Uh, no, Stiff is not trolling at all. His concerns are very understandable.

The car is indeed quite large; parking is more difficult with it than with other cars I'm used to driving. It's not longer than the previous Camry, I don't think, but both are very long cars.

Regarding performance, one of the quoted comments was correct -- the car can be very quick if you floor it, but the travel on the pedal is pretty long. That's done so it's easy to do things like staying in electric-only mode, which requires gentle throttle. So you might get tired if you floor it *everywhere*.

However the car is not as complicated as people think -- for example, automatic transmissions are very complicated (and are poorly done on the regular Camry), but the hybrid doesn't have a transmission per se. It basically uses two electric motors instead, and motors/generators are extremely simple machines. Engines can suffer all sorts of problems, but a motor never will.

Regarding fun, I find it really enjoyable to drive, but this depends on what you're used to. I've owned a VW Jetta and a 2006 Civic Hybrid, and have extensively driven an Audi A4. I liked the Jetta the best, but the Camry Hybrid is still quite good. The steering just isn't as good as the Jetta's.

Oh, with the mileage I've been getting (and I'm not a slow driver by any means), the low-fuel light goes on between 510-530 miles on the three tanks I've done so far. 530 miles per tank! And the light actually goes off while there are still almost three gallons in the tank, so you can drive it further. For example, I drove 65 miles after the light went off on my last tank, going 586 miles on that tank.

Still, it sounds like you might enjoy the Honda Fit more. That's an excellent car, it gets mileage in the 30s, it's safe, it's cheap, and it's very easy to park. Though it's not very fast and the cruising range is short (something like 8.5 gallons are used before the light goes off, so you might not even go 300 miles per tank).

 

Freeze, gas right now ( on the west coast) is $C 1.20 a litre - a little more than a US dollar. That really isnt the issue. My return trip to work is 16 km(all city), so I dont spend a lot on gas. As for the Prius,i never looked at power seats there. It just seemed so instantly obvious that the Camry was way more car for the money that I wasn't that interested. I may go back and check out the costs and options BUT I do know that side curtain airbags are an option, and that will add to the cost. And I dont much like the small back window.

Anyhow, the arguments here are really making me shift towards the Hybrid Camry. Finallybuying- your comparison is really a great recommendation.And I have never even considered the Accord Hybrid.

As for ozarkgolfer, if you mean me, why do you say that? If not - who? This is a straightforward series of posts - no flames, no arguments.

WS

 

Thanks for the reviews. It was very helpful and made my purchase a more comforting decision. When Beamers have better gas mileage or have alternatives to choose from like solar roofs, bio, or plug in technology maybe I can get one of those then. Meanwhile I will be happy with my Lexus wannabe.

 

Keep in mind these comments are selected comments from the tester's logbook, not a full report. Taking them one at a time:

“The trunk is half the size of the standard Camry.”
True - The batteries have to go somewhere and the trunk is significantly smaller. I have one on order and I'm concerned about fitting the luggage if 4 of us go away for a week. It's a valid comment.

“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.”
I only look at this as a negative if the pedal requires such a hard push that your leg will get tired. If this is not the case the first three words are hardly a negative.

“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.”
There is a large difference in the user-friendliness of NAV systems, and it's possible that Toyota screwed up on this one. Sorry to sound self centered, but my TCH doesn't have the NAV system so this doesn't concern me.

“Does Toyota make any money on this car?”
Unless I'm wrong (doubt it) this comment is stating "you get a boatload of car for the money". Nothing wrong with that.

“Technically impressive. But I like the normal Camry much more (not to mention the Honda Accord).”
For this person's use the normal Camry is preferred. Maybe he needs a large trunk. Or maybe he does all highway driving where the TCH's advantage is not as great. Regardless, only you can decide whether the TCH is right for you by plunking your read behind the wheel and comparing the different options available.

Keep in mind that most people are not buying this simply for financial reasons (myself included). A Camry CE or LE would sticker for $4K - $6K less, and I wouldn't be paying MSRP. So even with the tax credit it will take years to pay for itself. I'm buying it because I'd like to not be wasting so much fuel (our current family car is a V8 Explorer) and because I'm a techno-geek (there, I admitted it). For me, the small trunk, long pedal throw, etc. are small prices to pay for this car. If my interest was strictly financial I'd pick up a 1 year old Taurus with 25,000 miles from Hertz auto sales for under $11,000. That difference in price would pay for a lot of gas.

 

I'm of the opinion it always costs more to do the right thing...buying a hybrid is the right thing. Use less, pollute less. Spend a bit more to do the right thing.


Sure you CAN buy alot of gasoline with the money u didn't spend by getting a conventional car...but is that what should be promoted? Don't buy a hybrid, use MORE gas, 'cause u can. Oh, wait, that's GM talking.

The rest of us breathing on this rock thank you. Plus you'll not be disappointed once the smugness sets in!

Curt.

 

Another reason for buying a hybrid like the TCH is that you can go a lot longer between tank fill ups. I know that financially you could do better by buying something else(even a non-hybrid Camry). But for me, I think the days of gas lines are coming back, and I wanted a car that can go a long time between fill ups to minimize my time waiting in line.

 

Good morning. I went to sleep on GameProgammers comments....lay there thinking about the Camry's size. All of this is the kind of feedback one never gets from reviews. I have read them all, several times over.I over-research which can make it hard to finally decide because one knows all the drawbacks. I am almost 60 and this is almost certainly my second-to-last car because I keep my cars forever. I want to do the right thing for the atmosphere and for myself. None of the cars Ive looked at fits the bill perfectly and it means I have to compromise and that's hard because I've been thinking about this car for a couple of years.

I never thought of the Fit. I took it for granted it had no side curtain airbags because it is so small. I have just googled and am amazed. Why doesnt Toyota do that? I would look at the Yaris?

If I am obsessive about SABs, my neighbours daughter was T-boned by an SUV at an intersection 4 years ago and will never walk without pain.She was in a BMW but no SABs.

As for size,**** i want the hybrid, but your words really resonate.My city has way more"small car only" parking spots than normal size(btw it also gives 50% off on long term city parking contracts to the Prius, Civic Hybrid and Insight) and I have driven a small car for along time, and love nipping into that spot bigger cars have to pass by.

The accelerator matters - that is the leg that will have the hip replacement(which is also the reason I have to switch to an auto for the first time in my life).

I love the joy of driving. And love techie stuff myself in a lay-person's way.

I think if I could drive the Hybrid,everything would be clear. But I cant. Here, every car that arrives has already been ordered with a downpayment. I think the only way I could drive one is if someone who had ordered one didnt like it. And I bet the dealers would actually just call the next person on the list.
Last weekend, I was allowed to sit in one that
had been ordered. It was pretty spiffy and the seat very comfortable on the sore hip but the trunk is small and the car large.

It's at least 6 weeks after ordering, and I need the car before the surgery.

Oh, yeah - on price, rounding stuff off, the only way to get the Corolla in Canada with SABs is
the LE B package -about $30,000.
The base Camry with a power seat and ipod- about $33,000
The base Hybrid, AFTER the $2,000 tax credit:
about 34,000.

So you see, money is truly not the issue.

I will check out the Fit.

 

Then Cruise Control will be your best friend. When you get on the highway, you can rest your leg by just sticking the car on cruise control.

 

One more question!

Every time I talk to Toyota they steer me towards the corolla. This includes the mechanics. I ask about the Hybrid and they start talking about the Corolla. In March when I was getting my brakes checked I asked the mechanic about the Rav4 and he pointed out its a new model and therefore unknown.

Do they genuninely think the corolla is the best car - or is there a better dealer markup?

I ve been dealing with the same Toyota dealer
for 15 years and have always been impressed that they never seem to push anything I dont need. But it bugs me.

 

The Corolla is a bland and boring car. Don't get it. I've heard great things about the 2006 RAV4 and the Camry is great.