Featured Review: Toyota’s 2016 Camry Hybrid is an underappreciated way to ride

'reasonably priced battery replacement services'? 'continuously variable transmission'? nice writeup, but clearly, the automotive press still has no idea what's going on.

 

Well, the transaxle operation isn't a fixed ratio ride.

 

that's a better way of stating it. but vagueness makes a lot of people think of old fashion cvt's, which the writer may also be thinking of.

 

Its operation feels like those CVTs to the driver, and "a single planetary gear set, that has its engine and motor-generator inputs controlled electronically in order to provide the benefits of a continously variable transmission" is too long to fit under the transmission subheading of a car listing, and is probably best that we don't bombard potential buyers with too many technical details until they are comfortable with the idea that hybrids don't need a plug, but having a plug isn't a bad thing.