2026 Toyota Camry Trim Matchup: Base LE Vs. Flagship XSE
The Fenomeno is the latest model to join Lambo's Few Off lineup, limited to just under 30 units worldwide.
Ford cut 2026 Explorer prices, but heavy discounts on 2025 models may offer even better deals for buyers willing to skip the newest model year.
View post: 2026 Ford Explorer Is Less Expensive — But Should You Get a 2025 Model Instead?
Base Camry offers unbeatable value, while top model threatens some premium models
Although still early in its life, it's safe to say that the all-new Toyota Camry has been a success. Not only is this hybrid-only sedan highly efficient and good to drive, but it has been performing well on the sales charts, too. If you're considering a new Camry, you may wonder which of the four trims is best. We've already compared the lower two trims, but how different is the entry-level LE to the top-spec XSE, and is the latter worth its $6,200 price premium? Let's find out.
Camry LE Vs. XSE Pricing
We'll start by looking at the pricing of the 2026 Toyota Camry. It starts at $29,000 for the base LE and goes all the way up to $36,725 for the XSE AWD. Between these trims, there is the SE ($31,300), Nightshade Edition ($32,300), XLE ($34,000), and XSE ($35,200). All these trims are available with AWD.
Even after its 2026 price increase, the base Camry LE is tremendous value, but the range-topping XSE adds a number of desirable amenities, aesthetic upgrades, and tech features. Surprisingly, the driving experience is also markedly improved.
Design: Rental Car Vibes Vs. Near-Premium Appeal
Toyota Camry LE
Toyota Camry XSE
Sitting on rather small 16-inch wheels and with white paint (other colors are available), the base Camry LE does look a little plain. The XSE immediately makes a better first impression with its 19-inch wheels, a color-keyed sport mesh front grille, gloss-black air curtains, a black rear spoiler, and a color-keyed rear sport lower diffuser.
Bi-LED projector headlights are standard on the LE, while the range-topping XSE gets dual LED headlights, premium LED taillights, and a sportier exhaust with dual chrome tips. Although not visible to the naked eye, acoustic noise-reducing front side glass helps to keep noise levels lower in the XSE.
Toyota Camry XSE —
Source: Toyota
The LE is available with a few more interesting colors than the white pictured above, but only the XSE gets access to a color palette with a black contrast roof.
These changes don't necessarily make the XSE a better car, but it looks a lot better than the basic LE.
Interior: It's Easy To See Where The Extra Cash Goes
Toyota Camry LE
Toyota Camry XSE
All new Camrys get a smartly designed and practical cabin, but there are substantial differences between the base LE and the range-topping XSE.
The LE is the only Camry trim with fabric-trimmed seats and manual adjustment for the driver's seat, whereas the XSE gets genuine leather upholstery, eight-way powered front seats, and standard heated seats. Touchpoints like the steering wheel and shift knob have a leather covering in the XSE. In the XSE, you also get the option of a Cockpit Red interior, a much more expressive look than the LE's black or grey interior colors.
Toyota Camry XSE —
Source: Toyota
Other features you get as standard on the XSE but which are not available for the LE include the following:
Aluminum sport pedals
Paddle shifters
White LED ambient interior lighting
12.3-inch touchscreen
12.3-inch digital gauge cluster
The LE has a smaller eight-inch touchscreen and seven-inch digital gauge cluster. On the options list, the LE can't be equipped with features like ventilated front seats, a head-up display, a panoramic glass roof, or the upgraded nine-speaker JBL sound system, all of which are available on the XSE.
It's inside where one can most tell the difference between the base Camry and the top-of-the-range model.
Safety Equipment
Source: Toyota
The LE matches the XSE in terms of the standard specification. Both trims come standard with eight airbags, blind-spot monitoring, pedestrian detection, radar-based cruise control, lane departure alert, road sign assist, and more.
The main difference exists on the options list. Here, you can upgrade the XSE with advanced features such as traffic jam assist, a surround-view monitor, lane change assist, front/rear parking assistance, and front cross-traffic alert. None of these are available on the XSE.
Performance: Same Performance, But LE Is More Efficient Than XSE
Both the Camry LE and Camry XSE are equipped with the same 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid engine. It produces 225 horsepower with front-wheel drive or 232 hp with all-wheel drive, so straight-line performance is comparable regardless of whether you go for the base model or the top one. All models have an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission.
In our review, we found the Camry to be an excellent drive. The powertrain is quiet and the gas engine kicks in more smoothly than before. There is more of a difference between the LE and XSE when the road begins to twist, though, as only the latter gets sport-tuned shocks and springs.
2026 Toyota Camry —
Source: Toyota
Whereas the LE prioritizes comfort, the XSE remains tolerable on rough roads but exhibits much tauter steering. Turn-in is more responsive and its body stays flatter through corners, so the XSE is the easy pick for more enthusiastic drivers.
Due to its lower weight and smaller wheels, the LE is more efficient, though. With FWD, the base trim gets 53/50/51 mpg city/highway/combined, a superb effort for a spacious sedan. AWD drops that to 51/49/50 mpg. In the sportier XSE, expect 48/47/47 mpg with FWD and 44/43/44 mpg with AWD. When both are equipped with FWD, the LE will get an extra 52 miles per tank, which isn't insignificant.
Final Thoughts
Toyota Camry XSE —
Source: Toyota
You can easily make a case for the base Camry or its fully loaded sibling. The LE is incredibly efficient, yet has the same outputs as the pricier XSE. Toyota has also done a good job of equipping the LE with all the essential tech features, whereas the nice-to-haves are reserved for the XSE.
The range-topping Camry looks and feels like a much more premium product, and even though it has the same power, we were surprised at how much more engaging it was to drive than the LE.
Many top-spec trims come across as superfluous, but that's not the case with the Camry XSE. If you can afford the price bump, it's still a bargain when compared to base midsize sedans from luxury brands.
About the Author
Karl Furlong View Profile
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
It looks like a deserted property but plot sold for just $1 is set to become a booming $40m business
An abandoned nursing home in New York will be given a new lease of life after two brothers plan to move in on the land and turn it into a booming $40 million marijuana business. The Eerie County Home, a 700-bed nursing home complex for poor local residents, shuttered in 2005 and has sat vacantly deteriorating for years - until last month. Brothers Ryan Rich, 40, and Luke Rich, 38, are part of a team of four investors who plan to take control of the property in Western New York after they bought it for just $1. Last month, County Legislature passed a local law which handed the property over to the limited liability corporation held by the Rich brothers and two others in the marijuana business, Buffalo News reported. 'We could have done it anywhere in the United States,' Ryan told Buffalo News. 'We chose Western New York because that's where we're from.' Their vision saw a booming marijuana business and, after several years of negotiations with local officials, their dream became a thriving reality. Republican Legislator Frank Todaro told WIVB: 'We put it on the market in 2017 with an official broker under contract. We just received tire kickers. Nothing feasible that was going to make sense.' So, the sale in July for just one dollar, with the idea of repurposing the abandoned building, made sense to officials. The low price, however, comes with a large cost for cleanup as well as the removal of asbestos from the run-down property. Ryan told Buffalo News: 'The major issue in that building is not really the asbestos. It's more the neurotoxins created from bird and bat poop, to be honest with you. So if we can mitigate that stuff correctly in the future, we don't really see a reason for taking those building[s] down.' Todaro described the building as a 'liability', but told WIVB: '[The brothers] had many choices to locate other properties in Western New York, and Alden was one of their top choices. 'They saw that it was a beautiful piece of property, yet it's sitting there vacant and they wanted to give something back to the community.' Todaro said that developers will work in phases, and 'will abate the asbestos and utilize some of the buildings in addition to building a new one'. 'But they have plans in the future to utilize that property for the community,' he added. The brothers expect the property to be transferred to their ownership by September, and their hopes are to begin construction by this fall once the plans are approved in Alden. They have hopes that their business will help revitalize Alden, which, aside from farm land, is primarily known for its state prison and county jail. A map showing the plot of land and buildings on it is seen above 'Working with Eerie County and Alden together, it was kind of a match made in heaven with us,' Ryan told the outlet. 'We're really, really happy where we chose to do it and create the jobs, in the town that really we think we could put on the map.' In 2022, the brothers became investors of Garden Greens, an agricultural business in New Jersey, which eventually expanded to include a marijuana growing facility. Ryan said the business' cannabis growing facility has been ranked one of the best in the state. 'It's almost like a pharmaceutical-grade facility... and it runs clockwork with no problems,' he added. Yet, the locals of Alden have raised concerns over the Rich's plans for take over the abandoned building for a marijuana business. Many are incorrectly worried that the business plans to grow marijuana plants outside, prompting people to jump the fence and steal weed, Alden Town Supervisor Colleen Pautler told Buffalo News. She added that lots of time was spent reassuring locals, and believes there is an education curve but that the new business should provide the area with many new jobs, the outlet reported. 'I think it's an exciting opportunity for our community,' Pautler said. Todaro told WGRZ: 'A big plus too is 150 jobs, and these are not minimum wage jobs. These are fair wage-living you know to live, so they want to grow it, so they roughly said 150 to start and then they'll go from there.' Chief of staff to County Executive Mark Poloncarz, Benjamin Swanekamp, noted that the plot had been for sale at such a low price for a long time with no takers. A county appraisal of the parcel last year found that while including assumptions of building repairs or demolition costs, despite the land being worth $2.2 million, the value of it was 'less than zero', the outlet reported. Swanekamp added that it took so long to reach a deal because the county refused to be responsible for any future liability of the property. 'This is very beneficial to the county and county taxpayers,' he said.
Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
I drove competing VW SUVs... the American-built EV blows its gas sibling out of the water
Volkswagen has a long history of producing iconic, oddball cars. Its most recognizable models — the hippie-van Microbus, the smile-inducing Beetle, and the car enthusiast Golf — blend counterculture with mass-market appeal. But in recent years, the brand has pivoted to making the boring car type Americans can't seem to quit: the crossover SUV. That shift hasn't eliminated VW's signature weirdness. The company has several mid-size crossovers that somehow keep the fun-loving nature despite the SUV world's inherent dullness. We tested two of these SUVs: The all-electric ID.4 and gas-powered Taos. After a week with each, one emerged as the clear winner. It's probably not the one you'd expect. Taos's safe approach The Taos is a fine car for drivers who don't want to rock the boat. The VW Taos is a cute ute with a good mix of personality - but in a crowded small SUV market, it doesn't have major stand-out qualities It starts at $24,995 (our tester was $36,575), runs on regular unleaded, and checks all the expected boxes for a compact SUV. Built in Mexico with a 1.5-liter turbo four cylinder, it's VW's attempt at producing a thoroughly normal crossover with a reasonable starting price. It succeeds at reaching that standard — maybe too well. The Taos is pleasant enough to drive, boasting a sprightly engine that suits city driving. The cabin is nice for the price point, especially in our top-trim tester. At night, VW's signature illuminated badges light up when the headlights come on. But the Taos's budget roots can peek through at times. When idling, the engine drones more than its Toyota Corolla Cross and Honda HR-V competitors. The second row only has knee-busting 37.9 inches of legroom. And VW's digital-first philosophy sticks drivers with capacitive climate sliders that feel like playing smartphone Tetris — right when the windshield is getting foggy. The Taos, like many VW cars, struggles with an over digitized feel, especially with the sliders on the center console The Taos is the automotive equivalent of a peanut butter and jelly. It's fun, predictable, and ultimately, not the most memorable experience. The ID.4's high peaks and low valleys The ID.4 Pro, meanwhile, shouldn't work at all. Starting at $45,095 ($51,815 as tested), it's pricier than a Hyundai Ioniq 5 while offering less range than a Tesla Model Y or Ford Mustang Mach-E. On paper, that's a tough sell. But cars aren't spreadsheets. Owners are more often drawn to the heart than they are to logical, data-driven metrics. And the ID.4 has plenty of heart. This car is legitimately fun to drive with instant torque and an engaging steering feel. Even in a week of heavy rain, the ID.4 felt planted and predictable, despite its 4,600-pound weight. The ID.4 was plenty peppy in our test - it delivered instant torque and just the right steering feel Inside, the cabin shines, and not just because of its well-placed ambient lighting. The second row has adult-friendly legroom, a suitcase-ready trunk, and supportive seats. It does, unfortunately, keep VW's overly digitized approach. For example, there are only two window controls on the driver's door panel. Front-seat passengers must tap a capacitive 'rear' toggle to roll down the second-row windows — an added step to what should be a simple task. The lack of a traditional push-button start adds yet another quirk: the ID.4 powers itself on and off based on proximity to the key fob. Handing over that power to technology can be unnerving for anxious drivers who prefer definitive control over their vehicle. Plot Twist Currently, the Taos costs thousands less than the ID.4. However, thanks to looming tariffs, that price gap could narrow rapidly. Because it is built in Mexico, the budget-friendly SUV will incur a 25 percent tariff whenever VW imports new models into the US. The ID.4, by contrast, is built in Tennessee with some foreign components. We expect the Taos will remain the lower-priced option for years to come, but with the impact of tariffs set to upend the auto industry's pricing, the ID.4 might be in a stronger position. Verdict: an electric win VW's Taos is largely a price play. If the low price point is challenged, the competition isn't even close. The ID.4 offers more space, improved driving dynamics, enhanced refinement, and a more engaging overall experience. Yes, you'll need to figure out the plug, but if you have reliable access to home or workplace charging, the day-to-day ownership experience is simply better (and, ultimately, energy costs should be much lower). Also, for anyone nervous about the over-digitized buttons, VW has heard your qualms. The carmaker confirmed it is bringing back physical buttons in new model-year reboots, including the ID.4's 2026 redesign. Volkswagen may still be figuring out its electric future, but the ID.4 proves that future is still filled with exciting character.
The Guardian
23 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Putin won in Anchorage. Now Zelenskyy and Europe are in an even more perilous position
Donald Trump portrays himself as a hard-nosed dealmaker. Yet in the run-up to Friday's summit with Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, his claim that the Russian leader held him in high regard and was therefore serious about ending the war in Ukraine sounded naive. Putin doesn't let sentimentality shape his political and military decisions. Nor has he disavowed his longstanding claim to four Ukrainian provinces: Donetsk and Luhansk, which together comprise Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, and Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in the south. Despite Russia's overwhelming numerical advantage in troops and weaponry, Putin occupies only one province, Luhansk, almost entirely. Yet he persists. In the days before his meeting with Putin, Trump said the Russian economy 'stinks' and that falling oil prices would cause Russia's war to run aground. The war has certainly placed severe strains on Russia's economy, including high inflation and interest rates, labour shortages and a lack of investment by private businesses. Earnings from oil sales, a key source of state income, have also shrunk by 18% this year due to falling prices. There has even been talk of a recession. But these pressures have not prompted Putin to reassess his war plans. He ignored Trump's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accepted right away. Likewise, he was unfazed by Trump's threats to impose additional sanctions – with 'severe consequences', as he put it just before the summit – if Russia did not relent. Trump returned from Anchorage empty-handed for other reasons. Successful summits require painstaking advance work by leaders' subordinates; this one was arranged in haste. Given the rush, it was unsurprising that the Anchorage talks ended hours ahead of time. (The working lunch the two delegations were to have was cancelled.) During his post-summit press conference, Trump gamely praised Putin's goodwill and said that they had agreed on 'many points' during discussions that he described as 'productive'. Yet he failed to identify a single point of agreement and, atypically, didn't stay to answer reporters' questions. Putin came out ahead in Anchorage. He didn't agree to Trump's pet proposal for a ceasefire. It was Trump who ended up accepting Putin's position that a ceasefire must be preceded by a comprehensive peace agreement that addresses the 'root causes' of the war. Putin did show some flexibility by agreeing to freeze the frontline if Ukraine were to withdraw from Donetsk and Luhansk, and thus the entire Donbas, enabling Russia to acquire lands it has failed to conquer despite more than 40 months of fighting. Yet this offer could prove to be a trap. If Zelenskyy, who arrives in Washington for talks with Trump on Monday, refuses to do this, Putin may be able to look on as Trump tries to coerce the Ukrainian leader, forcing Europe to take sides. If Trump fails, Putin can paint Zelenskyy as the real obstacle to peace. Trump had declared that there would be no future talks if the summit failed – which it did, as he couldn't obtain a ceasefire, his main objective – yet in Anchorage, he spoke of follow-up meetings. Putin concurred, mischievously suggesting Moscow as the venue, but without indicating that he was open to including Zelenskyy and European leaders. By agreeing to further negotiations and keeping Trump's hopes for a peace deal alive, Putin may have ensured that the efficacy of additional US sanctions on Russia remains untested. By simply showing up in Anchorage, Putin demonstrated that the western policy of isolating him won't work. Zelenskyy and European leaders are undoubtedly relieved that the duo didn't unveil a deal to end the war by partitioning Ukraine. Still, Trump's readiness to accept Putin's insistence on this bilateral meeting after US efforts to include Zelenskyy failed had already sown more mistrust between Washington and Europe. Now Trump has embraced Putin's view that there can be no ceasefire without an overall agreement that addresses all aspects of the conflict. He has also in effect endorsed Putin's call for Ukraine to cede Donbas in exchange for a freeze of the frontline. These shifts will increase Ukraine and Europe's distrust of Trump – to Putin's advantage. Putin's confidence in Russia's eventual victory has been bolstered by Trump's decision, taken well before the summit, to cease direct weapons deliveries to Ukraine – assistance that totalled $65.9bn while Joe Biden was the US president. Russia will continue bombing Ukraine's cities, and its ground troops will keep pushing to grab even more land. In this respect, the summit has changed nothing. What has changed since Trump's return to the White House, though, is the US's role in the war. Ultimately, Trump believes that Russia's invasion does not threaten the US so it's up to the Europeans to support Ukraine's defence, a point JD Vance reiterated shortly before the summit. European countries have been increasing its defence spending and military support to Ukraine. But it had better be prepared to do even more and summon the unity to stay the course. Meanwhile, the lure of additional talks with Putin will keep alive Trump's illusion that continued diplomatic engagement with Russia and his self-proclaimed deal-making skills will eventually end the war – clearing the path to the Nobel peace prize he covets. Rajan Menon is a professor emeritus of international relations at the City College of New York and a senior research scholar at Columbia University's Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies
