New Toyota Camry Hybrid Review in PCMAG

This link highlights the review in PC Magazine October 17, 2006 in the TECHNORIDE section.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2021230,00.asp



By Bill Howard Why has Toyota become the world's number one automaker? Look no further than the 2007 Camry Hybrid. It's an incredible combination of fuel economy, roominess, and fit and finish. About all that's missing is the sense of automotive character found in its competitors and in its sibling, the Prius Hybrid.

The Camry Hybrid costs about $2,400 more than a non-hybrid Camry. You get a four-cylinder gas engine, electric motors/generators at the two front wheels, a continuously variable transmission, and a huge NiMH battery pack. The Denso navigation system has more tech features than on past Toyotas and thus is harder to use, but it's learnable. On our car, it was a bargain: $1,200 for DVD nav plus premium audio and Bluetooth, according to the window sticker.

Other tech goodies include a keyless-start fob (standard), a "multi-info" LCD, a line-in jack for music players, six airbags, tire-pressure monitoring, and the ability to attach XM or Sirius satellite radio. There is no sport package for the hybrid; if you want that, go for the V6 gas-engine Camry. And the government tax credit on this car ($2,600) drops 25 percent after September and will fade away within the year. But most drivers should make back their hybrid premiums anyway. So long as you need transportation and not an extension of your ego, the Camry, either hybrid or gas, is hard to beat.




PROS (as stated)
Very good fuel economy.Roomy cabin. Reasonable power. Near flawless fit and finish.Affordable navigation system.Easy-to-negotiate site.
CONS (as stated)
Some trunk space lost to hybrid batteries. Odd mechanical noises (common to hybrids), some shudder when engine starts(uncommon). Build-your-own site is missing some options. Little personality.
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Now, that said, being a TCH owner, I am a little put off by the 'look down your nose' theme herein, but I suppose it is subjective. I do not agree with all of the PROS or CONS for that matter and doesn't the TCH actually have 7 airbags?

 

I think for computer magazine this review is not bad, better than some I saw in car dedicated magazines lately and they seem to have more balanced, objective look at the car. I think they missed driver's side knee airbag. I have no problems with PRO list, except how the "easy to negotiate site" is related to evaluating the car itself, are they talking about Toyota website??? CONs, again how did the website issues got there and why I don't know. Shudder during engine start is much, much less than in any standard car I've ever seen, even at the worst times (yes, sometimes its worse than others) and the only difference is that it can happen at any time, I never notice it anymore, once I got used to it. I also don't understand their complain about noises, there is some electric whining which I hear when the radio is off, ICE is off and my windows are open, but I think rolling tires are actually louder than electric motor and if the ICE is running I can't hear it no more, so how is that bad and as comparing to what? Since they say it's common to all hybrids, they're not suggesting that this little sound is louder than the engine in regular car?

 

So they admit they "couldn't replicate the price online" of the car they were testing, yet they're still able to conclude that the "hybrid premium runs about $2,400 more than a similar gas-engine-only Camry"? I can't for the life of me figure out where numbers like this come from. Try as I might, I can't equip a non-hybrid Camry to a level comparable to the hybrid model and come up with a "premium" that's that high. Maybe $1300 if you're comparing the 4 cly. XLE, but only $200 if you're comparing the V6 XLE.

Oh well, at least it's not as bad as the "$6,600 more than gas sibling" from the MSNBC article!

 

Quite true Mr. Bill.

It often amazes me how hostile (overtly or covertly) many writers/posters are to hybrids. If they are not pooh-poohing perceived hybrid issues that are not supported by the facts or are trivial to the extreme, then they are criticizing the car because it does not perform like a nitrous-injected V-6 sports sedan with racing suspension. They also get many specifications just plain wrong, such as the number of airbags in the TCH. The TCH does indeed have 7 air-bags. It states this fact right in the safety portion of the 2007 Camry brochure that is available at any Toyota dealership. The author never had a clue about that pesky little 7th (driver’s knee) airbag.