2009 Toyota Camry Overview Change Vehicle

This 2009 Toyota Camry overview explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2009 Camry, and includes Toyota Camry safety, reliability, and fuel economy information.

There are no changes for the 2009 Toyota Camry, which continues in CE, LE, SE, XLE, and Hybrid trim levels with a choice between a four-cylinder, V6, or gas/electric hybrid powertrain.

Starting with the entry-level Camry CE, Toyota’s popular family sedan is equipped with basic niceties like power windows and door locks, cruise control, an adjustable steering wheel with audio controls, and power from an efficient four-cylinder engine mated to a manual transmission. Options include an automatic transmission and stability control.

One step up gets you into the Camry LE, accented by additional body-color exterior trim, keyless entry and a power-adjustable driver’s seat. Direct your focus to the list of available features and you’ll find a V6 engine, an upgraded audio system, a moonroof, and more.

Those items are also available on the sporty Camry SE, along with options including leather upholstery, a voice-activated navigation system, Bluetooth connectivity, and heated front seats. Standard features for the SE model include smoked headlight housings, a lower body kit, leather interior trim, blue-lit Optitron gauges, and a chassis that’s been upgraded with a sport-tuned suspension, larger stabilizer bars, and 17-inch alloy wheels instead of the 16-inchers fitted to other Camrys.

For a more upscale experience, consider the Camry XLE. With a standard automatic transmission mated to the four- or optional six-cylinder engine, there’s no chance of messing with a clutch pedal in traffic. After a day working for the Man, your ride home will be made more enjoyable with the XLE’s power moonroof, dual-zone climate control, and 440-watt JBL sound system.

You’ll get most of the XLE’s standard equipment plus standard electronic stability control with the 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid. This model’s unique powertrain consists of a continuously variable transmission, a four-cylinder engine, an electric motor, a battery pack, and other efficiency-oriented technology such as regenerative brakes.

Standard in all Camry variants except the Hybrid, a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with direct injection outputs 158 horsepower. Transmission choices include a five-speed manual and five-speed automatic, each helping to earn EPA estimates of 21 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.

The 2009 Camry Hybrid also uses that 2.4-liter engine, though it’s just one part of a system that integrates a nickel-metal hydride battery pack, an electric motor, a continuously variable transmission designed to maintain the most efficient rpm, and regenerative brakes that assist with recharging the battery. Net horsepower is 187. According to the EPA, drivers will record 33 mpg around town and 34 mpg on the highway.

With ratings of 19-mpg city/28-mpg highway, the Camry’s available six-cylinder engine is a bit less efficient than the standard four-cylinder, though it earns its spot in the limelight by offering impressive power. This 3.5-liter, direct-injection V6 ponies up 268 horses, all of which reach the front wheels courtesy of the lineup’s only six-speed automatic transmission.

Change is good, especially when it’s change for the better. Just last year, the Camry earned respectable reliability ratings of above average from Consumer Reports and J.D. Power and Associates. For 2009, Consumer Reports has bumped the rating up to excellent, which should provide buyers an extra degree of confidence with their purchase of a new Toyota.

On the safety front, the 2009 Camry has scored very well in tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Assisting with the effort are four-wheel-disc antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist systems, seven airbags including one for the driver’s knee, and available electronic stability control.

If you’re in the market for a family-friendly sedan, the roomy, safe and reliable 2009 Toyota Camry should be near the top of your list.

By Thom Blackett