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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: keithl (Jul 25, 2006 6:14 pm) - A more noticable alarm when you leave the car "on". It is so quiet that is easy to leave the car on. The car beeps for a number of reasons, such as leaving the sunroof open, that you don't notice that you left the the car on. Have a place to insert the "key" and turn on/off the car for those who can't handle the keyless method. My wife came out one day and found the engine running 2 hours after "turning" off the car. - Move the A/C Eco button near the Climate controls! |
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My loaded Desert Sand TCH has arrived. Picked it up two days ago and have been loving every minute. Can't wait for the week end so that I have the time to really learn how everything works. The golf clubs even fit in the trunk without removing the bag from my pull cart. So what else could I want? MPG since delivery is already >36 MPG and I'm still learning how to drive it. And of course I have had to experiment to see what kind of acelleration is really available. Happy as a clam. 
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Replying to: mharris813 (Jul 24, 2006 6:53 am) I just love it. It's quiet, efficient and has enough zoom to get me where I need to go. Best of all, I'm giving less of my $$ to the terrorist sponsoring nations that sell us so much oil. We compared this to the Lexus ES 350 (beautiful, but not the value of the TCH) for $7k more and the Accord EX-L (very nice but just not my style) for $7k less. I'm very pleased with the decision. I still can't figure how such smart people can't do something better with the battery pack that makes you lose half your trunk, but it's a very small concession. |
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Replying to: keithl (Jul 25, 2006 6:14 pm) 
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Took possession of my loaded Desert Sand TCH last Saturday. Traded in an '02 Avalon XLS, which I loved. The loaded TCH has about as many ameninites as the Avalon. Here are my thoughts: Exterior: The car looks better than I thought it would--just a very sharp color and style. It came with the spoiler, which I didn't want, but that doesn't look too bad. I hope the paint protection against chips and scratches is better than it was on my Avalon. We'll see. The car would also look better with bigger wheels. Interior: Inside the lines are clean and the colors fit well with the Desert Sand. Plenty of room in the backseat for my children and adults. Good headroom back there, as well. In most cars, my head scrapes the ceiling, but I don't even have to scrunch down in the TCH. Cup holders in the rear are pretty one-dimensional, a disappointment after the nice layout in my Avalon. The kids will have to make do. The cupholders in the front are great and versatile. The outlets in the car do not stay "live" when the car is off. That means the only time I can charge my phone is when I drive. I wish they would leave outlets live when the car is off. I like the arm rest, though I wish it were the sliding kind (I am not spending the $$ to have one installed!). The change drawer to the left of the steering wheel is handy. I like the controls on the steering wheel, and once I get used to their placement, they will be a big help. However, they feel a little loose. I hope they stand up to use over the miles, but it feels like quality is lacking here. I agree it needs an automatic "up" on the driver's window. I will miss this feature that my Avalon had. The controls on the Nav., radio, etc. are a stretch to reach. The Nav. is not intuitive at all. I really need to read the instruction manual. In addition, it is not up to date, as our home address, which has changed to a 9-1-1 address, is not available. I realize maps change all the time, but they could have at least sent one that was less than two years old. Someone mentioned the ECO controls should be placed near the other climate controls, and I agree. My wife didn't even know it was there. Other controls are nicely laid out and accessible. Plenty of storage in the front of the cabin. Seats: The leather isn't as slick as that in my Avalon, but feels quality, and the seats are comfortable. I Memory seats and mirrors! It needs them! It has heated seats. Love them! Driving Experience: The TCH has plenty of zip for the kind of car it is. My wife said she pushed it to 90 MPH and couldn't even tell. The ride is responsive but smooth, though the tail end does take a hard bump once in awhile. It's not as soft a ride as my Avalon, but I didn't expect it to be. Vision lines are pretty clear. So far I haven't noticed any bad blind spots. I find myself watching the MPG gauge and not paying attention to the road as much as I should! Takes a hard hit on the brakes to disengage the cruise control and that causes a jolt. My Avalon came out of cruise so smoothly, and this is a change. I'll have to experiment and see if I can smooth it out. So far we have put about 620 miles on it and have averaged just above 39 MPG. The best trip so far was 43.3 MPG over 27 miles. I seem to get a little better mileage on the highway than I do in town. Overall, I like the car and am glad we purchased it. I will post again when I have more miles under my belt. |
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"Takes a hard hit on the brakes to disengage the cruise control and that causes a jolt. My Avalon came out of cruise so smoothly, and this is a change. I'll have to experiment and see if I can smooth it out." Just use the steering wheel control to cancel the cruise. Just pull the lever toward you to disengage the cruise. I use this method all the time and it's smooth and perfect. |
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For background, I have recently owned and driven (all bought new): -'03 Camry SE 4cyl 4spd automatic -very nice car, great mileage 23 mpg town, 32ish highway, a few minor dash rattles. Replaced with '05 Highlander in March '05 when I transferred ownership to my daughter. -'03 Highlander base (fairly loaded) 3.0L V6 4 spd automatic 2wd ..almost perfect vehicle except for mileage-consistent 20-22mpg town or highway, which I expected -'05 Highlander Limited 3.3L V6 5 speed automatic 2wd. Much nicer than our '03, due to being Limited, and the 3.3L and 5spd automatic are big improvements. 19-22mpg town and 23-25mpg highway... I did LOTS of research and test-driving to determine if I was going to be unhappy with the transmission, due to the reports here of severe hesitations....I put 20,000+ miles in 16 months without any issues at all. Someone close to me bought a Highlander Hybrid Limited in July 05, and I have had the privilege of driving it several hundred miles. WOW! If it wasn't $40k, and the fact that my Highlander was only 4 months old, I might have bought one.... anyway, if I was going to buy another car, I wanted better highway mileage, and a little quieter on the highway. HH out. Toyota announces the Camry Hybrid. BINGO! wait wait wait.... July 8, I visited Precision Toyota (Tucson) who told me they had an unsold loaded Desert Sand TCH inbound due in L.A. on 7/16. I could have it for MSRP. Placed a $500 deposit, and bought the loaded Desert Sand Loaded TCH on 7/21. Traded in the 03 Highlander, got $1,000 more than ACV, based on the pros in the real-world-trade-in thread here on Edmunds. 10 days and ~500 miles later, I am very impressed. I had the windows tinted with ceramic film. so far my impressions: Cons:(all minor) -I agree, ECO button should be near the climate controls. -I prefer the seat height of the Highlander, easier to get in and out for my (yikes) aging body, altho the Camry seems to be ok so far. -The folding rear seat back is totally stupid! -Would like to have had factory fog lights..even optionally. Pros: -Everything else! -First fill-up, after all around town, MANY very short 1-2 mile trips, and AC on ECO, the computer said 34.5mpg, calculating it shows 35.5mpg, but uncertain if dealer filled it all the way. (This is after spending more than 1.5 hours with it "ready" in the garage playing with the Nav etc..it's been over 100 degrees in Tucson!) Can't wait to see how high I can get the mpg on this tank! -Very quiet - plenty of power, altho I'm not likely to use it very often. -Great sound system, I'm using an iPod thru the aux input, and just yesterday burned a couple of mp3 CDs to try in the 4-CD changer. Awesome! Did you guys know that you can customize the audio "sound" differently in each mode? AM, FM, Disc, Aux..etc!!! -Tilt-telescopic steering wheel, and power driver's seat allow perfect seating position. -It's taking me time to get used to the smart key! Can't tell you how many times I have taken the "key" out of my pocket only to remember I don't need it! -I can't believe that I am driving a near luxury car (who needs a Lexus?) with the room, handling, quietness, and performance of this car, and better fuel mileage than a Civic!!!! (BTW, Motor Trend 9/2007 just wrote that the TCH has the 3rd highest fuel economy of any vehicle available in the US, behind the Prius and Civic hybrid) Quite an accomplishment! THANK YOU TOYOTA! |
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| My New Camry Hybrid has 2500 miles and MPG has dropped steadily. Started out near 40, then 35 now after six weeks, 30.9 MPG in mixed driving conditions. I'm doing everything except watch where I'm going to maximaize my MPG. ECO air, slow early, maximize coast, no rapid acceleration, etc. I took it to a local dealer, ( I went out of state to buy it) their service representative stated 33 - 44 is the acceptable range. I say " I'm under 32 for the last 300 miles". They smile and say, "everyhthing is working properly". I'd like to drive it onto their showroom floor without opening any showroom doors. | |
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Replying to: ottom (Aug 02, 2006 10:24 am) |
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