move up the trim levels and the price sheet, you can get your Camry with heated leather power-adjustable seats, Qi wireless phone charging, push-button start, and a JBL Audio stereo run through a 7-inch touchscreen with GPS navigation and full smartphone integration.

The Camry is also an extremely safe car. Every Camry features both stability and traction controls, various braking controls, and autonomous emergency braking for collision mitigation. Safety features such as blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, and rear cross-traffic alert are available as options in the higher trim levels.

Camry buyers may choose a 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine rated at 178 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque. That engine is rated at 25 MPG city and 35 MPG highway. You may also choose a 3.5-liter V6 that puts out a healthy 268 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque, with fuel economy of 21 MPG city and 31 MPG highway. The V6 is available only in the top two trim levels, so it’s the expensive model. All gas-engine Camry models use a 6-speed automatic transmission and front wheel drive.

You can also get a Camry Hybrid, which is what I drove this week. The electric motors in combination with the four-cylinder engine deliver total output of 200 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque from 0-1500 RPM on the electric motors, and 156 pound-feet from the gas engine. Depending on the trim level, the Camry Hybrid will get as high as 43 MPG in the city, and up to 39 on the highway. The Camry Hybrid uses an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission. If you’re concerned about battery life, Toyota offers a hybrid system warranty of 8 years/100,000 miles.

On the road, the Camry Hybrid is a truly comfortable car. It’s quiet, the hybrid system offers good performance, and the car drives with confidence. As a hybrid, it’s on the heavy side at 3,480 pounds, but that translates into a smooth ride and solid steering, even on Portland’s rough pavement.

The car I tested was a 2016 model, but Toyota is keeping prices mostly steady for 2017. The 2017 Camry 4-cylinder will start at $23,935 including fees. The base price on the 2017 Camry Hybrid is $27,655, and base price on the 2017 Camry V6 starts at $32,235. Even at the top trim levels and loaded with options, very few Camrys will cost more than $35,000.

With the bold good looks of the current generation and a long list of standard features, the Toyota Camry offers great value for your dollar no matter which engine or trim level you choose. It’s nice that you can find a well-equipped car at the affordable end of the price spectrum, and that’s why the Toyota Camry is likely to continue as the most popular passenger car in America.

2016 Toyota Camry Hybrid

Base price: $27,655

Price as tested: $32,099

Type: Mid-size passenger car

Powertrain: 2.5-liter 4-cylinder with Electric Hybrid Motor (200 hp, 199 lbs-ft)

Transmission: Continuously Variable

Road noise: Below Average

EPA estimated mileage: 40 MPG City, 38 MPG Highway

Overall length: 191 inches

Curb weight: 3,480 pounds

Final assembly: Georgetown, Kentucky