We spend a week in the vehicle that has become the quintessential American family sedan.

2016 Toyota Camry XLE V6 front 3/4 view

Pros:

More distinctive styling
Refined interior
Quiet ride

Cons:

Steering feel
Handling could be sharper
Average fuel economy

2016 Toyota Camry XLE V6 rear 3/4 view

Toyota Camry refresh

Although a mild refresh might have done the trick, for 2015 Toyota instead chose a major overhaul of the best-selling car in America by re-engineering its midsize sedan after just three years.

So despite the fact that more than a million copies had been sold since it launched in 2011 as a 2012 model, Toyota took the Camry down to its chassis and, working from bumper to bumper and floor to roof, re-engineered nearly 2,000 parts including the body - where only the roof remained unchanged.

Taking a closer look at the specifications, a number of key parameters weren’t changed, or, if they were, not so much. Wheelbase, height and width remain the same, although overall length is up by 1.8 inches. Front and rear track were increased by 0.4 inches, but all three engine/powertrain combinations are carryovers – a standard 2.5-liter 4-cylinder, an optional 3.5-liter V6 and the 2.5-liter Atkinson Cycle 4-cylinder/105 kW electric motor found in the Camry Hybrid.

2016 Toyota Camry XLE V6 front fascia

The changes for 2015 also included two new trim levels. With a take rate on the sport-oriented SE model of 45 percent of all Camrys sold, Toyota added a new XSE grade that includes 18-inch alloy wheels, firmer suspension tuning and luxury touches featured on the XLE grade.

Stretching sportiness further was the new SE Hybrid trim featuring projector-beam headlights, sport mesh grille, 17-inch graphite alloy wheels, rear spoiler, sport-tuned suspension and smoked chrome highlighting the upper grill and rear trunk trim.

2016 Toyota Camry XLE V6 rear fascia

2016 Toyota Camry XLE

Exterior

Up front, the fascia features a large, aggressive, trapezoidal grille flanked by a pair of deeply-recessed vertical LED daytime running lights. A pair of narrow headlight enclosures house low-beam projector headlights that, on our XLE tester, consisted of LED high- and low-beam lamps.

Along the sides, a prominent upper character line along with a deeply sculpted lower character line make what might have been a slab-sided body look less so. Meanwhile, the rear fascia features a pair of teardrop-shaped taillamp housings, with a chrome trim strip bridging the gap between them.

2016 Toyota Camry XLE V6 dashboard

Interior

Inside, the center stack is dominated by a 7-inch high-resolution touchscreen flanked by large knobs and buttons. The instrument cluster features a matching tach and speedo bracketing a new 4.2-inch TFT screen. Infotainment and HVAC controls consist of large knobs and buttons. The wide, horizontal dashboard is soft to the touch and features real stitched trim while soft-touch materials are also featured on the door trim panels. XLE models like our tester come standard with leather trim as well as heated power driver and front passenger seats.

2016 Toyota Camry XLE V6 front seat detail

The center console offers plenty of storage and there's an enclosed bin in front of the shifter that offers a 12-volt power port, USB port, and optional wireless charging pad.

In the comfort department, we found ample room for both front seat occupants as well as three adults in back. The steering wheel both tilts and telescopes and all major controls are both intuitive and within easy reach of the driver. Thanks to plenty of glass and narrow window pillars, views out the front, sides, back and rear three-quarters is excellent. In addition, all Camry models come equipped with a rear view camera.

2016 Toyota Camry XLE 2GR 3.5-liter V6

Under the hood

The Camry offers buyers two gasoline engine options. The standard one is Toyota’s 2AR 2.5-liter 4-cylinder – the engine of choice for 85 percent of Camry buyers and for good reason. Although it lacks direct injection, it does come with direct ignition and variable valve timing and produces a silky 178 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 170 lb.-ft. of torque at a very usable 4,100 rpm.

Optional is the company's 2GR 3.5-liter V6. Featuring variable valve timing on a pair of cams for each head, it develops 268 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and a maximum 248 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,700 rpm.

Both engines are mated to a conventional, electronically controlled, 6-speed automatic transmission.

Only regular fuel is required and its EPA estimated fuel economy stands at 21/31/25 city/highway/combined, while our own observed fuel economy was 22.8 miles per gallon in some very cold suburban winter driving conditions.

2016 Toyota Camry XLE V6 6-speed automatic shifter

On the road

Among the many changes made to the 2015 Camry were additional spot welds to the door opening flanges for increased rigidity. According to Toyota, this enabled engineers to tune the suspension for more aggressive handling. But despite those changes, the Camry’s handling remains skewed more towards the languid end of the spectrum as opposed to the sportier end.

Nonetheless, its more compliant suspension features an even flatter trajectory through corners. Road, tire, wind and engine noise has been reduced even further through the use of improved window and door seals, redesigned side mirrors to better control turbulence and noise and the addition of 30 percent more noise-insulating material in the one-piece carpet.

2016 Toyota Camry XLE V6 17-inch alloy wheel and Bridgestone Turanza tire

Acceleration with the 3.5-liter V6 is extremely brisk. On the expressway, we never had a problem either merging into traffic or overtaking other vehicles. Meanwhile, the Camry's suspension never lost its composure - always feeling stable and secure. We found that it was also unaffected by either crosswinds or grooved pavement. The Camry's turn signal lever also features a tap to pass function – something we believe should be standard on all vehicles.

Braking is also very good, but while the feel through the pedal is linear, there’s not a lot of initial bite to the pads or tactile feedback, making it harder to modulate the brake pedal.

2016 Toyota Camry XLE V6 blind spot, traction, lane keep and park assist function buttons

In terms of safety, the checklist of standard fare includes dual-stage advanced front airbags, front and rear seat-mounted side airbags, side curtain airbags and a driver's and front passenger's knee airbag, the 2016 Camry offers a plethora of optional active features found on our tester that included a Pre-Collision System, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert with Auto High Beam, and Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

2016 Toyota Camry XLE V6 rear seat detail

2016 Toyota Camry prices

2016 Camry pricing starts at $23,905 for a 4-cylinder model in LE trim and can top out at over $37,000 for an XLE Hybrid with all the options and accessories. Our Ruby Flare Pearl V6 XLE tester had a base price of $31,370. Safety Connect ($515), Blind Spot Monitor ($500), Entune Premium Audio with Navigation ($805) and Advanced Technology ($750) packages, along with the special exterior color ($395), plus an $835 delivery and processing fee brought the total MSRP to $35,170.

2016 Toyota Camry XLE V6 steering wheel detail

The Bottom Line

As we found out with the 4-cylinder version last year, when equipped with the more powerful V6, there's also much we like about this 2016 Toyota Camry. It comes with smooth and secure handling, a fairly quiet interior, decent fuel economy while being much stylish than its predecessors.

But while the ride is comfortable, it's not the least bit sporty, handling is secure but hardly sharp, its styling is improved, but hardly distinctive and its gas mileage is decent, but hardly at the top of its class – unless, of course, you opt for the hybrid.

2016 Toyota Camry XLE V6 12v, aux, USB ports and Qi wireless charging pad

But having said that, we find that the latest model is much improved and comes very close to putting its previous car-as-appliance reputation to rest.

Currently Camry owners should be very pleased with the latest version, while buyers looking for quality and reliability plus more than a touch of style should add their local Toyota dealer at or near the top of the list of those to visit.

2016 Toyota Camry XLE V6 taillight detail