Toyota Camry Hybrid
Where's the weird stuff? |
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By Rick Newman
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Nits: Toyota still doesn't include destination fees, usually about $600, in its list prices. It should.
G forces: The powerplant consists of a 147-horsepower four-cylinder gas engine, and a 40-horsepower electric motor. Electronic controls regulate the power flow, with no burden on the driver. Acceleration is about the same as for the base-level Camry, which comes with a 158-horsepower four-cylinder engine.
Gizmology: Very modern digital electronics offer the latest features, and audio controls on the steering wheel are standard. Hybridistas will enjoy a couple of digital readouts that let you monitor your driving efficiency or monitor the power flow between the gas engine and the electric motor.
Kidmarks: The back seat is spacious and easy for kids to climb into. A center armrest with two cupholders is standard. One drawback to the hybrid is a smaller trunk, on account of the battery pack, which takes up considerable space.
Hot or not: Not. The middle-of-the-road design is appealing but not inspiring.
Pain at the pump: Minimal. Mileage ratings are 40 mpg/city and 38 mpg/highway, although I averaged in the low 30s in combined driving. More info is at www.fueleconomy.gov.
Crash course: The Camry earns 10 stars out of 10 on the government's frontal crash test, and 10 out of 10 on the side impact test. Rollover resistance rating is four stars out of five. More info: www.safercar.gov. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a private testing group, gives the '07 Camry a "good" rating, its highest. Details: www.iihs.org
Standard safety gear: Anti-lock brakes, advanced front air bags, side-impact air bags, side-curtain air bags, driver's knee air bag.
Price points: Base price is $26,480. Price as tested: $26,709. (All prices include delivery.)
More info: www.toyota.com
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Model year tested: 2007
I test-drove the conventional version of the new Camry first, then I followed up with the hybrid model. The differences I noticed? Practically none.
Under the hood, of course, there's a lot that's different about the Camry hybrid. Like the Prius, the Camry hybrid has both a gasoline engine and a battery-powered motor, along with computers that alternate flow between the two for the most efficient operation of the car. But as Toyota and other automakers push hybrids into the mainstream, they're scaling back all the techy stuff that, early on, was meant to shout out, "This Is a Hybrid!" There's a "hybrid" badge on the side of the Camry, for instance, but you have to go looking for other signs of the vehicle's high-tech pedigree. The Prius, for instance, has a hard-to-miss LCD display that diagrams the vehicle's power flow in real time. The Camry has a similar feature, but it's small and you have to page through several information settings to find it. And you can just turn it off if you want.
Performance is comparable to the base model Camry, since the gas engine is a 147-horsepower four-cylinder that's responsive when you need to get up to highway speeds quickly. There are a few hybrid-only features that you can fiddle with if you want, like an "ECO" button you can push to limit the power consumed by the climate system, to help improve mileage. The only real trade-off is a smaller trunk, since the sizable battery pack takes up space behind the rear seat. Oh, there is one big difference buyers will notice: the sticker price. Like Honda's Civic and Accord hybrids, the Camry is priced at the top of the lineup, with a list price of about $26,500. That includes a good set of standard features, including dual zone air conditioning, a premium sound system, and electronic push-button ignition. Call it the "techie" package. And call it mainstream.
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