2020 Toyota Camry TRD Review with Video

2020 Toyota Camry TRD

Price as tested: $32,920

Engine/Horsepower/Torque: 3.5 liter V6 / 301 hp/ 267 torque

0-60: 5.8 Seconds

Text and Video: Yousef Alvi // Photography: Alex Grant

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The middle class of modern day America was built on the back of the Toyota Camry.  Let me explain.  

For decades now the Camry has been in the top 5 selling vehicles in the US.  For 30 somethings like myself, the Camry was the car we grew up in.  Our first Camry was a 1993 Taupe LE Model with gold badges (very 90s).  It was our ‘go-to’ family vehicle.  Needed go out of town?  Took the Camry.  Needed to go the grocery store?  Took the Camry.  Needed to go to work?  Took the Camry.  Needed to learn how to drive?  Took the poor Camry.  Needed a first car for a 16 year old?  Camry was first in line.  That’s right.  

Third Generation Toyota Camry

That rugged poor car was a first car for my sister and I. Unfortunately for my sister, it meant that car had to go through the rigors of a 16 year imbecile like myself first before the handoff to her.  That 16 year old imbecile quickly discovered the utter joy of neutral drops and e-brake turns and life was never the same for him.  But that Camry held together with my constant abuse and after I was able to purchase my first car, it was given to my sister.  

My sister hung on to it for another decade or so then it was time to let it go.  After almost 25 years of dedicated service that glorious, underrated, workhorse of a vehicle was donated to a family that was need.  So it is still living on and doing what it does best.  Being a backbone of a family.  That is what a Camry becomes.  That is what a Camry is.      

That third generation Camry also cemented Toyota’s reputation to the masses.  Toyota saw a need for a vehicle that needed to be relied upon well….like an appliance.  That’s not a bad thing.  We don’t think about the fact that our everyday lives are ran by appliances…up until it breaks.  Then we start to cry.  For example:  

Your dishwasher and fridge are your trusted household companions.  Forever running in the background to make your life easier.  But when one breaks…it breaks you.  

That Camry was engineered the same way.  It was engineered to be so ingrained in your everyday life that it faded into the background of it.  It wasn’t made to standout and shout.  It was made to make your life easier…just like an appliance.

Reliable as a wood burning stove, practical and so easy to drive that third generation was the sedan that every sedan was judged by.  Not everything needs to be ‘sporty’…not everything needs to set your synapses on fire when driving.  99% of the car buying public doesn’t care.  They are looking for reliability, convenience and ease of use.  That was the creed that generation of Camry lived by and that carries on with a slight change. 

For the past few generations, there has been incremental shift in the way a Camry drives.  It’s still easy peasy lemon squeezy to drive but now there is an added element of sport.  The first real change was the XSE V6 variant that was released back in 2015.  That trim level was the mad child of the line up, offering a fundamental shift in a way a Camry drove, reacted and looked.  Now offering real levels of road holding grip, steering precision and braking that underrated pseudo sports sedan was a revelation.  

Now for 2020 Toyota has released the TRD Trim level for their beloved car.  This Camry TRD is decked out with thicker anti rollbars, lowered suspension, beautiful set of forged wheels, sticky tires, cutback exhaust, larger brakes and a bodykit.  Add all of those up you get a vehicle transformed.  Clark Kent turns into Superman.  Dr. Jekll turns into Mr. Hyde.  Whatever analogy you want to use will fit because this Camry TRD has been transformed into a pseudo sports sedan.  This Camry handles, accelerates, brakes and feels better than ever.  

The handling is precise and neutral.  The turn in is great and offers ton of accessible grip.  No, it will not chase down a 3 series, A4 or a C-Class down a mountain.  But it will chase down a TLX without breaking a sweat, it will laugh at an Altima and it will run down any Optima/Sonata in its way and give the venerable Accord a run for its money.  

Powering this model is a familiar 3.5 liter V6 but making 301 horsepower…in a Camry.  Let me put that into perspective for you.  That makes this the most powerful car in its category.  Hell it’s more power than all of Honda’s existing lineup of vehicles (sans the Type R)!  

Power is one thing but the way a performance car sounds is another. This thing sounds pretty damn good.  Courtesy of the bigger TRD cat-back exhaust, there is a lovely growl upon startup and throaty bellow when you get on it.  Since it is a Camry, that noise is never intrusive or bothersome, it settles down to nice and sedate hum at low speeds.  The other part of the noise equation is the induction sounds the Camry makes when it comes on cam.  Anyone missing the old DOHC VTEC days of their youth will crack a smile or two because it’s pretty much the exact same system.  The aggressive cam profile opens the Intake and Exhaust valves at 4k RPM when that happens the Camry becomes a screamer.  Since, again, it is a Camry..below that 4K RPM threshold it’s a quiet, smooth, efficient and just a lovely engine.  

That motor is bolted to a 8 speed auto with paddles that actually work!  It’s not ZF 8 speed fast but it is quick enough to use without getting annoyed.  Unfortunately that power is going to the front wheels sans a mechanical limited slip…so flooring it requires both hands on the wheel as the torque steer is pretty noticeable.  

Interior wise, the TRD trim is laden with red accented seats, seat belts, stitching and gauges.  While the seats are comfortable, they are not very sporty.  Additional bolsters would be greatly appreciated and a lower driving position.  The steering wheel while very nice for a lowly ole sedan does need to be a bit smaller and the brake pedal feel is a bit squishy.  

Honestly though if you are looking at this car…all of the above is nitpicking.  The Camry TRD is not meant to be a full fledged sports sedan.  It’s a happy median between sporty and everyday livability. 

So what do I think of the 2020 Toyota Camry TRD?  Adding a sense of occasion and flair to the Camry lineup, the TRD model is a happy compromise between an all out sports sedan and something that is quiet, comfortable, reliable and well a Camry.