Toyota Camry (XV70) review: the used sedan that is hardest to get wrong
4.4/5motorssouq Editorial Team
If you want a used midsize sedan in Bahrain and you do not have a specific reason to buy something else, buy the Camry. The 2.5-litre four is the grade to have: cheaper to insure, cheaper to run, and fast enough that the V6 only makes sense if you genuinely enjoy the extra pace. Check for accident repair history and service stamps and the rest takes care of itself.
Pros
- TNGA-K platform makes it the first genuinely decent-driving Camry in years
- 2.5-litre four returns realistic 7.5 L/100 km with the air conditioning working
- No dual-clutch gearbox, no turbo, no air suspension — very little to go wrong
- Every independent workshop in Bahrain can service it at a fair price
- 493-litre boot and genuine adult rear-seat space
Cons
- Infotainment in 2018–2020 cars is dated next to Korean rivals of the same age
- Many Bahraini examples were fleet or ride-hailing cars — history matters more than mileage
- The V6 grade adds cost in purchase, insurance and fuel for little practical gain
- Styling is divisive and the lower nose grounds on steep ramps
The XV70 generation was the point at which Toyota stopped apologising for the Camry. It sits on the TNGA-K platform, which is stiffer and lower than what came before, and it is the first Camry in a long time that does not feel like it is actively discouraging you from steering it. Nobody will call it a sports sedan. It is, however, no longer boring in the specific way that made the previous car a punchline.
The engine to buy
The 2.5-litre naturally aspirated four is the one that makes sense in Bahrain. It produces 203 hp, revs cleanly, and returns around 7.5 L/100 km in mixed use — figures that a turbocharged rival matches on paper and misses in practice once the air conditioning is working against 45 °C. The eight-speed automatic is unobtrusive, which is the highest compliment a torque converter can earn.
The 3.5-litre V6 exists and is genuinely quick, but it costs more to buy, more to insure and more to fuel, and it does not make the car meaningfully better at the job most Camrys do. Buy it because you want it, not because you think you need it.
Living with it
Rear-seat space is generous enough for adults on the causeway run, the 493-litre boot swallows a family's luggage, and the cabin materials in the higher grades are a clear step up from the XV50. The infotainment is the weak point of early cars — the 2018–2020 head units feel dated next to a Sonata of the same age — and the wireless smartphone integration only arrived late in the run.
Reliability is the reason this car exists on shortlists. There is no dual-clutch gearbox to rebuild, no turbocharger to replace, and no complicated air suspension. Bahrain's independent workshops are comprehensively familiar with it, so a routine service costs what it should rather than what a franchised dealer would like.
What to check before you buy
Camrys are used hard — many were fleet or ride-hailing cars — so mileage on a Bahraini example tells you less than the service history does. Look for consistent stamps, check the front suspension bushings on anything over 120,000 km, and put any car with mismatched panel gaps or overspray through an independent inspection before you commit.