The Toyota Camry does just about everything very well and it's supported by Toyota's well-earned reputation for quality, reliability, and resale value. It's the best-selling mid-size sedan in America.

The Camry is exceptionally good in nearly every respect, bad in almost none, and it has a steady, set-and-forget quality that many drivers appreciate. This four-door sedan seats five in comfort, yet it's relatively compact and easy to park. It's smooth and quiet, but it can accelerate with vigor. Its cabin is attractive, functional, and as refined as anything in its class. It's pleasant to drive in all circumstances.

The Toyota Camry benefited from a complete overhaul for 2007, starting with a new, airy interior and continuing with more powerful engines, more transmission choices, and increased fuel efficiency. The Camry's aerodynamic styling shows more vitality than we've come to expect from a car many have labeled, and not necessarily in unkind fashion, as Japan's Buick. The only change of any significance for 2009 is that what was the base model, the Camry CE, is now known as just the Camry.

Models range from the well-equipped base Camry to the near-luxury Camry XLE. In between are the popular LE, a modest step up from the base and available with the V6, and the SE, decked out with suspension, tires, and trim to please the sporty crowd.

The standard four-cylinder engine is not the strongest, though it's more than adequate with the manual transmission. The available V6 is one of the most powerful in the class and it's very smooth.

The Toyota Camry Hybrid features a combination electric motor/gasoline engine powertrain and a super-efficient continuously variable transmission, or CVT. The Hybrid is a good performer and one of the most fuel-efficient mid-size vehicles anywhere. It also makes a statement for environmentally conscious buyers, though it's worth noting that all Camry models offer good EPA mileage ratings and low emissions in their respective categories.

Since its debut in the United States well over two decades ago, the Camry has earned a reputation for smart design, pleasing function, great build quality, and long-term durability. It's not all hype. The Toyota Camry remains the benchmark by which its competitors are judged.