The 2012 Toyota Camry and 2012 Chevy Malibu are mid-sized sedans built for comfortable cruising, do-most-capability (not everything by a long shot, but unless you’re a particular type of buyer who really needs to get off the beaten path or bring a LOT of stuff along, you probably won’t ever find these cars insufficient) and approachable cost of ownership. The Toyota Camry and Chevy Malibu have starting prices within $500 of each other, so buyers should be cross shopping the two cars, and since Toyota and GM are two of the top three largest car makers, chances are a lot of them are. The 2012 Toyota Camry starts at $21,955 while the 2012 Chevy Malibu starts at $21,995.

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Both the 2012 Camry and 2012 Malibu come with all of the bells and whistles you’d expect from a new car as options, but the Malibu wins the competition for included equipment on the base model, thanks to standard navigation, stolen vehicle recovery system and hands-free calling through Onstar, power seats and included satellite Radio. The Camry does have those as options (minus the stolen vehicle recovery system) on higher trim levels, and does come standard with ipod hookup, which isn’t included in the Malibu. The base Malibu also comes standard with 18 inch wheels, while the Camry has just 16-inchers. That might sound like a trivial thing to drivers, but the wheels play a large part in how good the car looks. Take a look at a base camry without upgraded wheels sometime (if you can find one on a dealer lot) and you’ll see for yourself. The Camry also has optional keyless ignition, which the Malibu doesn’t, but with only that forgettable option separating it, the Camry definitely looses in the content category.
In the mechanical department, the Camry has a distinct advantage, thanks in part to the fact that it was redesigned for this year. 2012 Toyota Camry buyers can choose between a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 178-hp and 170 lb-ft of torque rated at 25-mpg city and 35 highway or a 3.5-liter V6 with 268-hp and 248 lb-ft of torque that gets 21-city and 30-highway miles per gallon. The 2012 Malibu comes with the choice between a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 169-hp and 160 lb0ft of torque rated at 22-mpg city and 33-mpg highway or a 3.6-liter V6 with 252-hp and 251 lb-ft of torque rated at 17-mpg city and 26-mpg highway.
Inside, the Camry will be more comfortable for wider customers while the Malibu is better for taller folks. The Camry has 54.5 inchs of front hip room and 58 inches of front shoulder room to the Malibu’s 53 and 55.9 inches. The Malibu has 39.4 inches of front head room and 42.2 inches of front shoulder room while the Camry has 38.8 inches of head room and 41.6 inches of leg room. The 2012 Camry has 15.4 cubic feet of cargo room and 118.1 cubic feet of total interior volume while the 2012 Malibu has 15.1 cubic feet of cargo space and 112.8 cubic feet of total room.