My review of the 2012 Camry XLE Hybrid

15000 miles on it warrants an informed review:

I bought this car to commute with because I have a 2011 BMW 550 (twin turbo v-8 gas hog) that I already have 60,000 miles on and 3 more years of payments left. OUCH! I figured I would "step down" to a less comfortable, inexpensive, high MPG car and use the bimm'er for tooling around on the weekends or whatever..

The only 2 vehicles I considered after researching the internet were the Prius 5 or the XLE 2012 Camry Hybrid. I was pretty set on the Prius 5 as I had owned a 2010 in the past but was curious to see the new Camry since the MPGs had been so much improved this year, it actually became a contender.

As I got to the dealership, I had already picked out the Prius I was going to buy; Prius 5 with ATP and all the rest of the goodies that as you get older (and your expendable income increases), become necessary standard equipment. *Sigh* (Compromising with this BORING but well built, high MPG car...)

I turned to go into the showroom to find a "robot" to beat on to get the best price and as I walked up to the glass, there inside was a white 2012 Camry XLE Hybrid. It looked so much better than last year's model (still kind of plain and safe though) nice.. I walked in and opened it up. Much to my surprise, the seats looked substantial. 3 tone. Nice.. there was REAL stitching on the dash, seats and doors. Nice.. The interior actually looked inviting, ultra suede, Hmm, and like someone with a sense of style put some thought into it as opposed to the "sit-in-me-and-I-will-take-you-to-the-store-to-get-some-milk" look I had always remembered from previous Camry models. Still lots of plastic though.. Since it was the only one they had at this this trim level, I found a robot and asked him to pull it out of the showroom so I could take it for a test drive. Much to my surprise, the ride was comfortable, a bit noisy but hey, it IS a hybrid and to get those MPGs, they have to put them on rock hard rubber. It was NO WHERE NEAR the noise level of the Prius and it felt like you were driving a substantial car as opposed to the roller skate feel in a Prius (SORRY GUYS. BUT YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE ). In short, my mind was made up and I took it home.

I am a road warrior and often drive 200 plus mile stretches without stopping. At 50 years old, my old body gets out of this car with ZERO aches and pains. I could not even say that about my $88,000 BMW. My 2010 Prius had NO upper leg support in the bottom seat cushion and after 100 or so miles, I found myself constantly squirming about, trying to wiggle the aches out. This Camry has no such problems: big seats and full leg support.

NOTE: Toyota really missed the boat by not offering this car with Radar Cruise Control and Lane keep assist. Auto wipers, etc.. No Radar cruise was VERY disappointing to me. It is a great feature living in Southern California.

This is a really good road warrior car and at -$30 grand (nicely optioned, out the door), reasonably priced enough you won't cry as you see the miles rack up and its end of life in the horizon. It is roomy enough to drive around with 4 adults, it's quite PC and, finally, with the Prius Synergy drive system, there is enough of a MPG difference between the Hybrid and the Gas model to warrant the increase in dollars shelled out over its gaseous cousin.

Did I mention the power? My 2010 Prius let me know when it was climbing a hill by whining its little engine to the point it sounded like I was driving a moped. I would never look at other drivers because I was CERTAIN they could hear that whiny little motor and would surely look at me with pity as they cruised past in their capable hill-climbers.. In the Prius, when the engine kicked out, the car would shudder slightly. When the engine kicked in, the same. I was constantly made aware I was driving a hybrid. In this Camry, I can not tell when the engine kicks in or kicks out, it even climbs the Cajon Pass (1100 feet to 4400ft in a +/-6 mile stretch) with ease and plenty of reserve pedal left. More importantly, NO MOPED WHINE!! At 200 horsepower, I get to pass those whiny little Pri-i with my cruise set at 75mph and look upon them with pity as they try to keep up with the big dogs climbing up that hill. The only time I am reminded that I am driving a Hybrid when in this car is when my BRAIN tells me I am forgetting something and that happens about every 350 miles of driving... MUST-GET-GAS!!! Wait! I look down and the car still says I have 300 miles to go before fueling.. NICE! TIP: If you own one of these, it pays to CAREFULLY top off your tank. You can get an extra hundred miles between fueling. I get between 650 and 720 miles out of a tank. Oh, and 95% of my driving is highway and I have averaged about 41.6MPG on the 14000 miles I have owned the car.

I do not feel that I "stepped down" at all from my previous commuter. Sure the Bimmer has lots and lots of HP and is funner than hell to drive, gets quite a few looks, but I find myself preferring hopping in the Camry to "tool" around town in because it's so easy to drive and no dramatics (READ: no one wants to race the Camry. LOL! Well, there was this one Prius driver I had to teach a lesson to... :focus. Hmmm, Maybe I should trade the Bimmer in for a new toy.. Maybe a black Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet with Carbon fiber accents and red Seat belts and light up door sills that say "Turbo".... I wouldn't mind a few aches and pains driving around one of those on the weekends... Besides, I already have a 4 door... Off to Beverly Hills Porsche! :rockon:

 

Well in truth... If I keep my foot out of it, I get 24 MPG which isn't too bad...

 

My apologies for not being clear on my reply: The 24MPG comment was a reply to the poster above who was commiserating with me on the MPGs of a Bimmer. He has a v-12 860ci and must not get too good of MPG. In truth, the 550 BMW averages 24MPG.

As stated in my original post, I am getting and average of 41.6MPG since I bought the TCH.

 

What are you talking about? We get winter... It dips down to a chilly 55 degrees... LOL!