Is it really worth it?
5.7 is the magic number, the objective. City or highway, the Camry Hybrid's fuel economy rating is 5.7 L/100 km. I decided to take that challenge and do my very best in order to achieve that fuel consumption average.
To get there, the method to use is simple: maximize usage of the electric motor and use the combustion engine as little as possible.
A quick look at the powertrain
Under the hood of the Camry Hybrid is the same 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder engine as in the LE and SE models, but with an Atkinson cycle. However, it's mated to a battery lodged in the trunk, and jointly produce 187 horsepower. Instead of the conventional 5-speed automatic, Toyota included a continuously-variable transmission (CVT) to better manage the engine duo.
0 to 100 km/h acceleration takes about 9 seconds. During the Camry Hybrid's launch last year, we saw that the latter out-accelerates the conventional 4-cylinder Camry by at least 2 seconds. But driving fast isn't this car's purpose, quite the contrary.
Launching the car from standstill using only the electric motor requires a very patient right foot; imagine accelerating from 0 to 30 km/h in 5 to 8 seconds, and you'll get a good idea of how slow you'll have to drive away from a stop sign or a traffic light, and how quick people behind will get impatient. Once under way, and with the windows down, the car's so silent that I have the impression of driving a golf kart.
While braking, electricity regenerates itself, but I feel something unusual with the brake pedal; when I'm stopping the car, at the very last half-second before inertia, the brakes bite viciously and the car immobilizes itself more abruptly. It's nothing irritating, but something I simply noticed.
5.7 is the magic number, the objective. City or highway, the Camry Hybrid's fuel economy rating is 5.7 L/100 km. I decided to take that challenge and do my very best in order to achieve that fuel consumption average.
To get there, the method to use is simple: maximize usage of the electric motor and use the combustion engine as little as possible.
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| The exterior esthetics of the Hybrid are not really distinctive. |
A quick look at the powertrain
Under the hood of the Camry Hybrid is the same 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder engine as in the LE and SE models, but with an Atkinson cycle. However, it's mated to a battery lodged in the trunk, and jointly produce 187 horsepower. Instead of the conventional 5-speed automatic, Toyota included a continuously-variable transmission (CVT) to better manage the engine duo.
0 to 100 km/h acceleration takes about 9 seconds. During the Camry Hybrid's launch last year, we saw that the latter out-accelerates the conventional 4-cylinder Camry by at least 2 seconds. But driving fast isn't this car's purpose, quite the contrary.
Launching the car from standstill using only the electric motor requires a very patient right foot; imagine accelerating from 0 to 30 km/h in 5 to 8 seconds, and you'll get a good idea of how slow you'll have to drive away from a stop sign or a traffic light, and how quick people behind will get impatient. Once under way, and with the windows down, the car's so silent that I have the impression of driving a golf kart.
While braking, electricity regenerates itself, but I feel something unusual with the brake pedal; when I'm stopping the car, at the very last half-second before inertia, the brakes bite viciously and the car immobilizes itself more abruptly. It's nothing irritating, but something I simply noticed.
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| The combination of this 4-cylinder engine and the electric motor permit acceptable performances. |