2026 Toyota Camry 2.5V HEV

The Executive’s Favorite

The mass market midsize sedan class in the country is an endangered segment – Scratch that. Actually, the segment would already have been extinct had Toyota pulled the plug on the Camry.

It’s easy to figure out why this is the case. With the ever-expanding crossover and SUV market, preferences have changed even for those customers who prefer being driven around. The mass market simply prefers cars with extra ground clearance and hatch doors these days over the good ‘ol four-door sedan. Just take a look at this year’s best-selling car – it’s not even a Vios, but an Xpander.  

But come to think of it, it’s actually quite an irony since we have more paved roads nowadays than in the past decade, where the Accord, the Cefiro, the Galant, and the Mazda6 of yesteryears were still around - parked along country clubs, golf courses, executive villages, and fetching high-ranking executives in business districts.

Now that the Camry’s the last one standing, is the model’s turn to drive off into the sunset, coming soon?

Well, Toyota certainly doesn’t think so yet, as they just launched this new XV80 Camry last year. It took quite a while for us to get our hands on this model. But now that we finally did, we found out why it still has a worthy place in the market these days.

Looks-wise, the new XV80 Camry has followed the previous generation’s take in terms of design. Prior to those two, you can say Toyota practiced restraint, or played it safe when it comes to design, so most would really describe it as vanilla.

That’s not the case now for the ninth-generation Camry, as Toyota has given it more angular lines and got a little more liberal in terms of styling.

The LED headlight is much slimmer, and the grille bridges the gap between the DRLs flanking it. Toyota calls this design approach at the front as the hammerhead. It's sort of how newer Toyotas are designed now, if you already saw the next-generation Hilux and the current Prius, so that's what Toyota's going for nowadays - they want their cars to be a lot more visually striking, and I think that holds true for the Camry.

The execution here has made the Camry a handsome-looking car – one that you’d want to be seen driving, rather than being driven. It just gets even better when viewed from the side, as the Camry's proper sedan proportions, with the long hood, the long overhangs at the back, and the large doors, are best appreciated.

It's a pretty big car, and it's actually longer than a Fortuner - almost pickup truck size at just under 5 meters long. That’s what I found out when I had to bring this home the first time, as it barely fit in my small garage here in the Metro.

Ground clearance for the Camry is 135mm, so going in and out of this car's going to be pretty easy, and the slope at the rear just adds up to its handsome appeal. The rear end, just like the front, has slim C-shaped taillights.

If you insist on taking the driver’s seat when manong driver’s not around, then you’ll find quite a pleasant time stepping inside the new Camry. One, you get power everything. Power-adjustable seats with memory function & seat cooling, power-adjustable steering column so you can adjust to your proper driving position, and the usual power side mirrors and windows.

You take a look around, and it's a major step up in terms of material quality. While it’s not quite Lexus levels, the feel of the surfaces and the buttons is much different compared to your usual Toyota. The steering wheel, for example, also has its unique design. The controls are neatly laid out for the infotainment; there are toggle switches, and the instrument screen changes its theme depending on the drive mode you're in.

Then there’s the infotainment touchscreen. It's bigger, it has better screen quality along with the around view cameras, and the head unit is no longer similar to a Vios or a Wigo - that was the case in previous generations of the Camry. It has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and it's connected to a JBL premium audio system, which sounds really good.

If you want the best seat in the house, however, that’s the second row, passenger princess. There, you get proper business class seating as it’s absolutely spacious. My 5’9” frame did not have any problems fitting in, but do remember that the Camry was designed with taller individuals in mind, as it’s easily one of the best-selling vehicles in the US.

Here's where the fancy bits start coming. The rear has its own temperature control, and you can adjust that through the touch panel at the armrest. There’s also the privacy shade that you can manually roll on the side, while the rear has a motorized function. The panoramic sunroof opens all the way back for the sunshade, but it only gives a partial opening in front if you really wanna slide the windows. One more thing, the rear seats can be further reclined for a more relaxing time inside the Camry.

With the Camry being a big sedan, expect an equally big boot. For our measurements, the Camry’s trunk space is 40 inches long, 66 inches wide, and 19 inches tall. That size would probably be enough for two golf bags, plus your luggage, and even a baby stroller if you're still starting your family. Plus, even though it's a hybrid, there’s still a full-sized spare tire in the trunk.

Powering the new Camry is what Toyota calls the A25A-FXS. It's a hybrid powertrain that combines a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine in an Atkinson cycle for better efficiency, and electric motors. The gas engine produces 186 PS and 221 Nm of torque, and has a combined output that reaches 230 PS.

I know most buyers of the Camry would want to spend their time seated at the back, so let me tell you first what it feels like to be out there. You put up the sunshade, you recline the seats, and very quickly you'll feel unbothered with the outside world cause it's just so quiet out there. You don't hear the engine, you get all the space, and the seating position is fantastic. And because it has independent suspension at the rear, it's really comfortable.

Behind the wheel, the all-new Camry is actually entertaining to drive. I heard it wasn’t the case in previous models, but it was a surprisingly enjoyable time for me roaming around the Metro with the Camry HEV.

The steering has that weighted feel to it, but more than that, it’s quite precise and agile for its size. While big sedans are supremely comfortable, their soft suspension settings make them uninspiring to drive. Toyota has retuned the suspension of the Camry for the XV80, and the changes have paid off.

There’s a bit more stiffness in the body, but that prevented the car from heaving every time you try to change directions. In my opinion, it’s a better tradeoff as the body feels more planted both in high-speed straights and when tackling winding roads.

The efficiency is likewise commendable for a car of this size. I averaged 17.9 km/l in city traffic, while at highway speeds, where the 2.5-liter four-banger does more work, returned 19.8 km/l. With a 50-liter fuel tank, you can reach over 800 km of range easily with this.

Speaking of long drives, I also like how Toyota tuned the Safety Sense ADAS in the Camry. The customary radar cruise control and lane tracing work as advertised, but it’s the driver warnings that I appreciated the most, with the blind spot, rear cross, and forward collision alerts. Rather than being alarmed and distracted by loud sounds, the subtle chimes are enough to make you aware of the surroundings without ever causing panic.

However, it’s the powertrain that made me wish the Camry still had a V6 version. Apart from the extra power, the four-cylinder HEV could use a few improvements in terms of refinement. In a premium-ish car like this, you’d expect the powertrain to be smooth as butter.

But somehow, the 2.5-liter engine’s coarse roar creeps inside the cabin during hard acceleration, and some minor vibrations make their way to the steering wheel when the hybrid system wakes the engine up. It’s not as audible as the one in the Yaris Cross, but enough to make you notice it.

Given that the majority in the market prefers practicality, versatility, and ground clearance, the Camry, being priced at PHP 2.657M (PHP 2.677M for the Platinum White Pearl), puts it at almost equal prices to a Fortuner GR-S 4x4. The numbers clearly show what most buyers are choosing more of. But overall, the Camry HEV does give you the feeling of being in a more expensive and more upscale Toyota.

For those seeking a stand-out presence, better comfort, better interior materials, and a more entertaining drive, I say the Camry is still worth giving a shot - it’s still hard to ignore what it can bring to the table.