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Hybrid Vehicles Toyota Camry Hybrid New Toyota Camry Hybrid Owners - Give Us Your Report
558 messages, Last post on Oct 30, 2009 at 1:05 PM
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Replying to: orgal (Jun 13, 2006 4:33 pm) I don't realy need a remote starter- also installed at the port. Remote starters are good if it is really cold outside and you want to warm up the car before you get in it. Just turn the heater on before you get out of the car the night before, and when you remote start it from the warmth of your living room, in 10 minutes you will step into a nice warm car. Yeah, I don't know how useful it will be for me here in Seattle though. tom edit: ahh, other people responded already. It's a $295 option. If you add it on at the dealer, I'm sure they'll charge installation. |
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My wife and I live in Metro DC. We set out today to purchase a 2006 Honda Accord Hybrid. We came home having signed papers on a 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid. Life is full of surprises. I drove the Accord, liked it, loved the performance...I'm a performance kind of guy (and really not somebody you'd consider "Green"--my hybrid motives are HOV related). It was impressive, but i didn't fit especially well in it (6'2, long legs). Price was about 27600, trade offer was $6200. I knew that Fitzgerald Toyota in Gaithersburg had a Barcelona Red '07 Hybrid that had recently come on, so sort of on a whim we decided to check it out. Fitzmall had like 4 hybrids, they had just sold one when we got there. The Barcelona Red Hybrid had a Bisque interior and was optioned with a sunroof and power mirrors. I thought this was a nice middle ground between the way optioned up interior. As soon as we saw the vehicle, it was like getting hit in the gut. My decision was going to be much tougher than I thought. The "fabric" interior really isn't fabric--its like a fine suede. It felt great. The look of the car--particulary in that color--was stunning. It looks fresh, new...expensive. The interior was well laid out, the key fob impressive, blue tooth, etc. We took it for a test drive. It was faster than I expected...a little sluggish off the line perhaps, and maybe a little jerky. As the drive continued, i got the hang of it. Once it got up to speed, it felt great. Still, I was torn. We had some lunch, then came back. Meanwhile, the car was drawing massive amounts of attention. Literally, people were all over it, I heard somebody say that was the one I wanted. I asked for another test drive, and this time took it out solo. I drove it pretty aggressively...it handled better and felt more solid than I thought it would. The MSRP of the car was 27698. Dealer price was 26797, with a processing fee of $99. That was it, no other charges. I was aware that many of you are waiting for your TCH's, and had paid MSRP or perhaps even more. My sense was that in this market, $800 off MSRP was a very good deal. Perhaps the clincher was the dealer offer for my trade--$7000. $500 over Carmax and $600 over KBB. It was a fair offer. I really wanted to get my wife leather seats that were heated, and this car didn't have it. But she absolutely loved the TCH and said she could easily live without the heated seats--the MP3 capability (Accord doesn't have) made up for it as far as she was concerned. The dealer was as patient as could be, and zero pressure. I felt a ton of pressure, however, because I had no doubt that that car would sell today. It was a transfer fresh from another dealer in VA, so it had only been on their lot a few days and was attracting a ton of interest. Finally, I decided to take the plunge, and we did the paperwork. I pick it up Monday. I hope I made the right choice. Giving up some performance will be tough for me, I'm kind of an aggressive driver. However, I feel like the TCH can handle it, and 189 HP is adequate for a car that size. Road and Track has it at a 7.3 0-60 time which is actually equal to my Intrigue. So, I have joined the legion of TCH owners. Funny how life works.
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Replying to: mfletou1 (Jun 24, 2006 5:41 pm) I think you'll really enjoy the TCH BUT if you continue to be an "aggressive" driver I wouldn't expect the high FE many of us are experiencing. |
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Replying to: mfletou1 (Jun 24, 2006 5:41 pm) Congratulations. |
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THE HYBRID EFFECT I have had a loaded silver Camry Hybrid (leather, Nav, Roof etc) for one week now. I traded in a 2004 Cadillac CTS-V and have been enjoying my new performance vehicle very much. I have 315 miles and am just now at a half tank. (That is a new experience). The 405 HP in the Caddy was fun on the rare occasions you could get away from traffic and actually use it but it was by far a more crude interpretation of an automobile than this Camry. First impressions: Why in the world would anyone buy a Lexus now? That was my first impression. The car is uber quiet, roomy and very, very smooth. I am 6'3" and have no issue with the roof height with sunroof. I have my first tank average so far at 39.4 and it is a total hoot to drive this car within its design envelope. (Love the stealth mode.....shhhhhhhh). The car is a most enjoyable vehicle to drive, stereo good enough and have had zero issues with the surging some people mentioned. At the 300 mile mark my gut feeling is Toyota has a definite winner on their hands. Home run actually. Look out Detroit! But it just keeps getting better and better! However I have come across a most interesting side benefit of driving the Hybrid. Because the car helps you see where the energy is going it trains you how to apply or not apply power to maximize they Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD). Do this right and the Camry Hybrid rewards you with near 40 mpg combined mileage. Good enough.... but here is the Hybrid Effect. My wife who has put half the miles on the car drives as her main vehicle a volvo XC-90. This pig and her lead foot combined give a 12-13 mpg average.......and that is with premium gas.......YEOUCH. Now after seeing how accelerating and stabbing the gas/brake pedal impacts mileage on the wicked cool energy meeter we reset her mileage calculator in the Volvo and schizzam..... she averaged 16.4 mpg over a hundred miles or so. I was totally shocked at first that my beautiful wife could actually be trained on anything at this stage in our marriage but then was swept away with pride that she had finally learned about the concept of conservation of momentum. Normally she was on the gas right up to the stoplight...then hard on the brakes.....then back hammering on the gas. (of course as a bonus she makes sure that she hit every possible pot-hole in the road too). So not only is the Camry Hybrid fun to drive it is actually saving me gas on TWO vehicles and disproves the theorum that you can't teach an old dog new tricks........Now if I can just teach her some other tricks with the ole stick shift......................... SO There it is, one more reason to buy this wonderful car.......... THE HYBRID EFFECT. MotorMouth
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Replying to: m0t0rm0uth (Jun 05, 2006 7:39 pm)  Congratulations... to the both of you 
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| I ordered my super white loaded TCH in March and got it in mid-june. I love it. It's quieter than my solara was. I've only filled up once. I got about 480 miles on the tbe tank before the low fuel light came on. I also found out, as others have, that it only took 14 or so gallons, meaning there were close to 3 gallons left in the 17 gallon tank. That could be 120 miles more in range. The peak mileage I've attained is 39.6 but the tank average was closer to 34 mpg. I have been doing my best to conform my driving habits to minimize the time that the engine runs. Unfortunately I have too many unavoidable 1 mile round trips to the store. That spends most of the time using the engine to replenish the battery. I'm amazed with $3.00 gas how many people want to tailgate me and fly around me while I'm traveling the speed limit on battery. Guess they can't wait to get back to the pump. Hope they get a clue someday. | |
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Just wanted to add my 2 cents worth to the forum - especially after reading various grousing about "real world" mileage. I have had my TCH 6 weeks now, and couldn't be happier. It is the loaded one with Nav/Leather/Sunroof and I paid full sticker....30,590....and so far think it is worth every penny. I have put just under 3K miles on the it and am getting 42 or 43 mpg. As others have noted, I have gotten better mileage as time as passed, but don't know if this from me learning the "tricks of the trade" of the car breaking in/learning my style. I suspect a little of both. My worst tank average was 39.5 on my first tank. Subsequent tanks have come in at 42.5, 43.5, 43.3, and 42.7. I do drive to try and maximize my mileage. but not fanatically so. In fact I have learned that it isn't really to your advantage to try and stay in pure electric mode. It just wears your battery down faster, and when you end up in VERY prolonged stop-and-go (pretty common in Chicago) you can end up with not enough juice to be able to idle without the gas engine - especially with A/C. There is nothing worse than sitting stopped in a hybrid with the engine running as you watch your mpg drop in front of your eyes... I've learned the best secret to mileage for me is coasting....I've really learned the timing of the lights on my daily commute and now now where I need to punch it up a notch to make the lights, and where I can coast because I CAN'T make the next light (no matter what the guy in back me thinks).... I am in the suburbs of chicago, so I do alot of my driving on roads that are ideal for hitting that sweet spot of 35-40 mph where i can idle back into pure electric. I just coast where I can...then kick in gas motor to bring me back up to 42 or so and then coast some more...of course this is the midwest and the roads are basically flat, so that helps alot.
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Replying to: davehoughton (Jul 20, 2006 2:51 pm) Congrats. A headsup, having travelled in the Chi area for 15+ yrs, winter driving will decrease your Fuel Economy by 10-15%. I'd expect your winter FE to be more 34-35 than 39-41 mpg.
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