2018 Camry and Camry Hybrid Official Thread

Right. Please, a car this nice should never have hubcaps on steel wheels.

 

Seems really dated with many cars is the smaller and cheaper segments getting alloys standard.

 

That's because of the packaging that Toyota figured out for hybrid models, when the Aqua/Prius c and Yaris Hybrid were first designed. They realized that hybrids got better fuel economy (especially in the city, where those cars spend most of their life), so less fuel was needed to maintain a good range... and they could put the battery on top of the shrunken fuel tank to avoid losing cargo area or versatility to the battery.

Then, the Gen 4 Prius, the C-HR Hybrid, and now the 2018 Camry Hybrid used that layout.

 

did gen 4 prius tank shrink?

 

Here's the first instrumented test of an '18 HyCam I've seen, a fat XLE.

Overall favorable, calling it maybe the best Camry ever.

Data looks good. Acceleration, braking, handling, fuel economy (near estimates), subjective NVH, steering, and brake feel all establish HyCam as the midsize hybrid to beat. Of course, we're all waiting for a head-to-head with a new Accord hybrid, but HyCam has set the bar pretty high. Yes, the price is a factor, but standard equipment is supposed to surpass Honda's content and the test car was loaded including the new Adaptive Headlight option that I'd like to read more about.

Looks like the test was conducted in California from the 797 plate, so likely near sea level. I was hoping it was in Colorado to make excuses for slower than hoped for acceleration from an altitude lapse rate for the ICE, but will instead blame it on the heavy battery and wheel setup.

The LE HV should break the 600 mile range marker, accelerate and brake better but probably won't handle as well with the smaller, skinny tires.

2018 Toyota Camry XLE Hybrid Test | Review | Car and Driver

 

Don't be so sure - the Prius Two Eco handles better than the Prius Four Touring, and that's a similar comparison in terms of weight (although Four Touring still has Li-ion, and LE versus SE/XSE would be a somewhat closer comparison).

 

i like how they test it a 75 and 80 mph. we get 42 mpg at the speed limit on the way to florida. using 14 of the available 16 gallons gets us almost 600 miles.
sing 11 of the new13 gallon tank, we'll need at least 51mpg.

 

So much is tire dependent that unless they all use the same brand, size and construction that it's hard to say which car is better. Then given the several brands of tires I saw on the press test fleet, all so-called Grand Touring construction (comfort prioritized over performance), upgrading tires to high performance all-seasons should improve every metric at the expense of fuel economy, a worthwhile trade-off in my opinion.

 

Saw a 2018 LE in person today. (note, still haven't seen a Prime) It was at Costco, so not an in depth look, but the exterior styling is nice. Except that lower grill is frikkin huge.

 

That Hybrid review is great. Thanks for posting!

 

I agree...

And I am jealous of you people in North America! With $27k, you have a choice of either the hyCam LE, mid-spec Prius, or the Prime (before incentive too)... hmmm, tough choice! Meanwhile, us folks in Australia have only the hyCam and Prius to choose from, both which won't be cheap I bet!

 

grotesque front end.

 

Advantages of 2018 Camry Hybrid compared to 2017 Prius:
Faster acceleration
Probably better winter traction due to higher curb weight
More fuel efficient at high speeds
More interior space

Disadvantages of 2018 Camry Hybrid compared to 2017 Prius:
Not quite on par with city fuel economy, Prius is still king
Harder to park in tight spaces
Speedometer has small numbers and not a big digital readout (unless I missed it somewhere)
Vehicle is more expensive

 

5) only low end package gets great mpg's.
i bet fully mileages will eventually show the difference between weight and aero of the two vehicles.

 

2018 hybrid Camry LE and 2017 Prius (excluding Eco) both are rated at 52 mpg combined.

 

2018 Camry Hybrid LE finally arrived last week (2 weeks after promised date). I haven't bought a new car in 9 years, and am still figuring out the tech, hybrid and info options. No options except upgrade to Ruby Flame color. $ 27,333 plus tax and tags. Is there a blog to post purchase prices, which might be useful to others?

 

Nice! So does it have steel wheels w/covers then? If so, do they look ok?

Also, please keep us updated on your MPG. If the MPG is good ( and I have no doubt it will be ), this might be the vehicle that gets me to part with my 2012 Hyundai Sonata Limited.

 

The only one I know:

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/802-camry-8th-generation-2018/1505418-what-did-you-pay-your-camry-gen-8-a.html