Honda Announces Civic Hybrid Pricing

The 4-cylinder Camry-Hybrid will be first. Toyota already confirmed that.

As for HiHy/RX400h, we need to continue to point out how prevalent the anti-hybrid talk was less than a year ago about how the system was not capable of rapid acceleration or massive horsepower or pleasing 4-wheel drive. Toyota crushed those claims to such an extreme degree that some people now deny ever having said that.

 

Toyota has announced a hybrid Camry. They have not officially announced any engine configurations yet.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7882633/

 

From Toyota's own website:

Most of Camry Hybrid's electrical powertrain components will be imported from Japan, but the 4-cylinder engine will be assembled in Georgetown, Kentucky. As with all other Toyota vehicles featuring Hybrid Synergy Drive®, the Camry Hybrid powertrain will be engineered to achieve the model's specific performance specifications and to exceed buyer expectations.

Hybrid Option for Camry

 

Cool, thanks. Oddly enough that didn't show up when I did a google for "toyota announce hybrid camry".

 

I got to drive a rented HCH on a 250 mile trip a couple of days ago. One important difference is that it is difficult to see the speed and other instruments on the HCH as they are behind the steering and one has to take one's eyes off the road and peer at them. Secondly, unlike the MFD, on the HCH, the gauges showing hybrid " assist" or "charge" are really tiny and are at the bottom of the instrument cluster, behind the steering, making them really hard ( and dangerous) to see. The cruise control and miror adjustements are placed very inconvieniently, being where the EV button would be on the Prius. Also, one has to turn a key, hear the engine fire on, so different from a real hybrid. No SE/ SS, ofcourse. On my long trip, the engine did not turn off, not even when I stopped and put it in park for a while, except once while waiting for 5 minutes at a railway crossing and it fired up instantly as I took my foot off the brakes. How I missed my Prius !!
The sound system and road noise seemed much worse than the Prius. HCH had no small side mounted additional speakers that the Prius does. My rental had NO sound or a/c controls on the steering. I averaged around 42 mpg which is not bad, though worse than the 53-55 mpg I get on my Prius. The front leg room and height did seem to be a bit more than the Prius though and the interior materials were more plush evn though I really like the Prius style. Still, the armrests, for exampl are far better padded. I really missed the MFD as in the HCH there is no cd text or other such messages possible. The acceleration and handling appeared to be much worse than the Prius.
All in all, a decent car but I can't see any reason why someone would choose it over the Prius considering that for the same price you get so much more in the Prius: MFD, SE/SS ( SKS) folding seats, hatchback, 6 speakers, better mpg, push button start, ability to move on electric motor at slower pseeds, engine off more easily etc etc.

 

I think the MFD is more dangerous because you have to move your fingers and eyes further to 'peer' at the same information. Are you saying breaking out those bars closer to the forward speedo doesn't cut down taking the eyes directly off the road?

The mirror controls haven't changed much from previous Civics then and I say you can get used to them being on the left dash. Having cruise as a button there too makes it easy to access so you don't have to depend on the steering wheel turned in the right way. Nissan does the same at least with the Altima for the cruise too. I can't tell you how many times I had to wait until the steer wheel was back to default before I could hit some button on the steer-wheel that I needed.

Also after using SE/SS/SKS for many months now, I have to say at least keyed ignition, a predictable state-machine, is much more simple and convenient, and time-proven than the do-it-all binary button. You don't have to go through strange button pressing juggling to get to the exact state you want to be in. If I'm in acc and want off, go directly to off. If I want to go from on to acc, go directly. It's simple and direct from a mechanical point of view, and immune to single-button failure or the need for a computer to know what the button presses are for. I remind you I thoroughly enjoy keyless entry/locking.

It's called UI design. Would you rather have a digital rocker button that only let you seek forward or back to the exact position on a dial like on a radio, or temperature, than a rotary dial that let you get there directly and with analog intuitiveness/memory? The similiar analogy is having separate lights for brakes, turning, and just rear lights. Each for its defined purpose so there's no confusion.

Same with the shifter-knob. There's a reason why the knob shifts and stays in position for other cars: state-machine. There is no confusion of where you're moving it and it stays there. Now we have to do the shift-and-hold dance to be sure the setting we wanted 'took'.

Don't get me started on separated, dedicated, hi-res LCD displays (immune to single-point failure glare) versus do-it-all consolidated-single low-res MFD display. There's a reason why airplane pilots have multiple gauges instead of one single display. Of course it all boils down to cost-savings vs driver convenience.

I guess there's still no perfect hybrid car yet.

 

One question... was it a 2005 or a 2006? Huge difference. Sounds like you had a 2005.

 

Ahhh, not these days...It's all about MFD's



When I'm not looking through the transparent HUD, I'm looking at all my primary flight instruments contained in a single MFD, (the far left one)

 

[.

I think you're misreading his comment. His point was this... depending on the person, you may need to "rubberneck" your head to actually view the assist and chrg information because the steering wheel BLOCKS the view. On the Prius, you can glance over without anything obstructing your view.

[snapback]144142[/snapback]​

[/quote]

Thank you. My point exactly. I also meant to say that unlike the Prius, the gauge showing the " aasist" or " charge" is really small and is a part of the bottom of the speedometer, in addition to being behind the steering and thus is very difficult to see. On the Prius, the display is huge on the MFD and a very quick glance can see it if needed.

 

Unfortunately, I don't know. It only had 1600 miles on it but I was running late to my meeting...though having seen the pictures of the 2006 dash, it probabaly was a 2005.

 

Also after using SE/SS/SKS for many months now, I have to say at least keyed ignition, a predictable state-machine, is much more simple and convenient, and time-proven than the do-it-all binary button. You don't have to go through strange button pressing juggling to get to the exact state you want to be in. If I'm in acc and want off, go directly to off. If I want to go from on to acc, go directly. It's simple and direct from a mechanical point of view, and immune to single-button failure or the need for a computer to know what the button presses are for. I remind you I thoroughly enjoy keyless entry/locking.

[snapback]144128[/snapback]​

[/quote]

I really don't see how anyone can claim that taking a key out from your pocket or purse etc, fumbling to insert it in the slot ( possibly in dark, though these days the ignition is lighted) and then turning the key to see if the engine hasfired...trying and praying again if not...some novices even turn the key again even when the engine is running: how can this be " more convienient and simple " ?????? Well, "time proven ", perhaps as you could claim that it has been in use longer, though the Prius has been around for a couple of years without any serious issues with the SE/SS system. Additionally, it is no more difficult to press the start button than to turn the key from on to acc etc. And, if the start button can break, so can the key ignition, the key could get bennt etc etc...could break and so on too.
As for as a malfunction in the single MFD, it has no absolutely critical function and one can make do without it. It certainally is more convienient than having say 5 different LCDs just in case one malfunctions.

 

Turning and praying? Your only experience with "modern" cars must have been a '57 DeSoto.

Seriously tho, even after having my Prius for 18 months, I still occasionally manage to put the car into ACC mode when I really wanted to turn it on. It's sometimes a little embarrassing if it happens with friends in the car.

 

Okay, let's break this down since some of you are so anti-anti-prius that you'll jump anybody's back for even commenting fairly on possible UI improvements, or better implementation by the "other side".

"One important difference is that it is difficult to see the speed and other instruments on the HCH as they are behind the steering and one has to take one's eyes off the road and peer at them."

In fact, he named only speedo, and assist-charge, and these are what I was addressing. Also, I made a reasonable assumption that it was the 2006 HCH he was talking about, since that's what this thread is all about, and that assumption colored my commentary.

I think you're are misreading mine. I was saying any form of "rubbernecking" to see information is dangerous, and Toyota should have put much of the most used functionallity of the MFD in front of the driver on that vast front dash as Honda tried a bit to do in the 2006 HCH.

It would have been very nice if Toyota put the MFD's "Consumption bar" where the 2006's HCH's temperature bar is currently located.

I totally agree that the Assist/Charge location is probably not that great, but then are the whole implication is that Honda designed this differently in the HCH from your "traditional" speedo cluster where the steering-wheel has never really been in the way before, and perfectly fine for the vast amounts of cars out there?

Now, I also agree instrumentation closer to the window is better to reduce eye-refocusing but I rather have it in front of me rather than to the side at an angle as the MFD is. Until they bring HUD to us, I maintain it's not quite good enough yet.