Toyota Camry Hybrid Luxury 2010 Review

Toyota Camry Hybrid Luxury

Road Test

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $39,990
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Nil
Crash rating: four-star (ANCAP)
Fuel: Unleaded 91 RON
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 6.0
CO2 emissions (g/km): 142
Also consider: Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid

Overall rating: 3.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 3.5/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.0/5.0
Safety: 2.5/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.0/5.0
X-factor: 3.0/5.0

Toyota has proved something about hybrids: Aside from the substantial improvements in fuel economy and exhaust emissions, they are easy to get on with.

From the arrival of the first Prius in Australia during 2001, the company has been demonstrating that life with a hybrid is pretty much the same as life with a conventional car. Apart from the fuel consumption benefits -- plus the benefits of sitting in stationary traffic with the quiet knowledge you're contributing nothing to the carbon dioxide laden pall around you -- there's virtually nothing to tell you you're driving a car that comes close to being a technological masterpiece.

Toyota bit the bullet with Prius, sacrificing early profits to establish hybrids in the minds of car-buyers. The investments were huge, and so was the cost of manufacture.

Wherever the company sits today in terms of amortising the truckloads of money that went into making hybrids viable, reliable and buyable, there can be no doubt this is still an expensive way of making environmentally friendly cars.

The Toyota Prius is an example of what can be achieved by a car company with a lot of determination and a lot of money. Especially if a lot of brand positioning is involved. Toyota, and luxury offshoot Lexus, like to be seen as socially responsible, green carmakers.

And now, we have the locally built Camry Hybrid -- a double hybrid of sorts in that it started as a regular car before being elevated into its technologically cutting-edge status. It is an attempt to move petrol-electric technology even closer to the mainstream.

Seemingly ridiculously, you can put yourself into a base hybrid Camry for less than a base Prius. The very fact it is a development of a conventionally engineered car figures here. The (smaller) Prius was designed and developed purely as a hybrid, intended for a quite different demographic.

But the basic engineering is the same. Like the Prius, the hybrid Camry backs up a more or less conventional Atkinson-cycle reciprocating engine with two electric motors, and apportions power via a very clever adaptation of a planetary gearset that also works as a constantly variable transmission. The design work that has gone into the power package is breathtaking.

The result is that the Camry Hybrid is an ordinary-looking car with less than ordinary mechanicals.

The Carsales Network has already extensively explored the innermost workings of the Camry hybrid, so we won't reiterate all that here, except to say it ends up with more power (a combined 140kW compared with 117kW), greatly improved fuel economy (6.0L/100km versus 8.8L/100km) and lower emissions (142g/km compared with 210g/km) than a regular Camry.

On top of that, there's a lot of torque to play with. The petrol engine alone develops 187Nm of torque, while the electric motor produces no less than 270Nm. As with the kilowatt figures, the combined torque output isn't calculated by simply adding the Newton metre readings of both petrol and electric powerplants (actual kilowatts for petrol engine and electric motor are 110kW and 140kW respectively). Nonetheless, there's no doubt the total torque is well in excess of the standard engine's 218Nm.

Of course, the extra power and torque of the hybrid is compromised by a weight increase. It carries, roughly, 200kg more than a conventional Camry, brought about mainly by the eight-year warranted, sealed nickel-metal hydride 244-volt battery that gobbles up most of the boot space. The weight increase is a bit like having two extra passengers, and a child, constantly on top of the usual load.

The power-weight gains are therefore minimal: in regular Camrys, each kilowatt carries a bit more than 12kg, while the hybrid versions lug around 11.75kg per kilowatt.

Toyota puts on a positive spin by saying the hybrid is closer to the ideal 50-50 weight distribution and that the respected local suspension engineering group has re-rated springs and shock absorbers to compensate.

If you have driven a Prius and been impressed, the Camry should bring pretty much the same reaction. What has always been remarkable about the Prius is the seamless operation of the very complex power pack. It is necessary to concentrate hard if you are to detect the on-off operation of the petrol engine, while the power delivery has something of the torquey surge characterising Lexus hybrids such as the GS450h.

The planetary gearset that operates as a CVT does an amazing job of sorting out the power paths of the petrol engine and electric motor, while also delivering smooth, step-free acceleration that lacks the slipping-clutch effect of some CVTs.

When the petrol engine is warmed up, the hybrid Camry reverses with eerie silence on battery power alone and will, for a limited time, creep forward in slow traffic without any input from the petrol engine.

There is an impression though that the Camry Hybrid is more petrol-centric than the Prius. Watching the myriad graphics telling you where power is and isn't going indicates the petrol engine is usually doing more work than that of the Prius. But the electric motor is still doing enough to reduce the car's overall carbon footprint - which is the prime motivator for most hybrid buyers, in both private and fleet sectors.

Certainly, as mentioned earlier, there's little about the high-tech Camry that will scare customers away. Toyota's Prius experience has added a lot of weight to its claims of a long battery lifespan and quotes examples of taxis completing more than 400,000km on original batteries. The company says that since the Prius launch in 2001, a mere 0.025 per cent of batteries have needed replacement due to being worn out.

A further comforting thought is that a Toyota-backed battery recycling program in Australia is able to recycle 95 per cent of components.

From a driver's viewpoint, there's absolutely no adjustment required to pilot a Camry hybrid.

All that's really needed is an awareness that starting up -- particularly when the petrol engine is warm -- isn't the same as firing up a conventional car. The only thing telling you all systems are go is an advisory light in the dash.

Reversing is a slightly spooky experience for the uninitiated because it's all-electric. Moving forward (no political reference) at slow speed, when the petrol engine is warm, is pretty much the same, although the petrol engine does fire up instantly via the secondary electric motor (there's no whirring of a conventional starter motor) when a bit of acceleration is called for.

And with the hybrid's electric air-conditioning, there's no worry about a building heat wave inside the car if you're stationary for a long time in heavy traffic. And if you're still not moving and the battery drain reaches a certain point, the petrol engine simply kicks in to charge it again.

As mentioned earlier, something of the torquey push experienced in Lexus performance hybrids is evident in the Camry. This largely comes from the generous Nm of the electric motor, giving the hybrid a slightly livelier feel than a conventional Camry that belies the very similar power-weight ratio.

The hybrid cruises with quiet ease and, with the electric motor doing its share of the work, quickly executes highway overtaking manoeuvres. The quoted zero to 100km/h time, at 8.9 seconds, is pretty quick -- an indicator of the way the car generally feels.

In terms of handling, the extra weight can be felt, but everything is pretty neutral to the point where the car begins to overwhelm the standard 215/60 R16 tyres. The feeling is that the 17-inch wheel-tyre combination of the Camry Grande could produce better results.

The electric power steering is generally fine to deal with, especially with its slightly faster ratio. It is well weighted, and only occasionally reminds you it's electrically assisted through a slightly artificial feel. Turning circle is the same handy 11.8 metres as the standard car.

Bottom line is that, if you were a passenger without any prior knowledge of the very special mechanicals powering the hybrid Camry, you'd be very unlikely to pick it as being any different to an ordinary car.

The same – apart from the compromised boot -- goes for the packaging. There's plenty of space for adult passengers in front and rear, and the seats do a good job of sustaining comfort after a few hours on the road. The rear seat cushion is pretty flat though, and foot room beneath the front seats is bit tight for those up back. Both driver and front passenger get power fore-aft and backrest-recline adjustment, as well as power lumbar support. Typically Toyota, the range of adjustment is limited and, in terms of lumbar support particularly, questionably effective.

Toyota talks about the boot's ability to swallow four nine-inch golf bags or two 77cm by 58cm suitcases, but the reality is it's a pretty awkward boot with a massive chunk taken out of its left side and only limited access to the splitfold seat opening.

We still managed to a mountain bike, sans front and rear wheels, to fit without too much trouble.

Our test car was the Luxury version, which is equipped similarly to the Camry Grande apart from having smaller wheels (16-inch compared to 17-inch), a less exotic sound system, and no satellite navigation or sunroof. Otherwise it comes with two-zone climate-control, leather seats (powered for both driver and front passenger), Bluetooth functionality, a trip computer, rain sensor wipers and electro chromatic internal rearview mirror.

Given all this, it's maybe a surprise that even the Luxury grade Camry Hybrid feels a little short of the upmarket feel Toyota has obviously tried to generate. The leather seats help, as does the general quality of fit and finish, but there's still a certain drabness you'd rather not have when spending 40 grand plus on your new car, hybrid or not.

That said, the Camry Hybrid offers the unquestioned benefits of cutting-edge engineering at a price that cannot be argued with, whether it's the base model (which is also well equipped) or the Luxury version.

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