I became one of those drivers that I find so irritating; the sort that think they’re saving the planet by driving their hybrid automobiles in near sedation in order to achieve the greatest fuel efficiency. You know the type I’m talking about. They take two blocks to accelerate to 50kph because heaven forbid the gas engine may fire up and needlessly consume fossil fuel.
The indoctrination
Changing the way a person thinks and responds is a form of indoctrination, or more fundamentally, brainwashing. I don’t consider myself susceptible to either, although I’m sure anyone with no greater professional backing than Psych 101 would disagree. And so would those working in the advertising industry.
That said, I have no doubt that I was subject to mild indoctrination by my recent week behind the wheel of Toyota’s Camry Hybrid. There’s something mind altering about observing the increase in fuel efficiency one can achieve by adopting driving strategies that maximize a hybrid’s fuel-sipping potential.
When I first picked up my tester, I was achieving rather disappointing 8 to 9 litres per 100km of driving. By getting serious about my driving style, I managed to drop my average fuel economy to just 6.4L/100km of mixed city and highway motoring. It’s still not the 5.7L/100km the Camry Hybrid is rated at but it’s quite impressive nonetheless.
Probably the number one revision in my driving style was simply learning to pull my foot out of the throttle and allow electric propulsion to take over. This was entirely feasible on flat roads and roads with very slight inclines. I could easily hold 50-60kph in most of these cases.
After a trip to the supermarket, I drove the last few kilometres home without burning a drop of fossil. This included stopping at several stop signs and resuming 50-kph in between. But here’s the rub: anyone driving behind me would think that I was semi-comatose or paralyzed with timidity—and how could I blame them?
 |
| I found my Camry Hybrid tester to be eminently pleasing to drive, and looked forward to time behind its wheel. (Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com) |
The indoctrination
Changing the way a person thinks and responds is a form of indoctrination, or more fundamentally, brainwashing. I don’t consider myself susceptible to either, although I’m sure anyone with no greater professional backing than Psych 101 would disagree. And so would those working in the advertising industry.
That said, I have no doubt that I was subject to mild indoctrination by my recent week behind the wheel of Toyota’s Camry Hybrid. There’s something mind altering about observing the increase in fuel efficiency one can achieve by adopting driving strategies that maximize a hybrid’s fuel-sipping potential.
When I first picked up my tester, I was achieving rather disappointing 8 to 9 litres per 100km of driving. By getting serious about my driving style, I managed to drop my average fuel economy to just 6.4L/100km of mixed city and highway motoring. It’s still not the 5.7L/100km the Camry Hybrid is rated at but it’s quite impressive nonetheless.
Probably the number one revision in my driving style was simply learning to pull my foot out of the throttle and allow electric propulsion to take over. This was entirely feasible on flat roads and roads with very slight inclines. I could easily hold 50-60kph in most of these cases.
After a trip to the supermarket, I drove the last few kilometres home without burning a drop of fossil. This included stopping at several stop signs and resuming 50-kph in between. But here’s the rub: anyone driving behind me would think that I was semi-comatose or paralyzed with timidity—and how could I blame them?
 |
| Combined, the pair produces a net output of 187 horsepower, which is fairly equivalent to a powerful 4-cylinder engine or a very modest V6 powerplant. (Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com) |