More than seven months ago, I purchased my third Camry and my sixth Toyota. Seven months later, I still think this 2012 Camry Hybrid is not only one of the prettiest cars on the road, but also one of the most comfortable.
After 9,400 miles, I can report that in real world conditions, it averages 42-46 miles per gallon.
That’s nothing short of amazing.
This summer, we took a trip to the hills of West Virginia and on that trip, the Camry averaged 46 mpg. For those unfamiliar with the backroads of West Virginia, let me tell you, you’re either climbing straight up a hill or standing on the brakes as you come flying down the other side.
Both hubby and I were blown away by the 46 mpg average.
I’ve been fascinated by the Toyota Prius since its introduction to the American markets in 2001. When I purchased my last Camry in 2003 (Salsa Red Pearl LE), I was torn between the Camry and the Prius.
After much weeping and gnashing of teeth, I opted for the Camry. It was a proven car with an incredible track record. As a freshly divorced woman, I opted for “proven, reliable and staid” over “new, fancy and sleek.”
And yet, as the years rolled by, I paid close attention to the Prius. The hybrid technology was quickly evolving and it was clearly the wave of the future. Each year, the Prius had more features, better technology and improved gas mileage.
And then in 2007, Toyota introduced the Camry Hybrid.
In February 2011, I was on my way to visit a purported Sears Magnolia near Gaffney, South Carolina, traveling merrily along in my shiny 2003 Camry.Ā As I approached the South Carolina border, the “check engine” light blinked on, and I could smell gas.
I glanced down at the odometer, which read 152,300 miles and had a sinking realization. I was driving an old car.
I made it home without incident, and took the car in for repairs. Total cost: $1,300.
For the next few long trips, we rented a car. That was a lot of hassle.
I’m a car person. I love cars. In the 1970s, I took two years of auto tech at a vocational school in Portsmouth. There’s nothing about cars that isn’t fascinating.
In April, we rented a 2012 Prius for a weekend trip. I was in love. The Prius was a fun car, full of gadgetry and pie charts and diagrams and all manner of displays. And we averaged more than 50 mpg on the trip.
The next weekend, we went car shopping. The Prius had been a delight to drive, but I didn’t like the front seats. Plus, the Prius hatchback had a harsh ride. I loved the technology but my aching back needed something more comfortable. After more research, I opted for the 2012 Camry Hybrid XLE.
In 2012, the Camry was redesigned and re-engineered. The 2012 model gets eight more miles from a gallon of gas than the prior year’s model. My car is rated at 41 (combined city/highway), but I’ve averaged 42-44 mpg in the city.
The 2012 Camry boasts 200 hp (up 13 hp from 2011). The ICE produces 156 horsies, and the electric motor kicks in about 40 horsepower. The battery pack (34 nickel-metal hydride modules) eats up a bit of trunk space, and yet the 2012 still has 13.1 cubic feet of suitcase space (2.5 cubic feet more than the 2011).
Under hard acceleration, you could really feel the shift points of those four gears in the 2003. In the new Camry, there are no shift points. The continuously variable transmission is an engineering marvel, picking up energy from two different sources (gasoline and electric) and transmitting into smooth forward motion of the front wheels.
It is, as promised a “smoother driving experience.”
And best of all, the CVT provides both faster acceleration and better fuel economy. The 2012 Camry Hybrid does 0-60 in 7.6 seconds. The V6 Camry (3.0 liter) only beats that by about one half of one second. In exchange for that half second, I get about 15 more miles out of each gallon of gas (compared to the V6).
The car really shines in the short jaunts around town. Driving through residential streets in Hampton Roads and looking for kit homes, I can hit 55+ miles per gallon. That, together with a 17-gallon tank means that you can drive 935 miles between fill-ups (as long as you don’t go more than 30 miles per hour).
When I’m out hunting for kit homes, tooling up and down tree-lined residential streets in early 20th Century neighborhoods, I drive about 15 miles per hour. The Camry Hybrid loves that speed.
Toyota has created the perfect car for house hunting: The 2012 Camry Hybrid.
Maybe they should change their jingle to, “Toyota; I love what you do for history.”
Kit home history, that is.
Ready to buy one of your own? Click here.
On March 31, 2003, I purchased this sweet ride, a 2003 Camry LE in Salsa Red Pearl. When I traded it in recently, there were 170,000 miles on the odometer. Most of those miles were happy miles, tooling all over the country, looking at kit homes and hawking my books. I hope to find the old Camry on the road some day. It won't be hard to recognize. Those fine-looking alloy wheels are 2004 premium Camry wheels. Rather anachronistic, but sharp looking!! Little Camry, where did you end up? š
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The 2012 Camry is not only a high-mileage wonder, but a genuinely beautiful car. And fun to drive, too. Average fuel mileage has been 42-46 mpg (and I don't move slowly).
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I prefer "colors," but this metallic gray is dazzling in the sunlight.
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Consumer Reports (Magazine) estimates that in another 10 years, we'll all be driving hybrids. It's an amazing technology whose time has come.
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The blue badge on the front and rear differentiates the hybrid Camry from the non-hybrid . It's a nice feature, but no one can look at it without reaching out and touching it.
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The charts and diagrams are a source of endless entertainment.
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My husband recently purchased a truck from Checkered Flag. We had the original seats ripped out and replaced with leather and with HEAT. We're both in love with our heated leather seats. I suspect that all chairs in heaven have heated seats. š
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A back-up camera lets you see what you're getting ready to plow down.
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It's a snazzy car! And it came from Checkered Flag Toyota in Virginia Beach.
To place an order for your own sweet ride, click here.
Oh, are you here to read about Sears Homes? Click here.
To learn about kit homes from Montgomery Ward, click here.
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I can only dream of driving a car that new at my house with 2 young male drivers on our car insurance.
My insurance man laughed at me when I asked him to quote me insurance prices for a 2011 car I was interested in!
So miles per gallon savings mean nothing to me because it won’t offset the horrible insurance prices I have to pay to cover the car. Unfortunately at my house all of our cars are ten years old or older and I look forward to the day that I too can go select a car like yours.
Glad to hear that you are still as pleased with yours as the day you got it months back.
@Jan
Hi Jan,
Yes I remember the days when I had two teenage girls on my car insurance!
It’s nice to be able to buy a house without worrying about the local schools and to buy a car without worrying about those teenage drivers! š
However, I also miss those days.
Thanks so much for the nice comments.
Sooner or later Rose will see a Sears Kit Home see has never seen out of the corner of her eye and the distraction will cause her to jump the curb, run over some garbage cans, and the new Camry end up in someone’s front landscaping.
@Dale Wolicki
Hey, that was Rebecca not me! LOL.
Not me YET that is…
But do you deny that you were the one to jump out of your car to photograph a Sears house, and having taken such picture, turned to discover your car rolling downhill because you forgot to put the gear shift in PARK?
Yeah, actually, I do remember that. That was my 1998 Camry and it was in Edwardsville. I said a little prayer (in a big hurry!) and that car hit something in the road and the steering wheel jerked to the right and the car came to a safe stop in the middle of a soft field.
The car and the wanna-be driver were unharmed. š
Rose, without you looking for kit homes would be sooooooo boring. Whats a few dents if you get find a few Sears or Wardway Homes?
@Dale Wolicki
LOL. We always had fun on our adventures, didn’t we? Remember in Ohio, we stopped somewhere to clean some of the snack wrappers out of the SUV, and you had me laughing so hard I was physically unable to get back into your Mountaineer?
You said, “My gosh, with all the junk and trash and books we’ve got piled up in this car, we look like a couple of homeless people.”
I started to laugh hysterically.
And then you said, “Lady, you better stop your cackling and get in this SUV or the next thing you’ll see are the taillights of Mercury Mountaineer driving off into the sunset.”
That didn’t help the giggles. In fact, I think that’s when I sat down in the street and laughed uncontrollably for five minutes.
You’ve always been a party in a can, Mr. Wolicki!!!!
Happy times. š