I have just arrived at this forum in my search for information that will help me decided between the top Corolla, CE Camry, or the Hybrid Camry.
Absolutely essential are the side curtain airbags, which is why it would have to be the LE B package Corolla.I have no interest in other bells and whistles - except I would like a power seat (artificial hip). Compact is better in this crowded city but Corolla has no power seat. And the CE Camry's fuel economy is poor compared to the Corolla and Hybrid. And the Hybrid is bigger and more complicated and expensive than I need...and on and on.

So, I very much appreciate the sharing of information here, and especially the performance reviews, which are encouraging. Nonetheless I am concerned by some comments from Consumer Reports Weblog. (I hope no one has posted these already - I did search the site).NB comment on the sluggish response and the car not being fun to drive.


I'd be grateful for any insights on the following and/or my remarks above.


http://discussions.consumerreports.o...ag=cr-autotest
With fuel economy still a major discussion topic around the water cooler--now that American Idol anxiety is over--we thought you’d be interested in our first impressions with Toyota’s latest fuel sipper. Our $30,667 Camry Hybrid is being tested alongside a regular four-cylinder LE model and top-of-the-line XLE V6. Here’s a look at some comments our testers have written in the Hybrid’s logbook:

“The trunk is half the size of the standard Camry.”

“Quite impressive acceleration, but you must push the accelerator to get it. The pedal feels very heavy and has long travel, which may help MPG, but makes it feel sluggish to drive.”

“The navigation system is easy to program by the touch screen, but the voice-recognition system can't compare to the one in the [Infiniti] M35 (available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers only) . The Camry’s has an awkward help menu, poor ability to discern place names (how does ‘Connecticut’ sound like ‘Alberta’?), and oddly says, ‘Please retry continuously' when you need to fix an error.”

“Does Toyota make any money on this car?”

“Technically impressive. But I like the normal Camry much more (not to mention the Honda Accord).”

“[The Camry Hybrid] is roomy, quiet, quick, and fuel efficient. Fun to drive? No, but if you don’t care about that, this car is hard to beat.”

“Amazing cruising range.”

Check back this summer to find out how the three Camrys scored.