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.

 

Well, I don't have my TCH yet, but I did test drive one. Fun to drive: YES!

I would NOT call this car sluggish AT ALL. Sluggish was the AWD Matrix we test drove afterwards. I was not impressed by having to just about floor it to make it up a highway onramp at a reasonable speed. The TCH had no such problems. In fact, I was quite pleasantly surprised by how quickly and smoothly it got up to speed.

My current car is a 1999 Corolla. It's trunk space is about 12 cubic feet. The Camry Hybrid has 10.5 cubic feet AND a 60/40 back seat with one side that folds down. My Corolla, a VE, does not have the folding rear seat.

I think you have to take these sorts of comments in perspective. Who is making the comments? If it's someone who regularly drives very high end, performance vehicles then the TCH might feel sluggish or "not fun," but for me it was neither.

Edited grammar error...

 

I'm not sure why CR says it's not fun to drive. The CVT takes a bit of getting use to (feels kinda like the transmission slipping) which means it doesn't snap into a lower gear like a traditional transmission when stomped upon. The curb weight is about 200# greater than the V6 models, so it is like driving with a friend in the trunk (well, maybe not a friend. Maybe a coworker, or a boss, maybe an ex...) About CR's comment re: long accelerator travel: I appreciate that ability since it makes it easier to subtly change output. I wouln't change that a bit.

Working Stiff: the Camry seat is very comfortable and infinately adjustable, but my mom needed a higher car to get in and out of easily. She chose a Toyota Highlander which is great for her back problem (not a hip problem so take this with a grain of salt.)

Thanks.

 

Thanks, both of you. We are clearly all enthusiasts of hybrids in principle and
I think Toyotas in practice, but I need to amortize this car over many many years so cannot afford to make a mistake.

The Highliner gets superb reviews but it's so BIG. Fine for a country estate; tricky in city traffic, city parking.

But I'm Canadjun,eh, and we kinda like smaller cars.

Although I keep seeing Hummers here. I call them Bully Trucks. Would love to see a psycho-analysis of the people who like to drive them.

 

If you're looking for an "economy car" - i.e. to save money on car and fuel - then don't look at the hybrid. Buying a hybrid is not an economical decision, at least not yet. At the current gas price of ~$3 a gallon, it'll take >5 years to get your money back (assuming you get the tax break). When the gas gets up to $5-6 a gallon, it gets more attractive. (Somebody check my math)

But you will be paying more $ for the hybrid because of that battery... The automakers also know those who are buying hybrids are not necessarily looking for a cheap car, that's why it's hard to find a TCH that's minimally equipped.

If you want an economy car - look at the Toyota Matrix, or Scions.

 

Thanks,Newby. But the Scion is not available here or my kind of car and the Matrix does not come with side curtain airbags - otherwise it would be a serious contender for me.

It's not about fuel economy; that's just shorthand for CO2 emissions for me. I want to know, when the last polar drowns, that I at least made an effort.

So, the Corolla gets good fuel economy, and therefore is ok. It's not as good in a crash. The Camry is better in a crash, but the CE uses more fossil fuels. The Hybrid contributes less Co2 and has the higher safety...but it's large for the city, and I am uncertain about the trunk, and am wondering about performance, having read those Consumer report tester comments. But not as much, thanks to the above contributions.

WS

 

Working Stiff:

True story: I was on a business trip in Calgary. We had to drive to Edmonton in the snow. We were in a small Saturn sedan and had no problems, but saw many pick-up's off the road.

So what's gas up to in Canada? Last time I was there, it was over a buck a litre. That's gotta swing you towards a TCH, at least a bit? Does the Prius have power seats? I totally agree with you about the cost of cars: my TCH replaces a 1995 Dodge Neon that has 170,000 miles. I was looking at a Cooper Mini, but it has less than great service records, plus, really, how long would it take before it was old hat cramming my two kids in the back of a Mini? I do agree that the hybrid is cutting edge, but I think Toyota's got enough real world miles behind the system. Sure, next year's system will be better, but that's always true.

Take care.

 

I disagree. Every week there are 5 basic TCH available in my area. There are less and less fully loaded TCH's now. Batteries...why are the FEH running over 200,000 miles on the same batteries? In CA the batteries have a really long warranty from the state 150,000 miles.

 

For what its worth, I test-drove the TCH immediately following the Acura TL and within a week of a BMW 330i, BMW 530i, BMW 550i, Lexus GS 430. I can afford all of those cars. I'm getting a TCH. It definitely did not drive as fast as any of those cars. But it did handle almost as well as the Acura TL, was quieter than the TL and had way more room than the TL or the 330i.

In terms of "fun to drive", I did find all 3 of the BMWs (particularly the 330i and the 550i) to be more "fun to drive." (The least expensive of the three MSRPs at $43k USD.)

But....I didn't find a huge difference between the TL and the TCH in terms of *handling* although the power of the TL was clearly better. Frankly, the TCH reminded me more of the Lexus GS 430 than it did any other drive. Nice, quiet and, frankly, fun, but not completely totally great fun (like the BMWs).

The best thing I can say is that I found the TCH "fun enough" and, certainly, way more fun than my current ride (Honda Civic EX '96). If you drive it like you don't give a darn about gas mileage, it can be quite fun to "punch it" and see what it can do.

You are buying a family sedan priced under $31k. How much fun do you expect?

If you want more fun, try the Accord Hybrid....its more expensive and gets worse gas mileage, but it is much quicker.

 

Looks like everyone is responding to a troll.