Toyota Camry Ascent 2025 review: snapshot

Likes

Great value pricing
Improved fuel efficiency
Comfy soft suspension

Dislikes

Needs 95 RON premium unleaded petrol
Clammy plastic steering wheel – in a $40K car!
Small central touchscreen
Byron Mathioudakis

Contributing Journalist

2 min read

The vast majority of Toyota Camry grades sold in Australia consist of the Ascent.

The darling of fleet buyers, ride-share companies and taxi cabs alike, this is the entry-level model, and so, by definition, the least expensive.

Now, for the ninth-generation version, the Japanese-built but North American-focused mid-sized four-door five-seater family sedan gains a front and rear end restyle, an all-new dashboard, extra equipment and greater safety. Plus, the entire range is now hybrid-only.

However, the Toyota also now costs more. This means the entry price into Camry has jumped about 15 per cent, or by around $5000. That gap drops to about $2100 if we’re lining up new versus old hybrid versions of the Ascent.

As a result, the cheapest new mid-sized sedan in Australia is now the Mazda6 Sport. On the other hand, the next equivalently-sized hybrid sedan costs nearly $20,000 extra, and that’s the Honda Accord VTi-LX e:HEV.

Plus, the latest Camry Ascent is better equipped than before, with improved advanced driver-assist safety tech like 'Autonomous Emergency Braking' (AEB), keyless entry/start, dual-zone climate control, a 7.0-inch instrumentation display, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with cloud-based navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, digital radio, USB-C ports, one year’s free access to Toyota Connected Services, LED headlights, auto-folding exterior mirrors, 17-inch alloys and, thoughtfully, a temporary spare wheel – a rarity in a hybrid nowadays.

2024 Toyota Camry Ascent
2024 Toyota Camry Ascent

Fundamentally, the Camry Ascent is much the same underneath as before, retaining its predecessor’s 'Toyota New Global Architecture' hardware, powertrain (hybrid-system aside), suspension (now retuned for comfort) and (albeit beefed-up) body structure. Carryover items include the Camry’s windscreen, roof and front doors.

Under the bonnet is a revised version of the old 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. Mated to a new pair of electric motor generators, they drive the front wheels via an electronic continuously variable transmission (e-CVT), to provide more power and better economy than before. A lithium-ion battery pack is located under the back seat.

Result? On one hand, the Camry Ascent reaches 100km/h from standstill in a commendable 7.2 seconds on the way to a 180km/h top speed, and on the other, it averages an astonishing 4.0 litres per 100km, which translates to just 91g/km of carbon dioxide emissions.

2024 Toyota Camry Ascent
2024 Toyota Camry Ascent

Note, though, this Camry prefers 95 RON premium unleaded petrol.

Finally, Toyota offers a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, with service intervals every 12 months or 15,000km, at $255 per service.

Read the full 2025 Toyota Camry review

Toyota Camry 2025: Ascent Hybrid

Engine Type Inline 4, 2.5L
Fuel Type Premium Unleaded/Electric
Fuel Efficiency 4.0L/100km (combined)
Seating 5
Price From $34,980 - $41,690
Safety Rating

Pricing Guides

$44,078
Based on 150 cars listed for sale in the last 6 months.
LOWEST PRICE
$34,490
HIGHEST PRICE
$63,888
Byron Mathioudakis

Contributing Journalist

Byron Mathioudakis connected with cars right from the start. His earliest memory is a dream of him driving an Austin A30. Soon after, Byron fell in love with movies watching Duel (1971) where a Valiant sedan takes on a murderous Peterbilt truck. Meanwhile, at Tottenham Primary, teacher Mr Chitty prised opened his world with Wheels magazines, later leading him to perform a one-person musical about the then-new Ford XD Falcon. Everyone thought he was strange. Eager to keep his car passion separate from work, he graduated from Advertising at RMIT, but wasn’t happy in that industry, so did the ‘90s Gen X thing of back-packing, with stints in hospitality, exploring his love of music working in a record store, tending bar, acting, dancing, modelling and even being a singing telegram, thankfully in faraway Canada. His eventual YouTube debut happened as an extra in a Violetine video of that era, You Know. Anyway, by 28, Byron realised he wanted to write about cars and nothing else, and on the eve of his 30th, landed a job at John Mellor’s Australian Automotive Business, a predecessor to GoAuto, where he still feels he belongs after four decades, breaking through with an unsolicited road test of his mother’s Peugeot 306. Going freelance in 1999, he worked at the long-defunct eauto.com.au (it’s still on Wayback Machine), then picked up a gig at Wheels magazine, citing 11 years of Car of the Year judging as a life-changing employment experience. Among scores of amazing people, it was there he became great friends with Peter Robinson, the editor of that first car magazine he devoured back in ’77. Do meet your heroes. In 2020, Byron started at CarsGuide, where he is a Contributing Journalist to this day. Other regular media outlets he writes for include the RAC WA and Australian Plumbing Industry Magazine. Note: though Byron has many old cars he loves, he has never owned an Austin A30, Valiant, XD Falcon or Peugeot 306. To paraphrase Bjork, to do so may break the charm. You can find Byron on LinkedIn. Education Associate Diploma in Advertising, RMIT | 1987-1990 Awards 2024 Newspress Australia Road Tester of the Year Featured Publications GoAuto | 1997-2022 Wheels | 2009-2021 CarsGuide | 2020-present RAC WA Australian Plumbing Industry Magazine
About Author
Disclaimer: The pricing information shown in the editorial content (Review Prices) is to be used as a guide only and is based on information provided to Carsguide Autotrader Media Solutions Pty Ltd (Carsguide) both by third party sources and the car manufacturer at the time of publication. The Review Prices were correct at the time of publication. Carsguide does not warrant or represent that the information is accurate, reliable, complete, current or suitable for any particular purpose. You should not use or rely upon this information without conducting an independent assessment and valuation of the vehicle.
Pricing Guide
$34,490
Lowest price, based on CarsGuide listings over the last 6 months.
For more information on
2025 Toyota Camry
See Pricing & Specs

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