Toyota's Fifth-Generation Hybrid System Finally Made The Camry Fun To Drive

The Toyota Camry has always been a lot of good things — reliable, efficient, comfortable — but it’s never exactly been thrilling to drive. That has changed with the introduction of the ninth-generation Camry. For 2025, Toyota’s trusty midsize sedan has been pared down to just one powertrain option, a 2.5-liter inline-4 engine mated to the company’s fifth-generation hybrid system. It’s that hybrid system that has helped enhance the Camry’s driver enjoyment.

During Toyota’s marathon drive event where I got to test one of these new Camrys for the first time, I was legitimately impressed. No, the Camry still isn’t a sports car, but if you’re the kind of person who loves a peppy daily driver, you’ll have a whole lot of fun with one of the ninth-gen Camry’s sporty trim levels. I wanted to know more about how exactly that happened, so after the event I followed up with Mark DeJongh, Chief Engineer of the Camry.

Compared with the previous powertrain system, DeJongh said via email that the fifth-gen system is lighter and more powerful. He added, “With the new system we were able to retune the powertrain for a better performance and reduced [noise and vibration]. We use the battery more, which allows quicker throttle response, especially when passing.”

You can absolutely tell. I found the new Camry’s acceleration to be quite responsive, especially when the car was set in Sport mode. Press the pedal, and you’ve got instant torque launching you forward. Paired with the retuned suspension courtesy of that hybrid system, you’ll notice the Camry sticks better to the pavement and responds more readily to any steering input.