2021 Toyota Camry

The inline-4 is more suited for mileage-conscious folks while the V6 is for those who want a quick and powerful ride. By powerful ride, we aren’t sugar-coating anything as the V6 powered Camry is capable of 0-60 mph in under six seconds. The Camry as usual offers seating for five and has a comfortable cabin. The quality of the cabin varies by the trim where the base trim isn’t as luxurious to look and feel like the higher trims. The prices of the Camry after the discontinuation of the base trim have gone up by $600 and the 2021 Camry starts at $25,045. The Camry rivals the usual mid-size sedans like the Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, and Nissan Altima.

The 2021 Toyota Camry has dropped the base L trim for this year so the trim count has gone down to five trims and the base trim is now LE that starts at $25,045 for the FWD configuration and $26,445 for the AWD configuration. Just like last year this year too you have the choice of two engine options: the standard one is the 2.5-liter inline-4 unit while the other one is the 3.5-liter V6. The V6 is exclusive for the XLE and XSE trim and is only available with the FWD configuration. The V6 powered XLE trim starts at $35,070 and the XSE trim starts at $35,620. Standard features in the 2021 Camry include a 7-inch touchscreen, Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+, 17-inch alloy wheels, Bi-LED headlights, fabric-trimmed seats, power-adjustable driver’s seat, etc. 

The highlight of the Toyota Camry remains the set of standard features that comes along with the Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ that includes Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Road Sign Assist, Automatic High Beams, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, and Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist. A few of the noteworthy standalone features and optional packages include a moonroof, blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive headlights, Audio Upgrade Package, Navigation Upgrade Package, Driver Assist Package, Cold Weather Package, etc. 

The Audio Upgrade Package gets you a bigger touchscreen, wireless charging, and dual-zone automatic climate control. The Navigation Upgrade Package adds a bigger touchscreen, navigation, and JBL speakers. The Driver Assist Package adds ventilated front seats, head-up display, rear-cross traffic braking, and perimeter scan. The Cold Weather Package adds a heated and powered outside mirror, heated front seats, and heated steering wheel.

We Recommend:

As we already mentioned in the cons section that the base engine of the Camry is weak in terms of performance. So we suggest you go for the XLE with the V6 engine. This trim costs around $35,000 and gets a host of features over the base trim on which it is based. There is a ten grand price gap between the base LE and XLE trim but for the premium, you get a more powerful engine, bigger wheels, 7-inch driver’s display, 9-inch touchscreen infotainment, better interior, all-LED exterior lights, etc. Thus these additions justify the premium by all means.

The engine options for the 2021 Toyota Camry are split among the trims. The 2.5-liter inline-4 engine that belts out 203 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque are available across the trim lineup. The bigger 3.5-liter V6 that churns out 301 hp and 267 lb-ft of torque is exclusive on the TRD, XLE, and XSE trims. The Camry TRD trim will be covered by us separately so don’t forget to check it out. That said, irrespective of the engine choice the eight-speed automatic transmission and FWD configuration are standard. The inline-4 engine has the option of AWD configuration while the bigger V6 doesn’t offer it. 

To be honest, at some point of time in our life we have either sat or driven a Camry and believe me the base inline-4 engine is the same unenthusiastic point A to point B commuter. Although this engine manages to push the Camry from 0-60 mph in 7.6 seconds and cover the quarter-mile in 15.7 seconds. These figures are quicker than its rivals but not when compared to its direct rival i.e. Honda Accord. For this, the Camry has the V6 that helps it blaze away from 0-60 mph in 5.8 seconds flat. 

We accept that the V6 engine completely transforms the Camry into a more lively and enthusiastic version of itself but since every other competitor has its own optional engine choices, so to keep it fair we will only take the base engine for comparison. Except for the Honda Accord that comes with a 1.5-liter turbo-four, all the three sedans come with a 2.5-liter inline-4 engine. The Camry puts out the highest power figures while the Accord has the most torquey engine.

The fastest in 0-60 mph and quarter-mile runs in the Accord clocking 6.9 seconds and 15.5 seconds respectively. The Camry remains 0.7 seconds slower in the 0-60 mph run but covers the gap quickly and was only two-tenths of a second slower in covering the quarter-mile compared to the Accord. The other two rivals i.e. Altima and the Sonata remain behind the Camry in both the runs.

2021 Toyota Camry Ride and Handling:

Toyota has been selling the Camry for so long and yet it constantly keeps on improving it with every new iteration to ensure that it remains the segment leader no matter what. The latest in this line is the improvement of the driving dynamics and steering response of the Camry. The Camry now handles much tighter and soaks up bumps and undulation without a fuss. The steering has now been well-calibrated and doesn’t feel disconnected as it used to in previous model years.

Instead, the steering feels well-connected and is light at parking speeds while it weighs up well at highway speeds. Even in the non-TRD guise, the Camry feels more sporty and fun-to-drive than yesteryear’s Camry. Thus to conclude the Camry has now reached a point where we can safely say that it is among the most comfortable daily drivers in the mid-size sedan segment.

2021 Toyota Camry Braking:

The braking performance of the 2021 Toyota Camry is nothing special and the stopping distance falls in the below-average category for the segment. The brakes do include the usual fare of the all-wheel disc and anti-lock brake system, electronic brake-force distribution, and brake assist. But the 12-inch front and 11.1-inch rear rotor that helps Camry brake from 60-0 mph in 122 feet isn’t confidence-inspiring. Thus we strongly feel that it's high time Camry slaps in a more powerful set of brakes.

The Honda Accord comes with the smallest set of rotors but still manages to brake from 60-0 mph in just 116 feet that is 5 feet less than what Camry takes. The Hyundai Sonata is the lightest vehicle in the segment but gets the biggest set of brakes still it took 121 feet to brake from 60-0 mph that is just 1 foot shy of the heaviest sedan i.e. Camry’s stopping distance. 

The 2021 Toyota Camry gets two engine options one being a four-pot and the other a V6 so it’s obvious the fuel economy figures will vary for both of these. But you would be surprised to note that even with the same engine the gas mileage figures vary across the trim. The best figures that the inline-4 returns are in the base LE trim and you can expect 28 mpg in the city, 39 mpg on the highway, and 32 mpg combined. For the V6 powered trim, the XLE trim remains the most frugal and you can expect to get 22 mpg in the city, 33 mpg on the highway, and 26 mpg combined. For the fuel tank capacity, it is simple, the FWD models get a 15.8-gallon fuel tank while the AWD models get a 14.4-gallon fuel tank. 

The Camry remains the most frugal sedan among the mid-size sedans with a 2.5-liter inline-4 engine under their hood. The Honda Accord, courtesy of its smaller turbocharged engine, manages to better the Camry’s EPA estimated gas mileage by 2 mpg in the city and 1 mpg combined. The Camry still managed to better the Accord’s highway gas mileage by 1 mpg. That said, in this comparison, the Altima offers a similar gas mileage as the Camry but comes with the largest fuel tank capacity of 16.2-gallons. 

Step inside the cabin of the Camry and you would see that there is nothing grandeur or opulent of a sort but everything is well-put and ergonomically sorted. That is the reason why this cabin has its fundamentals sorted even though it isn’t the most luxurious cabin in the segment. Although we have one big nitpick here. The cabin quality just like the fuel economy figures varies a lot across the trim level. Step inside the cabin of base models and you will see evidence of cost-cutting in terms of budget-grade material used all around while climbing up the trim ladder takes care of that with soft-touch and high-quality materials used around the cabin. 

The modern and funky cabin of the Camry boasts seating for five with generous rear-seat space and good around visibility, The ingress, and egress of the car are also pretty easy. Although the front seats aren’t the most spacious in the segment they do offer a good amount of comfort and are accommodative to all body sizes. Though we did find the back support a bit lacking in front row seats. The driver’s seat gets power adjustment and the base trim gets fabric-trimmed seats. From SE trim you get SofTex leatherette upholstery while the topmost XSE trim comes with full leather upholstery.

The Camry has a well-designed and spacious cabin that ensures both the front and rear passengers get a decent amount of space. Although the Hyundai Sonata offers the most spacious front row seats, that does come at the cost of rear-seat space. Simply put among all the sedans here the Honda Accord has the most spacious and logically arranged cabin among all. As for the cargo space again the Honda Accord has the biggest trunk of 16.7 cubic feet capacity while the Toyota Camry comes with the smallest trunk capacity of 15.1 cubic feet. Key highlights of the interior features include:

• 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat
• 4.2-inch Multi-Information Display
• Remote keyless entry
• Three USB ports
• Dual-zone automatic climate control (available)
• Heated front seats (available)
• Leather-trimmed seats (available)
• Ambient interior lighting (available)

2021 Toyota Camry Infotainment System:

The Toyota Camry comes with two touchscreen options for this year. The standard one is a 7-inch touchscreen unit while the optional 9-inch touchscreen unit is standard on higher trim and in case if it is not then the same can be availed through the Audio Upgrade or the Navigation Upgrade Package. Whatever be the screen size the infotainment system of the Camry runs on Toyota’s Entune 3.0. 

One of the many things that Toyota got right with this year’s Camry includes the infotainment system too. The setup is very responsive and easy to use. The display screen is bright and sharp which responds well to the touch inputs. Standard features available include Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, SiriusXM with a 3-month all-access trial, connected services, etc. Key highlights of the infotainment include:

• Entune 3.0 w/ 7-inch or 9-inch touchscreen unit
• Six speaker sound system
• Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
• Wireless device charging (available)
• JBL sound system (available)

The Toyota Camry is the sharpest and the boldest looking Toyota sedan to date. The 2021 Camry except for minor changes remains the same for this year. The changes are barely noticeable until you keep the new and the old Camry side-by-side and compare. That said, the front profile is dominated by the massive split grille with the large side air intakes. The headlights are sleek and sharp with a Bi-LED set up on the base trim and an all-LED headlight on higher trims. The side profile is sans any drama and has a neat look with a straight beltline that runs straight through the door handles and merges into the rear quarter panel. Irrespective of the trim you chose you to get an alloy wheel. The base comes with 17-inches while the higher trims get 18- and 19-inch wheels. 

Dimension wise all the sedans taken in this comparison are in the same ballpark with a difference of not even one complete inch. That said, the Toyota Camry measures 192.1-inches in length, 72.4-inches in width, 56.9-inches in height, and has a wheelbase of 111.2-inches. The Altima and Sonata are longer than the Camry by 0.8-inches. The Accord is wider than the Camry by 0.9-inches and taller than it by 0.2-inches. The Sonata has the longest wheelbase which is 0.6-inches longer than Camry’s wheelbase. While the Camry has the highest ground clearance of 5.7-inches and is the heaviest sedan weighing 3,310 pounds among all. Key highlights of exterior features include:

• 17-inch alloy wheels
• 18- and 19-inch alloy wheels (available)
• Bi-LED headlights 
• All-LED exterior lights (available)
• Moonroof (available)
• Shark-fin antenna
• Heated and powered outside mirrors (available)

The Toyota Camry has been well-known for its high standards of safety. The 2021 Toyota Camry underpins the latest high-strength TNGA-K platform from Toyota. The platform has received lots of praises and accolades for it helped the Camry bag five out of five stars overall rating from NHTSA. Not only this in all other crash tests and even the rollover test of NHTSA the 2021 Toyota Camry managed a perfect score. 

The IIHS ratings are also in the same line with the Camry getting the ‘Good’ rating in all its six parameters and a ‘Good+’ rating in the ease of use of LATCH. On the flip side, the headlights of the 2021 Camry could only get the second-best rating of ‘Acceptable’. Yet the Camry managed to bag the ‘Top Safety Pick+’ award in the mid-size sedan category from IIHS. Key highlights of the safety features include:

• Lane-departure warning
• Pre-collision warning
• Brake assist
• Rearview camera
• Road-sign assist
• Dynamic radar cruise control
• Blind-spot monitoring (available)
• Rear cross-traffic alert (available)
• Automatic high beams (available)

2021 Toyota Camry Vs 2021 Honda Accord

The Honda Accord in a true sense is the only real competitor of the Camry. In Accord’s favor are its better performance, spacious cabin, and shorter braking distance. While for the Camry, has better ride quality, better mileage especially in the city, and has more standard safety features. Although the Accord is more fun-to-drive than the Camry, the Camry remains more comfortable between the two. So based on these differences you can pick either of them as per your taste and preferences.

2021 Toyota Camry Vs 2021 Nissan Altima

The Nissan Altima has lately undergone a lot of improvement and has reached a level where it is more or less similar to the Camry whether it be the pros or the cons. Both the sedans deliver excellent gas mileage, both the sedans are uninteresting to drive, both the sedans pack in a comfortable and spacious cabin. Thus the Nissan Altima could be a good choice if you want to skip the herd mentality here.

2021 Toyota Camry Vs 2021 Hyundai Sonata

The Hyundai Sonata is the most flashy and flamboyant sedan in the segment right now. It has the most radical design language and gets loads of tech and gadgetry to threaten the segment king Camry. The Camry on the other hand is a more mature and low-key sedan that has whatever is necessary and is a fill-it and shut-it kind of car. We don’t know how the Sonata is going to age with all those electronics inside but we do know the Camry is going to age well. So unless you are bored with the Camry and want to try something new we suggest going with the Camry.

There is no point arguing why the Toyota Camry is one of the best midsize sedans in the States. It has everything sorted, is reliable, has good resale value, and the parts and upkeep cost is also low. There is hardly any nitpick against the Camry except for the smaller trunk space. The performance issue is well taken care of by the bigger V6 so we won’t rant about it. Thus to conclude if you are looking for a safe ride that won’t burn a hole in your pocket to upkeep and maintain, we suggest getting the Camry without a second thought.