2011 Toyota Camry Review and Prices

By Chuck Giametta

Table of Contents
2011 Toyota Camry Review and Pricing
2009 Toyota Camry Review and Pricing
2010 Toyota Camry
2009 Toyota Camry Quote

2011 TOYOTA CAMRY BUYING ADVICE

• The 2011 Toyota Camry is the best car for you if you’re liberal-minded enough to drive a conservative car.

• The 2011 Toyota Camry isn’t expected to change significantly. It’ll basically be a rerun of the 2010 Camry, which got a mild facelift and a more powerful four-cylinder engine as part of a “mid-cycle” freshening. The 2011 Camry thus remains a sort of default choice among midsize cars: a roomy, reliable sedan whose main surprise is just how refined it really is.

• Should you wait for the 2011 Toyota Camry or buy a 2010 Toyota Camry? Little reason to wait for the 2011 Camry. With carryover styling and features, it won’t advance Camry’s game, and it’ll put you one year closer to the full redesign likely for model-year 2012. That means a 2011 Camry would look older, sooner than a 2010 Camry. And economic-stimulus deals and incentives that apply to the 2010 Camry might not be in place when it comes time to shop the 2011s.  

2011 TOYOTA CAMRY CHANGES

• Styling: The 2011 Toyota Camry will carry over the 2010 Camry’s appearance changes, the first given this design generation since it debuted for model-year 2007. As before, Camry comes in a single four-door sedan body style that begins with a base CE model and climbs through the volume-selling LE trim, sporty SE grade, and top-of-the-line XLE model. Slotted between the LE and XLE is the 2011 Camry Hybrid. Style changes associated with the 2010 mid-cycle freshening were mild. All models got gently revised grilles and all but the Hybrid gained larger headlamps and revised taillamps. New wheel designs were part of the updates. Sizewise, Camry’s square in the middle of the midsize-sedan field but makes wonderfully efficient use of cabin space. There’s comfortable room for four adults, five with some shoulder-rubbing. Seats are soft yet supportive, and the trunk is roomy, despite intrusion from the lid’s hinges. Camry’s basic structure is engineered to serve Lexus, Toyota’s premium division, where it’s the foundation for that brand’s best-selling car, the ES 350. That helps account for Camry’s uncommon ability to isolate occupants from unwanted noise and unpleasant road surfaces.

• Mechanical: The 2011 Toyota Camry will continue with two conventional gas powertrains and a gas-electric hybrid system. All models have front-wheel drive, which places the weight of the engine and transmission above the front tires, a traction benefit in slippery conditions. Camry’s four-cylinder engine is rated at 179 horsepower in the SE model, 169 in the other trim levels. All but the CE are available with a 268-horsepower V-6. The four comes with a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic; the V-6 only with a six-speed automatic. The 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid teams a four-cylinder gas engine with an electric motor for a net 187 horsepower. It saves gas because it can drive at low speeds on electric power alone and can automatically shut off its engine at idle, then immediately restart it at a touch of the gas pedal. The hybrid system uses a continuously variable automatic transmission and recharges itself with no plug-in required. Like Camrys before it, the 2011 Camry will never be confused with a sports sedan. It aims for, and delivers with great success, a stable, predictable driving experience. The four-cylinder satisfies virtually any everyday acceleration need; the V-6 exceeds most. Except for the ability to move silently at low speeds and shut off at stops, the Hybrid performs much like the conventional four-cylinder model, so its fuel-saving character is pretty transparent. Camry can be legitimately criticized for going a little heavy on the Novocain. Steering is numb and feathery light. In fast turns, the SE version is reasonably balanced, but tire squeal, nose plow, and body lean is the rule with the other models. Still, drive it like you understand it, and no other midpriced midsize can match Camry’s refinement. Few approach its reputation for reliability and resale value, either.        

• Features: The 2011 Toyota Camry will boast a standard-equipment list that covers the comfort and safety essentials, with a nice dollop of convenience-tech, too. Air conditioning is standard, as is a steering wheel that tilts, telescopes, and has audio buttons. Cruise control, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, and power windows, locks, and mirrors also are included even on the base CE model. All but the SE have split-folding rear seatbacks. Every Camry comes with head-protecting curtain side airbags, four-wheel antilock disc brakes, and an antiskid system. Also known as vehicle stability control, antiskid minimizes chances of sideways slides and teams with standard traction control, which enhances grip away from a stop. Leather upholstery, power sunroof, navigation system, and remote engine start are among the options, though not all are available on every model. Optional or standard on every model is an audio system that includes Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity, integrated satellite radio, and USB linking for iPods and other MP3 devices. The Camry Hybrid has Fraichir cloth upholstery, a combination of silk protein and synthetic fiber that Toyota says is gentle to the skin. Camry’s dashboard controls operate with uncommon smoothness, its gauges are big and vividly illuminated. The interior is bright and airy, but running your hands over the instrument panel and cabin walls reveals some lightweight plastic panels. It’s far from a deal-breaker, but does reveal some cost-cutting that Toyota would do well to correct for the next-generation Camry.    

2011 TOYOTA CAMRY PRICES

• Toyota won’t release 2011 Toyota Camry prices until shortly before the car goes on sale during 2010. Based on 2010 Camry prices, however, expect the 2011 Toyota Camry CE to start below many rival entry-level models: figure around $20,400 with manual transmission and $21,500 with automatic. (All prices listed here include the manufacturer’s mandatory destination fee. For 2010 Toyota cars, that fee was $720. The fee may vary for Camrys purchased in Southeastern and Gulf states.)

• Based on 2010 prices, expect the 2011 Toyota Camry LE with the four-cylinder engine to be priced from around $21,900 with manual transmission, around $23,000 with automatic. Expect the 2011 Camry LE with the V-6 engine to start around $25,600.

• The 2011 Camry SE’s estimated base-price range is $23,100 for four-cylinder models equipped with manual transmission to $26,900 for the V-6 model. The 2011 Camry XLE base price is an estimated $30,000. The 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid estimated base price is $27,200.

2011 TOYOTA CAMRY FUEL ECONOMY

• EPA fuel-economy estimates for 2011 models were not released in time for this review, but don’t expect 2011 Toyota Camry mileage ratings to vary from the 2010 numbers. That means the 2011 Camry with both the 169- and 179-horsepower versions of the four-cylinder engine should remain among the most fuel-efficient midsize cars, with EPA ratings of 22/33 mpg (city/highway) for manual transmission, 22/32 with the automatic.  

• Fuel economy ratings should also be unchanged for 2011 V-6 Camrys, at 19/28, and for the 2011 Camry Hybrid, at 33/34. All Camrys use regular-grade 87-octane gas.

2011 TOYOTA CAMRY RELEASE DATE

• The 2011 Toyota Camry and 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid should go on sale late in the first quarter of 2010.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE TOYOTA CAMRY

• Toyota’s model cadence pencils in the next-generation Camry as a 2012 model. Economic tribulations can alter timetables, of course, but Toyota needs to defend Camry’s position as America’s best-selling car. The competition isn’t sitting still, and chances are slim that Toyota would take any chances by delaying a Camry redesign.

• The seventh-generation Camry is certain to return as a four-door sedan, probably slightly longer and wider than today’s model, and with a bit more interior room. Expect four- and six-cylinder engines with perhaps a fraction more power but almost certainly better fuel economy. Toyota considers its space-age Prius hybrid a midsize car, but that doesn’t preclude the return of a Camry hybrid for those who want to go green without broadcasting it.

• The Toyota Solara was basically a two-door coupe and convertible version of the Camry, and some new iteration is probable unless Toyota decides projected sales volumes simply don’t warrant it. Indeed, think of the Camry’s core engineering as a stem that supports several offshoots, including Toyota’s flagship Avalon sedan, the ES 350 sedan and RX luxury crossover SUV over at Lexus, and the latest offshoot, the Toyota Venza crossover. Introduced for model-year 2009, Venza plays the role of a Camry station wagon, but goes SUV-trendy with a high seating position and available all-wheel drive. Look at the flavor of Venza’s aggressively swept-back sheet metal for a preview of the next-generation Camry’s styling.

2011 TOYOTA CAMRY COMPETITION

• Honda Accord: If Camry’s the default conservative choice, Accord is the go-to pick for athletic road manners in a midsize car. Accord paces Camry with four- and six-cylinder gas engines, but isn’t available with hybrid power. Honda offers Accord as a roomy sedan and as a coupe with a cramped rear seat. Both are highly satisfying on the road thanks to Honda’s engineering-centric approach to design. Accord is due for a mid-cycle freshening for model-year 2011, with the next all-new version expected in model-year 2013.

• Ford Fusion: With deft model-year 2010 updates to power, styling, and features, Fusion noses ahead of the Chevrolet Malibu as the top all-around American-brand alternative in the midsize category. Fusion comes only as a sedan, but offers four- and six-cylinder power, available all-wheel drive as an alternative to front-wheel drive, and a state-of-the-art hybrid rated at a class-topping 41/36 mpg. Fusion won’t be fully redesigned until after model-year 2012.  

• Nissan Altima: A restless teen to Camry’s middle-age mature, but just as roomy as the Toyota and priced competitively. Altima’s styling is clean and aggressive. Handling and acceleration are sharp but at the cost of a little too much road and engine noise.  Altima comes as a sedan and as a less-roomy coupe with four- and six-cylinder power and, in California and selected Northeastern states, as a gas-electric hybrid sedan. Mild appearance and equipment tweaks for model-year 2010 will carry Altima to its next full redesign in model-year 2012 or 2013.