Toyota camry hybrid's News

Now in its fourth model year since its last redesign, the 2010 Toyota Camry received a number of mechanical and styling tweaks as part of a mid-cycle update. The Camry Hybrid's drivetrain carries over unchanged, but it does get a few more unique styling cues.

The non-hybrid Camry, whose mechanical tweaks increase highway mileage to 33 mpg in some configurations, is covered separately in Cars.com's Research section. Competitors of the Camry Hybrid include the Ford Fusion Hybrid, Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid and Nissan Altima Hybrid.

Exterior
The Camry Hybrid's tweaks are more noticeable than the regular Camry's. Its face sports a more aggressive look, with a larger center air dam that dominates the lower bumper. Fog lights sit within vertically slotted outboard sections, and last year's bladed grille has been replaced with a single unit. Both the grille and bumper differ noticeably from the non-hybrid Camry's, which wasn't the case before.

Sixteen-inch alloy wheels are standard.

Interior
The cabin carries over largely untouched. The stereo offers USB compatibility for enhanced integration with iPods and other MP3 players. Express up/down operation for all windows, a feature typically reserved for premium brands, is now standard. The car can have leather upholstery, heated power seats, dual-zone automatic climate control and a navigation system.

Rather than a conventional tachometer, the Camry Hybrid includes a gas mileage gauge. Toyota says the gauges have a new design. With the navigation system, the center display can show power flow between different drivetrain components.



Although the rear seats fold down, the trunk pass-thru is quite small. Due to the drivetrain's high-voltage battery pack, which sits behind the rear seats, overall luggage volume is less than the regular Camry's.

Under the Hood
A 2.4-liter four-cylinder running on a more efficient Atkinson cycle couples with an electric motor to produce a combined 187 horsepower. Drawing power from a dedicated battery that recharges off braking friction, the drivetrain can run solely on electric power at low speeds, and it nets an EPA-estimated 33/34 mpg city/highway.

Safety
Seven standard airbags include a driver's knee airbag, side-impact airbags for the front seats and side curtain airbags for both rows. Four-wheel-disc antilock brakes, traction control and an electronic stability system are also standard. Toyota's Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management system proactively governs the stability and traction systems to maintain control; it's a feature unavailable on the regular Camry Hybrid.