New Delhi: If you want a hybrid car and a strong one at that, the only option is the Camry Hybrid at the most attainable price point. Now you might be thinking, what's a strong hybrid? Well, that represents a car where it has a petrol engine, a battery pack, and an electric motor while also running on electric power alone or also on both petrol/electric power. A mild hybrid cannot run on electric power alone. Also unlike a plug-in hybrid, the battery pack is charged by the engine or regenerative braking. Hence no need to charge like any electric car.
What does that mean for the car buyer? A big car that gets the mileage of a smaller hatchback. In case of the Camry Hybrid as seen here the claimed mileage is near 24 kmpl. In the real world the efficiency we got with the Camry Hybrid was pretty good for a large sedan at 15/16 kmpl. That is still way better than many subcompact SUVs! Along with that, the big factor is how you can do short journeys or drive at low speeds in EV mode. With traffic, you can drive effortlessly and it is noiseless. At higher speeds, you really have no idea how smoothly the engine comes in. If the battery level drops, it is charged quite quickly, and anyways the petrol engine is silent as well. As a city-driven luxury, we cannot think of a more silent car at this price or even this efficient if talking about petrol cars. The 178 bhp 2.5l petrol engine is complemented by an electric motor. The gearbox is a CVT but that's also well suited to the car. You do not drive in a hurried manner and instead prefer to take things easy with the Camry Hybrid. The gearbox fits in with that thought. Hence, cruising at big speeds or in the city, you will like how smooth it is.
Despite being a massive car, the Camry Hybrid is easy to drive with a light steering. It is also not low with good ground clearance with the car not scraping over even the bigger speed breakers. The ride quality is brilliant too with a soft suspension suited to a luxury car. If anything, if you want to drive the Camry Hybrid fast, the gearbox gets a bit noisy. It is a car suited for being driven around or driving yourself at a relaxed pace.
However, most Camry Hybrid owners are chauffeur driven and it is easy to see why. Big seats which are comfortable with very good legroom make for an ideal luxury sedan experience. You can recline the seats and even move forward the front passenger seat for more space, electronically.
There is also a power-assisted rear sunshade, rear touch controls for AC and audio too. It feels like a proper expensive luxury car here. The dashboard gets some big changes as well with a bigger 9inch screen with smartphone connectivity, a nice heads-up display that is clear to see on the go, a sunroof, 10-way power adjustable front driver's seat, wireless charging, and more.
3-zone climate control, a 9-speaker JBL audio system, rear camera, and other safety systems are also there which you somewhat expect at this price. Speaking of which, the Camry Hybrid is now expensive but somehow still does not have a rival at this price point in terms of being a luxurious hybrid. At Rs 43.4 lakh, the Camry Hybrid continues to have its own fan following and also shows hybrid technology does have its strong points.
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