So what is it you want out of your Camry? A bare bones, $25,000 LE that’ll net nearly 40mpg on the highway? Maybe a hybrid. How about a sharp-handling TRD? There are 17 different choices in the Camry family. But until recently you couldn’t get one with all-wheel drive. But that changed last year and the car you’re looking at here blends 4-wheel traction, the sport-tuned suspension of the SE trim and the sinister looks of the Nightshade Edition. With the Carpet Mat Package, MSRP is $29,839. The bolder front-end design combined with all of the blacked-out bits and contrasting silver metallic paint provides a very sport edition-appropriate look. I really like it. Of course, you can also spec this one in front-drive but my Camry runs with a automatically disconnecting all-wheel drive system that can move, on demand, up to 50% of the engine’s power to the rear wheels. It’s a $1,400 option. And just like the Lexus ES I recently tested, it’s only available with the 4-cylinder engine, rated at 25mpg city/34mpg highway which is slightly less economical and possesses a smaller driving range than all of its competitors. I said it had 203 horsepower earlier; it’s actually 202 with all-wheel drive and 182 pound-feet of torque. So it has a leg up in the output department but it’s also the heaviest car of the bunch. All that being said, its racy looks are writing checks that its motor can’t cash but is it brutally slow? No. And the sport-tuned springs and shocks along with the thicker front stabilizer bar and a set of underrated Hankook tires provide the foundation for a beautifully supple ride that also likes to dance. The fun in this car can be found in the way it handles, not what’s under the hood. The steering is excellent, too.
