U.S. News and World Report: 2019 Toyota Camry Hybrid is a top midsize car choice

The Toyota Camry is one of the most popular cars in the world, and possibly the most popular car EVER. Toyota sells around 400,000 Camrys every year in the USA alone. To put this in perspective: Toyota sells more Camrys in a single USA sales year than the 330,000+ cars of all types that Mercedes sells in the United States in that same year. Offered in the USA since 1983, the ninth generation Camry now occupies Toyota showrooms.   

By John Coulter, CMO, Current EV, July 2019   

Camry is considered one of the best examples of Toyota’s longstanding commitment to reliability, exceptional endurance and excellent resale value. Camry’s rock-solid reputation, along with outstanding comfort, attractive styling and a generous array of safety and creature comfort features, combine to make it one of the top brands in America, year after year.   

Says U.S. News and World Report: “The 2019 Toyota Camry Hybrid is a top choice in the midsize car class. It has a lively powertrain, solid predicted reliability, a large trunk, and loads of standard features, including the welcome addition of Apple CarPlay.   

“Is the Toyota Camry Hybrid a Good Car? Yes, the Toyota Camry Hybrid is a fantastic car. In addition to being an excellent choice among hybrid vehicles, the Camry Hybrid's strengths also stage it as an appealing midsize sedan. In fact, we named it a finalist for both our 2019 Best Midsize Car for the Money award and our 2019 Best Midsize Car for Families award. It boasts a roomy back seat, a large trunk, good safety scores, and lots of entertainment goodies. Its EPA-estimated gas mileage is also very impressive. A comfortable ride, an energetic powertrain, and good predicted reliability round out the Camry Hybrid’s shining attributes.”   

The 2019 Camry Hybrid has smoother brakes, and a plethora of safety features which became standard with its recent redesign. For 2019, the Camry Hybrid gains standard Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa.   There are three Camry Hybrid trims: Hybrid LE ($28,400 MSRP), Hybrid SE ($30,100 MSRP), and Hybrid XLE ($32,975 MSRP).   

Fuel economy is phenomenal. The Hybrid LE trim’s MPG is 51 City / 53 Highway. Its total range is around 680 miles. There’s only one other car that beats this kind of MPG: Camry’s sibling, the Prius.   All Camry Hybrids have the same 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine paired to an electric motor and an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (CVT) that produce a total output of 208 hp. The base LE has a lithium-ion battery, and the SE and XLE have nickel-metal-hydride batteries.   

All Camry trims come standard with Toyota Safety Sense (TSS-The active safety package includes a Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection (PCS w/PD), Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC), and other safety features including: lane departure warning with steering assist, and automatic high beam assist. Optional safety features will include active blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, intelligent clearance sonar, and rear cross-traffic braking. The Advanced Airbag System offers dual-stage SRS driver and front passenger airbags, in addition to front and rear side curtain airbags – 10 airbags in all to insure driver and passenger safety.   

The car has a 4-mode drive switch (EV / ECO / Normal / Sport), which drivers can choose to help control their driving preferences. As driving conditions change, Camry Hybrid’s energy monitor uses both the Entune 3.0 display and the available Heads-Up display (HUD) to show drivers how power is being routed to drive the wheels or how excess energy can be captured and used to charge the battery.   

Camry’s available Bird’s Eye View Camera with Perimeter Scan uses front-, side- and rear-mounted cameras to display a panoramic overhead view, which helps immensely when you’re parking. The redesigned driver and passenger seats are available with 8-way power adjustments.   

A 7” color Multi-Information Display on the dashboard offers turn-by-turn directions, safety info and alerts when you need them. An 8” multimedia touch-screen provides pinch and zoom navigation controls. The new Entune 3.0 App Suite links to available Toyota Connected Services. It’s compatible with Scout GPS Link and is available with 9-speaker 800-watt Entune 3.0 Premium Audio with JBL w/Clarifi-FI.   

The 2019 Camry and Camry Hybrid have received the Car and Driver Editor’s Choice Award.