I don't know what Toyota did with that 2.5 4 banger when they massaged it for the newest Camry and sounds like the Rav-4 too but they took something good and somehow made it much worse.
Drove the 1st year of the 8th gen Camry with the 2.5/8 speed and was honestly excited to try it after having so many positive 7th gen Camry rentals over the prior 3 years. The engine was a buzz bomb from [censored], after a few hundred miles buzzing around Orlando in that thing I could not wait to give it back - anything 4k over that engine definitely made itself known. Previously I would try to pick a 7th gen Camry with the 2.5/6 speed because they were such well rounded vehicles and I was so used to them as rentals they were a comfortable home away from home when I was traveling for work, the 7th gen 2.5's were incredibly refined compared to the 8th gen 2.5's. At 6k RPM the 8th gen it sounds like the engine is sitting in your lap.
Drove the 1st year of the 8th gen Camry with the 2.5/8 speed and was honestly excited to try it after having so many positive 7th gen Camry rentals over the prior 3 years. The engine was a buzz bomb from [censored], after a few hundred miles buzzing around Orlando in that thing I could not wait to give it back - anything 4k over that engine definitely made itself known. Previously I would try to pick a 7th gen Camry with the 2.5/6 speed because they were such well rounded vehicles and I was so used to them as rentals they were a comfortable home away from home when I was traveling for work, the 7th gen 2.5's were incredibly refined compared to the 8th gen 2.5's. At 6k RPM the 8th gen it sounds like the engine is sitting in your lap.