First drive: 2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid in the UAE

Don’t get too excited. If you were pining for a hybrid version of the Toyota Camry, you’re still not going to be able to buy one. The brand’s UAE dealer has just sold less than 50 of these hybrid sedans for service as Dubai taxis, and being a passenger in one of these rarities will be as close as you can come to experiencing it. But we got a chance to take the 2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid for a spin.

It would’ve been awesome fun to drive one of these in full taxi livery, bugging the hell out of snooty tourists. But alas, our American-built test car came in appliance-white. It was trimmed like a base-spec Camry on the outside, except with a chrome grille.

Inside, the spacious cloth-upholstered cabin is exactly like in any other mid-spec 2014 Camry. There’s a reasonable amount of soft-touch surfaces, as well as the usual a/c and stereo controls. The only difference would be a more detailed gauge cluster LCD showing hybrid-operation info. Our car also lacked rear a/c vents in the usual central location, although there is a weird vent on the left edge of the rear seatback itself for mysterious reasons. Also, the extra hybrid machinery means boot space is reduced length-wise and the rear seatback cannot be folded down.

So the Camry Hybrid looks pretty much like a regular one, but there are major changes under the skin. The 156 hp 2.5-litre 4-cylinder engine is backed up by an electric motor to make a combined 200 hp. That power is sent to the front wheels via a CVT automatic. And the special regenerative brakes charge up the motor every time you step on the stop pedal. And even with all those extra batteries, it’s less than 90 kg heavier than a Camry SE.

So what do you get when you cross the instant torque of an electric motor with the grip of low rolling-resistance tyres? Wheelspin! That’s right, there was tyre squeal every time we took off from a dead stop with the slightest zeal. We could also hear the tyres while cornering a bit quickly around roundabouts and U-turns, as understeer creeps in rather early. Those special “eco” tyres are designed to aid fuel economy rather than cornering ability.

The hybridised Camry still retains the regular version’s decent ride quality as well as body control, but certain other parts of the driving experience differ significantly. The brakes don’t do much unless you nearly floor the pedal, likely a consequence of their electrical-regeneration properties as well as the aforementioned low-grip tyres. There is a distinct lack of steering feel, even more so than the already-limited feel of regular Camry. And the gearless CVT dulls down the sense of acceleration, although technically it is supposed to be a fair bit quicker. Also, to be fair, the engine drone is respectably muffled at full throttle.

As a nice party trick, the petrol motor doesn’t even turn on unless you’re driving faster than 40 kph. It can run on full electric power for up to 2.5 km if you’re just silently crawling around town, sitting in slow-moving traffic or stopping at numerous signals. And the a/c can keep running with the engine automatically off at a red light, to a certain extent. Heavier loads cause the engine to start up by itself quickly, with a mild judder.

The average fuel consumption already showing on our trip computer was a remarkable 6.8 litres/100 km. Hybrids don’t offer much of a fuel-economy benefit in highway driving, but saves a lot in stop-and-go city driving.

All in all, taxi drivers will take a while to get used to the feel of one of these cars. While we’re not too sure of handing them even more powerful cars, as well as the loss of some cargo space, the reasoning is that it’ll save 30% on fuel bills over several years, given the high city-mileages that taxis do. And a side-effect is that it spews out 30% less pollutants as well.