Author Topic: Test Drive: 2015 Toyota Camry Hybrid (Read 9734 times)

Switz · « **Reply #20 on:** May 14, 2015, 04:24:16 pm »

How will this powertrain hold up over the long haul? I rarely get rid of a vehicle before driving it 200,000km+. My current "daily driver" has 324,000km on it and I have no current need to replace it. Will a hybrid powertrain go 400,000km without major problems?

johngenx · « **Reply #21 on:** May 14, 2015, 04:32:16 pm »

Lots of Toyota hybrids out there with well over 300K on them. They're proven to be one of the most durable drivelines sold.

EV Dan · « **Reply #22 on:** May 14, 2015, 04:38:48 pm »

Quote from: Airbalancer on May 14, 2015, 04:04:23 pm

For $500 you can have heating elements installed in the front seats

Yep. Once I was interested in a base Prius and dealer could install seat heaters but not the cruise control so unfortunately they lost me at that point.

My advice would be to negotiate the deal first and then "discover" the missing heaters and suggest Toyota should take care of the associated costs since selling a car without them in most of Canada is stupid.

EV Dan · « **Reply #23 on:** May 14, 2015, 04:42:54 pm »

Quote from: Switz on May 14, 2015, 04:24:16 pm

How will this powertrain hold up over the long haul? I rarely get rid of a vehicle before driving it 200,000km+. My current "daily driver" has 324,000km on it and I have no current need to replace it. Will a hybrid powertrain go 400,000km without major problems?

Ask a cabbie, or rather see what they drive for a living. My visual impression is half of their cars are Camry Hybrids. Prius if I recall correctly is THE most reliable car of the past decade, according to Consumer Reports.

Ex-airbalancer · « **Reply #24 on:** May 14, 2015, 05:32:09 pm »

My brother's Camry, 2008 has over 240,000 km on it , no major problems

ArticSteve · « **Reply #25 on:** May 14, 2015, 08:09:25 pm »

Strangely, the gas XLE is 33k$, so it's only a 1800$ upgrade to XLE Hybrid. No wonder most XLE's I see have the Hybrid badge!

This is not quite accurate. Lets stick with apples to apples comparisons. The XLE V6 and the XLE Hybrid are exactly the same price. The XLE 4 banger is less equipped and is not nearly as quick as the V6 or Hybrid.

ArticSteve · « **Reply #26 on:** May 14, 2015, 08:10:52 pm »

Any word on a revised hybrid version coming out to match the revised Camry ?

ZERO on when and what.

ArticSteve · « **Reply #27 on:** May 14, 2015, 08:13:36 pm »

Quote from: tortoise on May 14, 2015, 01:24:56 pm

Quote from: Blueprint on May 14, 2015, 12:48:03 pm
Only the XLE supplies heat to the seat of your pants. Weird packaging for Canada...

Yeah, that makes no sense.

Perfect sense if your Toyota. It pushes buyers into the trims with the higher grosses. They've been doing this way forever. Aggravating as hell for the Dealers.

Northernridge · « **Reply #28 on:** May 14, 2015, 08:33:21 pm »

A favourable review. A little surprised that the only comparisons were made to the Prius and not the competitors listed. I feel as though the conclusion is that the Camry Hybrid is superior to the Prius. But how does it stack up to the competitors listed, especially the Accord Hybrid?

I think the pricing is pretty good on the hybrid, I would likely prefer this model if I went Camry. WTF is happening to me?

EV-Light · « **Reply #29 on:** May 14, 2015, 08:47:06 pm »

Quote from: NoTo on May 14, 2015, 03:12:37 pm

Give it time...Toyota always does this, and then always 'rectifies' in a mid-cycle refresh.

This is a mid-cycle refresh...the new Camry is coming in 2017 and rumours say it will use lots of aluminium

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EV-Light · « **Reply #30 on:** May 14, 2015, 08:49:02 pm »

Quote from: Switz on May 14, 2015, 04:24:16 pm

How will this powertrain hold up over the long haul? I rarely get rid of a vehicle before driving it 200,000km+. My current "daily driver" has 324,000km on it and I have no current need to replace it. Will a hybrid powertrain go 400,000km without major problems?

I have seen many Prius with lots of kms and running in the original battery! I'd expect the Camry to be no different.

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99 Silver · « **Reply #31 on:** May 14, 2015, 10:25:16 pm »

Hey - Articsteve!

Didn't you buy one of these a while back for your wife? What has your experience been to date? What fuel economy is achieved?

ArticSteve · « **Reply #32 on:** May 14, 2015, 11:38:59 pm »

Yes, 2012 which is the year that they finally came out with something good. I'd advise anyone to avoid the 2011 and down. Essentially 2 different cars.

Mileage is exactly as Mr. Sedens reports. When we first got it I took to Nashville and the Memphis and did not touch the display and recorded 6.1 and most of that was at 135 kph except for Ohio and here of course. In town if the stairs align you can score a 4.8!

She has the top trim and still the seats are hard as a rock. A little better in the revision, but the seat travel is the same so it's quite sh*t for tall ppl. Toyota sucks for seat travel and seats in many of their vehicles. You'd think they'd figure it out.

The nice thing about this car is the ability to travel around on battery no matter how briefly. The Power Spilt Device aka the Electronic CVT for marketing purposes only is fantastic. Made of only 15 pieces and is 100% mechanical. Not one electronic wire or component. That's why they run so long without repair.

ArticSteve · « **Reply #33 on:** May 14, 2015, 11:51:26 pm »

Quote from: Northernridge on May 14, 2015, 08:33:21 pm

A favourable review. A little surprised that the only comparisons were made to the Prius and not the competitors listed. I feel as though the conclusion is that the Camry Hybrid is superior to the Prius. But how does it stack up to the competitors listed, especially the Accord Hybrid?

I think the pricing is pretty good on the hybrid, I would likely prefer this model if I went Camry. WTF is happening to me?

The MXZ Hybrid is more comfortable, but is quite underpowered so you have your foot into it much more so the actual mileage is worse and it's noisy when pressed. Plus it's a lot more cash.

The Koreans units are JUNK.

The Accord is technically superior, faster and better mpg. But model for model it's significantly more money and the lease and purchase rates are 4 and 3% higher than Camry. Moreover there is NIL availability.

As for reliability, it's unknown. However it does have 2 electronically controlled clutches buried in the guts of the powertrain that open and close continuously. How long is that going to last?

ArticSteve · « **Reply #34 on:** May 14, 2015, 11:54:10 pm »

I think the pricing is pretty good on the hybrid, I would likely prefer this model if I went Camry. WTF is happening to me?

Personally I think your winters are too cold for a semi battery car.

X-Traction · « **Reply #35 on:** May 15, 2015, 01:33:23 am »

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averaged 5.8 L/100 km after one week. Mostly slower city driving (commuting in Edmonton), a daily freeway sprint (only about 5 km) and a couple of highway jaunts.

I get my best mileage driving around Edmonton. The city roads never seem to be congested like Vancouver, and the speed limits are near the sweet spot for any car, hybrid or not. But if you did a lot of short trips separated by enough time for things to cool off, during Edmonton's winter, you could get worse mileage than a non-hybrid.

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Ditto the sunroof. Basically, the 34,800$ XLE is the one to get. No options available on LE, SE or XLE, opposite of what they were doing not too long ago. I blame fleet packaging. Still, lot of kit in that XLE for a bit less than Accord Touring hybrid, or same msrp as Fusion Titanium Hybrid (and THAT one has a bunch of upgrades available, including not-std sunroof).

Escape Hybrid Limited included: heated seats and mirrors, backup sensors or cam, power sun roof, roof rack, alloys, leather seats, power driver's seat, dual-zone hvac, 120v outlet, rear 12V, entry keypad, keyless entry, voice-controlled SYNC entertainment/phone stuff, bluetooth, opening hatch glass, satellite radio, self-dimming mirror, color-selectable ambient lighting, stability/traction control, pull/drift steering, and the world's least impressive horn. Optional AWD. But at $42,000 (without the nav system) it cost a lot more than this Camry Hybrid.

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Best hybrid value on the market - superb cars that offer amazing fuel economy in a large sedan with almost no compromises. Not an enthusiast car at all - but great at what it was designed to do.

Amen. (That's old school-speak for +1000)

Except that I see a wider scope of who is an enthusiast. In my opinion, hybrid owners can be enthusiastic about the technology in their cars, driving smoothly and maximizing mileage while maintaining trip time. I wouldn't say they're any less "enthusiast" than someone who lurches around in a sports car and doesn't care about mileage or wear.

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How will this powertrain hold up over the long haul? I rarely get rid of a vehicle before driving it 200,000km+. My current "daily driver" has 324,000km on it and I have no current need to replace it. Will a hybrid powertrain go 400,000km without major problems?

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I have seen many Prius with lots of kms and running in the original battery! I'd expect the Camry to be no different.

There are practically no hybrids on the road that don't have the original battery. There's an '08 Escape Hybrid in the US with over 500,000miles still using the original battery.

As was mentioned, hybrids have been used as taxis in major US cities for at least 10 years now. They typically log 300,000 miles before being retired due to regulations, not because they're worn out.

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The nice thing about this car is the ability to travel around on battery no matter how briefly. The Power Spilt Device aka the Electronic CVT for marketing purposes only is fantastic. Made of only 15 pieces and is 100% mechanical. Not one electronic wire or component. That's why they run so long without repair.

As is the case for the Escape Hybrid.

ArticSteve · « **Reply #36 on:** May 15, 2015, 02:10:16 am »

As is the case for the Escape Hybrid.

The PSD in your Escape was sourced from Toyota. It was the same unit as found in the 2011 and older Camry Hybrid.

Noto · « **Reply #37 on:** May 15, 2015, 10:28:07 am »

The hybrid battery in my parents' RX400h is definitely not operating as well as it used to, but it still works. We can still reliably get 27.5mpg in the spring, >30mpg in the summer, and about 20mpg in the winter. All city. Highway mileage sits between 22mpg and 28mpg depending on speed, tires, and grade.

If we replaced the battery, mileage would be better, but I've not felt any need to do so.

JohnM · « **Reply #38 on:** May 15, 2015, 12:32:15 pm »

Quote from: Northernridge on May 14, 2015, 08:33:21 pm

I think the pricing is pretty good on the hybrid, I would likely prefer this model if I went Camry. WTF is happening to me?

The NDP are already replacing your sour gas emissions with laughing gas and soon you will be cashing in your gas guzzlers for an electric bike and all-weather spandex. Also, expect elevated estrogen levels.

Cheers,
John M.

X-Traction · « **Reply #39 on:** May 15, 2015, 03:41:22 pm »

Quote from: NoTo on May 15, 2015, 10:28:07 am

The hybrid battery in my parents' RX400h is definitely not operating as well as it used to, but it still works. We can still reliably get 27.5mpg in the spring, >30mpg in the summer, and about 20mpg in the winter. All city. Highway mileage sits between 22mpg and 28mpg depending on speed, tires, and grade.

If we replaced the battery, mileage would be better, but I've not felt any need to do so.

What mileage do you think it should be getting, or it got when it was newer?