Across the Tasman, Toyota officials refer to the Australian-built petrol-electric version of the Camry as their most important new model in 50 years. David Thomson has been gliding about on Otago roads in both the standard and flagship i-Tech variants.
Hybrid motoring, Toyota-style, has progressed from the eye-catchingly obvious to the utterly ordinary with the launch of the petrol-electric version of the Camry. Yet under a very mainstream skin, this vital new addition to the Toyota line is a quite extraordinary car.
Its gestation began back in 2006, when a hybrid version of the US-market Camry was introduced in North America. Confirmation that an Australian variant would be built at Toyota's Altona plant near Melbourne came in 2008, production commenced in 2009, and sales started a few months ago.
Both the standard $48,990 model that is aimed mainly at fleet buyers, and the better appointed $54,990 i-Tech, were supplied for appraisal. This enabled Drivesouth to spend a rare spell of 10 days engaged solely in hybrid motoring.
Badging aside, the key external cues that distinguish the hybrid Camry from the petrol Camry are a slightly different and more aerodynamically efficient nose and grille, blue-tinted headlights and the light-cluster design at the rear. The hybrid also sits on special low-rolling-resistance tyres.
Some boot space (71 litres in all) and load-through flexibility have been lost with the installation of the (nickel-hydride) hybrid battery pack. That said, the remaining 389-litre luggage capacity is still superior to that of a Falcon fitted with an lpg or cng kit. A narrow slot - suitable for lengths of timber and the like - remains to allow longer items to protrude into the right rear seating area if required. A more fundamental load-lugging hurdle for the Camry hybrid to overcome is that it is not rated to tow, a fact which will deter a significant number of potential buyers.
Cabin space is unaffected, with the interior differing mainly in the instrument displays, and in the location of a cooling duct for the battery on the rear parcel shelf. The instrument panel has a fuel-consumption dial in place of a rev-counter, and small eco-displays as part of the trip computer menu. The i-Tech takes the eco-displays further, mimicking the Prius by including detailed economy and energy-flow displays on the centre satellite navigation/audio touch screen.
Equipment levels are decent, with the standard model equipped with a smart key system, dual-zone climate control, six-speaker CD sound system with USB and audio plug in, Bluetooth capability, automatic headlights and a reversing camera. The i-Tech also delivers leather upholstery, a powered sunroof, satellite navigation, seven-inch touch screen, an eight-speaker audio system and rain-sensing wipers. Eight airbags and electronic stability programming are standard on both versions.
The gear selector also differs slightly from that of a petrol Camry, with a "B'' mode that produces an enhanced regenerative braking effect when decelerating, similar to that of selecting a lower gear. In fact, there is no "lower gear,'' since the hybrid Camry features continuously variable transmission (CVT) rather than the conventional five-speed automatic of the petrol version.
The hybrid's two electric motors are integrated into the structure of the transmission, and operate in conjunction with a less powerful but more fuel-efficient version of the usual 2.4-litre Camry engine. The maximum outputs of the hybrid are 140kW of power and 270Nm of torque, with the latter available from zero engine revs. These easily outdo the 117kW and 218Nm peaks of the petrol model.
The extra weight (115kg) of the hybrid saps some of this gain, though it is still a stronger straight-line sprinter than the petrol Camry, with a sprightly sub-nine-second time claimed for the 0-100kmh dash. It is also noticeably smoother at light-to-moderate throttle settings, and the
manner in which it eases away from a standing start under predominantly electric power adds a luxurious air of refinement in gentle round-town driving.
Refinement remains a strong point during highway motoring with low noise levels and a compliant ride being key features of the hybrid machine.
While the hybrid system loses much of its smoothness when pushed hard, a hearty blast down a winding tarmac back-road will reveal one pleasant surprise; with most of the hybrid's extra weight concentrated at the rear, the hybrid gains a near-perfect 50:50 weight distribution
that makes it a naturally better-balanced machine than the petrol Camry.
Cornering in a gentle to moderate fashion, the hybrid turns in more crisply and resists early understeer better. The gains are largely lost when pressing on really hard, though, due to body roll and lateral grip issues with the low-rolling-resistance tyres.
What of fuel economy, the traditional attraction of hybrid machines? The official figures peg the hybrid at 32% more frugal than the pure petrol, with a 6 litres per 100km result for the official combined consumption cycle run. Based on the real-world figures recorded on test, Drivesouth picks that economy advantage to be rather less than that on a largely open-road run, but much closer to a 40% edge in a predominantly urban environment, where the hybrid's stop-start and regenerative braking systems come into their own.
Little wonder, then, that Toyota is expecting a fair proportion of those who opt for the standard Camry hybrid (which is tipped to take 80% of sales) to be taxi operators. The appeal this car will have for such folk is easy to see but, especially in top-flight i-Tech form, it should also tempt private buyers wishing to engage in hybrid motoring in a low-key and very practical way.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
