2021 Toyota Camry: This car is you!

I’ve only come across a few people who don’t care for the Toyota Camry, saying it’s an old-people’s car. 

Yeah, well… perhaps.  It has been around awhile, but it has been constantly updated. It never looks the same, IMHO. And it has always been one of the best cars on the lot and on the road. Decades later, it is still a great choice for bear or beast.

Across the board in Internet Land, the 2021 Toyota Camry comes out on top in the Midsized Sedan category, alongside the Honda Accord (which has also been around as long as the Olsen Twins and Donny and Marie) and the Mazda 6. Styling this year has been described alternately as ‘aggressive’ and ‘sleek’ while also being considered ‘refined’.  Yeah, sure, you betcha. It’s all that and more.  

The good news about a midsized car like the Camry is that you know that you can get in and out of it with ease. For those of us with big bones and big appetites, the last thing you want to worry about is whether or not you have to think about what maneuvers you must do just so you can get up and go. 

(If I seem to harp on this subject of interior space, it’s because manufacturers seem to be squeezing it more and more every year, somehow thinking that customers are using a Peloton Bike more than they are the Drive-Thru window at Church’s Fried Chicken on a weekly basis. Just my opinion.)

Prices start at just under $25K US, and mileage is 28 city / 39 highway for the base trim, which is four-cylinder, 2.5-liter engine. Naturally, upgrades are available and even a hybrid is in the mix should you want one.

Toyota has really perfected the art of user-friendly dashboard interface, meaning that you really can just hop in and go, sync your phone and start listening to all your favorite runway or bathhouse hits –- or tell your Camry to take you where your friends are, assuming you or they know where they are. (Artificial Intelligence still can’t decipher ‘gay coffee shop’ but someday soon, we will get there.)

A word of caution: parking can be a bit tricky if you are used to small ‘small’ cars that can zap in and out of tight spaces. The Camry is a midsized car that can act like a big boy when it wants to do so. You will get the rear backup camera (which is always a help) to beep at you when you are trying to park.  So caution is advised, especially on those Sunday afternoons at ‘church’, even when you are the designated driver and you have only had ginger ale and pretzels but all your friends are acting like they have been on Drag Race for four hours.

As we move to a post-COVID world (truly, I don’t feel we are there yet), I still feel if you are seriously considering buying a new car, I would advise you to do it the old-fashioned way and test-drive a car before you purchase it. Think of it as online dating. The setup may be good, but you ultimately have to meet and decide if you should move forward.

Marriage, or any long-term commitment, should be the last thing on your mind until long after you have taken your first test drive.

Just sayin’.