Toronto, Ontario. A bunch of journalists from across Canada are gathered by Toyota to check out their latest gas/electric vehicle, the new 2007 Camry Hybrid. First of all, the Honda Accord Hybrid is stiff competition for the Camry, being a powerhouse that out-accelerates its V6-equipped counterpart and sips only 6.4 L/100 km on the highway. In addition, Toyota's research showed that a growing number of people are willing to give hybrid vehicles a try, but they don't want any compromises. These people want to know when their extra investment in a hybrid will start to pay off. How long will it take to recover the higher cost of the car with its fuel savings? Full Article this is a guy who gets it! "At the end of the drive aboard the Camry, I lowered the fuel consumption average from 11.0 to 8.9 L/100 km (I didn't figure out how to reset it while driving), and the lowest I achieved was about 6.2 L, which is pretty good." "...I was rather assigned to a Prius for half of the trip...When I stepped out of it, I had managed just 4.3 L/100 km."
Quote from the article.. At $31,900, the Hybrid is $6,100 more costly than the base LE, but here is a list of what you get for that extra sum: Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) [edit: VDIM an advancement of VSC] Power front seats Automatic climate control 6-CD changer with MP3 and Bluetooth capability Real-time fuel economy gauge and multifunction display Smart key system 16-inch alloy wheels Projector headlights 'HYBRID' badges on the front fenders One important omission in the list of differences ( although acknowledged in the body of the article ) between the 4c LE and the Hybrid version is V6 performance It's a critical difference for a buyer who will never under any circumstance buy a 4c due to a perceived lack of 'ooommpph'. There are huge numbers of these buyers. Thanks for the link
I don't know but those stuck on V6s will always get V6s. They perceive 4 cylinders as rough, noisy and underpowered. For the most part, they're right (back then, they were underpowered and right now, even when they're not, the cars are usually heavy with modern technology). I mean, wind the window down and listen to the Prius idle. The engine is noisy. Stand next to a Lexus V6 or V8, you won't be able to tell if the engine's running on not (some models.. mostly the LS, RX and LX models).
The hybrid Camry may have 6-cylinder performance, but it has a 4-cylinder gas engine (plus an electric motor, of course). So people that are hung up on having a 6-cylinder engine are going to have to downsize their mental images if they get the Camry hybrid. They can tell themselves and their friends that it also has an electric motor that adds to the 4-cylinder engine, time will tell if that'll make 'em happy. -Roger
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Jun 6 2006, 07:35 PM) [snapback]266947[/snapback]</div> I just tried it. I came to a stop, rolled down the window in my Prius and heard . . . . . absolute silence! :lol: Anyway, there is a lot of truth in some people only accepting a V6. I remember when V6's were making significant in roads in cars and my grandfather steadfastly refusing to ever consider buying anything smaller than a V8! (He always longed for a V12 Jag.) I think that these people will always want a V6/V8. However, as they fade out of the market place, the newer generations will be more accepting of smaller engines (let's hear it for 3 cylinder ICEs!).
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Jun 6 2006, 04:35 PM) [snapback]266947[/snapback]</div> Try standing next to a non-luxury car V-6 or V-8 as that will make a great difference in noise level. 4 cylinder engines, tending to be in lower priced vehicles, will also be in vehicles with less done to isolate noise (especially since that tends to increase weight which is detrimental to the performance of a 4 cylinder vehicle more so than a 6 or 8 cylinder vehicle).
