Bestseller gets extreme makeover

The Toyota Camry has never been the kind of car that inspires people to follow you home and ask what kind of car you’re driving. It has always been a good value, built with quality and well thought out design, and has maintained high resale value. But often, words like “uninspiring,” “vanilla” and “boring” have been used to describe it.
Still, since 1980, more than 10 million drivers worldwide have chosen the Camry, with 6.6 million of those sold in the U.S. since 1983. This consistent favorite has earned the Camry “top seller” status for eight of the past nine years. With that kind of staying power, you’re doing a lot of things right.

For 2007 Toyota has given Camry an extreme makeover from top to bottom, bumper to bumper, inside and out. The sixth-generation Camry has a roomier interior, a new exterior, more power, better fuel economy and a hybrid version. All of which is enough to give Detroit-based auto manufacturers a bad case of acid reflux.

The Toyota Camry Hybrid, a completely new model for 2007, benefits from the gasoline-only version’s visual enhancements. For more information on those upgrades, and for a full review of the new 2007 Camry, click here.

Toyota has been the leader in making hybrid vehicles mainstream. The Prius led the charge in 2004, and other automakers followed suit, dumping their quirky-looking hybrids (think Honda Insight) in favor of more mainstream models with affordable price tags. The Camry’s closest competitor, the Accord Hybrid, costs about $5,200 more and has poorer fuel economy, due to a larger V-6 engine.

Although it is only powered by a four-cylinder, the Camry Hybrid’s combined 187-horsepower is adequate for everyday driving, both around town and on the freeway; it accelerates from zero to 60 miles per hour in a respectable 8.6 seconds with no hesitation. While it’s not as fast out of the gate as the V-6 Camry XLE, or the Accord Hybrid, most buyers won’t mind the trade off for better gas mileage. 

As with any hybrid, your success in achieving record fuel economy depends largely on your driving habits. Lead-footed drivers heavy on the gas pedal will not fare as well as more conservative drivers, but watching the vehicle’s information panel can help you modify bad driving habits to improve fuel economy. Over the course of a week, I averaged better than 32 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving.

Other than a disconcerting quiet upon startup and at stoplights, the drive experience in the Camry Hybrid is excellent. It is well equipped with power accessories, a push-button start, keyless entry, tilt/telescoping steering wheel with audio controls, and in-dash six-disc CD changer. Options include a moonroof package ($970) and a comfort and convenience package with navigation system and leather ($3,910). On the downside, the electric motor does eat up some of the cargo room, decreasing the trunk size from about 15 cubic feet in the traditional Camry to just over 10 in the hybrid.

Standard safety features include seven airbags, anti-lock brakes with brake assist and electronic brakeforce distribution, stability and traction control and tire pressure monitor. The Camry Hybrid received the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s highest five-star rating in all crash tests.

Toyota does a lot of things right with all of their vehicles. The carmaker has a knack for knowing what consumers want and expect, and then delivering on those expectations. Not everyone who strives to be environmentally responsible has a lifestyle to accommodate a compact car. With the new Camry Hybrid, those consumers have found what they’re looking for.

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