I agree.. not many owners know it exists !.. I have used GreenHybrid for 4 years and in the Toyota Camry Hybrid forum, we had thousands of hits and more posts that you can imagine.. Of course, the TCH is one of the most purchased hybrids out there besides the PrYus.
But then I wanted a larger sedan with equally superior fuel economy.. The TCH fit that bill perfectly.. There were a few issues over the years with the TCH, but Toyota was excellent about taking care of those issues. One TCH issue that left a sour taste in my mouth was the STEERING LINK issue where the power steering can go out. I had had a relatively minor front end collision in the TCH, and it took four months to get it fixed. Near the completion of the repairs, the TCH had this steering link issue and it added another $2,400 to the repair bill of over $10K !. Fortunately the mishap wasn't my fault but the other insured had to cough up $10K for my repair.
My point is this.. Sometime last year, Toyota had a recall for this electric steering issue and repaired it free.
Now we have the accelerator issue. Even though the TCH was NOT included in the latest recall, it is important to note that I HAD THE STUCK accelerator issue in the TCH but due to an extra winter floor mat that I had used.. It caused the accelerator to stick and I had to react a couple of times to avoid a collison. Now this is also a recall issue.. Sort of made me gunshy, so to speak. So I drove the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and absolutely LOVE it !
. It is a vast improvement on the TCH hybrid system and so far, it is really great.. Only a couple of things that may be considered by some as a drawback.
1.) The FFH requires the use of an actual KEY.. I really got used to never fumbling for a FOB or key and only having to insure that it was in my pocket at all times. So the key will take a little getting used to again. The FFH does have a keypad outside so you can sort of emulate the keyless action.
2.) I would have liked to have had LED tailights and the new LED turn signal indicators like most of the new cars at any time.
3.) opening the trunk without a key was great too.
4.) Since the KEY turn to start does not acutally do much, they could have used the button technology that is out there.
On the positive side, the SYNC system (even though it is my MICROSOFT), is chocked full of capabilities, only some of which I have learned thus far.. I love the integrated Sirius (as a former Sirius consumer), the TRAVEL LINK data which provides LIVE traffic incident reports that MORE accurate than local radio stations, the weather forecasts and even what the local gas prices are wherever you are at the time.
I will report back from time to time as I learn and experience my new Ford Fusion Hybrid for 2010.
Why isn't this a very popular Forum
