This is what a best-selling sedan looks like in 2025. Sporty looking and not likely to be confused with high-riding sedans masquerading as crossovers. Hybrid so it delivers the best fuel economy you can get without plugging in. Optional all-wheel drive that makes it sure-footed. Standard and optional safety technology that enhances the car’s safety and functionality. The 2025 Toyota Camry Hybrid XSE AWD checks all those boxes—and more.
When you’re the best-selling of any category, change is difficult. You don’t want to give up what got you to your elevated position. So the Toyota Camry, America’s best-selling sedan, changed this year, but not too much.
This is something different from the Camry’s America has known and loved. The 2025 Toyota Camry Hybrid we tested had low-profile tires that looked good, and, combined with the all-wheel drive, made for a better handling sedan than Camry’s past. The sporty looks are a step-up for the bread-and-butter sedan.
The Biggest Change
The biggest change for the new year’s model—you have a choice of four trim levels, but they are all hybrids with the same powertrain, delivering between 43 and 53 mpg. We saw fuel economy numbers in the lower end of that range with our loaded version and low-profile tires in our week-long drive up in Washington State. The 2.5-liter engine provided plenty of power (232 combined horsepower with some boost from the dual electric motors of the electronic AWD drivetrain), though it strained noisily during some hard acceleration.
The Premium Plus option package ($4,760) on our XSE provided everything you might want in a car, specifically:
• Head up display
• 9-speaker JBL sounds system
• Rain sensing wipers (which got a lot of use up in Washington)
• Traffic Jam Assist (an enhancement of the adaptive cruise control that allows start and stop in traffic)
• Cross-traffic alerts and braking both for front and rear
• Lane change assist
• Parking assist with automatic braking
• Seat and mirror setting memory
• Panoramic glass room
The Value Proposition
One of the great things about the Camry lineup is the range of options. Loaded with everything like our XSE AWD, the price pushes north of $40,000. But you can get the basic LE model with a good batch of the Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 technology and 50+ mpg. It starts under $30,000 delivered.
The Toyota technology package is fairly robust with blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, safe exit alert, pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assist, lane tracing assist, road sign assist, automatic high beams and proactive driving assist. There are options that extend this list even further, but it makes for an extremely safe vehicle.
Many of the options are a la cart, which means you can tailor a car to your tastes and needs. Want AWD? That will be $1,525. Want a panoramic glass room? That’s $1,330. A total of 13 different exterior color combinations are available, though not all models have all them.
A Few Quibbles
Even though its battery is small, the XSE AWD model weighed in at 4,740 pounds, a testament to all of the technology included. It didn’t feel like a heavy vehicle, though.
The Toyota overall interface on its infotainment system is a mixed bag. Switches are clearly marked, but often there are too many steps to switch between functions.
Storage space in the trunk is 15 cubic feet. The sleek styling cramps access a bit, but it’s about standard space for this class of vehicle.
We see no reason that Camry will relinquish its spot as the best-selling sedan in America.
