When you think of the Toyota Camry, what comes to mind? For most, it’s the image of a dependable, no-frills sedan driven by middle-aged professionals or retirees. It’s that “uncle” car – the one you see making its way slowly down a highway, its driver more interested in comfort than speed. And let’s be honest – it’s easy to see why this stereotype exists. The Camry’s reserved styling and reputation for reliability have made it the go-to choice for those looking for a sensible, practical ride.
But as a, ahem, young guy (I don’t quite classify myself as an “uncle” yet), I couldn’t help but think: Is the Camry really as dull as it’s made out to be? I decided to spend some time behind the wheel of the Toyota Camry to see if this “uncle car” stereotype still holds up or if there’s more to it than meets the eye.
First Impressions
Exterior
The latest Camry sports a sleek body work and redesign. The much-talked-about hammerhead headlights and mesh grille give the car a bold yet sporty look that commands road presence. Complemented by the sharp angular hood and body panels, you could really feel the modern style. While driving, I also did notice a number of heads turning.
Interior
Stepping inside, the interior is spacious and well-appointed. The brown leather finish felt premium, and all driver and passenger seats had plenty of leg room.
Extra light from the sun roof really brightened up the cabin. Photo © Gorden Koh
Photos © Gorden Koh.
Your passengers would appreciate the generous hand rest and seat adjustments. Also, there is a direct boot access for convenience or oddly-long items.
Photo © Gorden Koh.
Connecting to Apple CarPlay, navigating via Google Maps and playing Spotify were a breeze with the 12.3in infotainment system. There was no need to mount my phone on the dashboard, which kept it clean. The 9-speaker JBL sound system packed a punch – fun fact, I connected music via both Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay, the sound quality on the latter was vastly superior.
Another feature that I very much appreciated is the numerous USB-C PD ports and wireless charging dock, perfect for fast charging devices on the go.
Photos © Gorden Koh.
I like big booties and I cannot lie. Photo © Gorden Koh.
Fuel Economy
Photo © Gorden Koh.
I find it useful that the Camry provides key metrics on your driving habits. I was able to track mine after a day of driving which included expressways and minor roads.
What I Like About It
Adaptive Cruise control and Lane Keep Assist
Hands down, the Adaptive Cruise Control and the Lane Keep Assist are my favourite features. I found myself using these features much more than expected. I tested them from the expressway into slip roads, traffic junctions and back onto expressway to simulate an entire journey.
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) automatically adjusted my speed to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front. The car also knew when to slow down/ stop and re-accelerate back up according to the front car at traffic junctions. Combined with active lane keeping, the car literally turned itself to stay within the lane while matching the front car’s speed – mind-blowing and very handy for road trips. However, I realised that Auto Lane Keep wasn’t great negotiating sharper bends at higher speeds so I had to intervene.
Not to forget the blind spot monitoring – this is like having eyes on the back of your head and alerts you when there’s a vehicle in your blind spot, reducing the chance of side-swiping a scooter.
Together, these features lifted mental fatigue and they made navigating Singapore’s city driving more enjoyable.
Driving Experience
Cabin isolation was excellent which led to buttery smooth drives. Vibrations were minimal and road sounds barely noticeable; I really enjoyed this premium private bubble. Acceleration and power delivery were also strong and responsive. In fact, at times, I was surprised at how quickly it got up to speed from zero.
I wished the Heads-Up-Display also showed navigation and turn signals. Photo © Gorden Koh.
This “bird’s eye view” is pretty neat for additional spatial awareness. Photo © Gorden Koh.
Let’s Spill Some Tea… What I Didn’t Like About It
In-built Navigation Map
While I’m all for exploring uncharted territories, the native navigation map had me feeling like I was on an episode of “Lost” – it lacked many location and establishment addresses. After spending 15 minutes trying to set a specific destination, the navigation system still couldn’t capture my intended address and I just gave up. Google Maps on Apple CarPlay remained my trusty co-pilot throughout the journey.
EV mode
EV mode was more miss than hit. Photo © Gorden Koh.
For nine out of 10 times when I tried to switch to the EV mode, the car said “insufficient charge”. When it finally worked, the battery simply drained too quickly for any significant use. In my opinion, this was a total white elephant feature.
Rear View Mirror
It’s pretty cool that you can toggle between traditional mirror view and digital feed with a flick of a button, but I found the digital view too low and zoomed in for my taste. It gave me the impression that things were MUCH closer than actually was. I tried this feature once and never again.
Traditional mirror view. Photo © Gorden Koh.
Digital rear view. Photo © Gorden Koh.
The Final Takeaway
The 2025 Toyota Camry Hybrid proved to be a great travel companion – reliable, comfortable and with a hint of excitement. It is no longer the “uncle car” that it’s known to be. Overall, it feels premium, drives well and has modern aesthetics. While it may not suit everyone’s taste, I think the tech and safety features of the Camry should be at least the standard baseline of any modern city car. Just be sure to keep Google Maps handy, or get a pure EV car if that’s your thing.
