2025 Toyota Camry XSE AWD: The Hybrid You ACTUALLY Want

[@Jasonboyee]

Excellent sedan. Love the MPG and performance. 2000 miles on an XSE and probably the most sensible purchase in a long time!

[@scottanthony3426]

Thanks Brian! We bought the XSE AWD 3 months ago and it's a nice blend of traits. My wife commutes in it, so we wanted the extra traction of AWD without having to play the winter tire swap game. (We don't get a lot of snow, but can on occasion, but lots of rain. And we kept our old Forester XT for days when there is snow on the ground when we leave the house.) This is our first car that is on the quiet interior side, so we're enjoying that. The price gap between regular and premium gas has continued to widen in the US - now 60-70 cents per gallon, so between that and the big mpg boost, we are saving a good $ 100 per month on gas vs the Forester. (If this is a pure economic decision, you could save more both on up-front cost and get better mpg with the LE or SE.) We're old enough to finally get something a little more luxurious, so this was a "reasonable" sweet spot. I got the better driving dynamics of the SE/XSE suspension, my wife got the heated and ventilated seats with the heated steering wheel, and we both got an interior quiet enough to actually enjoy the sound system. We got the "Wind Chill Pearl" and it has a ton of flake and pearlescence in it. In some lights, with all the body curves and creases, it almost looks light silver. Kind of wish we could have gotten the red interior, but we had to wait in line with a deposit to hold this one, then wait about a month to get it. I wondered if the red interior would get "old" once the novelty wore off, kind of like that Ocean Gem you drove. Some colors just don't age well after the initial "Wow!" I appreicate your comment re Toronto drivers. Not familiar with them, but notice that here in the PNW, many drivers have yet to figure out that when in a long line of cars, one can travel at the same speed 3 car lengths behind the car ahead as you can one car length behind. In my county, "Speed Limit" appears to be a "Speed Suggestion".

[@user-iz3gv5vo6b]

The 5th gen Hybrid in the Camry has more power than the previous hybrid and the I4, but not more than the V6. The old V6 had 301hp and was available on the XSE and the TRD.

[@cplbulletsponge]

When I heard him say that I'm like WTF. Basic stats.

[@Jhawk17]

By the time that V6 gets power to the ground, you’re already a few car lengths in front with awd trust me 😂

[@bigjizzslinger4294]

​@cplbulletsponge that's when I stopped watching the video. If you can't do basic research so you don't say stupid sh!t like that I'm not spending my time watching your video

[@jamesz7770]

Thanks for this! Nice job! - ordered XSE all White with black interior in mid September (in Southern Ontario), hoping to get it by June when we need it.

[@Hiyuki-mo2nh]

XSE in canada cost too much so I went with SE upgrade AWD which is a 8 month wait...

[@BrianMakse]

I heard there was a long wait. Patience is a virtue!

[@jamesz7770]

And in the USA, they can get them for under MSRP - ridiculous

[@Hiyuki-mo2nh]

@@jamesz7770 must be nice

[@BradimusMaximus78]

I love that color!!

[@robertduklus6555]

ride while not harsh its certainly not plush on 18 inch wheels. you feel more imperfections than you would expect. the base on 16 inch tires drives super soft, unfortunately the interior is quite plain. test drive both, its a long term decision.

[@Doc1855]

Too bad it doesn’t have a higher ground clearance as we get 5-7 feet of snow every winter. We found that the RAV4’s fit and finish is Subpar, the seats are uncomfortable and engine noise is pronounced. Ultimately we chose the Subaru Outback for my wife. I drive a 23 Tacoma TRD Off Road.

[@nicholaskeagan9016]

Hello Brian. Could you please review 2025 SONATA HYBRID LIMITED AWD? Thank you!

[@BrianMakse]

I'll see what I can do!

[@return.of.the.nac18]

Yeah, I will keep my V6 Camry XSE.

[@yume8380]

Yup, 2GR-FE is one of the best V6 engine, Lotus put it in their Evora sports car.

[@level10boy]

This feels like what should have been the IS350h hybrid that never saw the light of day, not yet at least...

[@aonforme3349]

Bit late on this review, compared to others out on YT, but good review nonetheless.

[@Offensively-normal]

The Toyota death rattle. It goes on for 250.000 miles and takes 20 years to die. Im counting on it.

[@ConfirmedPatriot]

Toyota needs to put a version of this motor in the Corolla just like Honda put the Accord Hybrid motor in the Civic Hybrid. The current Corolla hybrid is embarrassingly slow.

[@jeffreyerickson6766]

I like him

[@ouch9326]

BRING BACK TOyota MATRIX with corolla chassis. higher fuel lower rpm is more fuel effceint if driven properly. nissan variable comression inline 3, maybe make it bigger engine

[@BrianMakse]

That’s what the Corolla Cross is.

[@JDawg271]

The thing that makes a CVT suck isn't its operation. It's inherent in the design.

[@JohnZornAscended]

Saves gas tho, lol.

[@billyrock8305]

Topgun grannymobile #1 Old folks love these old school sedans 👍 1-2 year delivery in Canada 🇨🇦 🤮 $50,000 for a basic sedan 🤮 🤪

[@jamesz7770]

If you want a vehicle with options, tech, hybrid, I wouldn’t anticipate anything cheaper. All the other spec comparables for options/features fall in the similar price range

[@ouch9326]

BRING BACK TOyota MATRIX with corolla chassis

[@Thankyou_3]

Great video 👋 This Toyota Camry is not my father’s Camry from back in the 2005 model year. Those old Camry were absolutely bulletproof reliable, economical to repair and fuel economy is 6.5 litres/100 kms even after 20 year old. Nothing about this Camry Hybrid impressed me. High complex electronics and there is no way this vehicle will be economical to operate after the warranty. It my opinion, don’t attempt to save 1 litre of gas to make our life complicated with highly complex vehicle. It is cheaper in the long run to keep things simple like those old 2005 Toyota Camry.

[@Freep-m2l]

Over priced for a regular car. The XLE is the most balanced and its the top of trim. XSE you're getting the big rims and minor difference of the dashboard. The LE is hard to fine at base price, good luck with that, once you do it is inflated with options. Don't use apple car play, use android auto

[@picklebob3885]

Getting rid of the V6 was the dumbest thing they could’ve possibly done to this car

[@genzigzag]

I know a few Toyota mechanics that would disagree with your claim about the Supra 😂 Before anyone starts torching the comment about how great the B58 is and reliability, i am referring to a Toyota mechanic' viewpoint of the engine and the BMWness of layout and serviceability.

[@BrianMakse]

Sounds like a "them" problem and not a "me" problem. I don't work on cars 😎

[@genzigzag]

​@@BrianMakse You're missing out on a key aspect of the automotive experience, busted knuckles, frustration, and then the satisfaction of a job well done when get behind the wheel.

[@BrianMakse]

@@genzigzagI’ll stick to driving and leave the wrenching to the pros. It’s the same reason I don’t do my own dental work 😂

[@mikej238]

It's not a cvt..its an Ecvt. If you don't know the difference maybe you shouldn't be reviewing cars.

[@BrianMakse]

Mike? Mike! Is that you? You’re back!You say that every time just like you’ve not watched the review!

[@mikej238]

@BrianMakse you're an idgit.

[@ItsAlive111]

1:10 232 HP in a new Camry isn’t as impressive as the 290HP the old one had

[@fuze3522]

300+ actually

[@scottanthony3426]

True, but it's a darn sight better than the old 4 banger and gets way better mpg to boot. Just had mine out today, and wanted to execute a weird pass (a place where shoulder driving is okay for slower vehicles on a grade). Had a guy in a pick-up loaded down with dirt, and he was sort of trying to let the line behind him pass. Except he was about 2/3 off the road onto the shoulder. So, I waited for a big enough gap in the oncoming, then went for it. The 50-75 was pretty impressive, given what the car is. (Just saying, nobody is going to mistake it for a muscle car). But 0-60 is under 7 seconds and mid-range acceleration pulls pretty well. So, not a bad compromise. I've never ridden in the V-6 Camry though. Decades ago, one of the car mags thought it was the ultimate "stealth" car. Got a navy blue one with the 6 cyl and back then you could get the MT. Pretty dang fast, but nobody would look at you twice!

[@michaelanthony4522]

TRD had 301 HP

[@Doc1855]

I see it still has the 35 year Old GLOOMY GREY or DEATH BLACK interior colors 🤮💩

[@dlj1285]

Pretty sure it’s still the car your Aunt takes to bingo.

[@batgele2796]

lol

[@rickjohansson4257]

Or anyone else who has matured beyond age 16

[@dlj1285]

@@rickjohansson4257 Yeah, not really, but sure…Let’s go with that….

[@thatkid780]

@@dlj1285yeah if you’re not a dipshit kiddo this is practical. You know, if you actually have a job and just want to get to work and get good MPGs

[@scottanthony3426]

It's a good car for your aunt too. We got ours mainly as a commuter car for my wife's job. About 60 miles round trip, 3x week. Prior to that, it was our Forester XT, (which we kept for odd jobs and known snow days.) But, now the swap from premium to regular is 60-70 cents per gal on our state. We typically get 41-44 mpg and it doesn't feel like we sacrificed any driving utility to get it. We got the XSE with AWD. Lots of rain here, and having the rear wheels driven was something we wanted. Unfortunate that packaging doesn't let you mix and match, so we got the 19" wheels and thus ours is the lowest mpg Camry of the line-up. But I wanted the better suspension so I wouldn't hate driving it (my other car is a BRZ, although my wife couldn't care less about driving dynamics). The XSE and XLE have the dual laminated side front windows (all have that in the windshield) and we wanted to try for a quiet car, as we've never really had that before. So, now we actually enjoy hearing the sound system instead of wind and road noise. Of course, we are uncles and aunts too! That happened at age 23 for me, and before high school for my wife though, so "aunts" aren't necessarily "old".

[@robertsparks7244]

Maybe great but prices are inflated by dealership and no incentive so just to expensive to be forced into CVT. Big mistake