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From Prius to HyCam

Discussion in 'Toyota Hybrids and EVs' started by fotomoto, Aug 14, 2012.

  1. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    OK first of all it should be called a CamHy (prounced cam-hee to rhyme with cam-ree) but it's years too late for that discussion. :)

    We're doing the Dam Ramsey personal finance plan and his major point is reducing debt payments as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, that meant our 2010 prius went on the chopping block. :(
    We let it go and found a nice 2008 Camry Hybrid and, so far, here's my comparison to the 3rd gen Pri:

    Pro's: Bigger, smoother, and more refined. More traditional look. More power. Rear seat vents/personal lighting. Homelink. Easier ingress/egress. Can still get in the 40mpg range. ASL works MUCH better. GREAT highway car, miles just seem to melt underneath you. Better front seats/driving position. More quiet.

    Con's: Lower FE, no solar roof/vent option, hybrid drive less refined, no EV mode, lower EV limit, throttle MUCH harder to regulate (no eco mode for throttle but available for a/c regulation). Small trunk with limited pass thru but it does hold more than first thought (swallowed two grocery carts full of groceries/kids back to school supplies). Very limited MFD display/info compared to the Prius. Traditional shifter is silly and akward after having Prius. Steering wheel controls not as well laid out. No rear cam in base model (not sure if NAV had it back in 2008). Limited bluetooth capability. Still get tailgated by SUV's! :)

    Although there are more con's listed, we are very satisfied with the purchase. (y)

    [​IMG]
     
    #1 fotomoto, Aug 14, 2012
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  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Good for you for listening to Ramsey... Bad for you to not buy a used Gen2... They're better than the newer ones in so many ways... They're also just now starting to sell under the price of less than $10K
     
    #2 PriusCamper, Aug 14, 2012
  3. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    #3 cwerdna, Aug 14, 2012
  4. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    My wife bought a 2012 HyCam XLE about 6 weeks ago. For the last 2 1/2 weeks she has been back east visiting relatives. During that time I have put a number of miles on it! I gotta say I really love that car. Having played all the mileage games with my Gen II, I found I quickly transferred that knowledge to the HyCam and was starting to get some impressive numbers. The car is a nice tight ride, I love the sound of the Regen kicking in at a stop!
    I have 40K and 4 years left on the warranty, I am going to stick with my Gen II. If I happen to have a wreck, and had to replace the Gen II the HyCam would be a serious contender!
     
    #4 KK6PD, Aug 14, 2012
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    congrats on your hycam. we have 08 w/moonroof and love it. can't argue with many of your comments. can't wait to drive a 2012, supposed to be even better. all the best!
     
    #5 bisco, Aug 14, 2012
  6. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Go Dave. We need our government to review his videos. :)

    We tried to get a HyCam ourselves but the dealer wouldn't budge on the price. What did you get this one for?
     
    #6 spiderman, Aug 15, 2012
  7. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Yup, they were on my list along with another hybrid (FEH). Unfortunately, most of them in the price range just had too many miles for me. I came real close to pulling the trigger on a white 07 but upon the second inspection I found some undisclosed wreck repairs.

    $3000 below both KBB and NADA retail values for my zipcode but I got it from a Chevrolet dealer that was trying VERY hard to upsell me on a lot of other stuff. I could see a huge sign through the sales office window advertising $49.99 nitrogen tire treatment. sigh......


    Bisco, yes I know you have one and have followed your comments about it with great interest. Yup, the new 2nd Gen HyCam is now move WAY up on the list for our next car in the future.

    I know sales numbers aren't anywhere near Prius levels so finding a large forum like PC is highly unlikely but does anyone know of some good HyCam forums? I'm over at the one on Toyotanation and its good.
     
    #7 fotomoto, Aug 15, 2012
  8. ukrbyk

    ukrbyk New Member

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    You listening to Dave? Didn't he say "Buy used and pay cash, and drive what you own until wheels fall off"?
     
    #8 ukrbyk, Aug 16, 2012
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  9. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Yes, yes, yes but..... I dropped my payment by 60% and you know where the monthly savings is going. :)
     
    #9 fotomoto, Aug 16, 2012
  10. ukrbyk

    ukrbyk New Member

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    AAhhh - which part of buy used and pay cash are we discussing? This is so un-Ramsey-sh..
    So, you traded a more efficient vehicle for a less efficient one and new loan? I'll call Dave...
     
    #10 ukrbyk, Aug 18, 2012
  11. CamryDriver

    CamryDriver Active Member

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    I wonder how this would play out in current times. Many of the features listed as cons have been fixed in the 2018 HyCam.

    They are pretty close now, depending on the model to which we are referring.

    Fixed, I think

    Fixed

    Fixed

    ECO mode available now

    Same trunk as regular Camry now

    Not sure, seems fine to me, however the Prius may still be nicer

    Got backup cam (all cars do now)

    Not sure about the steering wheel controls or the bluetooth vs the other vehicles in question.

    What do you think? I'm I in trouble for bringing back a necro thread?
     
    #11 CamryDriver, Jan 31, 2018
  12. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    The new Camry hybrid is big improvement over the old one. The no loss of trunk space is bigger than the fuel economy. The car might be the death of the Prius in the US.
     
    #12 Trollbait, Jan 31, 2018
  13. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Which is why Toyota is considering the 5th Gen to go all PHV.
     
    #13 Tideland Prius, Jan 31, 2018
  14. CamryDriver

    CamryDriver Active Member

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    The battery under the seat is a great idea for sure. Toyota reduced the size of the fuel tank to squeeze the battery in there but the range is still over 500 miles. The trunk and battery location was surely one of the top reasons I purchased the Camry and the biggest reason I didn't buy the Ford Fusion Hybrid. Ford just slapped the battery in the trunk creating a tiny trunk as shown:

    ford trunk small.jpg
     
    #14 CamryDriver, Jan 31, 2018
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2018
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  15. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Loss of trunk space has been a gripe for hybrid sedans since the beginning. It is a wonder why it took so long to fix.

    The new Accord moves the battery to under the seat also. The Fusion is nearing the end of this generation's life, and I expect the next one to place the battery under the seat also.
     
    #15 Trollbait, Jan 31, 2018
  16. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    It has always been in the trunk for sedans. The first one was the IS300h from 2013 (not sold in US). It had the battery in the spare tire well. The 2018 Camry Hybrid is the first full hybrid sedan to have it under the rear seat. It seems like this is happening across the board (new Accord and I'm sure new Sonata and Fusion will have it under the rear seat.. though there might not be a next gen Fusion)
     
    #16 Tideland Prius, Jan 31, 2018
  17. CamryDriver

    CamryDriver Active Member

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    The Sonata hybrid had the battery in the spare tire well last I knew. Great idea unless you want a spare, which I do.

    One of the first for sure. I think the 2017 Ioniq has a claim to first under the rear seat unless you don't consider it a full hybrid. My metric on that is MPGs. If a "mild hybrid" is getting better MPGs than a "full hybrid", whoever made the "full hybrid" has some catching up to do.

    The gen 1 Insight is a good example of a "mild hybrid" as far as driveline but there were other steps taken like the streamlined alloy body that had it clocking in at 70 MPG highway back in the day.
     
    #17 CamryDriver, Feb 1, 2018
  18. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Same with the Malibu hybrid. The gen1 Prius also had it in the trunk.

    The Ioniq is a full hybrid, but it is a sedan in the same way as the Prius, in name only.
     
    #18 Trollbait, Feb 1, 2018
  19. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    lol. I re-read my post to make sure I was clear - yeah I did say sedan. The Ioniq is a hatchback like the Prius. (because if that was the case, then the Prius c takes the crown since it was the first mass-produced hybrid to have the battery under the rear seat back in late 2011 as a 2012 model)
     
    #19 Tideland Prius, Feb 1, 2018
  20. CamryDriver

    CamryDriver Active Member

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    You got me there. If the Ioniq was a sedan with a center car seat latch I most likely would have gone with the Ioniq. That it is a hatch with only outboard car seat latch locations blew the deal because I never thought my wife would go for it. So yeah, I knew it was a hatch but spaced it, whoops!
     
    #20 CamryDriver, Feb 1, 2018
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