Car blogs

Toyota Brings Back the Popular Camry Hybrid

Toyota's fuel-sipping Camry Hybrid returns for 2010 with no significant changes to its energy-efficient Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) powertrain.

The core of the Camry's HSD system is Toyota's 2.4-liter 2AZ-FXE engine, which makes 147 horsepower and 138 lb-ft of torque. This 16-valve, DOHC engine is related to the 2.4-liter engine used in last year's non-hybrid Camry, but it uses the Atkinson cycle, rather than the conventional Otto cycle of most gasoline engines. In an Atkinson-cycle engine, the intake valves stay open well into the compression stroke, allowing some of the intake air to escape without being compressed. The result is less power, but better fuel economy and lower emissions. The Camry Hybrid's standard stop/start system saves more fuel by shutting off the engine at stoplights; it restarts automatically when you press the accelerator.


During acceleration, the gasoline engine is augmented by a 105-kW electric motor, giving a combined output of 187 horsepower. That's enough to make the Camry Hybrid faster than a non-hybrid four-cylinder Camry, although the latter's new 179-horsepower engine means the margin is not as great as in previous years. With a lighter throttle foot, the Hybrid can run on the electric motor alone up to 20 mph. The HSD system is very refined, and the integration of gasoline and electric power is close to seamless. Toyota claims the Nickel-Metal Hydride battery pack has an average lifespan of 150,000 miles. The battery pack reduces trunk space by about 30%.

The Camry Hybrid has excellent fuel economy for a large family sedan, with an EPA rating of 33/34. That's much better than the 22/34 rating of a four-cylinder Camry LE with automatic, but it can't match the impressive 41/36 rating of Ford's new Fusion Hybrid. Both hybrids meet the EPA's strict Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (ATPZEV) standards.

---

Toyota Brings Back the Popular Camry Hybrid was originally published by world top cars. Read the full story by clicking here.