2021 Toyota Camry Hybrid Consumer Reviews

This review is most meaningful for Prius drivers looking to switch to the Camry Hybrid. I drove a 2008 Prius for more than 10 years. It averaged about 55 MPG in summer and about 50 MPG in winter in flat Houson roads, driving on 50% city streets, 50% crowded freeways, about 50 miles/day. The speeds range from 35 MPH to about 50MPH in office-day traffic. I also drove about once a month from Houston to Austin, about 300 miles round-trip, with highway speeds between 75-80MPH, and with hilly terrain. On such trips, the 2008 Prius used to average about 46-47 MPG. This past week, I traded it in and got a new 2018 Camry Hybrid LE. Today I made a 342 mile RT from Houston to Austin in the new car, and have a first-hand, real-user report and comparison with the 2008 Prius. (1) Power: The 2008 Prius was a laggard and underpowered when it came to acceleration, and forever being pushed by guzzlers. The 2018 Camry Hybrid with 208HP is such an improvement! I have tested the Eco, Normal and Sport mode. The Eco mode makes the response of the Camry drag, and you cannot accelerate quickly. Clicking the normal mode zooms up the engine RPM and delivers the extra kick in the torque to accelerate nicely. The sport mode seem to go into overdrive even more easily. I drove most of my trip on the Eco mode, saving the normal only for passing at 75-80 MPH. Verdict- you will love the Camry power. (2) Drive-Details-Display: The 2008 Prius has a superior display and information to the user. The 2018 Camry Hybrid splits the information across a small screen on the dashboard and the table on the 7in display. I was disappointed that I could not get the information I wanted easily. The manual promises more metrics on the drive, but I am unable to locate the information in the setup. Verdict - you will hate the analytics offered/promised on the Camry Hybrid LE. (3) Mileage: The 2008 Prius delivers what is promised on the Houston roads. The 2018 Camry Hybrid LE over-delivers on its promise. On Houston roads, I average 58MPG (not a typo!) for 50-mile commutes - note that I am an experienced Prius driver. However, on the RT from Houston to Austin, the 2008 Prius offered 46-47 MPG. I started with a full tank on the 2018 Camry Hybrid, and after 352 miles, refuelled - it took 7.81 gallons. This works out to 45.12 MPG - in the same range as the Prius. Verdict - excellent MPG in city/highway commutes; on highway, somewhat disappointing to not hit the EPA rated highway MPG. (4) Other features: on a 352-mile trip, these are the safety features that the 2018 Camry Hybrid LE alerted me: lane-departure signal several time; when traffic rolled to a sudden halt on the freeway a red alert showed up on the small screen, screaming BRAKE NOW; when the sun set, a message on the small screen prompted me to turn on the headlights (was not in the Auto setting). Verdict - Nice! (5) Ride comfort: in the 10+ years I had the 2008 Prius, I had to change the struts once, but never got a smooth enough ride. The 2018 Camry Hybrid LE has excellent shock absorbers. Verdict: you will love the Camry Hybrid. (6) Bluetooth: 2008 Prius easily pairs with my Android phone, but has only rudimentary call answering capability. The 2018 Camry Hybrid LE seems to have better Bluetooth capability. Verdict - better than Prius. (7) Storage: The 2008 Prius hatchback has foldable seats and the trunk cover can be removed to have really good storage, constrained by the hatchback cover. The 2018 Camry Hybrid LE also has foldable-rear seats, but the frame of the seat restricts the amount of storage in addition to the trunk size. Verdict: you will be disappointed in the Camry Hybrid LE storage. (8) Dashboard display: The 2008 Prius has fully digital display which is intuitive and rapidly informative. The 2018 Camry Hybrid LE has analog dial-meters for RPM level (divided into EV, ECO, and normal quadrants), speedometer, gas level. Verdict: you will be disappointed in the 2018 Camry Hybrid LEs dashboard displays. OVERALL: The 2018 Camry Hybrid LE is probably the vehicle that will obsolete the Prius. You will love it!