Used 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid LE 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT) Consumer Reviews
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From a 2008 Prius to a 2018 Camry Hybrid LE
Erudite30, Katy, TX, 01/15/2018
Toyota Camry Hybrid LE 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
69 of 72 people found this review helpful
This review is most meaningful for Prius drivers looking to switch to the Camry Hybrid. I drove a 2008 Prius for more than 10 years. It averaged about 55 MPG in summer and about 50 MPG in winter in flat Houson roads, driving on 50% city streets, 50% crowded freeways, about 50 miles/day. The speeds range from 35 MPH to about 50MPH in office-day traffic. I also drove about once a month from Houston to Austin, about 300 miles round-trip, with highway speeds between 75-80MPH, and with hilly terrain. On such trips, the 2008 Prius used to average about 46-47 MPG. This past week, I traded it in and got a new 2018 Camry Hybrid LE. Today I made a 342 mile RT from Houston to Austin in the new car, and have a first-hand, real-user report and comparison with the 2008 Prius. (1) Power: The 2008 Prius was a laggard and underpowered when it came to acceleration, and forever being pushed by guzzlers. The 2018 Camry Hybrid with 208HP is such an improvement! I have tested the "Eco", "Normal" and "Sport" mode. The "Eco" mode makes the response of the Camry drag, and you cannot accelerate quickly. Clicking the normal mode zooms up the engine RPM and delivers the extra kick in the torque to accelerate nicely. The "sport" mode seem to go into overdrive even more easily. I drove most of my trip on the "Eco" mode, saving the "normal" only for passing at 75-80 MPH. Verdict- you will love the Camry power. (2) Display: The 2008 Prius has a superior display and information to the user. The 2018 Camry Hybrid splits the information across a small screen on the dashboard and the table on the 7in display. I was disappointed that I could not get the information I wanted easily. The manual promises more metrics on the drive, but I am unable to locate the information in the setup. Verdict - you will hate the analytics offered/promised on the Camry Hybrid LE. (3) Mileage: The 2008 Prius delivers what is promised on the Houston roads. I have not put the Camry to that test yet. But on the RT from Houston to Austin, the 2008 Prius offers 46-47 MPG. I started with a full tank on the 2018 Camry Hybrid, and after 352 miles, refuelled - it took 7.81 gallons. This works out to 45.12 MPG - in the same range as the Prius. Verdict - somewhat disappointing to not hit the EPA rated 53 MPG. (4) Other features: on the 352-mile trip, these are the safety features that the 2018 Camry Hybrid LE alerted me: lane-departure signal several time; when traffic rolled to a sudden halt on the freeway a red alert showed up on the small screen, screaming "BRAKE NOW"; when the sun set, a message on the small screen prompted me to turn on the headlights (was not in the Auto setting). Verdict - Nice! (5) Ride comfort: in the 10+ years I had the 2008 Prius, I had to change the struts once, but never got a smooth enough ride. The 2018 Camry Hybrid LE has excellent shock absorbers. Verdict: you will love the Camry Hybrid. (6) Bluetooth: 2008 Prius easily pairs with my Android phone, but has only rudimentary call answering capability. The 2018 Camry Hybrid LE was not able to find my Bluetooth devices. Neither did it broadcast its Bluetooth name to be discovered by my phone. Verdict - holding off on this for now, till I try again. (7) Storage: The 2008 Prius hatchback has foldable seats and the trunk cover can be removed to have really good storage, constrained by the hatchback cover. The 2018 Camry Hybrid LE also has foldable-rear seats, but the frame of the seat restricts the amount of storage in addition to the trunk size. Verdict: you will be disappointed in the Camry Hybrid LE storage. (8) Dashboard display: The 2008 Prius has fully digital display which is intuitive and rapidly informative. The 2018 Camry Hybrid LE has analog dial-meters for RPM level (divided into EV, ECO, and normal quadrants), speedometer, gas level. Verdict: you will be disappointed in the 2018 Camry Hybrid LE.
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Bought new over certified used
Dave Douglas, Glen Gardner, NJ, 11/26/2017
Toyota Camry Hybrid LE 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
16 of 17 people found this review helpful
Looked into certified used Camrys but those came with all the bells and whistles that we were not interested in. Moonroof? I own a motorcycle and the wife owns a convertible. Sophisticated sound system? My pitch and sound acuteness have been gone many years. If I can play classic rock at full volume then I'm a happy listener. Bottomline the cost for certified used was competitive with a new Camry LE Hybrid. Also, closing the deal for us is, the Camry is all new from the ground up and we felt the accident avoidance features were well worth an investment in the 2018. One of the oddities is Toyota for whatever reason decided to place their latest battery system exclusively in the base LE version. A battery which produces higher a MPG than the SE or the XLE. We have averaged as high as 60 MPG's on the highway but typically average 52-53. As mentioned, something called the Scout Navigation System is available for the LE with a base audio package and via Toyota Entune. I installed the app on my wife's phone and made the hard connection via USB to the Toyota Entune system. As reported elsewhere, why not Bluetooth? Not sure where they're pulling their map info, but it ain't the best. Worse you're agreeing to a whole lot of access and tracking to whomever these good people at Scout are. Best stick to google or rely on a Garmin. It's also true that Toyota isn't real clear on the features available with Entune. There is a Toyota navigation package but you need the pricier audio system. It took some time before even Toyota over the phone could explain to me what entune features were include with our radio package. However, that said, we still love the basic LE.
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Great Car except for the bucking brakes and entune
Bob, Reno, NV, 01/11/2018
updated 07/23/2020
Toyota Camry Hybrid LE 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
25 of 28 people found this review helpful
I've owned the Camry Hybrid for over 2 years now and, of course, Toyota has not made any effort to address or correct the "wonky" brakes. Except for the brake issues, the car has performed very well. I made the mistake of not test driving the actual car we purchased as it was delivered from another dealer and presented to us as ready to drive off. Once we drove off, the dealer would not take responsibility for this Camry's brakes being wonky when the test drive Camry brakes were operating properly during the test drive. I will never fail to test drive the exact vehicle before I take delivery. Update Review: I've had the car over a year now and it continues to be a wonderful car except for the really yucky brakes which out to be a total embarrassment to Toyota. Wish I had something better to report. Lets start with the worst feature...the biggest downside are the brakes which severely grab at low speeds such as pulling into the garage or up to the curb when parking. The effect is like a bucking horse as there are times one simply cannot smoothly glide to a stop. Pulling into the garage to the right spot requires 3 or 4 bucking stops and starts no matter how softly one applies tmom he brakes. It is bad enough to possibly give a child a whiplash A trip to the dealer with 2400 miles was disappointing as they acknowledged the breaks were grabbing, they said it was inherent in the design and everything was working as it was designed to work. A call to the Toyota Customer Service folks was not very useful as they claimed mine was the only complaint they had ever received....despite many complaints on Toyota Owners websites and even to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The lack of concern was overwhelming. At regular driving speeds, the brakes worked pretty well but still grabbed slightly. It was only when trying to slowly ease to stop without hitting the curb that they grabbed and bucked the occupants uncomfortably. The vehicle we test drove at the dealer did not show the problem but our car came from another dealer. The Toyota app Entune 3.0 was a joke as a navigation aid. Happily we are OK with using our stand-alone GPS. This is perhaps the most quiet car in its class and price range. We were unimpressed with the 2017 Camry Hybrid but very happy with the 2018 except for the brakes. Much quieter than the Accord or the Kia and Hyundai hybrids. The Camry floats over road bumps like a much more expensive car. Hybrid system runs flawlessly from gas to battery with almost no engine noise. Gas mileage has averaged 53.5 MPG plus ( I am a conservative driver) and seems to be improving. Front seat comfort is very good. After over 18,000 miles, overall gas mileage exceeds 57 mpg. Brake grabbing problems remain a serious negative Toyota refuses to remedy.
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I love it and you will too, except for...
A. Simpson, Morrisville, NC, 01/24/2018
updated 07/29/2019
Toyota Camry Hybrid LE 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
25 of 29 people found this review helpful
UPDATE 7-26-18: Have driven 12,800 miles since it was new. All the comments below given for my original review still stand. This is a great car!! ORIGINAL REVIEW: This Camry is the best ever built, in my opinion. I have owned a 2012, and two Avalons since then. All great cars for reasonably low prices. The 2018 Camry is a fine, comfortable, economical 4 door sedan - and I think it’s the best looking Camry, too. So far I am averaging around 50 mpg, but on country drives it can reach 60 mpg when my speed averages 45-55 mph. I do drive conservatively, rarely goosing it or speeding. Still, on one 180 mile interstate trip when I averaged 65 mph, I got 56 mpg. Not bragging here - but just to show that your mpg can exceed the 52 mpg calculated by the EPA (or whichever government agency does the testing). I have noticed that when I do a lot of short trips (say 1-5 miles each), the mpg drops to around 45 mpg. Still a great SAFE car. The Blind Spot Monitor system has literally saved me a few times already! Also love the Adaptive Cruise Control, which keeps you a set distance behind the vehicle in front of you. OK — there is one fault that every reviewer before me has mentioned. It seems to be unanimous that Toyota did not test use its crappy GPS navigation system. It works poorly, is hard to stay connected to cell network (which is required to use it), eats data like crazy, and is so bad and hard to use that it is extremely annoying. A Garmin hand held unit is fabulous compared to Toyota’s nav system used in the base Camry LE hybrid model. The wife and I recently took the factory tour of the Toyota plant in Georgetown, KY and were very impressed with the technology used in making the Camrys and how they make it their absolute priority to get every car right before it leaves the factory. Whoever designed the nav system, however, really needs to hear all our unhappy comments and redesign it ASAP! Otherwise, this Camry LE is a fine car that I truly enjoy driving. PS - If you wonder if my review is too glowing, I have no connection with Toyota, but sure would like some of their stock! UPDATE 7-26-19: My Camry still does everything well. Still getting 46 mpg in winter and 50 mpg in Summer. To solve the GPS problem stated above, I bought a new 7” Garmin GPS unit ($219) that I attach to the infotainment screen with the usual suction cup mount. It is super, even announces every street name for all turns! Makes it easier to navigate without needing to stare at the screen. The Camry itself is still a great car, with its smooth ride, CVT transmission that also shifts smoothly, and its great hybrid gas/electric economy. You almost can’t tell when the electric motor is on at all. I will buy another one in a year or two, unless there is some newer tech hybrid or total electric one available. Highly recommend the Camry LE model with the lithium ion battery. The other Camry models have the older technology nickel metal hydride batteries that will only get you 44-46 mpg.
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Great car, if you can live with quirky navigation
Jammy, Kennesaw, GA, 02/09/2018
Toyota Camry Hybrid LE 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
I own this car for almost a month. Pros: 1) fuel economy is great. Although it is a small gas tank, I had to fill the tank only twice so far in a month. MPG is around 48. 2) Car drives very smooth and handles the curves very well 3) pre-collision warning, LDA, BSM, Rear traffic alerts work fairly well. Cons: 1) Upgrades are pricey, I added sunroof with additional features, it quickly added up a lot to the total 2) Navigation is a pain to setup. I somehow managed to make it work. The maps are outdated. It doesn't show my house address, which is 3 years old.
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