As the alternative propulsion sector stands now, Toyota has it pretty good. The do-no-wrong Prius is indisputably the eco car standard-bearer, and continues to sell in healthy quantities -- 83,918 through August 2011. But this is America, land of the pickup truck and midsize sedan. Fortunately for Toyota, it also knows how to build, market, and peddle cars like the 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid. Let's talk fuel economy. Whereas the old Camry Hybrid's 31/35 mpg city/highway pales in comparison to the Ford Fusion Hybrid's 41/36 mpg city/highway and the hybridized Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima (35/40 mpg city/highway), our top-of-the-line 2012 XLE tester does a cool 41/38 mpg city/highway on 17-inch alloys wrapped with low-rolling-resistance 215/55-17 tires. That's a 21-percent combined mpg improvement over 2011. A spirited 200-plus-mile dash of city, highway, and quick, undulating back roads left us with a real-world consumption of 37 mpg. Go with the more basic LE trim -- replete with smaller 16-inch steel wheels and narrower rubber -- and the EPA figure rests at 43/39 mpg city/highway (up 26 percent).The tailpipe emissions-less electric component of the power-split hybrid system is chiefly championed by the 141-horsepower tractive motor. If directed by the continuously variable transmission or slipped into the newly inserted EV mode, the motor alone can propel the Camry Hybrid with a not-unsubstantial 199 lb-ft of torque (peak torque available from 0-1500 rpm). Unless the 1.6-kilowatt-hour nickel-metal-hydride battery is at its most minimal state of charge, driving around town carefully and quietly as a bona-fide EV is a cinch, and doesn't feel particularly penalizing given the motor's output. Toyota claims there is less friction loss in the transaxle and better motor-voltage control aiding the relatively accomplished HSD system. Blending battery and gasoline energy sources in haste produces a net of 200 silky horsepower, up from 187. Powertrain integration is honestly among the best of any hybrid vehicle out there.The soft, floaty ride helps generate the illusion the Camry Hybrid is larger than it really is, a plus if you're constantly shuttling people around. There's sufficient space in the back seat to fit three average-size males abreast without the middle passenger having to curl into a ball -- taxi fleets operating Camry Hybrids should find welcome fares. On paper, the interior dimensions haven't drastically changed, with the biggest numeric differences highlighted in rear leg room (+0.6 inch) and rear hip room (+0.6 inch).Answer: Kind of. The interior design and build materials won't be winning any awards, not even in the pedestrian midsize segment. We found the revised color patterns a bit more inviting, and the ergonomics and controls placement and functionality to be well executed, but in the end there's a lack of intangible warmth in the cabin - it's appliance-like, if you will.Front engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan 2.5L/156-hp/156-lb-ft Atkinson cycle DOHC 16-valve I-4, plus 141-hp/199-lb-ft electric motor; 200 hp comb Tuesday, 25 October 2011
First Test: 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE
As the alternative propulsion sector stands now, Toyota has it pretty good. The do-no-wrong Prius is indisputably the eco car standard-bearer, and continues to sell in healthy quantities -- 83,918 through August 2011. But this is America, land of the pickup truck and midsize sedan. Fortunately for Toyota, it also knows how to build, market, and peddle cars like the 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid. Let's talk fuel economy. Whereas the old Camry Hybrid's 31/35 mpg city/highway pales in comparison to the Ford Fusion Hybrid's 41/36 mpg city/highway and the hybridized Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima (35/40 mpg city/highway), our top-of-the-line 2012 XLE tester does a cool 41/38 mpg city/highway on 17-inch alloys wrapped with low-rolling-resistance 215/55-17 tires. That's a 21-percent combined mpg improvement over 2011. A spirited 200-plus-mile dash of city, highway, and quick, undulating back roads left us with a real-world consumption of 37 mpg. Go with the more basic LE trim -- replete with smaller 16-inch steel wheels and narrower rubber -- and the EPA figure rests at 43/39 mpg city/highway (up 26 percent).The tailpipe emissions-less electric component of the power-split hybrid system is chiefly championed by the 141-horsepower tractive motor. If directed by the continuously variable transmission or slipped into the newly inserted EV mode, the motor alone can propel the Camry Hybrid with a not-unsubstantial 199 lb-ft of torque (peak torque available from 0-1500 rpm). Unless the 1.6-kilowatt-hour nickel-metal-hydride battery is at its most minimal state of charge, driving around town carefully and quietly as a bona-fide EV is a cinch, and doesn't feel particularly penalizing given the motor's output. Toyota claims there is less friction loss in the transaxle and better motor-voltage control aiding the relatively accomplished HSD system. Blending battery and gasoline energy sources in haste produces a net of 200 silky horsepower, up from 187. Powertrain integration is honestly among the best of any hybrid vehicle out there.The soft, floaty ride helps generate the illusion the Camry Hybrid is larger than it really is, a plus if you're constantly shuttling people around. There's sufficient space in the back seat to fit three average-size males abreast without the middle passenger having to curl into a ball -- taxi fleets operating Camry Hybrids should find welcome fares. On paper, the interior dimensions haven't drastically changed, with the biggest numeric differences highlighted in rear leg room (+0.6 inch) and rear hip room (+0.6 inch).Answer: Kind of. The interior design and build materials won't be winning any awards, not even in the pedestrian midsize segment. We found the revised color patterns a bit more inviting, and the ergonomics and controls placement and functionality to be well executed, but in the end there's a lack of intangible warmth in the cabin - it's appliance-like, if you will.Front engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan 2.5L/156-hp/156-lb-ft Atkinson cycle DOHC 16-valve I-4, plus 141-hp/199-lb-ft electric motor; 200 hp comb 
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