Simu Liu is a Canadian actor most recently thrust into the spotlight for his work as Shang-Chi in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, released early September in theaters and on a Disney+. The latest superhero film from the Marvel universe has ruled the box office and touts the first Asian lead character. But of automotive interest is a quip among celebrities that Liu made in May of 2020 on Twitter regarding a certain Japanese sedan and a Camry.

What Liu says is ‘the second most Asian car there ever was’

In a string of Twitter banter and replies, Liu responded to a joke from comedian Hasan Minhaj who said he owned “a black Camry.” Liu jumped in, saying that the black Toyota Camry was “the second most Asian car there ever was, outdone only by the white Camry.”

This was indeed a humorous exchange between the two that garnered plenty of laughs and retweets. But jokes aside, the Camry gets a bad rap for being boring here and in general. The Camry is actually a hugely popular car.

The Toyota Camry is one of the best selling cars of all time

According to CNBC, the Camry’s reputation as a boring car exists even within Toyota. It may just be its overwhelming regularness that has made the Camry so popular. According to CNBC, it was the top-selling passenger car of 2019 in the U.S. It’s also one of the biggest-selling cars of all time.

While this feat and recognition are imperative for any vehicle, it is crucial given the rising popularity of SUVs and the decline of the good old sedan. But as CNBC mentions, Toyota advantageously filled the gap while other automakers in the U.S. have cut production of sedans and coupes. As a result, Toyota gained market share where other brands lost it.

Overview of the Toyota Camry

So while the Camry may be historically dubbed as the “boring” car, its most essential attributes are consistently high ratings and being an all-around great car. The Camry has enjoyed the highest reliability ratings and best reviews over the years from Consumer Reports. 

What stands out the most about the Camry’s ratings is that they are always the highest across the board, regardless of the model year. Since Consumer Reports calculates how past models of a vehicle have held up as a measure to predict how future models should fare, the Camry continues to be a solid choice. For the 2021 model, Consumer Reports ranks the Camry as the number one choice out of 11 midsized sedans. Some categories that earn the Camry top ratings include braking, emergency handling, ride comfort, and overall usability. 

What’s more, Toyota did slightly revamp the Camry with some sporty handling and improved styling features. One considerable improvement to an already historically fuel-efficient model is even better fuel economy for 2021. The four-cylinder Camry LE boasts an overall rating of 32 mpg from Consumer Reports. It’s the Camry Hybrid LE four-cylinder CVT that delivers a whopping 47 mpg overall and 53 mpg on the highway alone. In addition, the Camry LE travels an estimated 515 miles on a full tank of gas while the Hybrid LE bumps that number up to 610 miles.

As for safety ratings, the Camry gets top scores from crash testing from both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in their respective batteries of tests. All-in-all the Camry is not a bad choice.