Ownership review of my 2020 Toyota Camry SE AWD

It's fairly quick off the line, upshifts are seamless and there are no jerky power surges typical of turbocharged engines.

BHPian ajslave recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Let me introduce the star of this thread: Snow white (swhite). It's a 2020 Toyota Camry AWD in "SE Upgrade" trim that I bought new last November here in Toronto, Canada. The car currently has ~25k km on it.

2020 Camry AWD SE Upgrade

Specifications:

• 2020 Toyota Camry SE AWD with Upgrade package
• 2.5L D4-S naturally-aspirated inline-four 16V DOHC direct and port-injected (non-hybrid)
• 202bhp @ 6600rpm
• ~245Nm @ 5000rpm
• 8 speed torque converter
• All-wheel drive (new for the 2020 model year)
• 235/45/R18 Hankook tires and disc brakes all-round

What's great?

• Reliable 2.5L i4 engine that Toyota has nearly perfected over the years and is in use in the RAV4, Avalon, Lexus IS, Lexus ES, etc. in addition to the Camry.
• Adequate performance: 0-100kph in just under 8 seconds, enough reserve power even at 100kph for passing
• Efficient: does 16-19kpl on the average commute consisting of 70% highway + 30% crawling city traffic. 20kpl (5L/100kms) on extended highway runs!
• On-demand all-wheel drive for the winter here that is surprisingly capable
• Sporty suspension tuning- provides great grip and minimal roll while not trading ride quality too much (again- the LE/XLE trims are more comfort-tuned in this department)
• Well-equipped in the SE Upgrade trim with a moon-roof (not pano), 8" infotainment + 7" Multi-info display, heated seats + heated steering wheel + heated ORVMs, auto headlights, etc.
• Well-rounded Safety package: 10 airbags, Toyota Safety Sense including autonomous emergency braking, pedestrian/ animal alert, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping assist and lane departure warning.
• Classic sedan proportions with a good measure of aggressive and contemporary cues thrown in ("No more boring" in Akio Toyoda's words). Sporty inclination in the SE/XSE line-up (versus the LE/XLE line-up that are sold in India and are more luxury-oriented)

What isn't?

• Not the most engaging drive- mostly due to the old-school transmission (more on this later). It sometimes downshifts 3 gears to pick up 5kph of speed (more noticeable when using adaptive cruise control)!
• Over-styled front fascia may not appeal to all tastes- I don't mind it, but I'd have preferred a slightly more "mature" look myself.
• Not cheap anymore- $36k (all currencies in CAD) for the trim I selected, but even the lower-end ones are upward of $28k (breaching the psychological $25k barrier)
• More jack of all trades than master of any- which makes it an "appliance"
• No audiophile-level sound: JBL audio is only offered in XSE and XLE (and isn't all that great either)
• Fewer colour options in Canada than in the US. The "Blue print" shade that looks gorgeous would've been my first pick.
• Some nice-to-haves aren't offered in North America (rear armrest like in the Indian Camry, memory seats, overall "premium feel")

The run-up

I moved to Canada a little under two years ago and was itching on getting back to driving and riding (the latter is yet to be accomplished). I owned a pre-worshipped 2006 Honda Civic SMT back home in Bangalore and had the best 4 years of automotive ownership on it, which I sold prior to moving to a friend who continues to worship it. Here's a quick picture before I move on from my automotive iVTEC R18A hangover:

The ex that I haven't gotten over:

For the first year in Canada, I had remote jobs for the most part and needed to only rely on public transit to get around. But a new job in October forced me to get on to the driving scene quicker than I had planned to (I hadn't made much headway in getting my driving license here, thanks to the pandemic).

I've always looked at new car purchases as a financially ill decision so I immediately jumped into the used car market looking at everything from beater Civics (~$10k) to used 3/4 series and A6s (~$30k). I drove several examples and saw several more but the interest rates + bank fees from dealerships can be super high considering a weak credit situation that newcomers face. It was highly unappealing to pay close to 15-20% more in fees + higher interest rates compared to what I was offered by new car dealers/ my own bank for any new car purchase.

Now to be really honest (and which is highly uncharacteristic of me), I didn't really do a whole lot of research into the new cars that I could buy. But I did know this much:

• No crossovers- I just don't need the practicality that a crossover offers, and I have a thing for dynamics that crossovers generally can't match (I may be met with resistance here- and I recognize that crossovers like the Mazda CX-5 at this price point and the Macan at much higher price points are close to sedans/ sportcars).
• No SUVs- again, no need of the extra space. There's a phase almost every North American family will reach (kids) when a soccer mom van/ SUV becomes imperative but I'm not there yet.
• Pickup trucks- I've always been a sedan person but with an increasing passion for overlanding, my interest in trucks like the Tacoma has piqued since moving to Canada. Also looked at the Chevy Colorado ZR2- but both options were significantly more expensive and would be overkill for my current needs (commuting 120kms each day and driving alone 95% of the time).

That left me with sedans such as the Camry and the Accord- and one of the casual website enquiries on the Toyota build tool had led to a pre-approval for a Camry. Made an appointment and headed to the dealer after work one day.

Test-drive experience & selecting a trim

I went into the Toyota dealer with little enthusiasm for any of their offerings (except the Tacoma of course- which will most likely be my next purchase in a year or so).

(Side note: Car dealerships in North America are a thing of marvel. In India, I worked in Toyota's plants but got to visit some of the largest dealerships in India as part of my work, but the scale of those pales in comparison. Here's a little perspective: this Toyota dealer that I bought from has on-site inventory of over 6000 cars)

I casually walked around looking at their demo cars but this Camry somehow stole my attention:

A dealership demo of the "Nightshade" edition

Still, it was just an appliance.

I got around to discussing the trims with my salesperson and quickly realized I've been ignorant all along, believing the Camry only came with a CVT (big turn-off for me) and only in FWD. Only the hybrids were CVT (and not bad ones at that) and 2020 revived AWD for the Camry for the first time since 1991. Here's a summary of the trims (if I remember correctly, there are about 16 different trim/powertrain combos to choose from):

Powertrain options:

• 2.5L i4 Gasoline with 8-speed automatic (FWD/ AWD)- available in all trims
• 2.5l i4 Gas+hybrid with CVT (FWD)- available in LE/SE
• 3.5l V6 making 301bhp with 8-speed automatic (FWD)- available in XSE/ TRD trims

Trim levels:

"Luxury" line-up- characterized by softer suspension, lighter interior colours, less aggressive front & rear design

• L (discontinued for 2021)
• LE
• XLE (this is what's offered in India, if I'm not mistaken)

"Sporty" line-up- characterized by firmer suspension, choice of only black or red interiors and the sporty appearance front & rear

• SE
• SE Nightshade
• SE Upgrade
• XSE
• TRD (V6 only)

The SE Upgrade in AWD spec is better equipped than the SE Upgrade in FWD spec... yeah, it's all confusing. The 2021 Model year added more complexity (read: confusion) by adding XLE and XSE trims to the Hybrid.

This is the beauty of the North American car market though- being spoilt for choice is a real issue to deal with. (Ford cars like the Bronco take top honours in this round with a gazillion ways to spec your car).

In no time, I was handed the keys to a 2020 AWD SE demo car (with the upgrade package that I was interested in) and got to go on a long test drive on the highway + city roads. Was a pleasant surprise to note how well it drove, significantly better than the Korean sedans and the CVT Civic I'd extensively driven in Canada- had great (heavy) steering feel, drove planted on the highway, was well equipped, etc. The "Meh"s in my head reduced in frequency while the "Hmmm"s increased....

Came back to the dealer, discussed the pricing + availability, put down a $1000 refundable deposit just in case I did decide to go ahead with this purchase.

Over the next few days, did some window shopping on the internet to look at equivalent new car options (had ruled out the used at this point). A huge part of owning a car here is the insurance, which depends on several factors like the area we live in, driving history, presence of safety features, etc. Just for perspective, annual insurance prices can range from $1200 to $6000 depending on those factors. I once got an insurance quote for a used 2013 C300 4-matic for $9600/year, owing to its age + outdated safety features + theft rates + my new driving record. No typos here. I do live in Toronto which has higher insurance prices than smaller towns.

The other serious contenders

1. Honda Accord- the most significant competitor. Pros? It's a Honda- thus feels like family to me. Drives well (better than the Camry), good interiors (more minimalistic than the Camry's edgy interiors), similar efficiency and costs. Why didn't I pick this? I know I can't digest its pseudo-fastback looks but that wasn't really the reason. No AWD is offered + it was just another appliance-option and I overlooked all other appliance options.
2. Subaru WRX- the non-appliance threat. I was seriously interested in this- considering it is frighteningly close in terms of starting price. But add the manual (heck no, I'm not buying the CVT) and a few other options and the price shot up to over $10k more than the Camry. Not a lot considering what I'd get but insurance quotes were 40% higher than the Camry's and that was a downer. Enthusiast pipe dreams can wait.
3. Acura TLX- I really do like this car. It looks great, drives great. But a sticker price of over $10k more than the Camry didn't justify it. And the subsequent facelift (which came out a few weeks after I bought the Camry) was going to be significantly better so I looked away.

I didn't really bother looking at too many other options (German cars new were ruled out- so were the Koreans and the Americans).

The final choice and welcoming swhite

Called the dealer a week after the test drive, told them I'd be interested in pursuing this purchase. Since I was pre-approved, the final approval took <2 hours- just had to email some documents and that was it.

The sales rep called me to confirm my colour + trim. I opted for "Super White" over the only other option that I was also considering (Supersonic red- way too vibrant for me). Trim of choice was SE Upgrade AWD.

Was promised a delivery date 10 days later- since they had no inventory of the AWD trims. That worked for me okay, but when the delivery day came closer, there were slight delays in registration (Thanksgiving weekend if I remember correctly).

The day eventually came (November 12)- the day I take delivery of my first new car.

A picture of swhite from D-day:

Shopped for winter tires on new rims and a dashcam on the next day:

Some more exterior shots

Here's a more recent picture- with the stock all-seasons and rims back on the car (I dipped the rims myself- not a fan of chrome)

Price Breakdown:

I paid $35k before 13% taxes and a $1.5k add-on for the extended warranty + prepaid maintenance for 120k kms + rust prevention. Discounts of around $1.5k on the actual MSRP of $36.4k plus $500 on the maintenance package were offered.

The Camry lineup starts at $28k and goes all the way to $42k- there's some overlap between top-trim Camry and the Avalon (even the Lexus ES).

Continue reading ajslave's ownership experience for more insights, information and BHPian comments.