Wired has just updated their posted article with the correct price as CGameprogrammer... correctly stated. We could only wish it came in at 22k. As for leather, I dig it. It doesn';t feel right to cover my seats in hide but I might go for it as an option. I never notice the smell or slipperyness in new leather; the stain resistance factor alone makes it worthwhile to me. My car is currently a tribute to 500 cloth stains that magically appear from one day to the next. Cloth for me holds funky odors easily and is constantly in need of a steam cleaning. The funky odors thing might just be a personal issue.

What the heck are you doing in your car? I've got cloth seats on my HCH and they look and smell like new. Are you eating a kettle of fish stew while hauling uncovered farm supplies on a twisty unpaved road?

That is a fair question lakedude:
I am a hybrid mentality guy living a Jeep lifestyle. I climb, ski, take the dogs for a run to the river, camp, and carry loads of home-improvement crap from Lowes home in the back of my current vehicle.

This explains why I have mysterious stains pop up here and there over time and why leather's resilience might fit my lifestyle better. I am not into owning another SUV if I can help it and will likely have to change how my car gets used as well. Sorry for the thread digression, I am not really a slob, just use my current car like a truck and am hoping the new Camry with a little resilience can fit my needs.

I strongly suggest Wet Okole seat covers. They are actually designed specifically to be waterproof, to keep the seats clean, and to be cleaned easily themselves. But I just bought them for the comfort and looks (I like the splash of color it adds to the interior).

Actually, I wish that Ford, Chevy, or Toyota *would* make a light or medium-duty hybrid pickup truck. There's no reason why a truck the size of an S10 or a Ranger couldn't get low 40's if the engine was designed efficiently and paired to a decent hybrid architecture (IMA or HSD; BAS is not powerful enough). Besides, if you used it for camping, a 154v system (or higher) could certainly power the gadgets you can't live without!

Uh, guess again! The Camry Hybrid gets upper-30's. How can a pickup truck get better mileage than it? Pickups are *far* less aerodynamic, they're higher up (which reduces efficiency), they have larger wheels (reduced efficiency) and they're heavier. The Camry is about 3300 lbs without the HSD.

It's easier to make a fuel-efficient SUV than a pickup truck, because SUVs are alot more aerodynamic. Plus a commercially successful pick-up would probably need to tow a good amount, which probably means using at least a V-6, and the V-6 Highlander Hybrid only gets like 26 mpg.

I had the smaller trucks in mind. I used to drive a v6 Ford Ranger that got 21 or 22 mpg. Something like *that* should be able to get at least 30 if you max out the hybrid tricks (idle stop, limited EV, and cylinder deactivation).

Theoretically, a small pickup can be made fuel-efficient, especially at low speeds where aerodynamics don't matter much, but then it would likely fail at being a good pickup. Most people who drive pickups need to carry or tow alot of weight, which no current hybrid is good at doing... I think there's one SUV hybrid, I forget which, that can tow 1000 lbs. It's probably the 26 mpg Highlander.

The Highlander Hybrid is rated to tow 4500 lbs. The Ford Escape Hybrid is rated for 1,000 lbs. towing.

Mileage is higher in the Escape, by 4-5MPG combined. You can take 7 passengers in the HiHy, 5 in the FEH.

'04 Seaside Pearl #7. Fumoto oil drain, mudflaps, rear bumper scuff protector & rear warn system, compass mirror, EV mode button, 8" subwoofer in right rear cubby & 6" subs under seats, power lumbar in the front seats, Coastaletech hitch w/ Aspen bike/snowboard rack. iPod2car, 2 amps, Alpine component speakers, and DVD video, solid 47 MPG @ 70000 miles.

Okay, as Camry day gets closer upon us, I have a related question and would appreciate a tip in the right direction from anyone more knowledgable than I.

My first car I bought with cash in hand in total and 30 minutes of feeble negotiation. This next car will be my first foray into financing/credit/interest rate/haggling. Is there a good book out there I can read to help bone up or some good websites outside of this one you recommend that focus on all of the financial aspects going on here?

I am not an idiot and have a fairly solid base compared to most folks but I am just one that feels you really cannot know too much in advance of walking in the door. For example, one of my aquaintances has a car contract that penalizes overpayment. The penalty seems harsh (several thousand) but still works out to be less than paying the monthly payment schedule with interest for the original loan period, even with the penalty.