The Most Affordable AWD Japanese Sedan in 2024

Summary

• All-wheel-drive in the 2024 Toyota Camry offers maximum grip without sacrificing fuel economy, making it a standout in its class.
• Starting at just $27,820, the Camry LE AWD is the most affordable Japanese sedan with all-wheel drive, a small price bump for added benefits.
• The 2025 Camry will be hybrid-only, with a sleek new design to maintain its lead in the competitive midsize sedan market.

Now that Toyota started to implement electric power into the majority of its extensive lineup, it was only a matter of time until the Camry sedan joined the group. In 2025, the Toyota Camry will be hybrid only, with tighter U.S. emissions regulations having a key part to play in this decision. While the price of the 2025 Camry is still affordable, the 2024 Camry retains its status as the most affordable Japanese sedan to offer all-wheel drive.

When it comes to extracting the most performance from a car, all-wheel-drive maximizes grip and stability in all conditions on the road. Four-wheel drive is the other driveline that sends power to all four wheels, but this is usually reserved for off-road-focused vehicles like pickups and SUVs.

As for the Camry, its available dynamic torque control all-wheel-drive option introduces the unique benefits of the driveline, without sacrificing much of its fuel economy. Here’s a closer look at the 2024 Toyota Camry AWD, which beats out all its rivals in terms of starting price.

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including Car and Driver, and CarBuzz

The Toyota Camry LE Starts At Just $27,820 For All-Wheel-Drive

While pricing for Japanese sedans is extremely close across the board, none manage to offer a more affordable price than the 2024 Camry for an all-wheel-drive driveline. The 2024 Camry LE starts at $27,820 for all-wheel-drive, just $1,400 more than the base front-wheel-drive model.

Alongside being able to send power to all four wheels, the all-wheel-drive model acts as a front-wheel-drive model by default. When driving, the Camry’s all-wheel-drive system constantly sends power to the front wheels, but can divert 50 percent of available torque to the rear wheels when accelerating, cornering, or when wheel slippage is detected. Having the extra grip in these moments makes the slight price increase one to most definitely consider.

Its Punchy 2.5-Liter Four-Cylinder Engine

Regarding what’s under the hood of the 2024 Toyota Camry, the base LE trim gets a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, producing 202 horsepower and 182 pound-feet of torque. These are the specifications for the all-wheel-drive model, with the front-wheel-drive being said to produce one more horsepower and two more pound-feet of torque from the same engine. Not exactly a noticeable difference, to say the least.

Starting with the more expensive XLE V-6 trim, beginning at $36,295, the top-spec gas-powered 2024 Camry trims come with a 3.5-liter V-6 which bumps the power output to 301 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque. However, these models don’t get the option of all-wheel-drive. Only the gas-powered trims with the 2.5-liter engine offer this highlight feature.

2024 Toyota Camry LE AWD Performance Specifications

(Data was collected from Toyota)

Offering Solid Fuel Economy For An AWD Sedan

Despite essentially being a front-wheel-drive vehicle by default, the all-wheel-drive 2024 Camry has slightly lower EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings. The all-wheel-drive trim provides 25 MPG in the city, 34 MPG on the highway, and 29 MPG combined.

In comparison with the front-wheel-drive trim, the scores rise to 28/39/32 MPG (city/highway/combined). While seeing improvements, the EPA estimates that the all-wheel-drive trim will only cost $200 more than the front-wheel-drive model per year for fuel, with a total of $1,900.

Its Last Year Before The 2025 Update

As well as becoming exclusively hybrid, the 2025 Toyota Camry introduces a new design style for both the exterior and the cabin. Following suit with other all-new Toyota models as well as its closest competitors, the all-new Camry follows a hard-edged, modern style for its front end, continuing the minimalism throughout the rest of the car. Inside, the 2025 Camry follows a similar sleek design style as with the exterior.

Despite being redesigned almost entirely, the 2024 Camry is by no means outdated, as the 2025 model takes many of the previous models’ design elements and simply builds off of them. While the two models feature differences to set them apart, the 2025 model is essentially a toned-down version of the 2024 Camry.

A Sleek Exterior Design Style

The 2024 model’s most notable difference from the new 2025 model is the front end. With the 2024 model, you get a triangular-shaped upper grille instead of the horizontal design on the 2025 model. For higher trims of the 2024 model, the lower grill is split into three segments, giving it a much more aggressive, sporty appearance. Moving to the rear end, the base model LE trim is overly simple, but gets further additions such as a rear-lip spoiler with the SE trim.

Its Minimal Yet Luxury Interior

Moving inside, this is where the biggest differences between the 2024 and 2025 Camry models can be found. While things also stay generally minimal for the 2024 model year, the center console and display are geared towards driver access, with a curved divider putting the shifter in the best possible spot for you as the driver.

As standard, you get a 7-inch touchscreen display, coming with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto ready to use. If you’re looking for more, a 9-inch display is available instead. Behind the wheel, a 7-inch multi-information display provides all the essential details about your Camry in real-time. It can also be customized to your liking, putting information such as fuel economy, directions, an odometer, and average speed in the best positions for your preference.

Driver assistance and safety features don’t go amiss on the 2024 Toyota Camry, making the driving experience much more efficient. One of the two key systems that come with the sedan is the Star Safety package, which puts an emphasis on improving braking, with an anti-lock brake system, electronic brake-force distribution, brake assist, and smart stop technology.

As with most new Toyota models in 2024, the Camry comes equipped with the Toyota Safety Sense system, which provides:

• Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection
• Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist
• Automatic High Beams
• Lane Tracing Assist
• Road Sign Assist
• Dynamic Radar Cruise Control

What Sedans Rival The Toyota Camry?

Despite the sedan segment as a whole falling victim to the swift rise of the crossover SUV, there are still enough models to keep the segment ultra-competitive in 2024. The Toyota Camry is still the best-selling sedan in the United States, but that doesn’t mean that its rivals shouldn’t also be considered.

Neighboring Competition In Japan

With Japan having some of the most popular manufacturers in the world based there, it’s no surprise that direct rivals for the 2024 Camry also come from the country. One of the longest-standing rivals is the Honda Accord, which in 2024 starts at $27,895 in 2024.

However, the Accord doesn’t currently offer all-wheel-drive, giving the Camry that extra selling point. The power for the 2024 Accord doesn’t fall too far behind, however, producing 192 horsepower from its turbocharged 1.5-liter engine.

Yet another long-standing rival coming from Japan is the Nissan Altima, which will be discontinued in 2025 instead of turning to hybrid-only power like the Camry. Unlike the Honda Accord, the Nissan Altima does offer all-wheel-drive, with a starting price of $28,670. The power of the Altima is also slightly down compared to the Camry, producing 188 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque.

Its Rivals In South Korea

Besides Japan, South Korean manufacturers have also begun to produce some seriously competitive sedans in 2024. One of these manufacturers is Kia, with the K5 leading the charge in the sedan segment for the brand.

For the GT-Line AWD trim, the K5 starts at $28,690, putting the sedan slightly above the Camry LE AWD in terms of starting price. Once again, however, the power of the K5 GT-Line AWD can’t match the Camry’s, producing 180 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque.

Despite Hyundai owning Kia, the 2024 Hyundai Sonata differs quite significantly from the K5, making it an equally competitive rival to the Toyota Camry. The 2024 Sonata also offers all-wheel-drive for the base SEL trim, but starts at a higher $29,000, more expensive than its direct rivals.

The Future Of The Toyota Camry

With the Toyota Camry receiving an update for 2025, it’s safe to say that the best-selling sedan in America is here to stay. The previous eighth generation lasted from 2018 to 2024, but there’s no current word on whether the all-new ninth-generation Camry will still be around by 2030 or beyond.

Despite the Camry being the best-selling sedan here in the States, the sedan hasn’t seen the same success elsewhere. The model was discontinued in Japan back in 2023 due to low sales, meaning the home country won’t be receiving the updated model. While the U.S. market is the focus for the Camry, other major markets such as Australia will also be receiving the updated version of the affordable, now hybrid-exclusive sedan.