This 2025 Toyota Camry XSE had me thinking that the last time I drove a Camry was 20 years ago. I was in high school and my friend’s brother had a fully loaded 1993 V6 XLE complete with gold badging and all. A lot has changed for the Camry, but a lot has stayed the same

On the outside, the new gen offers a smoother design compared to the previous gen’s aggressive front. The loaner I received was the in the Heavy Metal color with the Midnight Black metallic roof. I’ve gotta say that I’m enjoying the different colored roof options that Toyota has been offering in their lineups and the Camry benefits from it. If you get this Camry, you’ll want to stay away from the Wind Chill Pearl, or white color, as I don’t think the front end looks good in that color. I was impressed with the subtle aggressiveness that the exterior had.

Getting in, you’re greeted with the Cockpit Red interior that really pops! Not to worry though, you can still opt for a classier black but you’ll be missing out on some color in your life. The seats were extremely comfortable and offered heated or vented options. One thing I did miss were memory settings for the seats, which had my wife and I having to find each other’s sweet spots. I enjoyed mixing and matching all the great options you have in the gauge cluster, but will wish you had more than the 3 saved presets offered.

Under the hood, you’ll no longer have the option of a V6 like my friend had in his 93 Camry. The Camry is now only equipped with a 2.5L 4-cylinder hybrid. You do get the option of front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, and this loaner was the fwd variant. With this being the XLE trim, it was equipped with the sport-tuned suspension which felt just that, sporty. Many cross shop the Camry with its luxury version, the Lexus ES. If you’re wanting a cloudier and quieter ride, go with the ES as the Camry’s engine was a bit noisier when it was generating power to the hybrid battery.

Overall, I was surprised that even though its been a few generations since I’ve driven the Camry, it still had that great feel that my friend’s 1993 model had.