Mid-40s mpg keeps Toyota Camry Hybrid in sales race
Continuing its rating as a good buy in the midsize gas/electric hybrid automotive category is the 2023 Toyota Camry. At $32,000, it is a strong competitor against hybrid entries from longtime rivals Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata.
The front-wheel-drive Camry Hybrid carries an EPA rating of 44 miles per gallon in city, 47 on the highway and 46 overall. In
150 miles of some highway and lots of in-town, stop-and-go drives, the Toyota averaged 44.1 mpg. Performance comes from a
2.5-liter, 4-cylinder gas engine that delivers 176 horsepower and 163 lb.-ft. of torque, paired with a 650-volt electric motor of 118-hp/149 lb.-ft. torque; net output of the two is
208 horsepower/163 lb.-ft. torque. Acceleration rate is rather tepid. The power sources are tied to an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission, which lends itself to hard-acceleration droning, though not as noisily as several of the competitors.
The review model, an SE Hybrid Nightshade edition, was finished in dark blue, accented beautifully by gold 19-inch wheels with silver brake calipers. The Nightshade package also included black grille with sport mesh insert and black mirror caps. Inside are Toyota Softex synthetic leather seats, 9-inch touchscreen with Android Auto/apple Carplay/amazon
Alexa compatibility and dual-zone automatic climate control.
The four-door is sleekly sloped, requiring a definite stoop to avoid
brushing against the upper door-frame opening.
Among other items covered by the $32,839 sticker price are sport-tuned suspension, rear spoiler, dynamic radar cruise control, blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert and road-sign assist.
The Camry Hybrid is built at Georgetown, Ky. The hybrid battery is covered by a 10-year/150,000-mile warranty.
From the readers:
Bud: The cost of the electricity for 125 miles of travel (as per your column last week) is really the first actual cost data that I have seen. It’s not inexpensive, figuring out to be equivalent of 25 mpg at $4.60 a gallon. Not too impressive. I’m also afraid that some of the
range figures that are published will come down significantly in real-world driving conditions; ie, interstate highway speeds. – Lee H. Thanks for the assessment, Lee; and in a few short weeks the electric testing may realize a doubledecker-deficit when adding the cold-weather toll to that of the higher speeds.
Bud: Regarding the recent letter asking which EVS can accommodate a hitch that can carry a bike rack and 2 e-bikes; just about any EV can accommodate a class 1 hitch. Many have OEM hitches available. My 2018 Chevy Bolt EV did not have an OEM hitch, but I was able to get one from
Rack Attack in Golden that easily accommodates my Kuat NV2.0 tray type rack and two e-mountain bikes. –