As I drove the car regularly in the buzzing but rarely moving Bangalore traffic, I started realising how therapeutic it is to drive a Hybrid in the city.
BHPian androdev recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
During the middle of Covid period, an NRI family member had the opportunity to camp in India for an extended period of time due to remote working flexibility. He knows how much time I spend on team-bhp 🙂 so he asked me to help him buy a 15L range used car for temporary use while he was in India. I proposed cars like Skoda Superb, C Class, etc. After spending some time shopping and test driving a few cars, he said performance and fun-to-drive are the least of his priorities and he would prefer a reliable sedan that’s spacious and comfortable. For a moment, I lost interest in his case 🙂 He understood I was not too pleased with him for dropping the German cars though I insisted I have no such prejudice.
However, being a team-bhpian, it’s hard to let go of a chance to force your car buying opinion on someone else, so I decided to give it another shot. I asked him if he really said he wanted a boring car or did I hear it wrong? He repeated the words slowly as if he was speaking a language that I don’t understand: reliable sedan that’s spacious and comfortable. With the fake enthusiasm of a boutique watch salesman responding to a customer who has moved from the Rolex counter to the Seiko counter, I suggested the Toyota Camry Hybrid to him. I don’t know what’s with NRIs and Camrys but he looked very pleased and things progressed very quickly.
The idea was that the car would be bought in my name for ease of doing business, used by him till he heads back and then we’ll figure out whether to sell it or keep it. Later when the time came to sell it, everyone in the family made a big fuss as if I was giving away their favourite puppy. During one of the drives with family, I casually asked my wife if she felt any difference between the rear seat comfort of Camry and S Class. She said no. Not only did she say no, she said it so nonchalantly. My younger son, who always cries to sit in the front seat disregarding the family constitution that says both my sons take turns, and I exchanged a look of utter disbelief. We both smiled as we remembered how we fancy travelling with my wife and his elder brother who don’t dig cars.
I’m someone who expects a car to feel like a tank and go like a high speed train on the rails. Camry does neither. However, as I drove the car regularly in the buzzing but rarely moving Bangalore traffic, I started realising how therapeutic it is to drive a Hybrid in the city. The electric mode is devoid of any vibrations typical of ICE, incredibly smooth in coming to a stop, taking off from standstill, and crawling without hunting for gears. The S Class is already one of the best in business to offer a very smooth ride but the driver still has to deal with the massive weight of the car and the heavy steering in congested city roads. Camry Hybrid, on the other hand, is a joy to drive in congested and chaotic traffic without compromising the comfort and space of a well-built family sedan. No amount of German engineering can help a torque converter beat eCVT in slow traffic.
There is a reason why I have such a strong bias towards German cars – they are engineered very well and offer a great driving experience. Like IBM ThinkPads and BlackBerry Bolds of the old – cutting edge engineering combined with beautiful craftsmanship to offer an enjoyable user experience. When I drive many other cars, I only see pragmatism and I assumed the Camry Hybrid would be one such car. I am happy to be proven wrong. Hybrid technology is like magic. On paper, it’s an impressive concept. When you see how it is implemented and how seamlessly and intelligently it switches between modes, you can’t help but become a fan. To me, this is impressive engineering, on par, if not superior to those of turbocharged, dual clutch drivetrains from the Germans. As much as a turbocharged engine with a slick gearbox, etc. makes you want to drive the car hard to get your emotional reward, Camry Hybrid with its hybrid system can give you dopamine rush for driving to achieve high fuel efficiency.
A typical BMW/Porsche offers a human-machine interface to get the best out of the machine – tachometer, paddle shifts, steering feedback, engine sound, etc. all of which are missing in the Camry. Camry hybrid instead equips the driver to strive to achieve the best fuel efficiency. It’s the same principle of cutting edge engineering combined with beautiful craftsmanship to offer an enjoyable experience. Albeit for a different use case but with the same level of engineering excellence and attention to detail.
At this point, it might look like I am essentially describing how it feels to drive an EV. Maybe but I don’t think there is an equivalent EV at 15L budget in the market – not to mention all the early adopter hassles. While the Hybrid technology is the raison d’être for my praise, I found it fascinating to note many uncanny similarities between Camry and S Class. Toyota has most definitely used the S Class as a reference while designing the car which gives it an edge over cars of the same size from the German brands because none of them offer such a rich feature set as they are exclusively reserved for their flagship models.
Extra large four-spoke steering with wood trim
Boss seat controls that allow driver and rear passenger to move the front passenger seat. S Class implementation is elaborate and those buttons are placed both on driver’s door as well as rear passenger’s door in order for both to be able to operate. Placement of these buttons on the Camry offers similar access to driver and rear passenger without adding complexity.
Very similar looking layout for cup-holders and cigarette lighter
Generous amount of controls for the rear passengers including seat recline
Typical old Mercedes parking brake in the footwell (S Class has electronic one)
Keyword: 2013 Toyota Camry Hybrid: A Mercedes S-class owner's perspective