2020 Toyota Camry Hybrid Review: Should You Buy It?
2020 Camry Hybrid is the most handsome, well-rounded and all-around clever Camry there ever has been.
The current generation of Toyota Camry, which debuted for 2018, is far and away the best vehicle to ever wear the Camry badge. Bucking the trend of focusing resources mostly towards SUVs, trucks and crossovers, Toyota has shown its commitment to the humble four-door sedan.
This is proven by the fact that there isn’t a weak spot in the line-up, which is impressive because Toyota has really wrung out every possible variant from its perennially popular family sedan. We live in the era of a high-performance TRD Camry. We also live in the era of the Camry Hybrid, which is where we are now.
It may not have the full-on appearance package of the TRD model, but this XLE Hybrid, priced at $39,995, looks no less handsome. The long 111.2” wheelbase visually stretches the car out, giving Camry a low-slung appearance. The 18-inch wheels and Blue Streak Metallic paint work also help the curb appeal here.
That wheelbase, however, in part explains the sedate ride quality on this XLE Hybrid model. Los Angeles’ myriad roadways, often navigated at approximately 11-and-a-half mph, are more grating and grated than anything else this side of Detroit and its post-apocalyptic pavement, yet little of that is transmitted into the Camry’s cabin. The bright blue wonder, instead, wafts over the rough stuff with ease, though the most tuned in of passengers may notice the occasional buzz or minute rattle from the interior plastics when going over the worst of it.
These borderline obsessive notes come in because, otherwise, the cabin is very quiet at low speed. And, in this leather-bound XLE model, with its heated and cooled seats and blue Hybrid-themed trim, that means it’s easier to enjoy time spent in the Camry Hybrid. With the JBL audio system set just right (about 3-4 clicks higher on the volume knob than you would expect), the in-cabin acoustics are quite nice.
Then there is hybrid-electric powertrain, which combines a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and electric batteries that provide 208 horsepower to the front wheels. It’s happy to trundle along at low speed using only the electric batteries for relatively long periods of time, if you’re diligent with the accelerator, otherwise, the gas engine chimes in when more power is needed. Unfortunately, it’s not a particularly refined or endearing sound. On the upside, it does offer ample passing power around town.
ALSO SEE: 2020 Toyota Avalon TRD Drive Review: It’s Still an Avalon
Of course, after a week of driving, it was time to put the Camry Hybrid’s big MPG claims to the test. In a drive loop that was extremely similar to the RAV4 Hybrid, I covered 357.2 miles in the Camry Hybrid and spent $30.04 on fuel. The EPA rates the Camry Hybrid XLE at 44 mpg city, 47 mpg highway and 46 mpg combined. I achieved 40 mpg in the larger RAV4. The Camry Hybrid returned 41.4 mpg.
While that is an impressive figure, it falls well short of the EPA estimates, and barely manages to better the RAV4 Hybrid, which offers much more utility at the same cost. While Camry Hybrid does have quite a lot going for it, it is hard to recommend over the much more pragmatic and, likely, more desirable to most people RAV4 SUV.
Want to see more Toyota goodness? Follow Jake on Instagram, it’s all cars all the time.
