02/19/2007
By Mike Blake
Carlisle Events
Toyota is ahead of the curve.
While other manufacturers strive to heed the conservationist directive of producing vehicles that will diminish our dependence on foreign oil -- or all fossil fuels for that matter -- Toyota has, for years, been building avant-garde vehicles that use less fuel.
The manufacturer that has turned the Big Three into The Big Four, has struck gold again, with the 2007 Camry Hybrid, a sporty, attractive and popular car that employs both an electric motor and gasoline-powered engine to get you from here to there and back again.
Motor Trend named the family of Camrys its Car of the Year, and while that took in all of the myriad options, makes, trims and offerings in the Camry line, I only tested the Hybrid version and while it might not have been my Car of the Year (it came in at No. 2 for me) it certainly is a vehicle that puts a lot on the table for an aggressively cost-conscious price.
My Barcelona Red metallic test vehicle was powered by Toyota’s Hybrid synergy drive with 187hp system that marries a 2.4-liter, 16-valve 4 cylinder engine with permanent magnet motor. The system is EPA rated at 40mpg in city driving and 38mpg on the highway. Your fuel consumption is more economic in the city because at coasting, stop-and-go or idling junctures, the gas engine turns off and the electric motor kicks in. During my weeklong tests on Central Pennsylvania highways, and through Cumberland Valley towns and boroughs, I averaged what would have been a very stout 34.5 miles per gallon. However, with the hybrid hype, I was disappointed that my overall consumption wasn’t at least 10 percent higher.
The engine portion of the system put out 147hp with 138 lbs.-ft. of torque, while the electric motor provided and additional 40hp.
From its silent motor start, the car eases away from its parking space. With a curb weigh of a solid 3680 pounds, the engine and motor were enough to propel this family car from zero to 60mph in just under 8 seconds, while the quarter-mile was navigated in the low 16s. I found acceleration sluggish, but utilized as a family car, performance seemed fine for the niche, hybrid or not. And gas mileage, as expected, well-exceeds its contenders in the segment.
Toyota has priced the unit attractively, with a base price of $25,900. My test car came in at $27,649, well within the range of other contenders and non-hybrids in the niche.
The Camry was well equipped, and most of what came in my test car was standard.
On the exterior, the angular Camry has a wheelbase of 109.3 inches, length of 189.2 inches, width is 71.7 inches and height is 57.5 inches. The outside is adorned with its metallic paint, blue-tint halogen auto on/off headlamps, daytime running lights, color-keyed outside mirrors, silver grille with chrome-plated molding, sound dampening front windshield and chrome exhaust tip.
Inside, the roomy Camry offers expansive headroom of 38.8 inches in front and 37.8 behind. Legroom is 41.6 inches up front and 38.3 in the second row. A silent ride (even when the quiet motor is overtaken by the purring gas engine) and smooth handling makes for a comfortable cabin that includes such standard accouterments as electric dual-zone climate control with pollen filter, rear vents and plasma cluster, JBL digital AM/FM/MP3 6-disc-in-dash CD changer with Bluetooth, and eight speakers as part of a 400-watt sound system. Camry also includes a multi-information display, Homelink universal transceiver, power windows with driver’s auto-down, power door locks, power driver seat with lumbar support, tilt/telescopic steering wheel with audio controls, auto-dimming rearview mirror with compass, a smart key fob system with push-button start, and that all-important full tank of gas.
Standard safety items include electric power-assist rack and pinion steering, 4-wheel disc brakes (regenerative), anti-lock brake system with brake assist, driver and front passenger advanced airbag system and seat-mounted side airbags, front and rear side curtain airbags and driver’s knee airbag. This family car also has a child restraint system, direct tire pressure monitor system, vehicle dynamic integrated management system and engine immobilizer.
Linking turn on the autocross, in tight city driving or passing cars on the highway, a gentle ride with little yaw is enhanced by independent MacPherson front struts with stabilizer bar and indy dual-link rears.
That’s quite a line of standard items. In my test vehicle, the only options onboard were a power tilt moonroof with dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors and rear personal reading lamps for $940, heated power outside mirror for $30 and carpet and trunk materials and a cargo net for $199 as well as a $580 delivery charge.
An impressive item associated with the Camry’s ahead-of-the curve powerplant is that the car comes with an 8-year-100,000-mile hybrid-related component coverage. That is solid manufacturer confidence in its product.
The Toyota Camry Hybrid is a certainly a car in step with the times … economically, environmentally and in substance and style.
Visit www.carlisleevents.com for more on the automotive hobby.
MIKE BLAKE, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.
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