Toyota Camry Hybrid Long Term Review: A Big Luxury Sedan With Hatchback Efficiency

Hybrids are now being talked about a lot and the fact is that they remain the stepping stone towards EVs. They do make a lot of sense in being electric but also having the comfort of an engine to fall back onto. Currently, hybrids have been quite popular despite the small number of cars offering this technology. Simply put, you mostly drive around in the city with electric power and when getting out of town, you use the petrol engine which means efficiency is high but you do not need to charge it like an EV as well. That means you can drive it just like a normal car with an internal combustion engine but also reap the benefits of a hybrid with an electric motor. Of course, unlike an EV, you will not have a high electric only range but it is enough for low speed use.

Hence, to see how a strong hybrid fits into one’s life we lived with one for three months and the car in question is the Toyota Camry Hybrid. Toyota knows hybrid tech better than anyone else with a large line-up of them. The Camry hybrid is a luxury sedan with a 2.5l petrol engine and an electric motor. Combined output is upwards of 218hp with an eCVT automatic. As said before, the hybrid system here works very well for city use. Most of my time with the Camry hybrid was spent doing the city commute being stuck in traffic for long periods of time. Here, the EV mode was used more and the engine was kept at bay. That means, with low speed traffic and gentle throttle inputs, you drive the car in electric mode all of the time.

 As a result, it drives noiselessly and is quiet. The Camry hybrid also has a terrific low speed ride quality which irons out the bad roads. Hence, the way it shelters traffic makes it the ideal commuter. The Camry hybrid’s ride quality and suspension shames luxury cars costing a lot more and despite being a big car, you do not have any issue in driving it everyday.

The hybrid powertrain worked flawlessly and only when you need more acceleration that the engine comes in seamlessly. The faint noise of the engine coming in becomes apparent but only if you listen with concentration. There are three driving modes but eco works best for city use.

I did take the car outside the city onto the highway and here, the key is to drive it in a gentle fashion as hard acceleration brings in a typical CVT rubber brand effect and becomes noisy when pushed. Best, is to cruise at that is what the Camry hybrid does very well. In terms of efficiency, we got 16-17 kmpl for regular city traffic which is brilliant and more than hatchbacks even or any compact SUV with a petrol. Gentle driving might also increase it to 18-kmpl, which is amazing.

Where the Camry hybrid also scores is the on the space front as the rear seats are comfy and have got quite a few amenities including an armrest touchpad, separate zone for climate control at the rear and you can recline the seat while control the sunshades, audio, rear aircon and more with the touchpad.

Plus you can move the front passenger seat electrically from the rear too. Where the Camry Hybrid shows its age is in the overall design of the dashboard upfront. The touch screen especially does not feel crisp and modern while it does get cooled seats etc.

The Camry Hybrid will cost you Rs 46 lakh and currently does not have any rivals so as to speak but as a hybrid luxury car, it remains focussed on efficiency, comfort and ease of use for which it still is a very good buy. Yes, the interior design might feel slightly old but the hybrid powertrain and the packaging makes this a capable luxury car.

What we like- efficiency, comfort, ride quality, features

What we do not like- interior design is old, touchscreen infotainment system is slightly dated

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