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Toyota Camry - What the Auto Press Says

The Camry is a refined cruiser with a comfortable interior and a reputation for practicality and value.

According to our analysis, the 2008 Toyota Camry's competent performance, bold design and accommodating passenger cabin recommend it among  affordable midsize sedans. Add to that its standing as one of the best-selling cars in the United States, and it's easy to understand Car and Driver's assessment that the Camry is "the crown prince of mainstream." Awards back up that statement -- in 2007, the year the Camry was redesigned, it was selected as the Motor Trend Car of the Year, and also won Autobytel's Consumer Choice Award as the Most Requested Vehicle of 2007.

For the 2008 model year, the Toyota Camry dropped its base CE trim. The 2008 Camry comes in four trims offered with either a four cylinder or V6 engine. The 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid, a close variant of the gas-engine Camry, is reviewed separately here. The Camry Hybrid ranks high on its own in the affordable midsize class and is one of the top-scorers for safety. 2009 models of both the Camry and Camry Hybrid have now been released, with minimal changes.

If you're in the market for an affordable midsize car, but aren't sold on the 2008 Toyota Camry, also consider the Honda Accord. If you like the Camry but want better gas mileage, consider the Toyota Camry Hybrid.

• "Since its debut in the United States nearly 25 years ago, the Camry has earned a reputation for smart design, pleasing function, build quality and durability. It's not all hype. The 2008 Toyota Camry remains the benchmark by which its competitors are judged." -- New Car Test Drive
• "This is a perfectly functional, perfectly capable, perfectly reasonable, perfectly boring automobile. The new styling is pleasant enough but already starting to look a little dated, while the interior should have been redone before it even hit the market. Again, all pleasant enough and functional enough, but it's duller than an empty office cubicle." -- AutoWeek
• "For the mainstream part of the family-sedan segment, the new Camry has set the bar even higher in regards to features, performance, reputation and price." -- Carz Unlimited
• "For the past six years, the Camry has been the top-selling car in America, and it retains its No. 1 ranking in the huge midsize sedan segment even though its rivals have rolled out substantially improved contenders -- not just the Malibu and Accord, but also Nissan Motor Co.'s redesigned Altima, Ford Motor Co.'s Fusion, and the current Hyundai Sonata." -- Detroit News
• In 2007 review of the then-brand new Camry, Road and Track reports, "The new Camry comes across as substantial rather than adequate, purposeful as opposed to practical. With every company of note producing a solid contender, the sixth-generation Toyota Camry couldn't just be quicker, roomier and more refined than its predecessor; it also had to bring something more to the party. … Camry does just that, delivering all the expected improvements, plus bolder styling, an all-new hybrid model and a refreshing dash of genuine, sports-sedan performance." -- Road and Track

Camry Performance - 7.5 (Good)

The 2008 Toyota Camry isn't the best performer in its class, but its calling card remains its polished ride quality. New Car Test Drive says, "The Camry is thrilling in no respect, and no particular aspect of its performance is outstanding. Yet it's good in nearly every respect, bad in almost none, and it has a steady, set-and-forget quality that many drivers appreciate. It's pleasant to drive in all circumstances." Read More

Camry Exterior - 7.9 (Good)

Following its 2007 redesign, some reviewers say the 2008 Toyota Camry is no longer plain vanilla. But others write that the Camry is still one of the most unexciting designs available in the affordable midsize class. Left Lane News bridges the distance between the two opinions. "Compared to other cars in this segment, the Camry's styling appears the most conservative and doesn't really take any risks," they write. "On the other side of the coin, the Camry's styling won't offend any potential buyers and gives the car some added mass appeal. Not to say the Camry is a bad looking car, it just doesn't seem to have the character that most other cars have and could easily be lost in the crowd." Read More

Camry Interior - 8.2 (Very Good)

The Camry receives one of the highest interior scores for its class because its reworked interior is modern, spacious and comfortable. New Car Test Drive says the Camry's cabin "offers a welcome counterpart to its exterior styling. While the outside has been touched with a splash of pizzazz, the inside has been brushed with shades of elegance." Many agree the Camry's cabin is one of the nicest of its class. Read More

Camry Safety - 9.3 (Excellent)

The 2008 Camry does very well in both government and insurance industry crash tests, and offers seven standard air bags with available vehicle dynamics control and traction control. Read More

Camry Reliability - 8.0 (Very Good)

The 2008 Toyota Camry reliability score shown is the Predicted Reliability rating provided by J.D. Power and Associates. This score is based on trending the past three years of historical initial quality and dependability data from J.D. Power's automotive studies, specifically the Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) and the Initial Quality Study (IQS). The 2008 Toyota Camry is covered by a three-year or 36,000-mile basic warranty, and a five-year or 60,000-mile powertrain warranty. Read More