XSE breaks out of Camry mold
A sporty looking, nice-riding hybrid
For consumers looking for ole’ trusty, or you know, that vehicle that just does the job, there is always Toyota, a mass-market manufacturer that has a lot to be proud of. They are very reliable, appealing to the eye, they last for extended periods of time and most importantly, they hold their value exponentially well. Historically a no-frills-no-thrills manufacturer, Toyota now has some exciting options in vehicle searches as the 2021 Hybrid Camry just got better.
With a base price of $32,720, our Camry XSE tester is not your standard hybrid as our Synergy Drive 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine combined for 208 horsepower, which was peppy and smooth. A sporttuned suspension and Electronic Continuously Variable Transmission with paddle shifters were also present.
Government safety ratings were a huge standout for me. Five-star ratings across the board in all categories for the Camry Hybrid including Frontal Crash, Side Crash and Rollover. Additional safety notes for the Toyota Camry include Safety Sense 2.5+ PreCollision System with Pedestrian Detection, fullspeed dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assist, lane trading assist, automatic high beams and road sign assist. A blind spot monitor with a rear cross traffic alert and a backup camera were standard. This is a huge accomplishment for the
Japanese manufacturer as you can tell they have spent ample time in confirming their brand is top notch.
Our Camry XSE came with an exceptionally nice exterior and interior appearance features. Starting on the exterior, 19 inch black alloy wheels, LED headlights and a black front grill fascia were a nice touch to the Camry Hybrid XSE. Power tilt/sliding sunroof and two-tone midnight black metallic roof and rear spoiler were also nice options. On the interior, a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system was exceptionally easy to use, and the red interior was racy and sleek.
What we really liked about the Camry Hybrid XSE is the overall utilization of the vehicle. It looks great with its multicolor exterior, it rides quiet with the hybrid option, it gets good fuel mileage and finally, it really serves as a family vehicle or that daily driver for back and forth to work. In Sport and EV mode the vehicle ran great and was quiet.
Toyota has been very good at staying in its lane and producing vehicles dedicated to its core consumer, and with the Camry XSE Hybrid, it certainly dotted the I’s and crossed the T’s.