It’s pretty easy to become blasé when you drive one or more new vehicles each and every week.

It’s also easy to forget just how good cars have become, how reliable and how much you can get for your dollar.

A perfect example of all of this is the Toyota Camry. Nothing flashy, nothing special, simply rock-solid reliability, industry-leading quality, and a whole lot of value.

	2012 Toyota Camry XLE
	Price:$29,900 base, $31,600 as tested, includes freight
	Engine: 2.5-litre DOHC four-cylinder, 178-hp, 170-lb. ft. of torque Transmission: 6-speed auto
	Transport Canada says (litres/100 km): 8.2 city / 5.6 highway
	Competition:Chevrolet Malibu, Chrysler 200, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, Mazda6, VW Passat

The Camry has been a mainstay in the Toyota lineup globally since it was first introduced in 1982 and the best-selling car in North America for the past nine years in a row.

The current model sold here was developed specifically for the North America market and differs in many ways from that offered in other parts of the world.

Our Camry is built in Kentucky. It received a major makeover for the 2012 model year with all-new sheet metal that looks new only when lined up alongside a 2011 model. The interior received a more evident restyle and prices are down across the board.

The $1,300 drop in price and resultant sub-$30,000 bottom line for the top XLE trim level was what caught my attention. Like every Camry, this is a very solid and quiet car that exudes quality.

Look around and you notice things like soft touch materials, wood and satin finish trim, contrasting stitching and how very well equipped it is — and how much car you get for the money.

In addition to all the regular stuff like power windows, seat mirrors etc., the leather-lined test vehicle had dual zone climate control, a navigation system, back-up camera with a large 15-cm colour touchscreen, alloy wheels, auto-dimming rearview mirror with compass, garage door opener, pushbutton start, rear reading lamps and a power sunroof.

The driver can adjust the heated power seat and tilt and telescope steering wheel to suit almost any stature and even adjust the degree of lumbar support. The sound system would be a welcome addition in many family rooms

The interior revisions for 2012 have resulted in more room and safety. Some pretty clever thinking made more space from the same area by moving the pedal set forward, the rear seatback slightly backward and reducing the thickness of the trim around the pillars and headliner.

The center stack has a covered storage area with various connections for your phone or portable music system and a 12-volt plug so you can charge them. There is a second small storage area on the center console and a third larger one beneath the padded center armrest. There is a pull-down coin/token tray to the left of the steering wheel and storage pockets in each front door. And lest we forget — a glove box!

And while we are on the topic of storage, the trunk is big, fully lined and the second row split-folding seat backs can be dropped via a handle in the trunk.

Airbags abound. The 2012 Camry has 10 of them, including a new one for the front passenger’s knees and side torso bags for the folks sitting in back. ABS, electronic stability and traction control and electronic brake force distribution are all standard.

The drivetrains of the 2012 Camry have been carried over from last year. There are three variants to choose from — four and six-cylinder gasoline engine and a hybrid. The four is rated at 178-horsepower, the V6 at 268 and the hybrid at 200.

The gasoline engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission and the hybrid gets a CVT (Continuously Variable transmission). In all cases power goes to the front wheels.

The engineers did some tweaking of electronic systems in the continual pursuit of higher efficiency and in doing so found a few more horses (eight of them for the four-cylinder model I tested) and thanks to a new electric power steering system and the resultant reduction of the drag caused by a belt-driven hydraulic pump mileage is up slightly as well.

I am a firm believer there is no such thing as enough, let alone too much power. But, while the silky smooth six is a beaut and recommended if you regularly carry large passengers, the four is engine enough for most people and applications. It too is very quiet and refined. I averaged 8.5 litres/100 km over a mixed bag of city and highway driving,

The ride quality is excellent and although it is too soft to tackle the turns with vigor, it has been improved for 2012 with new suspension geometry and a stiffer chassis.

The electric steering is very light at low speed and lacks the feel and feedback of the previous system, but it does firm up as vehicle speed increases.

The Camry is commendably quiet at all legal speeds.