2012 Toyota Camry Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Toyota Camry overview explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 Camry, and includes Toyota Camry safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

The 2012 Toyota Camry is the newest iteration of what has long been America’s best-selling mainstream sedan. This front-wheel-drive, five-passenger, family four-door has earned buyers’ respect for its practicality, inoffensive styling and, with the exception of relatively recent recalls, a track record of dependability. Competitors include popular models like the Chevrolet Malibu, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, and Nissan Altima.

America’s best-selling sedan has been heavily updated for 2012, with a fresh new look, a redesigned interior offering more space and refinement, a quieter ride coupled with more responsive handling, and greater efficiency. The Toyota Camry’s exterior dimensions carry over largely unchanged, while a few notable additions have been made to the list of available features. Among them are the company’s Entune multimedia system (similar to Ford’s SYNC system), 10 standard airbags, and a blind-spot monitor.

Toyota offers the 2012 Camry sedan in four different versions: L, LE, SE, and XLE. The Camry L covers the basics in a not-so-basic fashion with air conditioning, power mirrors, power windows and door locks, a tilt and telescopic steering wheel, cruise control, and a height adjustable driver’s seat. Also found on the equipment roster are Bluetooth connectivity, an exterior temperature gauge, and a six-speaker audio system that includes a USB port and single-disc CD player. If there’s any outward indication of the L’s entry-level status, it would be its 16-inch steel wheels and plastic wheel covers.

The L delivers all anyone would need for the daily commute, but for those who want a little more in the creature-comfort department, the 2012 Camry LE might be a better choice. Toyota has fitted this variant with automatic headlights, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, variable intermittent wipers (the L lacks the variable feature), and remote keyless entry. The audio system is much like the unit found in the Camry L, though the LE’s version includes a large touch-screen located above the instrument panel. Options consist of a moonroof and a power-adjustable seat for the driver.

For a more sporting driving experience, relatively speaking, Toyota directs you to the Camry SE, which is offered with a choice of four or six cylinders under the hood. The former is paired with 17-inch alloys, whereas 18-inch wheels accompany the latter. All SE models feature a mesh grille insert, black headlight trim, fog lights, a lower body kit, heated mirrors, leather interior trim, and paddle shifters linked to the standard automatic transmission. Seats are wrapped in SofTex, a leatherette-type of upholstery that is lighter and more environmentally friendly than traditional alternatives. Alternatively, buyers can select optional Ultrasuede fabric with genuine leather trim. Depending on which engine is selected, the 2012 Camry SE can also be equipped with a push-button ignition system, a rearview camera, heated front seats, and a power moonroof. Rounding things out is a navigation system with Toyota’s Entune multimedia system that features HD radio, Sirius satellite service, Bluetooth-enabled music streaming, voice recognition, iTunes tagging capability, and more.

That Entune system is standard on V6 versions of the SE as well as the top-of-the-line Camry XLE. To earn its spot at the head of the table, the XLE ups the ante with dual-zone automatic climate control, heated mirrors, extra chrome trim, faux woodgrain accents, and a power passenger’s seat. Items reserved for the XLE V6 include a backup camera, leather upholstery, and a universal garage door opener. As is the case with the SE, the XLE can be upgraded with Entune, which shares space on the options list with a JBL sound system, a blind spot monitor, and a Safety Connect emergency response feature that’s similar to General Motors’ OnStar system.

Toyota’s engineers tweaked most every part of the 2012 Camry, but relatively little was done under the hood. The base 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine has been carried over, albeit in the former SE model’s more robust state of tune. It generates 178 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque and is estimated to average 25 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway.* That’s with a six-speed automatic transmission directing output to the front wheels; the six-speed manual is no longer available with the Camry.

Also returning for 2012 is the available 3.5-liter V6, bringing with it 268 horses and 248 pound-feet of torque. Again, the six-speed automatic is the one and only transmission offered. Toyota suggests drivers will see 21 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway.* Regular unleaded gasoline is recommended for both engines, so there’s no need to pay for pricier petrol.

Look a bit further behind the scenes and you’ll find electric power steering and a fully independent suspension setup featuring front and rear stabilizer bars. The SE’s chassis has been specifically tuned to be more responsive than the Camry L, LE and XLE.

*MPG estimates provided by Toyota.

Given the recent spate of safety-related recalls, Toyota loads the 2012 up with standard safety features. Four-wheel-disc antilock brakes and Toyota’s Star Safety System come standard, the latter bundling stability control, electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist, and Smart Stop technology. That last component cuts power when both foot pedals are depressed at the same time, and was developed in response to unintended acceleration reports from a couple of years back. The 2012 Camry is also equipped with front- and rear-side airbags, side-curtain airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, and, of course, two front airbags. Unfortunately, neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) had published crash test results for the updated Camry at the time of this writing.

Likewise, reliability predictions from Consumer Reports and J.D. Power and Associates have yet to hit the presses. If a buyer of a 2012 Camry does run into issues, they’re protected by a three-year/36,000-mile basic warranty, a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, and a free-maintenance plan that covers scheduled service for the first two years or 25,000 miles of ownership.

To get a close-up look at the 2012 Camry, we accepted Toyota’s invitation to travel to Cle Elum, Washington to drive several versions of its updated sedan. All examples were categorized as pre-production, meaning they weren’t necessarily up to retail snuff, so we’ll reserve judgment on issues such as build quality until we’re able to test a production model at a later date. The following driving impressions are based on seat time in a four-cylinder XLE and a six-cylinder SE. Our take on the 2012 Camry Hybrid is covered in a separate review.

That super-efficient Camry Hybrid has a new powertrain for 2012, but regular gas-powered models feature a base 2.5-liter four-cylinder that’s essentially unchanged aside from slight increases in horsepower and torque for all models except the SE. Commuters are apt to be quite happy about that, as the tried-and-true engine delivers plenty of giddyup for merging and passing, and does so with refinement. Plus, with Toyota-estimated fuel economy maxing out at 35 mpg on the highway, this eager little mill is sufficiently efficient. The Camry’s base powerplant is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission that offers smooth operation in Drive, but the manual mode is a bit slow to respond to driver input.

Toyota has paired that same transmission with the Camry’s available 3.5-liter V6. In this day and age, when 300-horsepower six-cylinder engines are increasingly common, the Camry doesn’t seem all that impressive with only 268 horses. In reality, however, the SE V6 we drove served up an abundance of grunt and never left us wanting for more.

Equally pleasing are the ride and handling characteristics engineers have dialed into the 2012 Camry’s chassis. Our XLE test car cruised over Washington’s back roads with smooth composure; bumps and road irregularities were absorbed well enough to prevent any significant disruption to the driver. Toyota claims to have made the Camry’s underpinnings more responsive, and we did indeed feel confident when tossing the XLE into sweeping corners at decent speeds. Body roll is still present, though it is kept within respectable limits for this segment. The vehicle’s steering is perfectly acceptable for a mainstream passenger sedan, but even in SE guise it exhibits a vague on-center feel. However, the SE’s sport-tuned suspension does deliver tighter handling (likely due, in part, to its exclusive 18-inch wheels and tires), and proved to be slightly entertaining on winding roads.

Toyota’s efforts to improve the Camry’s drivability are obvious, as is its focus on providing a more hospitable interior. The car’s dimensions haven’t changed significantly, but redesigned interior panels lead to a greater sense of spaciousness, while soft-touch materials – including a curved dash cap with contrast stitching – suggest a higher degree of overall quality. Seating is comfortable for four, and our five-foot-eight-inch-tall writer had room to spare when planted on the front buckets or the rear split-back bench.

Also factored into the 2012 Camry’s revamped interior are intuitive primary controls and instrumentation. The optional Entune multimedia system features a user-friendly touch-screen interface that avails drivers to services such as Pandora music streaming, navigation-related Internet searches courtesy of Bing.com, and more. However, unlike competing offerings such as Ford’s satellite-linked SYNC system, Entune is dependent on an owner’s cell service. This approach allows for quick updates and greater flexibility, yet it’s largely limited to folks with smart phones and, in certain pockets of the country, can be affected by poor or non-existent cell reception.

With the 2012 Camry, Toyota has developed a vehicle with attractive styling, a comfortable and spacious interior, more of the must-have technology features an increasing number of buyers demand, a composed ride and handling package, and powertrains that are both lively and efficient. This one’s a test-drive must for any shopper fishing in the family-sedan pond.

By Thom Blackett