Thank you for having a wonderful board. Wife and I were considering '07 TCH. After reading this board, you convinced me this is the way to go for my 35 mile commuter car (replacing '02 focus) .You'll never get me out of my convertible for summer fun trips though. Also, armed with info from this board and dealer invoice figures from Edmunds.com, I was able to get $1400 off MSRP on car with everything except nav. I think I actually could have done slightly better had I been a better negotiator, my mistake. I wanted nav but hard to find here, plus my wife convinced me it was really just an expensive toy. I reminder her this car is just an expensive toy too, considering Prius does better on mileage and can be had for thousands less with a nav.

I can't wait to pick the car up today at noon! Is there a guide anywhere, "How to drive a hybrid"?

Anyone in Cincinnati Area, go see David Howard at Performance Toyota. Worked with him for 2 months prior to buying this car. Let us test drive 3 different hybrids with varying trim levels (hit or miss with what was coming in that wasn't sold, hard at times), 2 regular Camrys (I4 and V6), always offered sodas, coffee, etc. Never pushy, never called and said, "When are you coming in." He even gave me some of his migrane pain killer killer when I got a migrane while at the dealership. Great salesman, highly recommend him. Don't know about dealer service department yet, never owned a Toyota. Initial impression is this dealer is every bit as service conscious as the local Infiniti and Porsche dealer. Manager always asking if we are being treated right, never "Is there anything I can do that would cause you to buy that car."

Thanks to you all, I'm terribly excited to be joining the "green" crowd, even though I don't consider myself a tree hugger, it's going to be fun driving 550 miles without my hands smelling like petrol!

 

Glad you joined the TCH group. There is a lot of info on this site about how to get the most MPG. Did you post under introductions too? Our TCH is actually my husbands, I have driven it twice but I love it. Laurie

 

Welcome to the board. Take some time to look though the past pages of the posts and you will find a wealth of knowledge.

I do have a comment about your comment about the Camry being a toy in realtion to the Prius. For us we would not go to the Prius. I wanted a Hybrid that did not scream hybrid. I wanted a car I could fit 5 in. I wanted a car I could keep up with traffic. I think the Camry Hybrid is a more than sensable choice considering we got a $2600 tax rebate, which made it the same price as a base XLE.

Once again Welcome.

 

I'm with ya. For us the size of the Camry's rear seat was also a deciding factor.

 

[QUOTE=stavinski;102148] I wanted nav but hard to find here, plus my wife convinced me it was really just an expensive toy. I reminder her this car is just an expensive toy too, considering Prius does better on mileage and can be had for thousands less with a nav.

/QUOTE]

Not to get into Prius knocking, but I would never buy a Prius. Although I am happy the technology started with the Prius and was refined with it. It has too many negatives for me. In fact, I seriously considered the Highlander Hybrid but was turned off by the use of a 6 cylinder engine. A 4 would have been perfect.

The Prius has terrible sight lines. The spoiler is right in the middle of the rear window and it is an ugly car.

From my viewpoint, the TCH hit things just about perfect. Good size, very good mileage, comfortable and a good-looking car.

 

Learn the "pulse and glide" technique. It's a great way to squeeze another mile or two (or 10) out of a gallon, especially if you are doing busy highway or slow-and-go commuting.

 

What sort of period are we talking for this cycle? Does this make the passengers knecks sore?

 

It all depends on the traffic conditions, terrain - all that stuff. You'll catch on.

I do my own version of the PNG, because I think it's at least semi-important to keep up with traffic. Generally, I'll accelerate over the crest of a hill, and then pull my foot back from the pedal (not off!) and watch for the MPG needle to slide towards 60, while keeping the ICE running. I can't watch the little gas-motor-wheel display, because it's too distracting, so I watch the MPG needle instead. If the hill is steep enough, I can go into electric-mode, but if I keep the ICE running I can accelerate quickly if I need to - which is good in slow-and-go traffic and hilly terrain. I also give myself plenty of room in front of me - much to the consternation of the guy behind me, so that I can afford to not ride the brake.

Anyway, that's how I do it - I'm sure there are as many techniques as there are drivers. My mileage is steadily improving, though, so I must be doing something right.

When I have passengers in the car I can't pay enough attention to do the PNG, so their necks are safe!