2023 Toyota Camry SE Hybrid Nightshade

The Camry Hybrid Nightshade Edition is a great mix of style, value and impressive fuel economy.

by Isaac Bouchard

The Camry was once the best-selling vehicle you could buy that wasn’t a pickup truck, and Toyota’s number one as well. Those days are long gone, with the RAV4 crossover wearing the crown. But in hybrid form, and more specifically when equipped with the new for ’23 Nightshade trim, the Camry reminds one what it was about four doors that worked so well for so many.

Its four-cylinder engine is paired with a battery and electric motors; total output is 208 horses, channeled through a continuously variable transmission. The Camry is peppy and incredibly frugal—or at least rated that way. Its mid-40s EPA numbers proved hard to achieve when driven with verve, but low-30s MPG were easily reached, which is quite amazing for such a spacious vehicle. The Camry rides as one would expect, smoothly dealing with our roads’ horrors (Colorado was recently ranked 47^th for road quality in the US). That is very impressive in that the Nighshade has a stiffer suspension and groovy dark bronze wheels that are an inch larger in diameter, which should adversely affect the ride. It also handles competently, with decent body control and accurate steering. In all these areas it is better than the RAV4 hybrid, showing the benefit of a car’s lower center of gravity and smaller frontal area.

Yet the Camry is still capacious inside, and very comfortable. Its dash—like the exterior—is highly stylized, with sweeping forms rendered in a mishmash of plastics. Controls are logically arranged and the new Entune 3.0 infotainment software has nicer graphics and colors than older systems. Most all driver aids are standard and work well. Seating comfort is excellent and the trunk capacious, but this in an area where a crossover’s hatch shows its benefits.

The Camry test period took place just before time in the new Honda Accord Hybrid, which was also in that car’s sportier trim, meaning direct comparisons were easier to make. The Honda feels newer, both in its exterior’s reductionist styling and cleaner cockpit aesthetic. Its material quality appears higher as well. The Accord was able to achieve better EPA numbers on its trip computer (and is rated higher) without having to feather-foot the accelerator. It’s also faster, handles in a more entertaining fashion and its single-speed transmission was less obnoxious-sounding than the Camry’s CVT. All this reflects that the Honda is a new model and the Camry has been on the market for several years. Judged in isolation the Toyota is excellent and will no doubt prove to be frugal, reliable and a good financial bet. That it is also more enjoyable to drive than most crossovers and sportier looking gives those of us who still love cars reason to feel smug.

EPA Ratings – 44/47/46mpg
0-60mph – 7.7sec (est)
Price as tested – $32,839
Rating – 3.5 Stars

Here is what Toyota has to say.

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