Used 2019 Toyota Camry XSE 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 8A) Consumer Reviews
Used Camry for sale
Great Car With A Two Distinct Shortcomings
Jim , Melbourne, FL, 10/06/2019
updated 04/07/2022
Toyota Camry XSE 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 8A)
54 of 57 people found this review helpful
This car is now 2 & 1/2 years old. It's been mechanically flawless. No problems. Average gas mileage since purchase is 37.3 over 25000 miles. Yes, we drive conservatively and the 25000 mulea includes over 5000 miles of steady interstate driving, which boosts the average mpg. I purchased a 2019 Camry XSE about 6 weeks ago. The dealer delivered the car for $26,500 or $6200 under sticker. I traded a 2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring which I loved with 44K trouble free miles. After driving the car a little over 3000 miles, I have enough experience with the car to provide an objective review. Ok, here's the deal. The Camry is a good car, with two noteworthy shortcomings. The Camry seats are very comfortable; a little more so than the Mazda. The dash provides a lot of information. As many others have reported, the electronics stink. This is the first shortcoming. My 2017 Highlander has better electronics. The downloadable Navigation is useless. Just use your phone. The stereo on the other hand is fine. The panoramic sunroof is really nice. The a/c keeps the car freezer cold, and I live in Florida. It really cranks out freezer cold air. The ride is comfortable, but not plush & isolated. The Mazda had a slightly better ride. That's because the SE & XSE come with low profile tires that do not help isolate passengers from road imperfections. The trade off is better handling. The LE & XLE trims come with a more plush suspension, thicker tires, and a plusher suspension. But my wife & I liked the look of the XSE better and were willing to forego isolation for appearance & handling. Both cars handle very well. The Mazda tracked well in turns and the Toyota seems up to the task as well. The second shortcoming is the "way" the Camry accelerates. This could be a deal breaker for some. Mind you, the car is not slow. Acceleration is just not smooth, linear, & immediate, like in the Mazda. Step on the gas pedal lightly and the Camry barely moves. It almost feels like it is hesitating. Step on the pedal firmly & the car takes off with some verve. Trying to find a middle ground is not an easy task. The 8-speed transmission, which shifts smoothly, has 3 settings: economy, normal & sport. If you use"economy", the car feels lethargic from a stop. I haven't used "sport". In "normal" mode, the car requires a firm step on the gas pedal to get it moving. I'm still not 100% used to it, but I'm better than I was the first week or two. On the plus side, this new 8-speed automatic provides astonishing gas mileage. I drive conservatively, and, of course, this helps. 2000 of the 3000 miles I have driven were accumulated on a trip to New York & back to Florida. Driving north, I went through the mountains, coming home I took I-95. I got roughly 44 miles per gallon. My best tank was 45.2 & my poorest was 39.9. The 39.9 included 100 miles of NYC driving. The car EASILY gets 600 miles on a 16 gallon tank when being driven at 70mph. This fuel economy can be achieved on the LE & XLE trims while enjoying a more plush ride. I think Toyota would benefit significantly from improving the electronics system and doing something with the 8-speed transmission to make it more linear in operation while maintaining this outstanding fuel economy. Personally, I could care less about the downloadable navigation. I have a Garmin or I can use my phone. But the acceleration issue may be a problem for some drivers. I suggest a focused test drive for potential buyers.
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Loving my Camry!
Cade Milam, Hagerstown, MD, 08/02/2019
Toyota Camry XSE 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 8A)
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
Traded in my 2012 Maxima for a brand new 2019 Camry XSE, white with red leather. The car is absolutely gorgeous. I never thought a Camry would turn people’s heads, which it does particularly well when the windows are down and the red seats are visible. It is loaded with safety tech, but sometimes I think it intentionally tries to kill you. The automatic braking is way too sensitive, even on its lowest setting. I drove down a grade at a redlight and the car thought the ground was a stopped car, so it slammed on the brakes for me in the middle of an intersection. It has saved me once so far, though, so I can accept a fault here and there. The adaptive cruise control is great, although I think it tries to speed up too quickly and ruins your fuel mileage. If it is set on 75 and you get behind a car doing 55, as soon as the car moves, the Camry floors it. That leads me to my biggest complaint, gas mileage. While it isn’t terrible, I drive 65 miles on the highway everyday for work. 4 miles or less in the city after that. I’m only averaging 31MPG. I should be getting 40MPG on the highway, so I am a little disappointed. I thought after putting some miles on her, it would get better but it has not. Overall it’s a great, safe and reliable car.
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2019 Camry XSE, 4 cylinder a V6.
Pete, Los Angeles, CA, 12/17/2018
Toyota Camry XSE 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 8A)
74 of 84 people found this review helpful
This new Camry with the 2.5 liter 4 cylinder engine makes plenty of power, and I see no reason to pay $4000 for a V6 option. On a 200 miles road-trip I had taken this weekend, my Camry achieved 41 mpgs on the highway, at speeds of around 70 mph. That's really good, considering it makes 206 horse-power without a turbo charger. The performance is actually very impressive, but when one doesn't step hard on the gas, the car is very mild mannered. Bordering on being a sports sedan, the handling is great too, with very little body lean in hard corners.... I'm not kidding, it's that good! Ride comfort is not floaty, but more securely firm and buttoned down. However, it doesn't beat you up driving over bumps. I opted for the top of the line XSE version of the Camry, which comes with leather, heated seats, the huge glass moon roof, (which I really didn't want), 19 inch wheels with low profile tires. NEWS FLASH!!! Toyota reliability can be fun!
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BAD SEAT DESIGN
Jared, Ashburn, VA, 07/20/2019
Toyota Camry XSE 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 8A)
31 of 36 people found this review helpful
Back seats are infuriatingly uncomfortable for passengers. Forces your back to be concave and the headrests Feel like they’re made by someone that’s never sat in a seat. They force your head forward compared to your body. Genuinely amazed these non-ergonomic seats passed initial design phases
Turned off by toyota
James A, Troy, NY, 09/07/2020
Toyota Camry XSE 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 8A)
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
Always been a fan of Toyota...until this. All these complaints are too true. To start, they're not all that apparent in a test drive. Cold starts in the morning, the engine is LOUD as is my neighbors rav4. Most of my neighbors in my apartment build have older hondas and they're cars are whispering compared to these Toyotas outside. Secondly, and probably my biggest problem is the lack of acceleration and the lagging that accompanies it. My mother's 05 corolla feels like a rocket compared to this thing. I didn't want or expect a race car, but this lack of response in the pedal is as bad as everyone else is saying. Some other issues I've noticed that are mentioned in other reviews, that I'd like to strengthen the awareness of is: 1) road and engine noise. You can hear a lot of the outside and engine bay noises. 2) weak heat and possibly a lack of insulation (which is probably the reason it's noisy too). I was barely able to keep the windshield defrosted last winter. 3) entune. The whole design and layout of the dash is nice looking, but I can't even use my phone to connect anything but text and calls. Id have to buy a new phone to use the features, but based on what I've read, they're not any good so I'll just be driving my new car while looking at Google maps on my phone....not the big 8 inch screen I paid extra for. 4) the leather seats are hard and not great for long drives. It's got funtional lumbar support and they are heated which is nice but i feel like im sitting on a bench after a while. As far as the safety features. They can be iffy. The thing has hit my brakes hard when I wasn't in any danger of being in an accident...and I do know these functions can be adjusted to sensitivity or shut off completely. The cruise control can be dangerous if you get too comfortable after having it on for long periods of time, especially when sensors get dirty or weather gets bad. Lane departure assist is mostly just annoying, but maybe a good thing if I'm staring at Google maps on my phone. 5) not sure if any mentioned speakers yet, but they're ok by early 90s standards. Not a deal breaker, but worth mentioning. The looks of the car are nice, inside and out, in my opinion. Handles as well as I expected. Since the majority of my family have been driving the same toyota (corollas, yaris, 4runner) for well over a decade without any major issues...i really wanted to like this car, but I dont. It looks good parked, but from the moment I push the start button im just hit with disappointment one after another throughout my drive. I will be trading it in for something of another make. I would like to repeat myself once more in hopes...Do something about that acceration Toyota!... because that's all people hear about when the ask, "How do you like your toyota/camry?". It is not acceptable. It's dissapointing, frustrating and dangerous.
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