The 2023 Toyota Camry boasts hybrid trims, optional all-wheel drive (AWD), and even a snappy V6. However, the Camry isn’t alone in the segment; rivals like the well-rounded 2023 Nissan Altima and the fuel-sipping Hyundai Sonata won’t let the Camry dominate the midsize sedan landscape. Still, there are several reasons to choose the Camry over the Altima or Sonata, like the Camry Hybrid’s fuel economy. 

What are the best features of the 2023 Toyota Camry?

• Optional AWD
• Fuel-sipping hybrid trims
• 301-horsepower V6
• 2023 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating 

The Toyota Camry has been around since the mid-80s, and it has used the time to build its reputation as a dependable midsize sedan for small families. However, the Nissan Altima and Hyundai aren’t exactly rookies in the segment. However, with five hybrid trims, a powerful V6 option, optional AWD, and a 2023 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick+ rating, the Camry might be the best overall package of the three sensible sedans.  

What Toyota Camry models have AWD?

Of the Camry’s trims for 2023, the conventional, non-V6 powered trims offer optional AWD. That means fans can equip the LE, SE, SE Nightshade, XLE, and XSE trims with four-wheeled grip. 

Moreover, the 2023 Hyundai Sonata might offer hybrid fuel economy with certain trims, but it goes without the Camry’s AWD option. As a result, the only application that the Sonata has is front-wheel drive (FWD), which is better for fuel economy but doesn’t have the same sure-footedness in inclement weather. 

Does the Camry Hybrid really get 50 mpg?

The 2023 Toyota Camry Hybrid LE has an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated fuel economy rating of 51 mpg city and 53 mpg highway. However, in Car and Driver’s test of a late-model Camry XLE Hybrid, the midsize model returned a highway average of 44 mpg.

Unfortunately for Nissan Altima fans, the 2023 model goes without a hybrid trim of any kind. As a result, the best fuel-sipping estimates the Altima will return is 27 mpg city and 39 mpg highway at the entry-level S trim. Of course, the 2023 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Blue offers a fuel-friendly hybrid platform with the same 52 mpg combined as the Camry Hybrid LE.  

The 2023 Toyota Camry’s optional 301-horsepower V6 out-muscles the Nissan Altima and Hyundai Sonata

In addition to the 2023 Camry’s fuel-saving hybrid trims, the model offers a handful of 3.5L V6-powered options with 301 horsepower on tap. However, Camry fans who want the extra sportiness in their trim will have to forgo the grippy AWD option of the 2.5L four-cylinder mill. 

The Hyundai Sonata has a performance-oriented model in the Sonata N Line, but its 290-horsepower, 2.5L inline four-cylinder engine is 11 ponies shy of a V6-powered Camry like the TRD V6. Moreover, the Nissan Altima’s sub-200 horsepower engine options keep it from competing with its segment rivals, despite having optional AWD. 

Is the 2023 Toyota Camry a Top Safety Pick+ vehicle?

Unlike the Hyundai Sonata and Nissan Altima, the Toyota Camry earned a 2023 Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS. Aside from a “Marginal” rating in the seat belt reminder subcategory, and a trim-specific “Acceptable” rating for headlights, the Camry received a blemish-free score sheet.