has anyone else bought the camry hybrid? its a gas hog?

Question

I am going to try and unwind the deal...it gets 19 miles to the gal and is suppose to get 40... dealer response...it is learning you! it needs to get broken in!...and my favorite must be the way i drive!

Answer 1

No one said that a Camry hybrid is supposed to get 40MPG, unless you happen to drive like the EPA city or highway tests. (EPA 40MPG city, 38MPG highway). Your window sticker does say "your mileage may vary." Auto manufacturers are required by law to only post the governmental ratings.


What vehicle did you previously drive? What MPG did you get on it with your driving? Calculate the % difference from your fuel economy compared to your previous vehicle's EPA fuel economy. Now apply this same percentage to the Camry Hybrid's EPA fuel economy, and it should be about the same.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bymodel/bymakemodelNF.shtml

but chances are that you don't drive anything like the tests...
How the EPA tests vehicles: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/how_tested.shtml
note that they do it in a laboratory with a professional driver with the car on a dynometer (wheels under tires), temperatures of 68-86^F, no heater/AC/defroster use, and max speeds are only 60mph on the highway (48mph average)...
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fe_test_schedules.shtml

However, the driving pattern used is based on an average Americans' driving pattern study from the 1970s, with a downward multiplier applied thanks to complaints in the 1980s, and hasn't been revised since. Driving patterns, and the American driving landscape, has changed a lot in 30+ years, making the EPA MPG ratings only useful for comparing cars against each other (since all cars undergo the same test), but not useful in predicting your own fuel economy (without another car's data to compare data with).

http://www.bluewaternetwork.org/reports/rep_ca_global_fuelfalsehood2.pdf
"FUEL ECONOMY FALSEHOODS: How government misrepresentation of fuel economy hinders efforts to reduce global warming and US dependence on foreign oil" by the Bluewater Network, 2002

"Real MPG: Putting the Truth in Your Tank" by the Environmental Working Group
http://www.ewg.org/reports/realMPG/part1.php

You can see what others are getting in their real-world driving at:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=browseList
http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/

You may want to ask other Toyota Camry hybrid owners for suggestions:
http://greenhybrid.com/discuss/toyota-camry-hybrid.049.html
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/camryhybrid/

Toyota Fuel Economy Factsheet:
http://www.toyota.com/images/vehicles/prius/Understanding_Fuel_Economy.pdf

Fuel Economy: Explaining the EPA Ratings
Toyota explains what the EPA ratings actually mean, and lists ways to improve your MPG
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-prius/message/71431
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Prius-2G/message/2742
http://www.priusonline.com/viewtopic.php?t=1079

Tips for better Gas mileage (near end of Spring 2004 Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive newsletter):
http://www.toyota.com/html/hybridsynergyview/archive/pdfs/priusview5spring2004.pdf

Gas Mileage Tips from the EPA:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/drive.sht...
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/factors.s...

Car Talk's Guide to Fuel Economy:
http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/...

Better World Club's Car Efficiency tips:
http://www.betterworldclub.com/links/efficiency.htm

AAA tips to reduce gas cost:
http://www.aaa.com/aaa/215/membership/AAAOffersTipstoCutGasCosts.html

In case you can't tell from the above, things like how long (or short!) your trips are, speed, tire pressures, your driving style, terrain, outside temperatures, cabin climate settings, gasoline type used, oil type and fill level, will all contribute to your final fuel economy figures. The biggest source of fuel economy variation is usually the driver, and not the vehicle itself, though.

My short list:
* Check that your tire pressures are at minimum the Toyota specifications, for both fuel economy and safety
* Don't idle your vehicle (can even be illegal depending on where you live)
* Drive sensibly - no jackrabbit starts or stops, just coast a lot (avoiding brake use by watching the road ahead)
* use cruise control whenever possible
* Use the AC and heater only as needed, and not on the extremes. Front windshield defroster runs the AC pump, so be careful not to leave the car in this setting. AC/heat isn't used in the EPA testing, and can cause your gasoline engine in your hybrid to run more often to power these climate controls, than if you just rolled down your windows.
* Slow down, stay at the speed limit. To defeat air resistance, the amount of power required increases with the square of the speed.
* lighten your load and check for air resistance. If you don't need that bike or ski rack, remove it - same with the golf clubs sitting in the trunk.
* use the recommended grade of gasoline for your vehicle. (higher octane fuels contain less energy than regular.)

It's always possible that your parking/emergency brake is sticking, but unlikely... If yours is self-adjusting, set and release it about a dozen times and perhaps that'll unstick it for you.

There is a break-in period where fuel efficiency improves. Tires have to be worn in, for example. The driver also learns from the fuel economy feedback that the Toyota hybrids provide, and learns to drive more efficiently.

Try modifying your behaviour a little, and have your vehicle checked out, and see how that works for you. Good luck!

Answer 2

19 miles/gal? are you calculating your gas mileage correctly? that just doesn't seem right. i have a regular camry and it gets between 30 and 35. maybe you have a leak in your gas line or the tank. you should get this checked right away. the car even driving like a bat out of hell should get around 30. so something must be wrong.

Answer 3

i do no longer understand why we seem to try this, perchance for the convenience, or the actuality that suv's and convenience autos are a standing image contained in the united states. I even have 4 youngsters and a husband that all of us could fit in my motor vehicle. I at present get approximately 28 miles in step with gallon which all and sundry retains telling me is extraordinarily good, yet i think of it sucks and that i prefer greater appropriate gasoline mileage.

Answer 4

I know of 2 people who bought one earlier this summer. They both get about 38-42 mpg city and highway combined depending on their driving, traffic conditions, hills, passing, and etc. Both of them have been testing the fuel economy since they bought them.

Answer 5

I have a friend who has one and gets 48-49 mpg. Maybe you should take it back to the dealer and see if something is wrong with it.

Answer 6

I hear the cammry hybrid is a peice of junk. If you only get 19 mpg, you should get rid of it and get something else. The Hummer H3 gets better gas millage than that. I like chevy's. They get real good gas millage and they last long.