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Eric's Autos: Reviewing the 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid

Eric Peters on

A CVT transmission is standard - and you can operate the Camry hybrid entirely in electric mode up to about 30 MPH. However, in real-world driving, this is hard to do without being very patient - and expecting a great deal of patience from your fellow drivers. (More on this below.)

Buyers note: If you want that 43 MPG be aware that the higher trim XLE's mileage is lower (40 city, 38 highway) because it's fitted with higher rolling resistance 17-inch wheels and tires. The base trim comes with 16 inch wheels and tires - which in addition to saving you gas will save you money when the time comes to buy new tires.

ON THE ROAD

I've driven all the current cars in this class and - by far - the Camry hybrid's the best of the bunch. Here's why:

It is significantly quicker, both getting going and once you're going. The Fusion and Sonata hybrids need 1 full second longer to accelerate to 60 - and it's more than just that. The Camry hybrid has a margin those cars lack. What I mean is, to even make it to 60 in less than 9 seconds in the Fusion or Sonata hybrids, you have to floor it - and hold it - and wring every hp (and kilowatt) out of the thing. The Camry not only gets up to speed more rapidly, it does so with less effort. It is the first hybrid car I have driven (other than much more expensive luxury-performance hybrids like the Infiniti M or Porsche Cayenne) that is quicker than most non-hybrid economy cars. In fact, it's about as quick as most middle-of-the-road cars - and certainly not slow (like the Prius). Two, it is more seamless in operation.

Others have commented on the noticeable transitions between electric and gas and electric-assisted operation in other hybrids, including the Sonata hybrid especially. Toyota's experience with hybrids - it was the first automaker to offer them for sale more than a decade ago - and it still sells far more of them than any other automaker - is telling. The regular Sonata is an outstanding car, pick of the litter in its class. But the hybrid version needs some more tweaking.

 

And the Fusion? It is a smooth runner - better than the Sonata and almost as good as the Camry. But it's an older design and doesn't transition quite as smoothly and often feels like it's working to hard to get up to speed. But its real deficit is its MSRP. The 2012 Fusion hybrid's base price of $28,775 is $1,375 higher than the price of the top-of-the-line Camry XLE hybrid ($27,400) and almost $2,900 higher than the price of a 43 MPG hybrid Camry LE.

Third: The Camry hybrid is (by far) the plushest of the three. Several people I took for rides commented on the back (and tail) friendly seats; the generous backseat legroom and headroom, the giving, compliant ride. It's true Toyota has firmed the new Camry up relative to the previous one, but the difference is a less disconnected feel - not a harsher ride. The steering, for instance, is no longer numb and overboosted and while cornering at high speeds is not what the Camry was built for, it does not wallow and heave like an '87 Century, casting off hubcaps at each apex.

It displayed no negative traits at all during my weeklong test drive - and that's the first time I've ever been able to say that about any hybrid. You do not have to drive this thing at a crawl to get extremely good economy out of it - I never got less than 35 MPG - and unlike a Prius, it will move when you need it to.

On the electric-only operation: There's a button on the forward part of the lower console for EV - electric vehicle - mode. Engage this and it's possible to drive the Prius at speeds up to about 30 MPH on just the batteries. But you have to be really gentle with your right foot. Anything more urgent than a crawl and an extremely gradual building of speed will trip the gas engine back on. This feature may however be more real-world usable in heavy city traffic - where you might not be able to move much faster than a crawl and - key thing - neither will anyone else around you. So they won't get mad at you.

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