First drive: Toyota Camry Hybrid

By Bruce McMahon

The Courier-Mail

13 June 2008

In the US Camry Hybrid comes with a 33kW electric motor, 110kW, 2.4 litre petrol engine and Constantly Variable Transmission. Photo Gallery

Judders under load give way to a free spirit.

The silent Toyota Camry Hybrid starts with a slight judder, the electric motor maybe deciding if it needs help to get away.

This hesitation is sometimes felt at freeway speeds on our US test drive, where the Camry has cruised quietly at 120km/h, running electric before needing more power to overtake.

In the US the Prius's bigger brother Camry Hybrid comes with a 33kW electric motor, 110kW, 2.4 litre petrol engine and Constantly Variable Transmission.

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For the most part, aside from those occasional judders under heavy load, it is a quiet and comfortable sedan.

The front end on this one was a touch doughy, and not as responsive at the steering wheel as Australian petrol Camrys.

Whether the different feel was down to the Hybrids' steering and suspension or North American specifications, we're not sure.

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Yet the electric-petrol-CVT powertrain and a soft front end did not stop this Camry Hybrid from a couple of free-spirited runs, one behind a pack of bikers on the twisting, turning Highway One north of San Francisco.

And through all of this — climbing steep city streets, running with the pack down freeways and mixing it on country roads — the car returned just under nine litres per 100km. That's not bad for a fair-sized family sedan.

Luggage space is more limited than in a normal Camry, but it is a usable sedan not lacking any traditional passenger car attributes.

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Comments on this story

Displaying 3 of 28 comments

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Why bother , completely pointless.

Pedro Pinto of NSW Posted at 14 June 2009 3:47pm

For crying out loud, this was a highway run and the electric motor is not at work there.In town, where I think the car wasn’t tested, it would get 5-6 Liters. You also DO NOT HAVE TO CHANGE THE BATTERY AT ALL. Please get your facts right, people.

Eddy W Posted at 06 January 2009 4:02pm

I am assuming that this ISN’T the hybrid Camry which Rudd has invested in…is it? Anyone know?

alex of brisbane Posted at 29 July 2008 8:46pm

This car’s stupid! - 1) it still has a 2.4L engine - no saving in fuel there. 2) only 110 kws from a 2.4? The 2002 camry (with a 2.4L) manages 118kw. Proves how to make this car still affordable they had to skimp on the efficency of the engine.

alex of brisbane Posted at 28 July 2008 8:58pm

9 l/100km may be reasonable fuel consumption for the average petrol engined family sedan, however this is not the average family sedan, this is a hybrid. It would need to give much better fuel consumption figures to justify buying one. In any case the way to acheive better fuel economy and also better performance is through decreasing a cars weight, not adding to it with useless things such as battery packs.

Jason Scott of Sydney Posted at 22 July 2008 2:06am

toyotas hybrid battery is not 5000.$ and if you check with dealer batt will last 10 years easy

john mcmillan of melbourne Posted at 26 June 2008 8:23pm

forget about all other types of fuel….......hydrogen is the best way to go. Jamo.

j jamo Posted at 23 June 2008 12:10pm

9L per 100 KM travelled. Thats amazing, cough spit. My wifes petrol Focus does better then that. And my XR8, on a long highway stint gets down under 10! Just. But even then my cars average is currently 13.6 per 100 KM (the mathematic’s proves my on board trip meters statement). I drive the car daily to work and on most weekends travel at least 160 KM between my work town and home town. And at times i’m not that gentle on the throttle so this hybrid’s 9L per 100 is not that much of an improvement for fuel economy. It might get down to under 6 on long highway stints but who cares? Regardless does anybody know what colour brown cardigan you get from Toyota to go with your new hybrid camry?

david Posted at 22 June 2008 7:49pm

Having recently driven a Prius in England, they are only good for urban areas where there’s plenty of stop/start driving. On the open road when there’s little braking, they are a waste of technology. In fact, going up hills, they have to rev the guts out of that little engine. On down hill stretches, there’s no engine braking and we kept catching up with cars in front and having to brake continually.

Tony Wells of N.S.W. Posted at 22 June 2008 10:23am

Oh what a joke Toyota.
My 10yo Astra does 7 litres per 100km day in, day out.

Oh what a joke Posted at 21 June 2008 1:46am

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