MC Drives: 2022 Toyota Camry Hybrid

After having received a major facelift in 2019, the Camry Hybrid, now the only Camry model to retail in the country, has returned with a mild upgrade

Why hybrid vehicles continue to command such high levels of tax, confounds not just the country’s citizenry but also many manufacturers. Prior to the launch of the Honda City Hybrid, a senior spokesperson for the brand mentioned how lowering taxes on hybrids would accelerate the adoption of EVs. Honda isn’t the first brand to say so. With 43 percent tax levied on hybrids (including GST) and 5 percent on EVs, the tax structure is woefully lopsided.

Honda might be new to the hybrid market, but its compatriot brand Toyota is an old-hand, having introduced to the country the sheer convenience, frugality and luxury of hybrid car ownership with the Camry Hybrid. It wasn’t too long after the Toyota Camry Hybrid’s arrival that it began to outsell the ICE Camry Hybrid. Reasons included its price bracket, which, back in the mid-2010s allowed you to own a Camry Hybrid a smidge under Rs 30 lakh. And while its 2.5-litre Atkinson cycle petrol motor paired with an electric motor and battery allowed it to push 218 hp of power, it still managed to return the sort of mileage that would shame several hatchbacks.

Think of it as a less premium Lexus ES300h if you will, because the Camry Hybrid does share its underpinnings with its better dressed cousin

After having received a major facelift in 2019, the Camry Hybrid, now the only Camry model to retail in the country, has returned with a mild upgrade. Changes are primarily cosmetic, with a revised bumper and spruced-up interiors further enhancing the appeal of an ultra-reliable and plush petrol-hybrid.

A Case for the Camry Hybrid

Think of it as a less premium Lexus ES300h if you will, because the Camry Hybrid does share its underpinnings with its better dressed cousin. The new Camry Hybrid’s powertrain remains unchanged with the same Atkinson Cycle 2.5-litre turbo petrol mated to a CVT gearbox and, working in tandem with an electric motor which helps it dish out 218ps of power and 221 Nm of torque. The electric motor does seem more proactive now, allowing the petrol motor to kick back and relax while it tends to the more humdrum aspects of everyday driving. These include start/stop functions and crawling out of the driveway, along with gentle, low-speed driving on crowded streets. It does so in perfect silence, and as far as you’re concerned, in that moment, it’s an EV. Except, it’s really not and that becomes apparent the second the battery drains out (fairly quickly) at which point the petrol motor has to step in and do the job.

Toyota Camry Hybrid's interior

Where the Camry Hybrid continues to shine is when both the petrol engine and the battery work in tandem. The transition is seamless, the energy recovery via deceleration and braking, quick. If there’s one aspect that keeps it from being an outright performer, it’s the rubbery CVT and supple suspension which is tuned for comfort. Things do seem to have improved over the years, but dump the throttle and the Camry lets out a sound that conveys displeasure before settling into a fairly brisk trot.

Nifty upgrades

If there was one thing working against the Camry Hybrid it was its dated cabin. The transmission lever was straight out of the 2000s and the dashboard didn’t exactly scream stylish and contemporary. A certain vanilla quality will forever remain associated with the Camry, but the facelift does attempt to dilute that aspect with a darker faux wood trim and a larger, 9.0 touchscreen unit with new graphics, on-board SatNav, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto compatibility among other features. A 9.0-inch touchscreen isn’t the largest in this price range and the font and resolution aren’t razor sharp. The rear view camera shows you what can only be a technicolour film of your car backing out. However, the cabin does feel sufficiently contemporised if not groundbreakingly luxurious. There’s in-built SatNav but it too feels a tad outdated, although it does provide neat visual prompts every time you’re getting onto a flyover or going down an exit ramp.

The SatNav, while not the sharpest looking, comes with HUD prompts and gets the job done

What works in the Camry Hybrid’s favour is how it gets the basics right. Sit at the back and you realise that trifles like gesture control, massive, button-killing tablets etc don’t essentially guarantee a tranquil journey. The Camry offers oodles of space, seats that seem to really like you. There’s always an overarching feeling that you don’t actually need more car than this. Sure, its ubiquitous presence as a taxi in several countries, does diminish its aura as a luxury car, but taken in isolation, the Camry Hybrid never holds back in attempting to appease you. It’s not cordon bleu but it is the comfort food equivalent of luxury mobility, because it always hits the spot.

Verdict

Yes, the Camry Hybrid does look different from its immediate predecessor. The overall profile might be similar, but the little changes do make a difference. The grille is now narrower, the bumper revised and there are new 18-inch alloys which really elevate its visual appeal. But what remains central to its appeal is the fact that the Camry Hybrid is a thoroughly capable hybrid which, unlike an EV, will never run out of electric juice and leave you stranded. With patchwork EV infrastructure, it’s only outrageous GST brackets that are keeping the Camry Hybrid from being a hot seller, and a common sight on Indian roads. Its price tag of Rs 43.45 lakh (ex-showroom) will deter several buyers who have many capable SUVS and D-segment sedans to choose from for a lot less.

Even with savings in fuel costs taken into the equation, the odds appear to be unfairly stacked high against the Camry which offers hatchback fuel economy, Toyota build quality and superb comfort. Disregard those elements, and you have yourself a very reliable, comfortable and sharp-looking sedan with enough green credentials, but none of the real-world practicality issues. For India to make a smooth and swift transition to EVs, the only stepping stone is a good hybrid.