The Toyota Camry is an institution and has been around for nearly four decades. It is Toyota’s best-selling mid-size family sedan and one of the most popular cars in the United States, and for good reason. The Camry offers a great blend of style and functionality along with Toyota’s rock-solid reliability.

With the demand for cross-overs and SUVs through the roof, several automakers have dialed down on their sedan lineup and the Camry has lesser cars to compete with. With the inclusion of a hybrid powertrain, that pool shrinks even further. But why a hybrid mid-size sedan? Simple, gas mileage. With the gas current prices the way they are, the Camry hybrid will outclass most SUVs at the pumps.

All Toyota Camry’s employ the TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) platform. With a staggering 18 different configurations to choose from, there is pretty much a Camry for everyone. Here’s what the 2022 Camry Hybrid line-up looks like.

Now when you think Toyota Camry, performance is not something that comes to mind is it now? At the other end of the spectrum, the inclusion of a Hybrid-powertrain, the Camry’s appeal grows thanks to its best-in-class mileage which is north of 50 mpg on the Hybrid LE.

Under the hood lies a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated in-line four-cylinder engine, which along with an electric motor has a combined output of 208 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque. For ultimate efficiency, the Camry sends power exclusively to the front wheels via a CVT (continuously varying transmission).

Not that it really matters for a vehicle in this class, but 0-60 mph comes up in 7.4 seconds which is slightly quicker than the regular Camry’s 7.6 seconds. The base model LE manages a segment-best 51/53 mpg while the SE, XLE, XSE, and Nightshade sees that number drop to 44/47 mpg due to bigger wheels.

Let’s talk styling. The 2022 Camry is an automobile that has to have a mass appeal. In a bid to make the design less boring, Toyota has thrown in design elements that are frankly unnecessary. They include stuff like overdone front facia and a number of fake vents that you’ll find on the bumpers.

Overall, the design isn’t very exciting, and the Camry is not going to win any beauty pageants for its looks. Having said that you can make your Camry Hybrid, your own, and spruce things up to your liking with the various trims and options on offer.

The base model LE is your humdrum option with the basic plastic exterior trim pieces and the smallest wheels in the range, but that trade-off in wheel size, means you get the high mileage figures. It shares its design with the XLE which sees the addition of a dark gray front grille along with chrome accents on the bodywork. You also get bigger 18" dark gray alloy wheels.

The base Sport variant, i.e the SE comes with a completely different grille with mesh inserts and a more aggressive-looking front bumper. In keeping with the sporty theme, it features 18-inch alloy wheels as standard along with sport-tuned suspension. Also new for 2022 is a new sinister Nightshade edition, which sees all the chrome work replaced with all-black trim on the door handles, badging, window mirrors, and a black rear spoiler.

Finally, Stepping it up to the top-of-the-line XSE gets you the sportiest avatar of the Camry Hybrid. You get the option of dual-tone paint, 19-inch black alloy wheels, and a single exhaust with dual chrome tips.

For what is essentially a mainstream commuter, the Camry’s cabin is a nice place to spend time in. Thanks to the organic shapes and smooth flowing lines, the dashboard is interesting. Depending on the trims, there is a range of materials and colors to choose from.

The base model LE comes with fabric upholstered seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, push-button start, auto headlights, a 7-inch touch screen with six speakers, along with Apple Carplay/ Android Auto/ Amazon Alexa. SE and nightshade edition will get you a Softex faux leather interior.

If you step up to XLE, you get perforated leather seats with heating and ventilation, wood inlay interior trim, and a larger 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with premium JBL audio with navigation. You also get Qi wireless smartphone charging and a 4.2-inch digital instrument cluster.

The top-spec Camry XSE comes with patterned metallic interior trim and a sporty leather-trimmed steering wheel with paddle shifters. Choosing this trim also allows you to go for the bold red leather interior.

Apart from the standard equipment offered with each trim, there are a number of optional packages on offer to enhance your Camry Hybrid’s capabilities. They include everything from upgrading your audio system on the base trims, and power tilt/slide moonroof to features like heated mirrors, and heated seats, that is part of the cold weather package.

Pricing for the base Toyota Camry Hybrid SE starts at $27,980 and it goes all the way to $33,420 for the top-of-the-line XSE Hybrid. Even with all optional extras thrown in, you should easily max out the Camry hybrid for under $40,000. You can configure your Camry Hybrid here.

The Camry comes pretty loaded with a host of safety features out of the box. Automatic emergency braking, automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control, and lane departure warning are all part of standard equipment.

Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert is an optional extra. The Camry is a safe car as it scored full five stars for overall safety by the NHTSA. The 2021 Toyota Camry received the revered Top Safety Pick+ from the IIHS.

In a shrinking market for sedans, the Camry Hybrid mainly has two mainstream competitors that also offer Hybrid powertrains. They are the Honda Accord Hybrid and the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. Here’s how the Camry Hybrid stacks up against the competition.

The Honda offers more power, better rear-seat leg room, and the highest cargo capacity at 16.7 cubic feet. The Sonata meanwhile is better looking both inside and out. As for pricing, the Accord is the cheapest and has the widest range from $26,670 to 36,540, with four trims to choose from. The Sonata only has three trims and prices range from $27,050 to $35,400.

This brings us to the Camry Hybrid, which has the highest number of trims (five) coming in with a narrow price band as compared to the competition. So it all comes down to what you want from your mid-size hybrid sedan. If its power and space, then the Honda Accord Hybrid makes a strong case for itself. Want some style, substance, and tech, you can’t go wrong with the Sonata Hybrid. The Toyota Camry Hybrid though makes for a great all-rounder.

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