2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid Total Car Score Analysis

The 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid earns one of the highest Total Car Scores in the midsize sedan category.  
 
All Camrys have been totally redesigned for 2012, so like its parent model, the Hybrid benefits from new, crisper exterior styling and a roomier interior. For the first time, the Camry Hybrid is available in two trim levels, with the top-tier XLE model getting some very upscale interior features.  
 
More significantly, Toyota has re-engineered the Camry’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system to boost both its performance and fuel economy -- up to a 30 percent improvement in the EPA’s city and combined driving cycles, says Toyota. There’s also a new EV Drive mode that allows the Camry Hybrid to travel up to 1.6 miles at low speeds using electric power alone.  
 
Reviews of the new powertrain have been very positive, with critics praising the seamless transitions between driving modes. In fact, other than a couple of complaints about the grabby nature of its regenerative brakes, the 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid has earned about the best thing one could say regarding a hybrid vehicle: that it drives like a “normal car.”

2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid Model Line-Up

The four-door, five-passenger 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid sedan features a revised Hybrid Synergy Drive system that improves the powertrain's output and fuel economy.  
 
The Camry Hybrid’s drive system consists of a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that puts out 156 horsepower and 156 pound-feet of torque, a 105-kW electric motor and a nickel-metal hydride battery pack. In combination, the drive system produces 200 horsepower that's routed to the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission (CVT). A new EV Drive mode allows the Camry Hybrid to operate under electric power alone for up to 1.6 miles at low speeds.  
 
The EPA rates the Camry Hybrid LE at 43 mpg city, 39 highway and 41 combined, while the XLE model earns a 40/38/40 rating.  
 
The 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid LE offers standard equipment that includes 16-inch steel wheels, automatic climate controls, Smart Key with push-button start, a tilt/telescope steering column, an AM/FM/CD audio system with Bluetooth and power windows and door locks. Moving up to the XLE model brings 17-inch alloy wheels, chrome exterior trim, a powered driver seat and a touch-screen-based audio system with audio and Bluetooth controls on the steering wheel.

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