The Toyota Camry Hybrid has been on the market for a number of years
now and most reports and reviews come to the same conclusion; a solid
car with respectable gas mileage, but about as much fun to drive as a
high end refrigerator.
The bottom line is that most reviewers
find the car to be solid, dependable, and about as drivable from a
"fun-to-drive" point of view as your typical frig.
So I have to
confess that it didn't help matters when my test Camry Hybrid arrived
at my door in a splendid, but very appliance like Super White (Toyota's
name) shade of color.
I was ready to be underwhelmed and over bored by the super reliable, but super domesticated Camry Hybrid.
So
it came as a total surprise to me that when I left my neighborhood in a
hurry to pick-up my son from swimming that the Camry Hybrid actually
squealed (or perhaps chirp might be a better word) its front tires when
I stomped on the gas, and in the process spooked a local mom with her
running stroller.
Could I actually be a hooligan in a Camry Hybrid, I thought to myself as the startled mom jogged down the street in a big huff?
The
spicy combination of instance electric engine torque and 2.4 L gas
engine produces a stunning time (at least for a hybrid) of 0 to 60 in
8.17 seconds.
Unless its falling out of a high rise apartment, I
don't know any frig that can match those numbers, and that includes the
high end Sub Zero brand.
By comparison the non-hybrid
V-6 version of the current Camry can sprint to 60 mph in just 6.5
seconds. But you'll pay the price at the pump as the V-6 gets only gets 19
city/28 mpg highway.
On the other hand, my Super White Camry
Hybrid got an as test real world 'driving to swim practice in traffic
and back' 35.1 mpg. This suggests that you'll get about 10 mpg more
from the Camry Hybrid than the 268 HP V-6 version. Which means that
over about 50,000 miles you'll save a boat load of money—if I'm doing
the complex math right.
And according to edmunds.com the non-hybrid V-4 version of the Camry is slower than my hybrid tester:
"Performance
is relatively spirited, as we've timed a four-cylinder with the
automatic at 8.9 seconds for the 0-60-mph drill. Regardless of which
transmission is selected, fuel economy ratings are 21 mpg city and 31
mpg highway."
Which means (by doing some more intricate math)
that if you buy the more expensive hybrid version of the Camry, instead
of the V-4, and keep and drive it a very long time, you'll also save a
boat load of money on gas while sprinting .73 seconds faster to 60. See
I told you I could do the hard math.
The
only thing you'll really give up is a bit of trunk space, as the Camry
Hybrid only has a small slot for a pass through between the trunk and
the passenger compartment with the rear seats folded down.
On the
plus side you'll get the nifty hybrid display that let's you play
Toyota's see how much gas I'm saving while driving video game, and of
course the pride in knowing that you are driving another nail into the
"evil" oil company's coffin by doing your part to help ween the country
from all that foreign oil consumption.
And just in case you were
wondering the Camry hybrid drives—well like a Camry. The only real
difference is that sometimes you'll notice the whine of the electric
engine and the not quite linear regenerative braking.
You'll also
probably leave the car running by mistake at your neighborhood grocery
store because the Camry Hybrid is completely silent when its parked and
running which also happens to be the exact same way it sounds when its
parked and not running.
Otherwise the Camry's Hybrid system is
completely transparent and you'll never know that your Camry is a
hybrid—that is until you notice that it goes a very long way between
fill-ups, and that you are spooking the local soccer moms with your
hooligan front tire burnouts.
2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid
Price as Tested: $30,988.00
Engine, Transmission: Hybrid Synergy Drive with 2.4L 16V VVTi 4 Cylinder
Horsepower: 187 Hp (Net System)
PocketDyno Test Data
1/4 Mile: 16.19 second at 92.73 mph
0-60 mph: 8.17
Max Acceleration: 0.42 g's
EPA Fuel Economy Estimates
City: 33 mpg
Highway: 34 mpg
Combined: 34 mpg
As tested: 35.1 mpg
CO2 per year: 7,144 lbs
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