A car that doesn't like winter
I couldn't do it. In two weeks, I couldn't empty the fuel tank of my Toyota Camry Hybrid.
True, the snow that fell at the beginning of December in the Laurentides region kept the car quietly parked in its space. In addition, my Camry Hybrid was equipped with all-season P215/60R16 tires, which are not very good fit for winter driving. Moreover, the traction control system can't be deactivated by a button on the dashboard. As a result, on a snowy/icy hill, the system has fun breaking the much needed engine momentum.
7.6 L/100 km
That said, I still managed to cover 780 kilometers with the Camry
Hybrid with a mix of city-highway driving. Total fuel consumption: 59.3 liters. I could have driven some 60 kilometers more before running out of gas, but the result would have been the same: 7.6 L/100 km.
True, that's almost two liters more that what Toyota promises (5.7 L/100 km), but let me remind you again that I was driving during winter. If it were not for those cold mornings where the Camry took a good half-hour to warm up, I would have achieved a better result.
The Camry Hybrid definitely does not like winter...
It's time to roll!
Indeed, the 2.4L 4-cylinder engine has no other choice than to come
alive when the temperature drops. It's impossible then to drive at low speeds on the sole power of the electric motor. And at idle, the gasoline engine can't seem to shut down. It's as if the electric part of the powertrain had chosen to hibernate...
However, when the car is fully warmed up, its hybrid operation is wonderful. At stoplights or in a gridlock, the cabin is dead silent. It's a very pleasant way of realizing that we're doing something (little things!) to save the environment.
The warmed-up Camry Hybrid is able to cruise at 30 km/h without the gasoline engine ever stepping into play. Downtown, it really becomes a game of using the electric motor for the longest time possible.
Flirting with the brake...
When the gasoline engine decides to come to the rescue, the transition is totally seamless. In fact, the 4-cylinder is so quiet that
you must pay extra attention to know when it kicks in.
This engine has been tuned to deliver 147 horsepower but, thanks to the electric motor, the combined output is rated at 187 horsepower. That's surprisingly sufficient to propel the 1669-kilo sedan.
We could elaborate on the 0-100 km/h acceleration time (8.9 seconds according to Toyota, 8.6 seconds according to the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada), but honestly, this hybrid is not the kind of car that you would use to set speed records. On the contrary, it encourages the driver to achieve the best fuel economy rating possible. Therefore, take-offs are delicately performed, while the right foot wants to flirt more with the brake pedal than with the throttle...
 |
| (Photo: Michel Deslauriers, Auto123.com) |
True, the snow that fell at the beginning of December in the Laurentides region kept the car quietly parked in its space. In addition, my Camry Hybrid was equipped with all-season P215/60R16 tires, which are not very good fit for winter driving. Moreover, the traction control system can't be deactivated by a button on the dashboard. As a result, on a snowy/icy hill, the system has fun breaking the much needed engine momentum.
7.6 L/100 km
That said, I still managed to cover 780 kilometers with the Camry
 |
| (Photo: Michel Deslauriers, Auto123.com) |
True, that's almost two liters more that what Toyota promises (5.7 L/100 km), but let me remind you again that I was driving during winter. If it were not for those cold mornings where the Camry took a good half-hour to warm up, I would have achieved a better result.
The Camry Hybrid definitely does not like winter...
It's time to roll!
Indeed, the 2.4L 4-cylinder engine has no other choice than to come
 |
| (Photo: Michel Deslauriers, Auto123.com) |
However, when the car is fully warmed up, its hybrid operation is wonderful. At stoplights or in a gridlock, the cabin is dead silent. It's a very pleasant way of realizing that we're doing something (little things!) to save the environment.
The warmed-up Camry Hybrid is able to cruise at 30 km/h without the gasoline engine ever stepping into play. Downtown, it really becomes a game of using the electric motor for the longest time possible.
Flirting with the brake...
When the gasoline engine decides to come to the rescue, the transition is totally seamless. In fact, the 4-cylinder is so quiet that
 |
| (Photo: Michel Deslauriers, Auto123.com) |
This engine has been tuned to deliver 147 horsepower but, thanks to the electric motor, the combined output is rated at 187 horsepower. That's surprisingly sufficient to propel the 1669-kilo sedan.
We could elaborate on the 0-100 km/h acceleration time (8.9 seconds according to Toyota, 8.6 seconds according to the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada), but honestly, this hybrid is not the kind of car that you would use to set speed records. On the contrary, it encourages the driver to achieve the best fuel economy rating possible. Therefore, take-offs are delicately performed, while the right foot wants to flirt more with the brake pedal than with the throttle...