The 2018 Toyota Camry is a little more expensive, a lot more efficient
It's also a little bit better-looking.
Toyota's not one to rock the boat. The 2018 Toyota Camry may be all new, but it sticks to the same formula -- sensible, reliable transportation with a couple engine options and a hybrid. Its new price and fuel economy figures don't rock the boat that much, either.
The 2018 Toyota Camry will start at $23,495 for the base L model, which comes standard with LED headlights and taillights, an acoustic windshield and wood interior trim. Toyota Safety Sense-P is standard for every single Camry, and it includes autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and lane-departure warning. There was no 2017 Camry L trim, so there's no price to compare it to.
The next step up is the Camry LE. This adds larger wheels, power front seats, a 60/40-split folding rear seat and an overhead console. The LE costs $24,000, a bump of $930 over the 2017 model -- you can see all the price bumps in the table at the bottom of the article. Move up to the SE trim, and you get automatic climate control, a 4.2-inch display in the gauge cluster, sport seats, a sport steering wheel and blacked-out exterior trim pieces. That one costs $25,200.
I'm still trying to figure out whether or not I dig the schnoz.
The last two trims are XLE and XSE. XLE focuses on luxury, with wood interior trim, dual-zone automatic climate control, a head-up display, a mode switch, keyless entry, heated leather seats and chrome exterior trim. That one costs $28,450. The XSE replaces the chrome with more blacked-out trim, and it adds larger wheels and dual exhaust pipes. The XSE will set you back $29,000.
The aforementioned trims all come with a 2.5-liter I4 gas engine, good for 206 horsepower and 186 pound-feet of torque, as well as an EPA rating of 29 mpg city and 41 mpg highway. If you want to opt for the 301-horsepower V6 (22 mpg city, 33 mpg highway), the price will raise to $34,400 for the XLE V6 and $34,950 for the XSE V6.
It should be noted that the outgoing I4 put out 24 mpg city and 33 mpg highway, and the outgoing V6 was rated at 21 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. So the V6 is a bit more efficient, while the I4 is radically more efficient, especially on the highway. Kudos to Toyota there.
If you want to get really efficient, the 2018 Camry Hybrid will be available in LE, SE and XLE trims. The LE has a lithium ion battery and achieves 51 mpg city and 53 mpg highway, and it costs $27,800. The SE and XLE use a nickel-metal hydride battery, and they achieve 44 mpg city and 47 mpg highway. The SE hybrid costs $29,500, and the XLE tops out at $32,250.
Full Camry pricing:
Model | 2018 MSRP | 2017 MSRP | Net Change |
L | $23,495 | N/A | N/A |
LE | $24,000 | $23,070 | +$930 |
SE | $25,200 | $23,840 | +$1,360 |
XLE | $28,450 | $26,310 | +$2,140 |
XSE | $29,000 | $26,310 | +$2,690 |
XLE V6 | $34,400 | $31,370 | +$3,030 |
XSE V6 | $34,950 | $31,370 | +$3,580 |
Hybrid LE | $27,800 | $26,790 | +$1,010 |
Hybrid SE | $29,500 | $27,995 | +$1,505 |
Hybrid XLE | $32,250 | $30,140 | +$2,110 |
