2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid Review

The best-selling passenger car in America for 8 striaight years, the Toyota Camry, is now available for the 2011 model year as a fuel-saving hybrid sedan at Carson Toyota. This new Camry Hybrid is rated at 31/35 MPG (33 combined), and provides power via both the gas engine and the electric motor, or both.

The 2011 Camry Hybrid model owes its outstanding efficiency to Hybrid Synergy Drive, which produces a combined 187 horsepower and varies power between the gas engine and electric motor, or combines both, as needed. The first part of Hybrid Synergy Drive consists of a 147-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle engine coupled with an electronically- controlled planetary-gear continuously variable transmission.

The second part combines a small high-torque 40-hp electric motor, an ultra-small inverter with a specially designed compact battery and a transaxle to seamlessly combine power from the electric motor and gasoline engine. Because there are situations in which the gasoline engine in a Toyota hybrid shuts completely off, air conditioning and power steering systems are driven electrically.

Los Angeles Toyota shoppers can further reduce energy by using Camry’s “ECO” button which limits energy consumption by the climate control system, and under certain conditions can actually help improve fuel economy. Special attention was also paid to vehicle underbody aerodynamics, including the use of wheel spats and underbelly pans, which help yield a coefficient of drag of just 0.27.

The 2011 Camry Hybrid is certified as an Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) and is one of just a handful of cars that meet this strict standard. It produces over 70 percent less smog-forming emissions than the average new car