Hey everyone.
Well I have found a 2009 Camry Hybrid with the 16" alloy wheels and JBL sound system with only 5,500 miles on it for only $23,995. They had booked it as an LE model and promised it to me at that price and gladly agreed to let me buy it for that price instead of the price it should have been, $27,500. So come Monday I am going to get it. But I have a few concerns. I will be transitioning from a 2006 Ford Explorer XLT with leather and all that. I love it, but it gets 14 MPG. My mom has a HiHy so I am familiar a bit with Hybrids. Is the Camry Hybrid worth losing the space and features of the Explorer. And is it possible to get aftermarket leather put on the seats and would it be any good? And as far as safety, how safe is it compared to the Explorer?

 

There are different grades of leather. From what I have seen, the factory leather in the TCH is a thin, cheap leather. I don't think it will last well. In aftermarket leather, you can buy the grade you want. You won't get the heated seats feature with aftermarket leather kits, though. I think you can buy seat heaters if you really want them.

Many dealers sell dealer-installed leather instead of factory leather. When I ordered my TCH, I wanted leather, The sales guy told me I wouldn't be happy with the factory leather, and showed me why... I ended up with a dealer-installed aftermarket leather kit, with better quality leather for about $400 less than the factory option.

(Be aware that the aftermarket NAV systems are NOT good. They don't have the energy displays that the factory NAV system includes. There are several threads here from guys who had difficulty with aftermarket NAVs.)

 

As for the difference in size between a truck and a car ... that is something that only you can decide. How often do you actually fill the explorer full or heavy? And, can you borrow or rent a truck when you really need one? (Lowes and HD rent trucks for something like $25/hour. With $4 gas, you could rent one of those every weekend and still come out ahead.)

The trunk in the Camry has a pass-through that allows an 8' long board to fit. (It might allow a 10' board, but I'm not sure.) A cart full of groceries or a bag of fertilizer fits in the trunk just fine. You will not be able to carry plywood or furniture in a Camry, but you know that already.

 

I got dealer installed leather seats and they easily added the seat heater. Two issues...

• the control is down near the side base of the seat, not easy to find
• they are not on a timer nor automatic off when the car turns, so you will need to manually turn them off

other than that, it seems to be a very good quality leather, not I'm not a leather expert

 

I went from a '99 Explorer to the TCH. You will definitively lose luggage space and need to learn to pack differently. When going to the lake we used to just put things in the back of the Explorer and go, now I have to pack. A lot depends on how much stuff you are used to taking and how bulky it is. If you are worried about day to day stuff like getting groceries, then the smaller trunk is not an issue. If you are used to filling the back of your Explorer and going camping for a week then you will have space issues.

As for features, if the TCH is not an absolutelly base version I'm not sure what features you'd be giving up.

 

How often do you use the space and features of the Explorer? Do you have a wife, kids, buddies you take road trips with? We can all tell you how satisfied we are with the car (very), but everyone buys vehicles for their own reason.

If the Camry won't do the job for you on a daily basis, you won't be happy with it. But if it's just once in a while, you can either grin and bear it (while pocketing the fuel savings) or rent/borrow a vehicle for those times you really need capacity.

 

I never fill my Explorer up really and if I need a truck I can easily get one from someone in my family. I only have a Fiancee and friends who ride with me. But the Camry seats as many as my explorer does.

 

Given these, the main thing you'll miss from the Explorer is the view. I was in a similar situation. I swapped a full size pick-up for the TCH. I liked being able to see several cars ahead in traffic but the improved ride & getting double to triple the gas mileage really makes up for it.

 

One other thought, you have been quoted a really good price. If the TCH just doesn't cut it for you. You shouldn't have any problem getting most (or more) of your money our of it.

 

Have a look at this thread that I started. I don't think you'll really miss a thing.
https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/...ad-trip-19606/