If you are considering buying a nice passenger sedan but fuel economy is a priority, then look no further than the 2015 Toyota Camry Hybrid. The 2015 model is available in 3 different trims ranging from $26,790 for the LE model, $27,995 for the SE mode (tested here), to $29,980 for the XLE model.

The Camry Hybrid SE is the more sporty version with 17-inch alloy wheels, rear decklid spoiler, black mesh inserts up front, and a sport-tuned suspension. The powertrain mates a 2.5 liter 4-cylinder engine with an electric motor and a CVT transmission. The combined output is 200 horsepower with fuel economy figures coming in at 40 MPG in the city and 38 MPG on the highway.

When it comes to fuel efficient sedans there are a few choices on the market including the Ford Fusion Hybrid, the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, Honda Accord Hybrid, and the Volkswagen Passat TDI. The 2015 Toyota Camry Hybrid is a solid choice overall combining a winning blend of efficiency, technology, comfort, and reliability.

Family Sedan Heavyweight Bout.

Toyota's perennial best-seller gets refinements inside and out

Do I want it?

The seventh-generation Camry is a significant improvement over the previous model, adding a more luxurious feel to the cabin while staying true to the original formula and its customer base. The plusher XSE and XLE trims offer a Lexus-like experience without the Lexus price.

The 2015 facelift has made the cabin even quieter while doubling down on luxury trimmings for the top of the range models, and, despite some overly adventurous stylistic elements (at least for Toyota) the finished product manages to be edgy and inoffensive at the same time. Most buyers will be fine with the smaller 2.5-liter engine, so the 3.5-liter V6 in the XLE is for those who want a little more grunt and a little more flexbility in their midsize sedans.

With a starting price of $26,975 for the XLE model, the 2015 Camry remains a lot of car for the money and perhaps all the car that Point-A-to-Point-B drivers will need…much as it's always been.

Toyota adds a touch of red mist to its green sedan.

DRINK LESS

But let’s not forget the main reason that seven percent of Camry sales so far this model year are hybrids: fuel economy. Despite the tweaks Toyota visited upon the SE hybrid model—including wider, 215/55 rubber—its EPA mileage rating is the same 40/38 mpg city/highway as the XLE hybrid version. While those aren’t the headline-grabbing 43/39-mpg figures of the Camry LE hybrid that rolls on skinnier, ultra-low-rolling-resistance 205/65-16 tires, it’s a big improvement over the base 2.5-liter’s 25/35-mpg ratings. In several hundred miles of testing, we averaged 31 mpg with the SE hybrid, 5-mpg thriftier than the last conventional four-cylinder Camry we evaluated.

The sportier models have been garnering more and more of nonhybrid Camry sales, so Toyota may be onto something by offering an SE version of the hybrid. When we’re able to pitch one against the Ford Fusion hybrid, Hyundai Sonata hybrid, and Kia Optima hybrid we’ll be able to see whether the Camry SE’s touch of red mist helps it win the battle of the green sedans.

A Camry by any other name.

Ultimately, the 2015 Camry is more of the same, but better than before. It's a formula that's moved units in bulk for decades, and by doubling down on their Camry bet, Toyota ensures that cars will continue to march out of Kentucky and into the hands of value-driven buyers nationwide.

See? Still blandly competent. And prospective Camry buyers will still buy them, odd refresh cadence or no.

No version of the Camry is dangerously slow (the hybrid is actually a bit quicker to 60 than the inline four), but the gas-only powertrain options, particularly the 2.5, are starting to show their age. Low-end performance of the 2.5 is softer than several competitors’ entry-level engines but is still less thrashy than the 2.5 Ford offers. Subjectively, I found the V6 much more competitive versus other upper-shelf segment offerings and continue to prefer it to most competing 2.0 turbos.

When considered as a whole, the 2015 Camry does not dominate in objective and subjective measures the way its 1992 forebear did. There is no “1992 Camry” in the marketplace today though – no competitor represents that kind of runaway engineering effort. In a segment noted for parity, the 2015 Toyota Camry represents an improved, still-safe choice that doesn’t quite reach for greatness.

The Toyota Camry was America’s most popular car in 2014, the 13th consecutive year in which the Camry has led all passenger cars. The Camry ranked fourth among vehicles overall, trailing only three pickup trucks.

Camry volume rose to a six-year high in 2014. With a 5% increase in the lead-up to a MY2015 refresh, the Camry outsold its nearest rival, the Honda Accord, by 40,232 units. (The Accord trailed the Camry by 41,806 units in 2013.) Accord volume, at 388,374 units, improved to a seven-year high.

Despite reporting record-high U.S. sales, the Nissan Altima fell from third place in 2013 to the fourth spot this year. Altima volume increased in each of the last five years.

This Toyota Camry video review includes information about what was redesigned for 2015, plus its fuel economy, pricing and available trims like the LE, XLE, SE and XLE. We also include information about the Camry Hybrid.

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