Image © Toyota
I'm not a big fan of hybrids; when it comes to fuel economy I'll take a good turbodiesel like the Mercedes E320 BLUETEC any day. But the new Toyota Camry Hybrid is an excellent use of the technology, and a car even a hybrid cynic like me can appreciate: It delivers the mid-size utility American buyers want and the mid-size performance they expect with honest-to-goodness compact-sedan fuel economy. And it's wrapped up in a car that people actually want to buy -- witness the fact that the Toyota Camry has been the best-selling car in the United States for years.
How frugal is the Toyota Camry Hybrid? I averaged 30 MPG in a week of mixed driving, and would expect most owners to see the same or better. Pricing on the Toyota Camry Hybrid starts about $4,000 north of the volume-selling Toyota Camry LE with 4 cylinder engine and automatic transmission (though to be fair, equipment levels are closer to the Toyota Camry XLE). With gas prices constantly in flux, it's debatable whether buyers will make up the cost in fuel savings -- but with the money going to Toyota rather than the oil companies, Camry Hybrid buyers are helping to reduce our dependency on oil (foreign or domestic), and high-mileage drivers' budgets are better protected against fluctuations in fuel prices. Any way you slice it, the Toyota Camry Hybrid is a great idea.
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