Green With Less Beige In It: The 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid SE

The 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid SE.

There are very few things that haven't happened to me in 20 years of professionally reviewing cars (there was 11 years of doing just that on local radio and television in Arizona before we launched TireKicker globally in the fall of 2008 and expanded five years later with a move of TireKicker World Headquarters to Folsom, California while maintaining a bureau in Phoenix). 

$75,000 Jaguar bent...not bashed, but the frame bent....by an 80-something lady in a (then) 18-year-old, four-cylinder Mustang with handicapped plates backing out of a space at the supermarket and cutting the wheel too soon, then pressing harder and harder on her accelerator when her car stopped backing up (because it was pressed up against the rear quarter-panel of the Jag)?  Check. 

Flat tire in a pre-production Chevy Tahoe during a press event with no spare on board and the two-way radio out of range somewhere in the Superstition Mountains?  Check. 

Brand new Mercedes-Benz (the unloved C230 coupe) that decided, while parked in a mall parking lot, to put reverse where third gear should be and every other gear in someplace other than where the good Lord intended?  Been there, done that, got the sheepish apology from M-B who thought I must have abused their ride until they found out that someone at the factory forgot to tighten a bolt.

But never...never...has anyone stopped to compliment me on a Toyota Camry.  And with the new 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid SE it happened three times.

Rx For Excess: The 2017 Toyota Camry XSE

The 2017 Toyota Camry XSE.

As you read this, truckloads of 2018 Toyota Camrys are heading for your local dealer.  Toyota, in its continuing quest to put its "beige" image behind it, has styled the new Camry very aggressively, causing some, even those who believe Toyota needed to be more exciting, to wonder how far is too far (see the current Prius).

If you are among that group, now is a wonderful time to get what is still this year's car---the 2017 Toyota Camry XSE.

The Sporting Camry: The 2016 Toyota Camry XSE

The 2016 Toyota Camry XSE.

Eighteen years ago, James Schefter wrote a book called "All Corvettes Are Red".  For its eight-generation existence, the prevailing wisdom is that all Toyota Camrys are beige.  Neither is true, and the Camry XSE is Toyota's way of proving that.

A Tale Of Three Camrys: The 2015 Toyota Camry XLE, XSE and Hybrid SE

The 2015 Toyota Camry XLE.

2015 is a year of significant change for the Toyota Camry.  Long derided, somewhat unfairly, as a transportation appliance devoid of personality, the 2015 Camry has had a significant refresh.  Only the roof is carried over directly from last year, the styling is more aggressive and the interior has had a thorough makeover, as well.

Beyond that, Toyota is marketing the Camry with models that have their own distinct personalities. We've driven three of them, very nearly back-to back, recently.

The 2013 Toyota Camry XLE V6 Can Run With Nissan Altima and Honda Accord, But Can It Dance?

The 2013 Toyota Camry XLE V6. Handsome, roomy and quick.

Hot on the heels of our recent reviews of the 2014 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL and the 2013 Honda Accord Touring, Toyota has sent us a V6 version of the Camry.  It's a 2013 model (Toyota seems to be booking a lot of journalists into last-minute '13s), but there are no major changes in the '14s, so what the heck.

When the first Camry came along for the 1983 model year, the competition was the Honda Accord and the Nissan Stanza, which stood where the Nissan Altima is now in the lineup.  And as unlikely as it seems given the juggernaut Toyota has become in the three decades since, it was an uphill climb.  There was a waiting list for Honda Accords.  And Consumer Reports found the Nissan Altima more reliable than the first-generation Toyota Camry (ouch!) for four years running (1983-1986, inclusive).

Well, Toyota learned fast, and grabbed not only the sales but the reliability crown and has never looked back.  Until recently, the Camry was in an enviable if not glamorous position...the safe bet in a segment known for boring cars.  In fact, it was deep clover for Toyota for most of the past decade, with Honda having seemed to lose its mojo and Nissan keeping costs down to the point where its cars were starting to feel like cheap goods.

But now, as we've chronicled in this space, we're in something of a renaissance of the family sedan.

The Americans are a mixed bag...Ford's Fusion looks fabulous (Ford: You really need to get us in one, because I'm driving and writing about everyone else's), especially from the front, the Chevrolet Malibu is better than anyone thought a Chevy Malibu could be, and the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler 200 are still rental cars you'll want to upgrade out of.

The Koreans are fully competitive and credible with cars like the Hyundai Sonata and the Kia Optima.  The Germans have a contender in the Volkswagen Passat.
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And even sleepy Subaru is sleepy no more, with market share that goes up month by month and a strong candidate in the Subaru Legacy.

So how does the Toyota Camry stack up?

Wisconsin Camry Crash Driver Error (UPDATED 5:25 PM PDT With Surveillance Video Link)

76 year old Myrna Marseille swore she was standing on the brake pedal of her 2009 Toyota Camry when it crashed into the Sheboygan Falls YMCA on March 29.

Nope.

The Sheboygan Falls Police Department and the Wisconsin State Patrol held a news conference this morning in which they announced the results of their investigation: Driver error. Myrna was on the gas, not the brake, and the brakes were found to be in perfect working order.

Witnesses who Myrna said told her they saw brake lights? Well, they did...but surveillance video (click here to watch it from WISN-TV) from two cameras (the Y and the Sheboygan Falls PD share a common parking lot) shows they came on after the car hit the building. And the police say those witnesses told them that's when they saw them.

The video indicates the car moved at the same constant speed (estimated by police at 10-15 miles per hour) across the parking lot, into the parking space, over the berm and into the building.

Police Chief Steven Riffel says NHTSA (whose report won't be ready for four months) has told him there was nothing in the vehicle diagnostics to contradict the conclusion of driver error.

No decision yet on whether Myrna will be cited.

So the streak continues. The one where unintended acceleration events are investigated and found to be a case of the driver standing on the wrong pedal.

Full story including a link to the complete video replay of the news conference from The Sheboygan Press.

Older, Younger: Who's Worse At The Wheel?

While we wait for word on the cause of a 76-year old Wisconsin woman's alleged runaway Toyota Camry incident,  here are some interesting statistics on age and accidents.

TheAutoInsurance.com finds that more teens per capita are involved in fatal crashes, but more elderly drivers are at fault.  Graphic and facts here.

NHTSA, Wisconsin State Patrol To Do Joint Inspection Of Alleged Runaway Toyota Camry

It's been almost two weeks since 76-year old Myrna Marsellie said her 2009 Toyota Camry accelerated on its own, crashing into the Sheboygan Falls YMCA.

So what happened? We don't know yet.

Sheboygan Falls Police Chief Steven Riffel tells me the car is still in his department's custody and there will be a joint NHTSA/Wisconsin State Patrol inspection of the vehicle and search of the car's databases sometime this week.

The department is also in the process of enhancing surveillance video (the police station is across the parking lot from the YMCA and its cameras are thought to have captured the crash).

What about Toyota, which usually gets inspectors on these things quickly (given that most cases of unintended acceleration upon investigation are proven to be driver error...standing on the gas instead of the brake)?

Well, the chief says Toyota's asking, but he's got a search warrant...and he doesn't want too many folks inside the vehicle. NHTSA and the state patrol get first dibs. And he tells me he'll be looking for NHTSA's input as to whether to release the vehicle to Toyota for its inspection, or back to Myrna.

NHTSA, of course, is the agency alleging that Toyota hid dangerous defects and should pay record fines.

This is not Toyota's week for catching a break, it seems.

Toyota, Police Investigating New Unintended Acceleration Claim

76 year old Myrna Marseille of Wisconsin was parking her 2009 Toyota Camry at the local YMCA when she says it accelerated suddenly...into the Y's wall.

She insists her foot was on the brake, not on the gas.

Toyota tells WISN-TV it's investigating. Potentially helpful...the Sheboygan Falls Police Department is right across the parking lot from the Y....and has security cameras that may have caught the entire event.

Watch the story from WISN-TV here.

Lexus LS600h Hybrid Review

The truth, although a lot of people don't know it, is that hybrids aren't really about saving money. Yes, gas mileage is usually better than a conventionally-powered version of the same vehicle, but on gas price alone, you'd have to drive that hybrid for about nine years in most cases to make up the price difference in gas savings.

No, hybrids are about saving the environment and making statements.

The Lexus LS600h Hybrid certainly aces that last part.

                     

Making statements is about getting noticed....and the big Lexus does that for you. The re-design of a couple of seasons ago turned the LS from the anonymous luxury car into a head-turner. It's not the shape...there's still a lot of "large Toyota Camry" in there...rather, it's in details that just scream "money". And the LS600h turns them up several notches.

Really, it has to. You see, you can buy the "base" LS,  the LS460, for $65,380.

The LS600h starts at $108,800.

Nope. Not a typo. $108,800...$42,620 more than the LS460.

Find the right dealer on a good day and you might be able to take two LS460s home for the price of one LS600h.

Now, you get the long-wheelbase, which would cost you five grand extra on a gas-powered LS....and the hybrid engine here packs 438 horsepower, compared to a mere 380 in the LS460.

That means 0-60 in 5.5 seconds....but wait! The lighter LS460 gets there in 5.4.

And here's the kicker: Buy the gas-powered model...and you'll get better gas mileage. At least on the highway. An LS460 is EPA rated at 16 city/24 highway. The LS600h is 20 city/22 highway. 

With that small a mileage difference and that big a cost difference, you won't live long enough to recover the extra money spent on gas savings.

                     

So why buy one? Because it's the ultimate Lexus LS. If that's what you're after....this is where you get it all, the finest materials, most-cutting edge options, extra engine power  (quiet about that 1/10th of a second slower to 60 part, okay?) and green status to boot (as long as no one thinks about it too carefully).

And that means you'll probably pop for the few available options as well. What's an extra $5280 for the rear power seat package and $2850 for the Lexus Pre-Collison System and Dynamic Radar Cruise Control?

Put that together with $875 for a delivery fee and you have, equipped like our tester, a grand total of:

$117,805. 

Plus tax and license, of course.

Greenpeace members with a Platinum card, your ride is ready.

Toyota Camry Hybrid Review

There are some cars that make so much sense it's difficult to discuss them. You can really get by with just mentioning their name. It becomes its own concept. Like:

Toyota Camry Hybrid.

Well, there ya go, right? A family sedan with a reputation for bulletproof reliability with a hybrid engine...making it an even bigger gas-saver. End of story.

Popping the hybrid powerplant under the hood of the Camry does wonders for the gas mileage, launching it into the upper regions of the TireKicker Top 10 Fuel Savers list (EPA says 33 city/34 highway).

What's remarkable about the Camry Hybrid is that you can buy one for Prius money (give or take $500), even though the Camry is a much bigger car...seating 5 comfortably to the Prius' 4.

The base price on the Camry Hybrid I drove for a week was $25,650, which is about $1900 higher than the base price of the Prius TireKicker tested most recently. But...loaded, that Prius bottom-lined at $30,554. and the Camry with similar options (Convenience Package, Leather Package, Navigation and upgraded JBL audio system) maxed out at $30,988...a $434 difference....though the Nissan Altima Hybrid has them both beat on price.

The decision on space versus mileage is yours to make...but the fact that $30,000 ($25,000 if you can live without leather & nav and are okay with the stock audio system) can buy you a reliable, roomy family sedan with mileage in the 30s from both Toyota and Nissan is something to applaud.

UPDATE: Just had a second week in a different Camry Hybrid sedan...and if anything, I liked it more. As time and events progress, this car makes more and more sense.