The Toyota Camry is as ubiquitous as sliced bread, although much like modern gluten intolerance has taken away the innate popularity of bread, crossovers have done the same to the Camry. It’s no longer the sales leader it once was, but it continues to dominate the dwindling midsize sedan market. This latest 2026 Toyota Camry SE Nightshare Edition represents a solid option which works for a wide variety of people, just like sliced bread.

Sporty — yes, really

Now in its ninth generation, the latest Camry comes off looking deceptively premium, and dare I say sporty.  The Nightshade edition really gives it that extra pizazz including a blacked-out grille, a tiny lip spoiler, blacked-out door handles and badging, and attractive 19-inch wheels wrapped in 235/40/19 rubber. There’s also a black front lip and matching side skirts. Our tester’s Supersonic red paint is an eye-watering $1,477 option, but looks fantastic in person. I still can’t justify the price.

All of these enhancements are tacked onto the revised-last-year Camry. It wears Toyota’s latest front end design which debuted on the much-loved Prius in 2023. The rear end looks a little less “all-new” and more heavily refreshed compared to the old one, but finishes off the updated look rather nicely. The new Camry typeface logo, lower gloss black bumper diffuser, and polished exhaust tips add a bit of drama.

Space without the space-age

The black interior is finished in Toyota’s SofTex faux leather, with some white accent lines and stitching thrown in for contrast. The seats themselves are comfortable if a little flat. As this Nightshade Edition is based on the one-up-from-base SE Upgrade trim, only the driver’s seat is powered. The dash is finished in all black but creates some contrast with glossy trim and patterned fabric dash inserts. For anyone who thinks a small crossover is more spacious than a sedan, you need to park your tush in a Camry. It feels airy and spacious both front and rear, with a great dash-to-glass ratio which lets in all the sunlight. The sunroof helps, too.

The interior vibe feels a touch last gen, which is both good and not-so-good. It’s good in that there are plenty of physical buttons and knobs for the climate controls, drive modes, and steering wheel controls. There’s even an honest-to-goodness P-R-N-D shifter on the centre console. Not-so-good is the small eight-inch infotainment screen and semi-digital gauge cluster. There’s also zero ambient lighting, which coupled with the all-black interior, makes for a cave-like interior ambiance at night. Material quality hasn’t leapt forward, either. In fact, some areas have taken a step back, with thin and scratchy plastics littered throughout the cabin. It may feel uninspired in some ways, but I will say that the major touchpoints — like the steering wheel, shift lever, and physical controls themselves — feel solid and well-built. Most won’t notice the cost cutting.

Technology is where this value-priced Camry really shines. You get wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a wireless phone charger that works well, five USB ports, a smart key system, and most importantly Toyota’s Safety Sense 3.0 suite of safety tech. It includes the likes of adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning and assist, automatic high beams, and blind-spot monitoring. All that, plus heated front seats and a heated steering wheel — are standard. An odd omission is the lack of rain-sensing wipers, which only come equipped on higher trim levels. The six-speaker audio system is also lackluster; there’s a nine-speaker JBL system available, bundled with a larger 12.3-inch screen and fully digital gauge cluster, but again only equipped on higher trim levels.

Drives like the supporting cast

Crossover drivers, take note once again. Except for the base SE FWD, all Camry models are now equipped with all-wheel-drive to ensure it’s a true year-round performer. Power comes from Toyota’s fifth-generation hybrid system featuring a 2.5L four-cylinder gas engine mated to three electric motors — two on the FWD SE. On our Nightshade tester, total system output is rated at 232 horsepower and 163 lb-ft of torque [That’s gas-only torque; for some reason, Toyota doesn’t publish a combined torque figure. —Ed.] On the road the Camry feels adequately powerful, although it rarely operates in EV only mode in cold weather. The four-cylinder engine can feel rather unpolished at times, too, but the CVT does a good job of simulating a geared transmission. It even has paddle shifters, in case you want to row your own “gears.”

The AWD system definitely helps the Camry trudge along in winter conditions rather confidently, but the added weight means the driving experience comes off a touch dull and unenthusiastic. Its main rival on the other hand, the Honda Accord Hybrid, has less horsepower but it’s lighter on account of being front-wheel-drive. The Accord also feels tuned more towards sport, whereas the Camry Nightshade’s “sport-tuned suspension” feels competent but unathletic. Different strokes. The steering feels much the same, competent but devoid of any character or feel.

That’s because fuel economy is the primary reason why you buy a Camry, and on this front it delivers. In the dead of winter — seriously, I had it during the literal coldest day of winter so far — our Camry Nightshade tester still managed to average 6.8 L/100 km. I know that’s an entire litre more per 100 km than the Accord Hybrid I tested, but keep in mind it’s FWD-only and I had it during the middle of summer, a.k.a. more optimal conditions.

It still makes sense

The Camry has always been a smart buy, and continues to be today, so long as you exercise a bit of restraint and avoid the pricier higher-end trims. Yes, they are nice, but the 2026 Toyota Camry SE Nightshade Edition gives you most of everything you’d actually use, with the good looks and fuel economy to match, all for under $40,000, even with the ludicrously expensive optional paint. That makes a lot of dollars-and-sense to me.