hi
my name is dan
im thinking of getting a camry hybrid
i only drive about 10k miles a year, my work is about 2 miles from home, but i do drive to my cottage, about 75 miles away, every weekend i can

i know i dont qualify for a hybrid owner, but with the ontario(canada) govt giving be money back, the price is about the same for a camry le v6 as a hybrid,
im asking, what is the mileage you get just puttering around the city?
would the v6 be bbetter?
i drive like a grandma, my current cars are a 03 mini cooper s, and a buick 95roadmaster wagon. i need the wagon for hauling, but thinking of selling the mini for the camry, bigger space, better mileage
long post, but im full of questions, and im almost 35, no kids, no wife, no dog
thanks
dan

 

Hi Dan and welcome to the community. With a 2 mile commute you will have a difficult time getting really good mileage because you aren't giving the ICE sufficient time to warm up. I find the best way to get good mileage 'in town' is when the ICE is warm and you can get the TCH into EV mode. EV mode works best on level surfaces below 40MPH. Another factor is do you live in an area that has a lot of hills? Short trips and hills don't mix well...Now your 75 mile trip will do wonders for your gas mileage. Especially if it's all or mostly highway driving. Just set your car on cruise control and let'r go...

I don't think you can go wrong with the TCH. In most if not all circumstances you will always get better gas mileage with a hybrid vehicle.

Oh and the V6 will most definitely NOT be better for puttering around town...The only major thing the V6 has over the hybrid is power. Oh and you'll have to make more trips to the gas station with the V6...LOL

Good luck with your decision.

 

hi
thanks for your response
do you find the hybrid is good on the highway, power wise, i mean entering the highway, maybe passing somebody?
i cruise around 70 mph on the highway, but like some passing power to get around big trucks
thanks
dan

 

You won't be disappointed with the passing power.

 

I don't have a problem with the power...it's better than the regular 4 cylinder but not as good as the 6 cylinder. The best thing to do is go to a dealer and take it for a spin. I think you will be surprised...it may feel sluggish because of the CVT but when you look at your speedometer you'll be surprise at how fast you are going...

 

I concur with CamryDan. My drive to work is 1.1 miles and when cold the Camry gets awful mileage. I would think it compares to non hybrids. If you can find any reason to combine trips such as a trip to the grocery store on the way home from work the HYCAM will shine.

 

hi
maybe a hybrid is not for me, if mileage wont be that far off, if i drove more, id get better mileage, i plan to drive the hybrid and the se, i drove the le v6, but the hard plastic steering wheel kinda through me, i see both the se and hybrid are leather,
when i read the mileage the hybrid gets, even my minimal driving, id save about $400, comparing 26 mpg to 40, but in the end, i have to decide if thats worth it, although ive also read the v6 getting 35 mpg on the highway, and around 25 mpg in the city, compared to 40mpg in both, so the cost savings wouldnt be there for me, in time i will be down to this one car, so i want something that will be fun to drive and good on gas, sorry long post!
thanks
dan

 

Depending on how often you trade your car in, the Hybrid should have a higher resale value as well. I have a 5 mile all city commute. Getting and keeping an average of over 35 MPG takes a weekly highway trip. It's all good though and it's a fine car.
Passing power - I believe the engine is rated at 140hp which is not the best (alone) for passing power, but when you couple it with a 90hp Electric traction motor - it has sufficient grunt to scoot you along briskly. The eCVT transmission is also very capable and will keep the engine in the powerband to maximize the HP/Torque put to the ground..
Test drive one.. You might like it!

 

hi thank you for your response
all this information is really helping me, im glad i could see 35 mpg with a little highway travel, which i do, and that city mileage wouldnt suffer as much as i thought it would
thanks, but keep it coming!
dan

 

My daily commute is around 3 miles each way, but I can still get between 25-35 mpg according to the display for the commute and around 400 miles before refueling when I just drive it for commuting. I also do long drives of at least 50 miles on my days off.

I am very pleased with the mpg I am getting and the TCH has plenty of passing power. When you're already traveling around 50 mph, a little push on the gas pedal will be enough to pass other cars.

As Big-Foot stated, go for a test drive. I did and I ended up buying one.