Extensive Camry hybrid review

I've completed my review of the Toyota Camry hybrid. I drove it for a week through some very tough conditions and you can read all about it by clicking here or on the images below.




As a Prius owner I was very interested to see what my impressions of this vehicle would be. It was surprising on several levels. If you have a moment, read the review and tell me what you think.

Thanks very much.

Ice Weasel

Thanks for the very informative review on the Hybrid Camry, my brother is considering to purchase one and therefore I sent him your review, Sounds like you had a great time on your holiday which is evident by the great photos you attached.

I love the look of the Camry, I currently have an 06 Prius and my wife drives an 04 Highlander. Our next vehicle purchase will either be the Hybrid Camry or the Hybrid Highlander to go with my Super White Prius. I am partial to the Camry but the wife loves the Highlander due to the fact we have 3 kids and 2 Chocolate Labs to transport around. Once again thanks for the great review!!

Cheers Mike

Ice Weasel:

Great review and great travelogue. In early August, I'll be taking the same trip in the opposite direction (SD --> Vegas --> SD). Thanks for pointing out highlights along the way.

Unfortunately, I'll be driving in some POS GM rental car.

Great story, fun to read. How did you get Toyota to drop off a Camry for you? Did they loan you the car?

My wife traded her Prius for a HyCam last fall, and we love it. Hers has NAV, so it has a MFD and the hybrid functions are displayed pretty much like on a Prius. Her lifetime MPG is about 36, this is in Minnesota. (My current Prius, bought in late July 2006, is at 45 to date. I have a 5-6 mile commute to work, and my wife's is 8-9.)

I agree with your observations about the shifter, and the occasional problems in turning the thing off. I think they kept costs down, and got the hybrid version out faster, by minimizing the changes to the standard Camry. I also think that most of the problems I have along those lines are user errors caused by my being used to the Prius.

We took a 1400 mile weekend driving trip a few weeks back, and it was a pretty easy decision to choose the HyCam over my Prius for the ride. I would buy a Highlander Hybrid in a minute, if I needed an SUV. The Prius, with its hatchback, serves my family's needs very well, though.

rpm

An excellent travelogue and review. Just a couple of comments:

If you get the TCH with nav system, it will have the MFD like the Prius, but the consumption bars are narrower.
The $31,000 price quoted will give you the nav system, as well as most everything you can get on a TCH. A bare-bones vesion will run about 27,000, although they are hard to find. Most of the TCHs I seen here are fully loaded.
Personally I like the steering wheel on the Camry better than the Prius for the simple reason it telescopes. The Prius Steering wheel is a bit too far away for comfort.

Other than that, everything you said pretty much sums up the TCH based on my experience with test drives.

I appreciate you posting the link.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Per @ Jul 12 2007, 11:30 AM) [snapback]477515[/snapback]</div>

Funny, it's just the opposite here. The dealer where I get the Prius serviced always has quite a few 'stripper' HyCams on the lot but none at all with NAV or max goodies.

I everyone around here wants the top package.

i found your review to be WONDERFUL! if i had not already had my hycam on it's way for delivery in the next few days this would for sure influence my decision! i can't wait to drive mine! i gave up a touareg that was very pampering but crappy on the mileage for my prius and i don't regret it for a minute, but i am looking forward to having the best of both worlds with the hycam! thanks for logging your experiences!!!

i forgot to add...the hycam i am getting has the mfd with consumption display like the prius, it looks great!
here's the link...http://www.edmunds.com/new/2007/toyota/camryhybrid/100701540/photos.html#

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(meshell @ Jul 12 2007, 07:06 PM) [snapback]477784[/snapback]</div>

I can see from the picture of the MFD that it has 1-minute bars. Cool, but hardly necessary. As it is, I spend enough time looking at the 5-minute bars.

Well, as luck will have it, I am leaving now to pick up my new hybrid camry here in Virginia (Chesapeake). Monday it will be driven to the BRONX, NY where it will be used as a daily commute. I will occassionally add my observations here. I am also a former Prius owner ... former as my poor Prius drowned last week. Hope Friday 13 is not a omen....

Hybrid is the fully loaded toy version.

where did you get your hycam? and what color are you getting?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(meshell @ Jul 13 2007, 08:43 PM) [snapback]478427[/snapback]</div>

Got it from Chechered Flag, fully loaded and it is silver.

Thank you for sharing your trip and thoughts on the Camry with us. I miss travel.

Great photos too!