Hi there. I met several people on thw forum already and thank you for your help and suggestions.Currently I am interested in purchasing a Prius and up until this point have been researching the car thoroughly. But it just occured to me, why not look into a Camry hybrid. Its the same thing as a Prius, no? I can use it as my daily driver vehicle and im sure i can still go cross country and car camp in it. Am I right? Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Savvy car shopper that I am, the first time I was backing our new (2010) out of the garage, looking back through the rear glass, I thought: "Wait a sec, this is a hatchback". There's that, the hauling versatility. And the flip side: the reduced security, compared to the Camry trunk. The Camry is maybe plusher/quieter, and the dash more mainstream, not necessarily a bad thing. One thing: I was working with a guy that had a Camry Hybrid, and he said something along the lines of "my best tank is like your worst". Maybe not a deal braker though.
The Camry is a sedan, not a hatchback, so car camping will be more restricted. Here is a picture of the pass through from the trunk. The Camry is a larger car and has a larger engine, so not quite Prius MPG levels. It is a fine car and will prove reliable.
It depends on your priorities. The Camry is a much larger car so there is more interior space for you and your passengers. It's quieter and has the latest tech (available 10" HUD, 7" LCD in the IP and a 8" MFD along with available ICS, Birds Eye Monitor and Entune 3.0). With the battery located under the rear seat, the trunk size is exactly the same as the regular Camry (which is a plus). There are two major hybrid versions of the Camry. If you want max mpg, go with the LE Hybrid with 52 mpg combined with a Li-Ion battery. SE Hybrid and XLE Hybrid models get 46 mpg combined with a NiMH battery (and larger wheels and more stuff that adds weight). The Camry is a sedan so I'm not sure how camping would work (I guess you could slip through the pass-through but looking at the photos below, the angle is a bit awkward). That is not the latest Camry Hybrid's trunk. That's the 2012-2017. This is the latest one Source: Cleanmpg.com
Damn. That looks just as small as the opening on my corolla. Car camping would be possible but the Prius seems like it will afford me much more space and capability. Alright nm, ill scratch that idea. Imterestingly I did see a youtube video of a guy that built a bed out of wood and foam in the back of the corolla by folding down the seats. Unfortumately for me, my seats dont fold down. And it may fit me, but not both me and my gf. Thanks though. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
To answer the question in the title: I considered the 2018 Camry LE hybrid, because of its high compression ratio, storage space, and more powerful engine. But I didn't like the interior design as much as the Prius Gen4/Prime, and the lack of a plug-in meant, well, it's a very expensive hybrid. If I'm going to spend that kind of money, I want to upgrade from a hybrid to plug in my car.
The Camry is 8” longer, 2.4” wider and gets 30% less mpg, isn’t a hatchback, is the same height, gets 30% less mpg’s, get in a Prius, drive it, get in a Camry, drive it, make up your mind on your priorities
Chill. The thread is about Camry Hybrids. There are multiple Camry hybrid models, all of which are much more fuel efficient than the non-hybrid alternative. Many fare quite well against the Prius hatchback. For instance, the LE Hybrid gets 51 mpg in the city and 53 mpg on the highway. Compare to the Gen4 Prius, which is 54 mpg in the city and 50 mpg on the highway. So... where are you getting your quote of 30% less mpg????
Memory is foggy on this but I recall a blog post from a guy who lived in his Prius for a couple days out of the week for at least a few months. He made wooden supports to keep the seats folded flat and support a camping pad for sleeping. Best car camping setup I've ever seen. I love my Camry hybrid. Original owner from its first year of its production. They are different cars for different markets, which is better for you is a matter of personal priorities. Make no mistake, Toyota makes the best damn hybrids you can buy. The reason I'm registered here is this is the best tech info site for Toyota hybrid systems of any vehicle, not just Prius. Almost all of the info from Prius applies to Camry Hybrid as well. It's sometimes referred to as HyCam as well, keep this in mind if you need to search for some tech info.
