While the Toyota Camry has been mocked as something akin to a toaster, the comparison is absolutely misinformed. As anyone who’s bought a toaster recently can attest, they are cheap junk made and imported from China and sure to break sooner than a politician’s promise. Trust me, I’ve been through far too many toasters in the past few months. Junk. All of them unmitigated junk.

The same can’t be said of the 2025 Toyota Camry, which has justifiably earned a reputation for build quality, safety and reliability that overcomes any concerns about its unexciting driving personality. Trust me; if the Camry performed like a toaster, it wouldn’t be America's best-selling midsize sedan for 22 years, a title it held once again in 2024.

So, calling the Camry a toaster is sullying it. Buying exciting cars inevitably requires more maintenance. It’s the price you pay, one that most auto buyers are unwilling to accept. But they are willing to accept the Camry – and with good reason. It’s seen, but not heard; a willing reliable automotive servant.

Better yet for 2025, the Camry comes with one powertrain and it’s perfect for the Camry faithful: Toyota’s fifth-generation hybrid system first seen in the 2023 Prius. It consists of a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with two electric motors that provide 225 horsepower though the front wheels. Want all-wheel drive? It’s available on all trim levels, bringing with it a third motor that modestly adds 7 horsepower.

Offered in comfort-oriented LE and XLE trims, or sportier SE and XSE models, all Camrys feature a revised MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension. Opting for the SE and XSE brings with it a sport-tuned suspension with new shock absorbers and a larger front stabilizer bar. Certainly, the ride is more controlled, endowing the Camry with a more athletic feeling than its softer LE and XLE siblings, making for a clear difference between the Camry’s comfort and sport grades. And while the SE and XSE are far more engaging dynamics, the steering feels no sportier. It lacks the weightiness and road feel that comes from a true sports sedan. And while the hybrid powertrain is stronger than last year, it still lacks the joie de vie of last year’s V-6 gas engine. Extracting a quick burst of power requires flooring the throttle. And while there’s little difference in horsepower between front-wheel and all-wheel drive models, the additional electric motor on the rear axle makes the all-wheel-drive Camry more of a party animal.

Still, one senses that the new four-cylinder hybrid powertrain is ideal for the vast majority of Camry buyers. Kudos to Toyota for reining in the impulse to try and make the Camry something that it’s not.

The new powertrain is wrapped in sheet metal that’s mostly familiar, but accented with new front and rear styling. The front is particularly striking, being a more sophisticated take on that worn by the latest Toyota Prius. It’s far more modern and fetching than the kabuki mask grille previous models wore.

Open the front door, and you’re treated to an extensively revised cabin, sporting a freshly-drawn instrument panel with a 7-inch digital instrument cluster on LE and SE models, or a larger 12.3-inch display on XLE and XSE models. It’s joined by an 8-inch center-mounted infotainment touchscreen or an optional 12.3-inch display. Both feature a far more sophisticated and easier-to-use interface than on previous models. Credit Toyota’s American engineers and designers, who insisted on reworking the UX rather than the Japanese. The results speak for themselves. Oh, and wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto and Qi wireless charging are standard, as is a blind spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert. A 10-inch color head-up display is optional on XLE and XSE trims.

All 2025 Camrys come with such niceties as dual-zone automatic climate control with air filter, humidity sensor and rear-seat vents and a 6-speaker audio system. A 9-speaker JBL audio with subwoofer and amplifier is optional on the XLE and XSE. Oh, and yes, the cabin is every bit as commodious as before, easily accommodating five people if the front passenger seat denizen has some empathy for those in the rear.

Thankfully, the 2025 Camry’s designers know what the Camry is and what it isn’t. It’s here to reliably and unobtrusively serve; It doesn’t make waves. The fast and furious fanboys may scoff, as will oblivious-to-aging Boomer sports car types. But owners enjoy the security of its reliability and unfussiness, its remarkable comfort and ability to not be a needy but sexier choice, like an Alfa Romeo.

And while you might be tempted to name your 2025 Toyota Camry Jeeves, don’t tell anyone. They might call you Bertie. And then you’d have to live with that.

2025 Toyota Camry SE AWD

Base price: $32,525

Powertrain: 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and 3 AC motors

Output: 232 horsepower

EPA rating (combined city/highway): 44 mpg

Fuel required: 87 octane

Length/Width/Height: 194/72/57 inches

Ground clearance: 5.4 inches

Payload: 1,113 pounds

Cargo capacity: 15 cubic feet

Towing capacity: Not recommended

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