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The sedan segment might be ever-shrinking, but the 2022 Toyota Camry sedan doesn’t care. It’s been America’s best-selling sedan for some time now, and the most recent model year looks to continue that trend. Variety is the spice of life, and you can choose between five different trim levels in the new Camry.

The 2022 Toyota Camry Hybrid sedan is one of many attractive choices in the lineup | The Straight Pipes

However, some of them just don’t hit that Goldilocks spot. Now, it’s time to sort out which one is best for you.

A base model Camry sedan is a little too base model

A blue Toyota Camry, shot from the front 3/4 rolls down the highway
You’re leaving a lot on the table with a base model Camry | Toyota

We’re going to start from the bottom here. And that means starting with the 2022 Toyota Camry LE. Per MotorTrend, it starts at around $26,000. Funnily enough, that places the bottom-rung Camry well within the Toyota Corolla’s pricing bracket. However, you do get a much larger sedan package compared to the ‘Rolla.

You’re also getting the full suite of Toyota safety bits, like lane-keep assist, automatic high beams, and emergency braking. Obviously, the Japanese brand has to leave a few things for the rest of the lineup, notably automatic seats and leatherette upholstery. Thankfully, you do still get Carplay and Android Auto.

The 2022 Toyota Camry TRD gets some performance chops

A white Toyota Camry sedan pace car at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway
The Camry TRD has enough performance chops to be a pace car at least | Fred Kfoury III via Getty Images

Now here’s where things get interesting. The 2022 Toyota Camry TRD is supposed to be a modern Japanese performance sedan. Unfortunatley, it’s somewhat of a letdown dynamically. While the larger black wheels do look great, they hurt the ride more than is necessary.

Despite getting the top-tier V6, it’s no Lotus engine, and the automatic gearbox completely hamstrings the entire experience. Although, it is fast enough to be the NASCAR pace car, which has to count for something. That said, you can get a whole lot of Golf GTI for the Camry’s $33,000 MSRP, and the GTI is a far better performer than the Camry TRD.

Which is the better Camry? SE or XLE?

A blue 2022 Toyota Camry XLE shot from the front on a highway
The 2022 Toyota Camry got a host of mild improvements | Toyota

That leaves the SE, XLE, and XSE trims. The latter is effectively the luxury/sport Camry, coming in at $31,400 with the Toyota V6, leatherette seats, and some blacked-out trim. The XLE swaps the Sport “S” with an “L” for “Luxury” and gets you niceities such as leather, heated, powered seats, ambient lighting and a larger infotainment unit for your $31,000.

However, the best 2022 Toyota Camry trim is the middling SE trim. You’re still getting a few luxuries like leather seats and paddle shifters, but it keeps the price just barely below $30K, at $27,500. The SE trim is the best mix of the things the Toyota Camry gets right, and that’s why you should pick the SE trim over the others.

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Chase Bierenkoven

Chase Bierenkoven has been obsessed with cars his whole life and now finds joy in sharing what he’s learned from his own daily drivers. Chase earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Criminology with a focus on legal studies from the Metropolitan State University of Denver and quickly became an automotive journalist. When he isn’t writing, Chase is either driving his passion project, a 2004 BMW M3 in Carbon Schwartz Metallic, or playing around Colorado’s terrain, mainly mountain biking and skiing.