Most of us reading this would own cars with ludicrously-high power figures if price were no option. Imagine being able to get into a Bugatti Mistral or a Ferrari 12Cilindri. Who wouldn't jump on that opportunity? Sadly, though, the real world has a knack for crushing dreams, and cars such as those are reserved for those who have a few million bucks burning a hole in their Loro Piana trouser pockets.
Luckily, those of us who have to make do with regular old Levis can still afford to have some fun on the commute to the office, thanks to a few automakers who don't charge an arm and a leg for a modestly-powerful car. If you've got just $28,700 to spend on a new car, but also want your new car to have at least 200 horsepower, it seems the 2025 Toyota Camry is the one to buy. Let's take a look at what exactly your hard-earned money gets you, should you choose to walk the 2025 Camry path.
For the purposes of this article, we looked only at sedans with powertrains that produce 200 horsepower or more. All the facts and figures were sourced from reliable sources, such as Toyota's press website.
This new entry-grade EV is a serious sleeper when properly equipped.
As the world has begun to turn away from conventional, internal combustion-powered cars and towards hybrids and EVs, Toyota was quick to capitalize on the hybrid craze specifically. In total, Toyota currently offers a whopping 22 hybrid models, including the Corolla, the Toyota Tundra, and the RAV4 mid-size crossover SUV. The RAV4 Hybrid is the most popular by far, with sales totaling approximately 152,328 units as of October 2024, and accounting for 43 percent of total RAV4 sales.
While the Toyota Camry has famously been around since 1983, the hybrid model entered the fold in 2007. While the earlier Camry hybrids suffered from issues regarding excessive oil consumption and premature hybrid battery drain issues, the Camry hybrid as a whole has been regarded as one of the more reliable hybrids on the market. To hammer the "reliable" point home, we've found that J.D. Power awarded the model a "Great" score of 86 out of a possible 100 points for the 2025 model year.
Up until a decade ago, the word "hybrid" didn't do much good at conveying a car's athleticism, since the usual stereotype for a hybrid vehicle was some sort of second-gen Toyota Prius lookalike with a pitiful amount of power. However, it must be said that we wouldn't be writing this piece on the Camry hybrid if it didn't meet our power-to-money criteria. After all, hybrid or not, the 2025 Toyota Camry positions itself as the cheapest car with 200 horsepower. We also happen to think it's the most important car on sale, which is why it won our overall car of the year award.
The humble Camry has signaled the dawn of a new era, not just for Toyota but for the automotive world as a whole.
The crux of the 2025 Toyota Camry's powertrain is Toyota's Dynamic Force 2.5-liter inline-four engine. Without any hybrid assistance, the motor is capable of producing 184 horsepower and 163 lb-ft of torque. Hardly anything to write home about, but its lack of a turbocharger means there's less to go wrong, making for fewer potential issues down the road. Below, we'll take a look at the 2025 Toyota Camry's detailed specs:
Engine | 2.5-Liter Dynamic Force Inline-Four |
---|---|
Hybrid Powertrain | Two Front-Mounted Electric Motors |
Combined Horsepower Output | 225 hp @ 6,000 rpm |
Combined Torque Output | 163 lb-ft @ 5,200 rpm |
Compression Ratio | 14.0:1 |
Fuel Economy (Combined) | 51 mpg |
Maximum Range (Estimated) | 663 Miles (Combined) |
0-60 MPH Time | 6.9 Seconds |
Like we mentioned a moment ago, hybrids aren't just slow plastic cars that get decent mileage anymore. In the 2025 Toyota Camru's case, it was able to sprint from 0-60 mph in just under seven seconds, a respectable time for any car, not just a hybrid. Reportedly, Car and Driver was able to coax the 2025 Camry into managing a quarter-mile drag in 15.1 seconds at 94.0 mph. Again, an adequate time for any cheap sedan these days.
As for the rest of the car, the current 10th generation Camry boasts a few key improvements over the previous ninth-gen. For starters, its monocoque chassis boasts revised dampeners in its suspension along with, what Toyota calls, "tuned handling", which is responsible for a reported increase in overall ride comfort. However, much of the new Camry's underpinnings are shared with the previous generation, as they share the same Toyota GA-K vehicle platform.
Toyota offers a choice between four grades. At base level lies the LE, then come the SE and XLE, with the top trim being the XSE, whose starting price begins at $34,900. All four trim levels offer the exact same powertrain with the exact same power figures. However, if you spring for the optional all-wheel-drive drivetrain, available across all four trim levels, you will see a mild power gain of seven horsepower. With the small power increase, the addition of AWD ends up pushing the overall horsepower total up to 232.
We've written this article on the cheapest sedan with 200 horsepower or more, with that honor falling to the 2025 Toyota Camry. However, paradoxically, the cheapest mass-market production vehicle with 200 or more horsepower is actually an SUV. Specifically, it's the 2025 Jeep Compass, Jeep's baby SUV fitting into the compact crossover SUV segment. These days, the Compass closely resembles a shrunk-down version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and that's a good thing.
Powering the little Compass is a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four. The four-banger produces 200 horsepower on the nose, along with making 221 lb-ft of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission handles the power and sends it to the Compass's standard all-wheel-drive drivetrain. All of this Jeep-bred goodness can be yours for just $25,900 before any sort of destination fees, taxes, documentation, or licensing fees are added up.
The great news is that Jeep is currently offering some amazing specials on Compass models. On the downside, you do have to drive a Jeep Compass.
That's a hard question to answer, so we'll break it down a bit. One thing we must consider is the reason behind automakers creating cars with a bit more oomph than normal while also retaining an agreeable and easily-affordable price. No brand wants to be seen as "boring" and cars like the $45,560 2025 Ford Mustang GT help create engagement with the brand. It also allows automakers to easily carry on a legacy nameplate's fame on a massive scale.
Another aspect to consider is the relative subjectivity of the world "power". In the automotive world, power is, of course, quantified by horsepower and torque measurements. However, while these numbers are important, they're not the end-all-be-all of a powerful or non-powerful car. Take the Mazda Miata, for example. It only produces 181 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque. If you had that much power in your full-size sedan or pickup truck, you'd be hard-pressed to get anywhere on time.
But, in the Miata, it's more than enough punch. For one thing, the ND Miata only weighs 2,366 pounds, meaning its 181 horses amount to more than they would in a vehicle that weighs two tons. Because of this, those 181 Japanese horses can propel the little Miata from 0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds, a properly quick time for a car that costs just under $30,000. In short, we at CarBuzz will hang our hats on the fact that no, cheap power isn't going anywhere any time soon.
2025-01-11T03:27:31ZSources: Toyota, Jeep, Mazda, Ford