Toyota’s hybrid family made a big contribution to the segments in which
they were offered (8.4 per cent of Toyota sales with 1,183 units sold),
and accounted for 45.9 per cent of sales in the intermediate car
segment.
“Canadians are embracing new models like the Prius c, the Prius v and
the next-generation Camry Hybrid — vehicles that deliver high fuel
efficiency and low emissions,” said Tony Wearing, senior managing
director, Toyota Canada Inc.
The topic of today’s review, the Toyota Camry Hybrid saw a 609.4 per
cent increase in sales (227 units sold). That sales increase probably
had much to do with the refreshed 2012 model.
Key changes for the new Camry Hybrid included a whopping 39 per cent
improvement in fuel efficiency; best-in-class performance from its new
2.5L Atkinson Cycle engine; and increased cargo space thanks in part to a
battery-pack size change.
Soft touches inside
The Camry’s cabin was nicely finished and I liked the look of the
soft-touch plastics on the upper dash with its white cloth stitching.
Those soft touches extended to the door and centre console armrests, to
the upper door trim, and to the knee pads on either side of the console.
That soft area on the console added to driver comfort as did the
Camry's plush and supportive fabric seats. There was no adjustable
lumbar support, but the support was there and I would have no concerns
on long trips. I liked the three-tone colour of the front seats which
had manual fore/aft, height, and seatback recline (no height adjust for
the passenger). The front seatbacks reclined all the way back onto the
rear seat cushion.
Both front doors had storage cubbies and room for tall bottles, while
entry into the Camry was made easier by keyless entry, where I could
leave the keyfob in my pocket.
Exclusive to the Camry Hybrid was its ‘Metallic-tech Grain’ trim; it
combined with the black dashboard, brushed-aluminum highlights, and the
ivory seat fabrics on part of the cushion and seatbacks.
Also unique to the hybrid was its three-gauge instrument cluster with
an analog fuel economy gauge, plus a power-flow display which
graphically showed the vehicle's energy flow, cruising range, and
real-time fuel economy. Three small LCD displays positioned in each of
the gauges showed all sorts of vehicle info., like outside temperature,
odometer, average speed, Eco drive level, fuel economy, and more.
The stack area offered large, easy-to-use buttons and dials for audio
and HVAC. In fact, I really liked the simple functionality, especially
for the climate control. Like most days throughout this awesome summer,
it was hot and muggy through my test period and I appreciated how
quickly the Camry's AC cooled down the cabin.
A large cubby at the bottom of the stack had a push-push lid and inside
there were inputs for media devices, including an iPod, and there was
also a 12-volt power source. The wide console area housed the gated
shifter, two cupholders, and a good-sized open tray. The big armrest bin
was, well, big (for a midsize sedan; a hybrid no less).
Tall and wide folks would have no complaints seated up front.
Those same big folks would find the same room and comfort in the rear
where there was loads of leg and head room. The middle seat was even
half comfortable and would suffice for a slim human in the 5-11 range.
There was lots of knee room for me back there seated behind a
pushed-back driver's seat and my feat also had plenty of room to wiggle
under the front seat.
Entry and exit to the rear were easy tasks and folks older than myself
would probably feel the same. I appreciated the room for two drinks in
each rear door along with the two cupholders in the fold-down armrest.
Olivia’s booster seat fit very well and she had no problem at all
buckling herself in, even with the armrest down and full of kid drinks.
The young-uns also appreciated the pouches on the seatbacks for their
books and there was an open cubby on the back of the centre console for
more small stuff (Davide had his Nintendo 3Ds stored there).
Assist handles (above all four doors) were there to aid the exit
process. Parents will also like the easy-to-access lower tether anchors
for infant seats, the three top tether strap anchors on the rear dash,
and the fact that forward- or rear-facing infant seats would fit just
fine.
New-found cargo room
The Camry Hybrid added more trunk space for 2012 (now at 13.1 cu.ft.)
thanks to a trunk-mounted battery pack that was reduced in size along
with the DC-DC converter that was moved from the trunk area to beneath
the hood.
Its trunk would fit two full-size bags of golf clubs and a couple of
kit bags (do golfers use kit bags?). It measured roughly 30 inches long
and 51 inches wide. My tester included a handy cargo net.
I liked that the right portion of the Camry's rear seatback could fold
forward with the tug of a lever in the trunk. With that seatback down a
pass-through about 16 inches wide and seven inches high appeared.
Something about 90 inches long could fit in from the trunk and through
that pass-through up to the front passenger seatback which was fully
upright with the cushion portion forward to the max. You could slide in
several 2X4X8s on a slight angle up through the front seats.
New platform
Like the rest of the Camry lineup, the hybrid version sat atop a new
platform for 2012, but its length, width, height, and wheelbase remained
the same.
Exterior changes included all-new sheet metal and a new chrome grille
that reached upward toward a refreshed headlamp design. At the bottom of
the grille was a wide air inlet winged by trapezoidal chrome fog light
niches.
At the back, chrome taillight accents were cast-off and replaced by a
curvier design that draped into the rear side panels and spread to the
trunk.
What distinguished its exterior from the regular Camry, which I
reviewed here recently, were the hybrid badges on the front panels and
trunk lid, while the front and rear Toyota badges sported blue
backgrounds rather than black (similar to the Prius).
My tester’s beautiful Cypress Pearl would be my choice of colour.
Power and fuel efficiency
The Camry Hybrid felt more like it had a V6 under the hood rather than an in-line four.
Its new 2.5-litre Atkinson Cycle gave the Camry more horsepower and
more foot-pounds of torque, which combined for some surprisingly lively
acceleration.
Throttle response was great as the Hybrid gave all its power in an
instant, which was darn good for off-the-line dashes or quick highway
passes.
The 2.5 four-cylinder worked with a 105-kw electric motor and a revised
245-volt battery pack which consisted of 34 nickel-metal hydride
modules each with 1.2-volt cells. Combined power output was 200 hp.
The transition from gas engine to electric motor and back again was
absolutely seamless, and its improved regenerative braking system was
something I noticed right away as it was comparable even to the
non-hybrid Camry.
Thanks to several new enhancements for 2012, the Camry's interior was
hushed as very little outside noise entered on drives in the city or on
the highway, while its suspension softened the asphalt nasties.
The Camry Hybrid drive system also offered both EV- and ECO-mode options.
In stealth, err, EV mode, the electric motor, powered by the hybrid
battery, was used to drive the vehicle. This mode enabled me to sneak,
for example, around my parking lot or garage at work while the Camry
didn't make any noise nor release any gas emissions.
EV mode would shut off when the vehicle approached 40 km/hr, but you
could drive distances of a few hundred metres up to two km in the right
conditions. EV mode would shut off if the hybrid battery got too low or
if you pressed the accelerator firmly.
In Eco mode, vehicle driving force and operation of the AC system was
controlled to improve fuel efficiency (it managed the heating and
cooling operations and fan speed of the AC system).
There was a ‘B’-shift option for the Camry Hybrid’s transmission which
allowed for engine braking; it took the place of the conventional
automatic transmission's ‘L’ setting and could be used for, say,
downhill braking situations.
The big news for the new Camry Hybrid was fuel economy. Its estimated
fuel economy rating was 4.5-litres/ 100km city, 4.9 highway, and 4.7
combined (we realized 5.8 after an extended 14-day test; I still had
more than half a tank of fuel left before I had to top it off and
return).
The end
On the whole, for those on the hunt for a mid-size sedan with proven
reliability, superior fuel efficiency, ample cargo space, an affordable
price, and more than enough power for everyday drives, then a trip to
your local Toyota dealership for a test run in the new Camry Hybrid
should not be ignored.
Article by August 15, 2012 - 2:11pm
Todd Gillis | Wheel Time
