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TCH sales in March 2012: 5400+
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Anyway 900 miles so far and love it........
I love the car but I do have some complaints.
Homelink; can't get the darn thing to work yet!
DVD; put in a dvd but it doesn't play video, just audio. WTF
CD; YES
Bluetooth; paired iPhone 4, iTouch and iPad no problem. Wife's nokia is problematic, phonebook won't xfer.
XM Weather Forecast; sometimes it works, sometimes it don't. Button just grey out.
TPMS; what a waste. If they recommend 35 PSI then why did they put 40 in there ?
Voice recognintion sucks. I say call Allen, it says Call Emily ? I say call home, it says Call Ony ?
Other than the above I do love the car. It has power when I need it. Before new Camry, wife complained that I drive too fast. After Camry, wife complained that I drive too slow. I'm trying to get the MPG to go up.
Wash car almost everyday, clay bar once, sealant applied twice, wax once already. Running out of detail spray on one bottle already.
$250 - $300 spent on car stuff already, clay bar, wax, sealant, microfiber towels, various spray, etc.
Already sprayed carpet and floor mat with protectant spray. Still need a good car duster.
HTH.
Everything else would be great. No doubt MPG posted are accurate and love performance and the dealer service.
Any comments or suggestions?
- Repair costs?
- Maintenance costs?
- Long Term Costs?
I drive 36,000 miles a year and 75% is highway. Will I save enough to justify the added cost for the car upfront and then any added costs for up-keep in the years ahead?
I currently have a 2011 Avalon LTD, with 36,000+ miles (traded a 2008 Avalon Touring, (with 66,000+ miles) which was purchased from a Traded in 2007 Camry with 42,000+ miles).
I like the Avalon a lot, and yes, I like the idea of 40 MPG, but not if the upkeep is 10, 15, or 20% more, and repair cost for replacement batteries and such are a lot more down the road.
As you can see I don't normally keep a car long, but I may keep this will for several years (my wife laughed when I said this) and knowing that, I want to make the right discussion.
Any insight on hybrids would be helpful.
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As for extra cost with the Hybrid, nothing additional except that the tires only went to about 35K. I cannot figure whether that was the tire or the way braking works with Hybrids. Also, I took a large hit with my trade-in. In January 2010 I was told by Toyota dealers that no one was buying pre-owned hybrids. That may have changed. You sound like a loyal Avalon fan, and the 2013 promises to be the best looking one yet. Good Luck.
Congratulations on your new purchase! I bought one with the same configuration & color on October 24, in Toronto. This is my first ever Hybrid & I have been pretty happy with the car. But.....I do not get the mileage you mentioned. Here we measure mileage by litres per 100 Kilometers. I get an average of 7.69L/100kms which translates to 30.57mpg. I wonder what I am doing wrong. I am not too heavy on the accelerator but we do use heating (sparingly) since its close 30F outside. I still have the original oil & lube on the car from the dealership & have travelled about 1400Kms (~690Miles) since I bought it. I have had a decent mix of city & highway driving so far, but the average has not fluctuated much.
Appreciate any tips for the fellow users!!
This vehicle has to date been the worst I have ever owned and at present, I would never recommend it to anyone.
All that being said, I just want you to know that you are not alone.
The whole point of getting a TCH was the rated fuel efficiency factor, which I know is never true but did not imagine it would be this off.
I am on ECO mostly, use EV mode whenever it is available (I must say its quite rarely available or switches off if one attains any kind of meaningfull speed), drive in a way (coast to red lights, stick to speed limits, no jack rabbits or sudden braking, accelerate slowly which some times makes people behind me honk, fuel 87 at premium gas stations mostly at Shell)which makes me look like a Great Grand daddy...but STILL DO NOT attain fuel efficiency anywhere near the rating....Spent all this money & as they say on CNET...one cannot brag to his friends that he bought a Camry.
To add further, my previous car had 225 55R17 Winter tires & I got them mounted to my TCH. The 10mm difference in width leads to higher drag & resistance. 2 things: Safety is paramount, 2nd the money I would spend to buy new set of 215 size tires...that made me go this direction.
While they may have gotten better over the best few years, they REALLY sucked back then, and I hated to have to wait on VW customers, who for the most part were very unhappy and often angry when they dropped off the car, and equally as mad and often more so, when they picked up the car and got the bill!
30+ cars later, 8 of which have been toyotas, (2 Tercels, 1 - 4 Runner, 2 Camry's and 3 Avalons) I can say the Toyotas have been COST FREE, and TROUBLE FREE to own (for the most part).
Don't be abscess with MPG, as it will drive you crazy, and you may find yourself being a hazard to others around you.
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I am going to buy Toyota Camry hybrid LE with standard features . Does anyone know how much I should be paying for it In wa state area ?
My 2010 was exceptional for the way it delivered heat to the cabin. The engine was warm before we got 5 minutes or so on the road. The 2012 Hybrid takes about 20 minutes to heat the cabin and is much slower to get to fully warm. The engine seems to heat a bit slower also, by the gauge.
I don't think my dealer is knowledgeable about how the car heats. How do I find a dealer who is more up on such problems?
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Typically, I want all the features of the auto I am trading, plus the new features. I was told the 2012 Camry Hybrid was a totally rebuilt, new model, so I should have tested the demonstrator more carefully. My car has a very poor navigation operating system. It also has a poor heater compared to the 2010 Hybrid Camry I owned.
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My concern is with the dealers. I have yet to have a rattle or squeak repaired by a new car dealer. My friends tell me that to get such repairs, you need to take the car to a non-warranty service and pay for it.
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When I took the car in for heater service for the third time to the second dealer, they refused to open the hood and claimed the car was new, so it ws not defective, even though it heated much slower and less than any other car. I am aware this is NOT a weak point in this model.
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Thanks for the comments. I will wear a good coat in this car and take my 2012 Tacoma for a ride when I need heat. Both vehicles are fast. I think the Camry is fun to drive.
try using the "braking" position of the shift for a few lights.
If you find it no longer hesitates or "clicks" you may be talking about the way the engine is shut off during stops at lights. It saves gas doing this and restarts instantly when power is required.
The engine is not shut off in the braking position, but uses the same gear ratios otherwise. There is a slight difference in how fast the instant start works during the changes in gas that takes place in season changes.
We are told not to overuse the braking position. I like the feature in stop and go traffic, since it slows the car as soon as I release the gas.
Thanks,
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
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Thanks! I will try this. The Toyota dealor technicans never told me like this.
From Joon's original email, you can find Joon also has this issue. Have you paid attention on your food when accelerating from a complete stop?
-Not my first choice in colour but at $12K short of normal asking money for a new one the price was right.
SO in comparison to our pair of (soon to be sold) V70T5 volvo's (MY01). I noted the following.
Volvo's not punchy off the line but go hard as boost comes on say 25mph....
Hybrid is not as punchy as i'd expect with theoretically 105kW and 270nm available instantly from the electric part of the drivetrain.
Carpets are rubbish and floor mats are a sick joke in comparison to the Volvo. Sat nav not exactly intuitive.
Digital radio is great, pulling contacts from phone etc and phone experience is awesome vs Volvo SIM card in dash which these days is cumbersome as you either need to divert phone or use it for outgoing calls only and of course you have 2 phone numbers!
Seats are a long way behind the volvo and although trimmed in leather, thats where it ends, they are not very compliant nor are they supportive.
range of adjustment is OK but again i was disappointed in the lack of even the least bit of contour to stop you falling out of the seats when conrnering.
Steering wheel controls i'll get used to over time i guess.
Yet to explore the limits of its handling or do any fuel consumption tests.
I did fill it up with premium fuel and I'm curious to know if this does increase the mileage / improve performance or if i should just use regular.
This morning wife drove it to shops and is happy and if it costs as much to run in broken bits as our last camry ($0 in 5 years in over and above maint)
then I will be better off than the Volvos (both aftermarket LPG injected) which despite being cheap on fuel, seem to have continuous BS stuff going wrong like spring seats every ~25 thousand miles which i do myself these days and the ever present threat the Auto will fail which is worth almost as much as the whole car. 3rd radiator in <2years despite using genuine bits and replacing hoses etc, cam seals =2nd set of belts in 50 thousand miles, coil packs, oxy sensors ......list is never ending!
BRING ON CHEAP MOTORING!
Either would suit her fine she says. However I noticed that the Avalon did not make the hybrid braking noise when we decelerated towards a light whereas the Camry did. Plus the Avalon seemed to be much quieter.
Anyone here who decided for the Camry against the Avalon for some technical reason other than personal preference, I would like to hear from you. Also I did not notice what mode we were driving in on our test drives but I read that turning ECO on will lower the A/C output significantly. My wife likes to run the air at 75 or less in our V6. I on the other hand hardly every use A/C when I'm driving alone.
Also we need all the features the XLE has and the TCH apparently leaves out Homelink on the LE model.
I decided on the Camry mostly due to price and did not test the Avalon carefully.
On a trip, we recently pulled of at a rest stop with two 2013 TCH. They looked at mine and said "nice car" reflecting they liked theirs also. We talked about pros and cons and all liked the quiet operation of the car.
I think the Avalon will have even less road noise. Their cars do not have the navigation I have. They made the right choice as mine is only good to get you to a city or address. It is far behind the Garmin GPS offered by Pioneer as aftermarket unit.
Both cars you are looking at are special.
When picking the car you are buying, test extensively as the dealers will not address any minor issues, such as noises, mileage, paint defects, rough running, heater, or road noise.
The car is great, but the dealers are not responsive.