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We drove a $39,000 Toyota Camry V6 to see why it's the best selling car in America - here's what we found

Benjamin Zhang   

We drove a $39,000 Toyota Camry V6 to see why it's the best selling car in America - here's what we found
Tech2 min read

Toyota Camry V6 XSE 2018

Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider

Our 2018 Toyota Camry XSE V6 test car.

  • The Toyota Camry is the best selling car in America. In 2017, Toyota sold more than 387,000 Camrys in the US.
  • The Camry is known for its impeccable build quality and rock-solid reliability. But it's also known for being a bit dull.
  • The Camry is all-new for 2018 with the debut of its eighth generation.
  • Our Camry XSE V6 is powered by a 301 horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 engine. A 204 horsepower four-cylinder and a 176 hp hybrid is also available.
  • We loved the Camry's beautifully appointed interior, edgy sheet metal, and potent V6.
  • The 2018 Toyota Camry starts at $23,495 while our test car carried an as-test price of $38,730.

The Toyota Camry is the best selling car in America. Only full-size pickups like the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado have been able to consistently beat the Camry in the sales department over the past 30 years. Even with its traditional buyers flocking towards crossover SUV, the Camry has been holding strong with more than 387,000 sold in the US last year.

Over the years, the Camry has earned a reputation for its inspired engineering, impeccable build quality, and rock-solid reliability. Turn on. Drive. Turn off. Repeat. With some basic maintenance, the Camry will keep going as long as you want to keep it around.

However, it has also earned the somewhat unenviable reputation for being the archetype for unspeakably boring yet unfailingly reliable daily transportation. The Camry comes off as a bit soulless like a kitchen appliance.

Even though Toyota's worked hard to shake that reputation, it's one that persists.

For 2018, Toyota introduced its all-new eighth generation Camry with fresh sheet metal, interior, and powertrain.

Recently, the Japanese auto giant dropped off a top-of-the-line 2018 Toyota Camry XSE V6 sedan for us to check out. The base Camry starts at $23,495 while the XSE V6 opens at $34,950. With options, our Kentucky-built Toyota Camry XSE V6 test car left the showroom at $38,730.

So has the king of boring been reborn with an extra dose of pizazz? Let's find out.

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