Uber Cool: Toyota Camry goes all-hybrid for 2025

Once the obvious vehicle of choice for middle-class families, then the backbone of two Silicon Valley-based ride-share companies, the Toyota Camry is getting a significant overhaul for the 2025 model year. And just as those ride-share drivers rely on multiple streams of income, the new Camry will use multiple sources of motivation. The 2025 Camry takes a page from the all-hybrid Toyota Sienna minivan lineup and receives the fifth generation of Toyota’s hybrid system along with lighter and more compact electric motors. With the new guts comes a new look, and a face reminiscent of the new Toyota Prius.

The Camry’s styling is clearly that of a mid-cycle refresh: The same basic door and roof structure carry over from the 2024 model. But Toyota’s designers did a good job integrating the assertive Hammerhead nose of the latest Prius, while smoothing out the rear’s contours in a manner worthy of the Camry’s big brother, the Lexus ES. Regrettably, much like they did in the Camry’s last mid-cycle tweak (2014), Toyota designers added DLO FAIL by tweaking the C-pillar sheetmetal, removing the outer border on the rear door’s fixed window, and adding a non-functional piece of black plastic on that C-pillar. Sigh.

The 2025 Camry utilizes Toyota’s 2.5-liter, naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine with 225 hp, all of which go to the front wheel. If you order the electronic, on-demand all-wheel drive system, that figure drops to 232. Toyota says the AWD system can also improve cornering: a fair statement, considering a similar setup made the larger Crown SUV into a corner carver in its own right. The potential for a Camry TRD with the Crown’s optional turbocharged mill (also known as Hybrid MAX) is now painfully obvious, but for now we only have details on the workaday LE, SE, XLE, and XSE models. These Camrys have redesigned suspensions and brakes to accommodate the bulk of the hybrid powertrains, and all R&D work was led by U.S. employees, as you’d expect with a vehicle born in Kentucky.

There’s more luxury inside the new Camry, as longer and softer seat cushions make their way across all trim levels. XLE and XSE grade Camrys also have standard acoustic laminated glass on the front doors to reduce NVH, and the XSE’s red leather interior is still an option for 2025. All versions get a smart key, dual-zone automatic HVAC, a large gauge cluster screen (7- or 12.3-inch) and a touch screen (8 or 12.3 inches) with standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. The latter shall be quite excellent for ride-share drivers who can now connect the Uber app via Apple CarPlay, and the numerous charging ports (USB-A, C, wireless charging) that come standard are sure to please everyone. Opt for the ritzier XLE and XSE, and an available 10-inch heads-up display also provides turn-by-turn navigation. Eat your heart out, robotaxis.

Speaking of safety on the road, all of the following items are now standard equipment in any flavor of 2025 Camry:

• Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert
• Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection
• Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
• Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist
• Lane Tracing Assist (when activating Radar Cruise Control)
• Road Sign Assist
• Automatic High Beams
• Proactive Driving Assist (gentle nudges for distracted drivers about to have a collision)

Many of these safety features have been the exclusive domain of luxury vehicles for years, but they have now trickled down to a base Camry. Which begs the question of the sticker price, information which we don’t have just yet. Expect it to be notably higher than the 2024 Camry’s base price of $26,420. No matter how much it costs, you will absolutely get a looker, as the Camry is growing into the role of an underdog aggressor in a world full of SUVs and trucks.

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