TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID REVIEW

At a time when market is so much obsessed with SUVs that every other car that we review is an SUV, driving a sedan gets very refreshing. Something that wraps you in its comfort inside the cabin, looks this classy and the body dynamics, they just don't bother you. Perfect mantra for highway cruising and happy cruising, right? And Camry on top of it has a big itch because this is the only sedan in its segment. So, the primary competition is going to be with big burly SUVs like the Toyota Fortuner, Skoda Kodiaq and even the Volkswagen Tiguan for that matter. But then, there are people who argue that SUVs are better fit for Indian road conditions and are more practical. So, in this video, we are going to find out that how fit is the Toyota Camry for our Indian market. I am Subham Parashar, you are watching Park Plus, your car app and let's begin. Quite obviously, I had to start my experience from this very seat because this is the seat on which most of the owners will find themselves on. Now, if I talk about comfort, then uber comfortable in this segment because I have ample knee room, good legroom as well and under-thigh support is also quite decent. So, no complaints there. Headroom is also sufficient. If we talk about seat cushioning, then it is spot on, not too much soft, not too much firm and you can literally spend hours without getting fatigued in this cabin on these very much seats. Now, again recline functions are also there. So, you have got a proper screen here integrated in the armrest and you can set the recline angle of your seat backrest right from here. And you get quite a lot of adjustment. So, you have an upright position and if you want to get more comfortable, you can recline it all the way back. And you also have temperature control settings right here for the rear zone. So, you can set the temperature from here. You have your, you know, audio settings right here and mode settings as well. The sun blind at the back is electrically operable, something that you typically get in luxury cars but in the Toyota Camry as well, you have it right here. So, if you want to roll it down or if you want to have it on, you can control it right from here. And again, while reversing, the sun blind automatically goes down. So, convenient for the driver as well. The only thing that I am actually missing having here is the ventilation function for the rear seat because again, come on. I am the one who is spending so much money on this very car. So, ventilation should have been in the front seats only. Even on the rear seat, I needed ventilation function. So, that is something which is a miss in my opinion. But, what I like is buttons given on the front seat. So, boss buttons, you can adjust the front seat if no one is sitting there, of course. And you can make more room for yourself like I have done right now. And I can easily cross my legs and be more comfortable. So, yes, munching miles even being at the rear seat is very comfortable in the Toyota Camry. Now, the only thing that could get a bit challenging is actually fitting a middle passenger at the rear right here because the armrest is quite protruding. There is a hump here in the middle seat and transmission tunnel is also quite tall. So, for four people, the cabin is very comfortable. It will be a little difficult for the middle passenger. But, features, you get decent. You have got rear aircon vents and you get two USB charging ports here. So, for four, I think in terms of overall comfort and features, this space is pretty much sorted. And then the comfort gets accentuated with the ride quality because the bumps and potholes don't feel very sharp here at the rear seat. Again, I am very much settled and I am very much comfortable. There are not much vertical movements. Just that when my chauffeur is speeding up, you know, and if he is taking any sharp turn, that time, I feel a bit, you know, a bit of that body roll becomes more prominent. So, that is only, you know, a point which needs improvement. Other than that, overall, it's a very comfortable experience at the rear seat of the Toyota Camry Hybrid. And with that done, let's get to the driver's seat now and let's see how the car feels like being behind the wheel. So, behind the wheel of the Toyota Camry Hybrid now and, you know, let's get the figures out of the way first. So, 2.5-litre 4-cylinder engine mated to a 160kW battery pack and it belts out around 215bhp at 5700rpm and the engine belts out around 221Nm of peak torque from 3600rpm to 5200rpm. With electric motor, you get an additional torque assistance of 202Nm and that comes from the word go. So, the car rolls on electric power. When you are launching, the car starts on electric power and, you know, that's why it saves on fuel big time. And speaking of fuel economy, you know, I have been driving mostly it in the Eco mode right here and believe me, in town, I have been getting around 15-16kmpl which is quite impressive for a car this segment. Courtesy, the strong hybrid setup. On the highway, it went up to around 21kmpl. So, yes, quite pocket-friendly it is. And if we talk about power delivery, then this car prefers relaxed cruising. You know, you don't feel any jolt, any jerk in the way it delivers on the power. In Eco mode, you have ample reserve of power for happy highway cruising. If you want to make frequent overtakes, switch to normal because power output and delivery gets a little better and you can again keep on going with a bit more speed. In city, Eco is what I prefer. On highway, I switch to normal mode. But if you want to get a bit aggressive with your driving, sport mode is something you should be picking up and as you can see, the power delivery gets aggressive there. Also, in sports mode, it's very easy to make overtakes and all. And, you know, the fuel economy is compromised a bit. So, in normal, you get around 20kmpl on the highway. I think fuel economy is the USP of the Camry because pocket pay is quite less. Now, coming to the ride quality. Very plush, very settled on the road. You know, all those thuds and bumps, those speed breakers, potholes, they don't filter inside the cabin too much and it feels very pliant, very settled. You don't feel any sharp pinch in your back. So, in terms of ride quality, I think this cabin is pretty much sorted. The only thing, you know, when it comes to ride quality is that the NVH levels could have been better because at higher revs, you get to hear the engine a bit and also the thuds and all when you go over them, when you go over a rough patch, you can hear it a bit more inside the cabin. Nothing which can be a deal breaker but yes, could have been a bit better. Now, coming to the handling part. That is a bit of an Achilles heel for the Camry because you get to know the body rolls a bit more at higher speeds. You know, when you are manoeuvring, when you are changing the lane because remember, the curb weight is over 1600kg. So, it is a heavy car, it has got a big battery pack as well. So, when you are changing lanes, when you are cornering, you know, you feel the mass and you feel the shift. The turn-ins are not as quick as you get in other cars of this segment. So, there could have been a bit of improvement there. But again, nothing that can be, you know, unnerving because the nature of this car is comfortable highway cruising and that's where it scores really, really well. Just one thing that the turning radius of 5800mm which is 5.8m could have been a bit better because when you are ambling in the city and when you are parking, then you need to, you know, make a few more cuts and turns to park it properly. So, I think turning radius could have been a bit better for a car this size. Other than that, you know, no other complaints here. This remains a perfect highway cruiser and one hell of a mile muncher. I think on a longer commute, I will be more comfortable in the Camry compared to any other SUV. Of course, as far as I am driving on the road. So, the moment you step inside the Toyota Camry, there are two major takeaways. First, the kind of comfort it offers and then the sense of durability and sophistication it offers. You know, in terms of comfort, let's begin with that. The seats are quite accommodating for people of all sizes, yes, frames of all sizes. Even as wide as even me, I am quite comfortable right here on these seats. I have got decent under-thigh support and even the lumbar support is quite good and the cushioning is spot on. It's perfect, feels very much comfortable even on a longer commute and munching miles in this car is very easy and very comfortable. Then, this comes with all kind of adjustment. You have 10-way power adjustment for these seats right here and the co-driver seat also gets the BOSS adjustment right here. So, the rear passenger can adjust it to his comfort when there is no one sitting here on the co-driver seat. Then, in terms of execution, you know, just the way the cabin has been designed and the quality of materials that has been used, you know, it feels very upmarket and very premium. You have got soft-touch upholstery right here on the dashboard, on the top of the dashboard and, you know, same treatment all over the cabin wherever you will be brushing your hands. So, in that regard, you get a very premium and a very luxury feel here and also nice use of elements like this chrome finish that you get on the dashboard. Brushed comb, very subtle and very minimalist in terms of look and appeal. Same gunmetal treatment on the dashboard and overall, the design of Y-Element on the central console looks very classy. You have got wood finish as well on the dashboard and on the central console. So, very nicely executed, very evenly spread and I like the choice of colour because it is very well balanced. You have got black on the top, you have got light beige here on the bottom and, you know, dark wood treatment. So, the old-school luxury car feel is still there in Camry and that is something I quite like. Then, if we talk about features, then it is quite a well-loaded cabin. Here, you get a three-zone climate control system. So, you have separate zone for the co-driver, for the driver and for rear passengers and you have also got ventilated seats right here. The front seats are ventilated, the rear seats are not ventilated. So, that is something which is a miss in my opinion. Ventilation function could have been there as well because, remember, the owners will be spending most of the time at the rear seat. So, that is a miss in my book. Also, you get a dedicated button for EV mode when you want to, you know, use the electric range and save on the fuel. So, that is also a feature that you get on the hybrid cars. The only miss, you know, up front right here is that you only get USB cable point right here. So, no type-C charging port, which is a miss in my opinion. Then, if we talk about the touchscreen system, then you have got this 9-inch touchscreen which we have seen in all the Toyota cars recently. But, you know, it comes with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There is no wireless connectivity, which, you know, at this price point, again, is a miss in my opinion. Also, in terms of execution, you know, the graphics feel a little old-school compared to other cars in the segment. In terms of response touch, there is no such issue. Just the way it has been designed and executed, I think the interface could have been more intuitive and engaging. Again, what I like is that it gets JBL sound system. So, 9-speaker JBL sound system, which sounds very acoustic. And I quite like the feedback here. Also, you have got sunroof right here at the front. And overall, in terms of features, I think I can't complain much. The small things could have been adjusted there. But, what I quite like here is that for the steering wheel, you get power adjustment, electric adjustment here for both reach and brake. And that is something which I quite like. This is a luxury car feature which you get in Camry as well. Features list doesn't end here. You also have wireless charging in this car, a 12V socket right here in the front. Also, memory settings for the driver's seat. So, features list goes on. And you also get normal driving modes. You get Eco, Normal, Sport modes here. And I quite like that for this, you have got conventional buttons. You get that access in one touch. And same thing for the aircon controls as well. So, that is something which I quite like. Also, the digital instrument cluster right in front of me, you know, looks very classy. You have got those conventional round dials for the speed and for the rev meter. Here, you get Eco, Charge and Power modes just like a typical hybrid car. The MID here, you know, it has been executed quite nicely and quite well. So, this is a feedback which I quite like. And you have got ample information, fuel range, fuel economy, how much charge is there in the battery. And you also have got settings for the head-up display. Yes, head-up display is also one more feature that you get in the Camry. And what all information you need in that, you can set from here. Your music streaming, your navigation guidance, everything is available on the MID. So, all the functions, all the features that you need on the go, you have right in front of the driver here. One of the major highlights for me inside the Toyota Camry is the Ergon mix. Because the position of everything here is quite good and it has been executed quite well. So, in terms of practicality, it scores really well. There are cup holders here. So, if I want to keep my coffee mug or bottles, you know, it's very handy for me to reach. So, it's, you know, in my easy access. Also, the position of the wireless charging pad is quite big. So, you can store phones of all sizes. And below this, you also get a very good space to keep your phone. So, you can store multiple phones, your wallets. So, in terms of practicality, you get a very good space. And just look at this, the kind of storage you have inside the armrest. I can literally keep a book here. And this is a cooled glove box. So, if you want to store big bottles, I mean, if you want to store a half-litre bottle, or, you know, if you want to keep some snacks, it's very convenient in those terms. So, again, in terms of storage space, in terms of practicality, the cabin of the Camry scores really well. As I said, looks very classy and very urban. Also, you get a Lexus-inspired treatment here. Because, remember, this is the Toyota version of the Lexus ES. So, in terms of looks, you have the angular treatment going very strong for it. Here, you get a slim treatment for the grille with subtle chrome highlights. Toyota badging sits very prominently right here, up front. And there are blue highlights here, which denotes that this is an electrified or hybrid car. Again, very nice and balanced contrast treatment you see on the bumper. Piano black finish is quite widespread and extends till the bottom. Also, in terms of chrome elements, it's not too blingy. Subtle treatment you have here on the side, C-shape, which you get a ring here. And then, the fog lights are very nicely integrated in the bumper. Up top, the headlight assembly looks very sleek. Wraparound treatment, projector headlights you have got here and three motifs for the DRL patterns. Overall, you know, looks very classy and very edgy. And my personal favourite is the kind of character lines you get on the bonnet. Very nicely executed, not overly sharp, but you get a nice flush finish. And in terms of design execution, you know, it's top-notch. So, overall, the urban appeal and the edgy look that you see on the Camry is something which looks very appealing to me. And then, the design game gets accentuated when you walk towards the profile of this car. Because, the length, you know, is quite long, 4885mm to be precise. And you get a 2825mm wheelbase here. But, I like how the mass has been executed. Because, it doesn't look overly long to you. Because, character lines, shoulder lines, you know, it's been very nicely executed right here, towards the rear end of the car. And, the door here, you get a very even finish. The mass has been spread quite evenly between all the panels. So, in terms of execution, it looks very nice. And then, the rising shoulder line here, towards the rear end, again merges very beautifully. The alloy wheels, these are 18 inches in size and dual-tone treatment you have on the rims here. Looks very sporty and very nice. Goes very well with the profile and with the design of the car. And the tyre profile is also ample for Indian road conditions. And, again, what I quite like is that, chrome elements, you just get a lot of weight. They don't get too blingy, like you have on the handle here and on the window line. So, in terms of, again, appeal, that elegance in the design is carried over even to the profile. Now, towards the rear, the first thing that attracts me is how beautifully the design has been executed and wrapped around towards the rear end of the car. The line, it flows quite smoothly towards the rear end. And, the width is quite apparent. So, 1840 millimetres, to be precise. And, you get a height of 1455 millimetres here. Again, in terms of appeal, a good balance of elegance and sportiness. Here, you get chrome treatment, again, subtle use of chrome, you see here. Wraparound LED treatment and below, on the bumper, you have decent black contrast as well. So, from the rear, again, the car looks very classy, very elegant. And, that sense of upmarket, that is very much apparent in the design. So, what do we think about the Toyota Camry Hybrid? Well, if comfort, practicality and quality is what you are looking for, the Toyota Camry Hybrid fits your bill perfectly. And, if you are not going to encounter any off-road situation, I think you can prefer it over any other SUV. And, this is all the car you need.