All-New 2012 + Toyota Camry

jimdrew · July 2012

My phone stopped working with bluetooth when I tried doing the verbal commands...it sounded like a problem with the microphone. I took it to the dealer...my phone worked fine and was paired with the car....but did not recognize my phone commands. First the service adviser checked my phone and of course it was fine...and than he turned the vents from the air conditioning down....I thought he was just guessing but sure enough the voice commands worked fine. This is a known problem and yet Toyota has not let the customer know....it needs to be fixed. If you have your air vents turned up high it distorts your microphone which sits up high but your moon roof. Some type of wind deflector would solve the problem. Come on Toyota let your customer know.......

Jimmy Drew

rustman · August 2012

I experience dizziness more than anything when I drive the new 2012 Camry SE I just got. I had a Chevy Impala before and never experience anything like this before...it is bad enough to where I don't even know if I can drive the car anymore.

jimdrew · August 2012

you kidding??? I have never heard of this...the SEV6 is one of the best cars out there at any price range... I have owned 3 or 4 Camry's and many other brands. The Camry is one of the best. You need to see a Dr. and do it soon. BTW as a follow up to my post about the Motorola Max and the Bluetooth connection on the Camry I called Motorola and they did solve the problem. They were able to remote access my phone and reset some of the connections...voila, it works fine. Thanks Motorola for making such a terrific phone as the Droid Razor Maxx. I was going to upgrade to the Samsung S111 but will keep the Maxx!!!

Jimmy Drew

voicemailking · August 2012

Have the 2012 SE V 4 since december 2011. Has 11,000 miles on it now. It is a great car, rides very well and for the most part am very pleased with it. Cannot understand your dizziness etc, but i do not think it is the vehicle.

seolbro · August 2012

I moved from a 03 4-cylinder Accord (a great car that remains in the family) to a 12 Camry SE. Beside the Camry I considered the Passat, Mazda 6, 13 Altima, Sonota, Optima and the forthcoming Accord. I quickly dropped the Koreans because they felt agricultural. The current Accord is fat and I feared the 13 would be the same. No one at Honda could tell me a thing about the new one. Mazda is selling so few of the 6 models that I concluded it will be discontinued and service will become a problem. The Passat was OK but maintenance costs worked against it. The finalists were the Camry and the 2013 Altima. Nissan dealers are playing games on prices. I also noticed that Altimas look old before their time which casts doubts on their quality. So I just started bargaining at Toyota dealers. I am very happy with my choice.

Things to like
Cruise control: accurate and no delay in pick-up.
The 5-spoke wheels that look great and are easy to clean.
Fast and accurate steering.
Interior quietness.
Performance of the 4-cylinder engine.
Gas mileage of the 4-cylinder engine.
Entune system.
Roomy interior in a compact exterior package.
Great headroom front and rear.
Comfortable seats.
Hydraulic hinges on the hood. A small thing, but lots of cars still use a prop-stand.
Solid brakes.
Slick and smooth 6-speed transmission

Thing to improve
Some interior plastics are cheesy.
The switchgear for the heater/air conditioner is decent, but it looks like something from a 1969 Chevy.
The SE steering wheel has pronounced thumb grabs at 10 and 2 oclock that are uncomfortably sharp. I hope they soften up over time.

The great other
The taillights are,,, different. Fortunately they work well and I dont have to look at them.
There are almost too many storage spots in the front compartment. Ive lost things because I forgot which cubby I used.
The glovebox could be deeper. The Altima got this feature right: make it big enough to fit a laptop computer.
The paddle shifters on the SE are eye candy, but I rarely use them. Putting the transmission in D is simple and works very well.
The Eco driving light may annoy some. I find it a useful reminder to ease off the gas.
In that vein, you can find yourself going fast in this car without realizing it.

seolbro · August 2012

They don't. The 4 cylinder is inline.

tolgac · August 2012

Just a quick question to 12 Camry SE users ?

Got a new 12 Camry SE ( due to same reasons everybody mentions in the forum against Honda - smooth ride and steering )...

Specs says 25/34 mpg but I am on my 170 miles ( about 100 miles in city, 70miles highway ) and didn't drive crazy aggressive either - it is showing about 18mpg on the front and electronic gauge ?

What is your experience ? just started to worry if there is anything wrong with mine..

Feedback is appreciated - Thanks

seolbro · August 2012

You need to reset the mileage gauge. I do it every time I fill the tank. Toggle through the odometer/tripmeter display until reach mileage and then hold it down for a few seconds. Both the electronic and analog gauges will reset.

mcdawgg · August 2012

If you only have 170 miles on it total, don't bother measuring. You are on your first tank of gas, the car had checks done at the plant, moving on & off the car transport trucks, moving around the new car lots, etc. So a lot of idle time when you get 0 mpg.

bharaldson · August 2012

I can't seem to find a consistent release date for the 2013 Camry. I've seen a date in 2011 and I've seen info. That they're available now, but nothing specific. When I bought my 2005 they were available in Aug. '04. I also have read info. In different places claiming both the 2012 and 2013 models were major redesigns. I will be in the market for a new one soon and am trying to get oriented. Thanks.

deerlake7 · August 2012

My dealer checked with their Toyota area rep and the '13 Camry is not going to be available until mid-November. Don't know why it's so late. I purchased my '09 in February '08, so Toyota has gone from one extreme to another.

seolbro · August 2012

Not sure what you're expecting here. The 2012 was a full redesign, so the "2013" won't look any different. New prices, options and trim maybe, but no major changes.

lnt · August 2012

My '05' avalon is at the body shop because a lady backed into me at the gas station. I am driving a rented '12' camry le. Has anyone gone from an Avalon to a camry? I was shocked at how quiet this camry is. I thought my avalon was quiet, but I swear the camry doesn't have as much wind noise and road noise as my avalon. The more I drive it the better I like it. My sons think I would be crazy to trade an avalon in on a camry, but I am considering it. I am wondering if there are any camrys that don't have a black steering wheel and black dash. I can't stand the interior of the one I am driving. I am wondering if they will have the ivory interior in the 2013's? I would get the xle, but afraid it might not be as quiet as the le because of the wheels. Has anyone compared the quietness of the two? Can you have the le's tires put on an xle?

hondarefugee · August 2012

I'm driving myself nuts trying to figure out how to set the presets in my 2-day old Camry. The photographs of the display screen in the instruction manual aren't like what I'm looking at in my car, so I don't know how to proceed. I am receiving the signal (it only took a total of 4 hours to make that happen), but I cannot navigate past the first six channels on the screen.

Anyone know how to do this? :confuse: Thanks.

stever · August 2012

A reporter is looking to talk with anyone in the market right now for a new midsize car. If you fit this description and youd like to talk with the reporter, please reach out to PR@edmunds.com with your preferred daytime contact info by the end of the day Friday, August 17, 2012.

bharaldson · August 2012

Thanks, apparently Toyota considers the 2012 model a major redesign. I was thrown off because compared to the 2001 (or 2002?) and the 2007 redesigns, this last one looks less significant visually. So if I'm looking to buy a new one in the next few months it's not so important to wait for the 2013 - especially in terms of price.

j06 · August 2012

I think Black Steering is standard for all trims. But I have seen Ivory dashboards for XLE trims. Check Black/White exterior models. The ride will be same. XLE is just luxury LE

j06 · August 2012

Accord is showing off on this Monday. Per reports new accord will have so many standard features for LX model. Backup camera, 16 inch Alloy Wheels and touch screen audio system. After driving 2012 Civic EX, I would lean towards accord. The new Hondas are better refined, smoother than previous generations and awesome ride. Only minus is the cabin noise. Nissan & Honda are offering better interior packages. Toyota needs to step up

naatz1 · August 2012

We too were turned off that all Camry LE/XLEs (we got the XLE for heated leather seats & options in the convenience pkg like b/u camera) have black dashes & steering wheels no matter if you get the grey or ivory interiors. I wanted a red exterior but neither my wife or I liked the black dash & required ivory interior - the ivory is really more of a creme/tan color. The red SEs come with a dark grey interior but their leather seats have a faux suede cushion which we did not like (and much stiffer suspension). We are happy with our mag grey XLE and the grey interior ... I got used to the grey exterior too, just hope it's not too much of a pain to keep clean in the winter. Note other competitors like the VW Passat, Subaru Legacy & Kia Optima all have a black dash even with their tan interiors so this must be a common mix in "world" cars, it just seems weird to us who have typically driven Chrysler/Jeep and Pontiacs for years.

razzzy · August 2012

Doors can open up from the inside when car is in motion (when locked). Is this normal? Seems very dangerous. Can this be fixed? I know there is child locks on back, but i don't need them.

diana31 · September 2012

I have same problem with my Toyota Camry 2012. I purchased in August have around 800 miles so far and I get in the city 17 miles and on highway 21, the electronic gauge is always between 17 and 20. Try to complain to dealership they sales people were agree that it is a very lo MPG but the service department said there is nothing wrong with the car. it drives at it is designed. After calling to Toyota directly I was told to wait after 3000-5000 miles the motor will break in and will get better mileage. I am still very unhappy with MPG. The MPG 25 city 35 highway is very over advertized.

circusclown · September 2012

I have a 2013 Camry SE and have not got more than 28 MPG freeway and that is not common. I get around 25 on the freeway regular. I also have problems with the car losing power when I step on the gas getting away from an intersection... etc.. Will never get another Toyota Camry.. They have downgraded this car.

voicemailking · September 2012

We have a 2012, it now has 13,000 miles, gets 24.7 - 27 MPG around town and about 34 on the road, when we first got it took a short trip with only 500 miles on it, and it got 33 MPG right away....Hope they correct it for you!

seolbro · September 2012

You don't say if you have a 4-cylinder or 6-cylinder SE. It makes a big difference. How you drive makes an even bigger difference. If all you do is rely on the gauge to assess MPG that's misleading because it needs to be reset regularly.

I've gotten 30-32MPG from my 4-cylinder SE for its first 2,000 miles. Any smart driver can do the same, unless you have a 6.

naatz1 · September 2012

I have had the same experience as you and post #226; I reply here since I just got my 10k mi service at 9600 mi this week so both of us are well past any "break in". The first 8k mi I tracked MPG for every tank, much of it on fuelly.com, and only stopped because I was tired of the constant tracking and also was VERY SATISFIED with my MPG rating (I will probably measure a couple tanks when we are into cold winter temps this December).

I have a 4 cylinder loaded XLE model w/Michelin Primacy tires and to make it simple, the Camry EPA rating of 25 city 35 highway as pretty much what I can get. EG, I can get 40 mpg on a level 60 mph backroad trip with no wind and two passengers, but with 4 people, headwind, AC on, 70 mph freeway trip it drops to 33 mpg on a 200mi trip. In a calibration check my gauge MPG readings were always +/- .5 mpg with the gas fillup calculated MPG, so I quit the calculated since I am confident the gauge is close to accurate. I have not reset my main dashboard analog and digital gauge in almost 2k mi and it reads 32.2 mpg. I can't tell you if it's 50/50 city/highway miles, but based on the prior 8k mi it's probably close to that ratio. I rarely drive it wild and racy (a Camry 4 is not racy) so maybe this is close to best case but I am very satisfied with my Camry on MPGs and the other two main factors I bought the car: interior comfort/quiet and reliability.

I suggest to diane31 and others that if you have a Camry 4 cylinder, drive it easy, and can't come within a few MPGs of the EPA numbers to work with the dealer and Toyota customer support to get an answer since that engine should be capable of getting close to 25 City 35 Highway MPGs.

zahava · September 2012

I have a 2012 XE that I got in Dec.11. I have 11K + miles on it. I am averaging 33.8 mpg. I do more hwy driving. 70/30. Like other posts you can get 40 mpg on with wind in your back and only 1 person in the car. I do 120 M round trip several times a week. The road is level and new. I have cloth seats and I have noticed that the driver's seat is freying. I took it in on my 10k service and let them now. They took a picture of it and said they would get back to me. Haven't heard a peep. I wear dress clothes to work; so there is no execessive friction that would cause this damage so early. I had this car 9 months now and started noticing it @ 8 months of use. I am leasing so I will see what they say. Anyone else having this issue?

bigbr225 · September 2012

Hi naatz1,

I have a similar driving stye as you and have around 11K miles on my 2012 toyota camry SE. I noticed yesterday that my front driver seat is freying as well. I also noticed the silver dash panel directly above my a/c fan knob is cracking as well. I took my car into the dealership and the manager took pictures of the damage. Since it was a Saturday he said he will have to get with the district manager on Monday and I should hear something from him by Tuesday afternoon. I have had my camry since late December 2011. Other then these two issue everything else has been fine. I'll keep you posted on what the dealership will do about these issues. I'm also leasing my camry as well. At this point I'm on the fence about keeping it after the lease.

horsebytes · September 2012

I do mostly highway driving and am getting 25 or 26mpg - less around town. I commute 100 miles round trip 3x a week.

I do not have a lead foot and I have tested to see if it was worse or better using cruise control. I actually get slightly better mileage not using the cruise control! I reset the guage when I fill up. I have 4200 miles on my car so far. If it doesn't improve after my first oil change, I'll trade it in! Love everything else about it.

coches1 · September 2012

Hi seolbro

Great description of your new SE. Thanks!! You should work for Motor Trend.

I am debating between the SE and LE 2012 Camry. The principal difference
for me is the seats in the SE. What differences did you notice between the
SE and LE seats? The SE seats look better, the huge question is if the foam in
the SE seats are of a higher quality.

Realistically, when do you really need paddle shifters?? Alloy wheels look
good but the big difference is the seat comfort.

Looking forward to your response

coches1

drjjjj · October 2012

SE adds firmer suspension (but still plenty compliant) alloys, sport interior which is about same as LE for comfort (I rented an LE first) full body kit, fogs, heated mirrors which together adds up to significant added value and better handling in the event of an emergency manuever (more common these days) Also, should yield better resale! I can get 40 mpg @ steady 65 and avg a little over 30mpg driving normal! The body seems plain jane, but it has a .28 drag co-which means it very aerodynamic (almost as slick as a prius) That's why we're getting compact car mileage in a mid size lexus like package! I'm very impressed! Picky Engineer that wouldn't touch direct injection or a cvt because of long term relibility issues! My local dealer is advertising SE 2.5 with power seat for $22K + T & L and 150 doc fee FYI -beat that!

rikin · October 2012

Even I have having the same problem. I got my 2012 Camry LE 4 cylinder in august and have 2k miles on it. But the avg. mileage shown on the odometer is just 25MPG. Which i think is very less as to what they have been advertising.
Mine is a 50/50 town to freeway driving.
What should I do?
Also how did you guys calculate the exact freeway mileage ??
I can check that out and see what am I getting.

Rikin

mcdawgg · October 2012

Reset your odometer mpg when you fill your tank up to the first click of the pump. If you have never done this, your mpg will be too low. When the car is new, LOTS of idling takes place - testing, on and off car transporter, moving around car lot, etc. etc.

Fuel car, immediately get on freeway drive 65 mph for 100 miles straight with no city and see what the reading is. It will be around what the EPA says the mpg is for this car. The mpg rating is not what Toyota says, it is what the EPA tests show.

There are so many variables that pull down mpg. Many people think that there is something wrong with their car, but 99.9% of the time on a new car, there is nothing wrong. This is a very common complaint for all makes and models.

When you say 50/50 town to freeway, that means nothing. For one person, the 50% city could be in a LA traffic jam, where you are sitting still for a long time on the way to work, getting zero mpg. Another could be stopping at 30 traffic lights in 10 miles, averaging 20 mph, and another could be stopping at 5 lights in 10 miles, averaging 40 mph.

The only way to calculate exact mpg is to fuel up at the same pump to the first click (when the pump shuts off). Then reset one of your trip odometers. Drive until you get down to around a 1/4 tank. Fill up again at the same pump to the first click, then take your miles from trip odometer divided by total gallons from the pump. Or, you can track this for several or all tanks, keeping a total of all the miles and gallons.

I am sure you will find your car's mpg is fine and is fully capable of getting the EPA rated mpg.

mcdawgg · October 2012

Another thing - the switch to winter gas has happened in most places, so this will decrease your mpg a little - a mile or 2. Also, the colder it is outside, the more dense the air, so the more fuel is used to get the proper air/fuel ratio. This is the same for all cars.

naatz1 · October 2012

Some excellent points made on this posting: reset the trip miles (I have both trip A & B on my XLE) and the digital MPG reading, which also resets the always visible analog meter MPG reading on the XLE. That way when you do your next fillup you can compare the trip miles divided by the gallons to what you have on your car computer MPG readings and see if it is accurate. For the first 8000 miles mine never varied more than .5 MPG, so I tend to believe my car computer's MPG ratings.

Compared to my last Sep 14 posting, I now show 32.3 MPG as the car computer average over around 4000 miles in mixed highway/city driving the past 2 mons. Our A/C is rarely used now unless for defrost when it's raining and we switched to winter gas, so I just measured a 370 mi fillup 11.8 gal @ 31.4 MPG with 35% city miles. Note my "city" is probably more "suburban" to most people since I have two 1 mile stretches with only one stop and the other few miles have stop lights averaging every few blocks on a typical drive to Target, Home Depot, restaurants or church. I plan to do another true winter measurement in December.

Reminder: put more air IN your tires in winter. Last night when it was 52 deg out I noticed mine are down to around 32 lbs, and they were at 35 in the summer. I will wait for a 30 deg morning and put them back up to 35 lbs.

mcdawgg · October 2012

Good point - most people forget about their tires. Air psi drops by 1 psi for every 10 degree F temperature decrease, so if it is 50 F outside, just fill your tires to 37 and they will be at 35 when the temp goes down to 30 F.

And, yes, if you do lots of short trips of less than 3 miles, your mpg will REALLY suffer, so you can't use that to say your mpg is bad.

seolbro · October 2012

For my driving I need the paddle shifters only when I have nothing else to do. The transmission does a fine job finding the right gear on its own. The shifter levers do look cool and they might be a resale feature.

I never seriously considered the LE so I have no comparison on the seat foam. After 3K miles I have found the seats to be very comfortable. Comfort is related to many things including height, weight and body shape. What works for me may not work for someone else.

I noticed at least one complaint about seat cloth durability in the LE. My SE has the textured cloth that is wearing well so far. Surprisingly, it does not produce a static build-up. I was shocked every time I exited my Accord.

BTW, I get 30 - 33 MPG consistently. My only problem was the trim on interior A pillar. It was a 20-minutes job to replace. I've adapted to the sterring wheel and love SiriusXM. Now that it's raining where I live I notice the Bridgestone Turanzas can break away when accelerating quickly from a dead stop. I hope Michelin is still making Pilot Exaltos when it comes replacement time. For my money: the best all season tires on the market.

The key choice factors on LE versus SE are exterior styling and handling. The SE has its own look while its steering and road grip are much tighter than what the LE (I had a loaner) offers.

debbie68 · October 2012

Hello all. Until last year, I owned a 2000 Camry and did a tune up every fall. Last fall I purchased a pre-owned Camry with 25K miles. I am now close to 37K. Should I automatically bring it in for a tune-up (new spark plugs, filters anything else looking amiss)? I do the oil change separately.

Thank you in advance!

mcdawgg · October 2012

Please check your owner's manual. It will tell you what needs to be done. Or check on this website, or Toyotaownersonline.com

Oil changes every 10k, or 1 per year, whatever comes first. Rotate tires every 5-8k.

No, at 30k miles, it only needs a new engine air filter, a new cabin air filter, and that's it. Those two items took me 10 minutes total to replace - very easy to do.

Hopefully, the place you purchased it already did those two things, because if they didn't, you are over-due.

debbie68 · October 2012

Thank you very much!!

mcdawgg · October 2012

You are very welcome.

I should also mention that the cabin air filter replacement is very very easy to do, and requires no tools. The instructions are even in the owner's manual. Get the filter at Toyota dealer or autoparts store. Doing it yourself saves about $30 vs having dealer do it. And it only takes 5 minutes.

Engine air filter only requires a socket wrench with a 4 inch extension bar, also a 5 minute job.

lantz1 · November 2012

In fact, the 2012 Toyota Camry for the Canadian market is NOT equipped with TPMS. That from Toyota Canada Inc., sent to me on November 20, 2012.

doug_mc · December 2012

I had the same whistle noise on a 2012 Camry LE. It was coming from the outside mirror. I put a piece of duct tape over the horizontal seam that allows the mirror to fold in and it was gone. Not too elegant but for a rental it works, the whistle was driving me crazy on the interstate. Would start about 65 MPH

Bad design by Toyota that should have been caught and resolved during development.

bhaumik · December 2012

Hello all,

I live in NJ and I want to buy a new 2012 Camry SE. I want to pay $23,000 out the door and do not have a trade in vehicle. Am I asking for to little or to much? Can somebody help me with this.

Thanks in advance!

Kirstie_H · December 2012

Your best bet is to read messages and then post your question in our Camry Prices Paid discussion.

seolbro · December 2012

So six months and 5,000 miles later here is my experience.

First, I wish I had delayed my purchase until the new Accord appeared. I don't know if I would have chosen it over the SE, but I would have liked to done the compare. I have no other regrets, though, regarding the SE versus the Altima, the Sonata, or any clunker from Detroit.

My mileage has dipped into the high 20s from the low 30s. I attribute that to oxygenated gas and running the compressor often to defog.

Performance is still excellent. The Bridgestone Turanzas are still not my favorite tires, especially in the wet. SiriusXM is a great upgrade and I wish I had the back-up camera.

One feature that is missing relates to the intermittent wipers. My old Accord would slow the wipe cycle down when the car was stopped and immediately start it when you took your foot off the brake. A simple feature that every car should have.

I am surprised Toyota still does not offer body side moldings. I will go to the aftermarket in the spring.

All in all, a happy customer.

voicemailking · December 2012

Our 2012 SE will be 1 year on Dec. 31, we have almost 18,000 miles on ti. Very good car, got what I expected for the price. Gas mileage is very good. Over 24 around town. Just got back from a round trip to Orlando (approx 600 miles in total), gas was 34.5

hyl4me · December 2012

Has you ever found out what is the problem? I just bought brand new 5 miles SE and got the same noise. Anybody else has the same problem??

n1c0lelynn · January 2013

Have you fixed this problem? If so, what have you done? This is driving me insane...

wayne21 · January 2013

"Performance is still excellent. The Bridgestone Turanzas are still not my favorite tires, especially in the wet."

I wish you luck with the Turanzas. I have a set on an accord. They are very quiet, very smooth, and handle very well in any condition. I have rotated them every 5k miles and always maintained the pressure. These 70k mile tires are now shot at 45k miles - down to the wear bars. The performance has been great, but they did not approach the advertised life expectancy.

fourth_camry · January 2013

Forget the 10,000 mile oil change interval. I had my wife take ours in at 8,000 miles for a free oil change (2 years maintenance included in the purchase) and they sent her away & said to come back at 10,000 miles. At 9,650 miles we had to go on a long trip and couldn't get an appointment so I changed it myself - the oil was BLACK! Next time I will insist on a change at 7,500 miles.

All-New 2012 + Toyota Camry

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles