Model comparison: Prius vs HYCamry

I'm sorry, what?

You need a second Hybrid? Or a replacement for your 04?

Nate

 

I wanted the Camry hybrid but my wife eventually laid down the law and got the Prius because she felt the Camry was too big and looked too much like a "bulldog." You'll take about a 10mpg hit if you choose the Camry, but it is definitely peppier to drive because of its larger engine. Both can be had for a little under invoice here in San Diego.


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Feb 15 2007, 09:04 AM) [snapback]390895[/snapback]</div>

 

Overall, if you can live with the trunk, I recommend anybody considering a Camry to get the Hybrid.

It doesn't seem to have any downside, everything is an improvement over the standard Camry.

I've driven both, and like this one.

Nate

 

I (we) own both. For a difference that I believe was $1200 (fully loaded both cars, with NAV; not counting the tax credit difference), I think the Camry is the much better value. It's a beautiful, quiet, smooth car, and is offered with moonroof and heated seats. It's only missing the backup camera. I'm driving the Camry today, because my wife is out of town, and the difference is noticeable, justifying our nickname for it: "The Luxocruiser." (Prius is called "Beetlebomb.")

That said, I like the Prius for my purposes (my wife greatly prefers the HyCam). The Prius gets 8-9 mpg more than the Camry, which may not sound like a lot, but it is in terms of percentage. The Prius is great for carrying stuff; it's hard to get even one golf bag w/pullcart into the Camry trunk.

I think both cars are fantastic, and that you can't go wrong with either one, but you should definitely decide whether utility/mileage outweigh class/comfort in terms of your own needs.

rpm

 

The hycam doesn't have HID's or the "auto shift to park" (you gotta move the lever when you shut down).

If she is unhappy with the Prius, get the HyCam. You can always haul stuff in the truck or in the trunk of your (I'm guessing) Ford "Police Interceptor". ;-)


Look for a HyCam that starts with J in the VIN if you'd like higher quality.

Nate

 

Oh Nate that is unkind. I toured the Camry (etc) plant in KY in Jan, and was extremely impressed by how they appeared to be doing things there.

 

It is not meant to be unkind. It comes from my seven year stint repairing Toyotas at a dealership. The Camrys built in the US had issues that the Japanese ones did not.

The KY plant, and others, build cars almost as well as the Japanese plant. The real issue is the parts; there are different parts suppliers for the NAP and JAP cars.

We had even more issues with Corollas built at Nummi. Delco Radiators, starters, alternators, etc. The JAP Corollas had Denso parts and didn't have these issues.

All factors being equal, I'd rather own a HyCam from Japan.

Nate

 

Umm... Keep the one you have? ;-)

I hate car payments. Repairs seem high, but they don't come very often.

If it weren't for the Prius, I wouldn't even drive a new vehicle.

If your wife likes her car, just keep driving it.

Nate

 

How about waiting a little longer? The new Prius might be the car you and your wife wants. Not sure if it will be roomier but it might up the gas mileage quite a bit.

 

The Prus gets better mileage. The Camry is not a true hybrid. The Prius has 2 motors equal size, 1 is electric and the other is gas. They are partners. The Camry has two motors One gas and the other a tiny electric motor which is just an assist. They are not partners. Therefore the Camry is not a real hybrid.
Mary

 

The Camry is to a real hybrid. I drove it a long distance, it works well, I got about 34 MPG.

Yes, the Prius appears to be more half and half, but in the end the HP gains and MPG gains are there.

Anyway, the HyCam can be had for about $27,000 loaded (but no NAV, no leather, no sunroof). I managed to negotiate $1000 off last month (then backed out of the deal) but by the time it comes for your new HyCam you should be able to get some money off. Although if you buy buy March 30, you get the $1300 credit from the feds.

Nate

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Feb 17 2007, 06:55 PM) [snapback]392201[/snapback]</div>

Oh yea! Take a look at this from the same site.

http://www.hybridsynergydrive.com/en/series_parallel.html

 

IIRC (this was a long time ago when I got to see the prototype camry)
The camry has the upgraded HSD with the four stage gearbox. If you look at the regen bars on the MFD of a camry, you'll see that there are 2-4x more regen cars than you'd normally see on a prius. Heck, the first time I saw that I thought the MFD was reporting back incorrectly.

The 4-stage gearbox is supposed to allow MG2 to spin faster, resulting in more regen (it's also supposed to give more torque.) They also got rid of the chain linking the diff and the HSD.

So, not only is the hybrid a true hybrid like the prius, but it's got a much more powerful electric motor to boot. Oddly enough though, the highest you can EV is still in the ~43mph region..

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Feb 15 2007, 04:51 PM) [snapback]391146[/snapback]</div>

This is no contest if she's driving that far everyday. I sold our 04 Prius and bought the HyCam because my wife was making lots of long highway trips and she was tired of getting blown around. The Hycam is not really that much bigger inside and you give up the convenience and flexibility of the hatchback for a smallish but adequate trunk. However, the ride, comfort and handling are much, much better and much gentler on the nerves (especially for highway driving). Long highway drives in the Prius were much more exhausting. I miss the Prius and its go-cart handling and high mileage, but decided to sell while I could still get something for it, and wait for the new model to come out (rather than make 2 car payments).