MSRP: $25,200 - $25,200
Invoice: $22,680 - $22,680
MPG: 33 City / 34 Hwy
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U.S.News Scores

Overall:9.0
Performance:7.4
Exterior:7.6
Interior:8.0
Safety:9.8
Reliability:8.0
Research we analyzed for this review
Pros and Cons
  • A spacious cabin with plenty of standard features
  • Shares the conventional Camry's pleasing exterior style
  • A well matched four-cylinder engine and hybrid motor
  • Slightly numb steering
  • Battery pack creates a small trunk for its class

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Toyota Camry Hybrid - What the Auto Press Says

The 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid is a comfortable cruiser with great fuel economy and plenty of interior features, but as a hybrid car it doesn't have the same performance capabilities of conventional sedans.

According to most automotive writers, the 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid nicely balances performance, comfort and fuel economy. With such a troubling economy, reviewers say the car is a smart purchase as a good eco-friendly vehicle with much of the performance abilities of regular family sedans. Compared to another popular hybrid, the Toyota Prius, Newsday reports, "The Prius can't match the Camry's quietness and its elegant ride."

The 2008 Camry Hybrid is also considered a good value. CNN lists the car as one of the most-cost effective hybrids sold today, based on a value equation that weighs its premium against its annual fuel savings. In previous years many have complained about the Camry Hybrid's inflated price, but for 2008 model has a lower manufacturer's suggested retail price. Toyota considers the Hybrid the top-of-the-line trim for its conventional Camry; therefore, the car comes fully loaded like the Camry XLE. If you're in the market for an affordable midsize sedan, consider the Honda Accord, redesigned to be more fuel efficient for 2008. Also consider the conventional Toyota Camry. If you're interested in a hybrid model, consider the Toyota Prius or the Nissan Altima Hybrid.

  • "If you want to be green but don't want to announce it to other road users, then the Camry hybrid makes sense." -- Car and Driver
  • "Wrapped around the Camry's gasoline-electric powertrain is a car so appealing - a not-too-big, not-too-small vehicle that does virtually everything right - that it's not difficult to understand its popularity." -- Newsday
  • "This may be the only car on earth able to satisfy performance junkies and ecoconservatives. It's a uniter, not a divider." -- Motor Trend
  • "If you want a cool car, with the latest technology, lots of room, decent styling, outstanding quality, and killer fuel economy (for its size), hurry on down to your Toyota dealer." -- Fort Worth Star-Telegram
  • "With the new Camry Hybrid, it's difficult to tell at a glance that this mid-size family car is any different from its basic gas-engine sibling, outside of the subtle badging on its flanks. But in most other respects, you'd be hard-pressed to tell this is one of the most technically sophisticated cars on the planet." -- Detroit News
  • "A well-equipped sedan that holds big people in comfort while getting the mileage of a coupe or sedan better suited to Smurfs." -- Chicago Tribune

Camry-Hybrid Performance - 7.4 (Good)

The 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid's green technology ups the ante for a competent sedan. According to New Car Test Drive, "The Hybrid is a good performer and one of the most fuel-efficient mid-size vehicles anywhere." Read More

Camry-Hybrid Exterior - 7.6 (Good)

The Camry Hybrid's physical appeal lies in putting a hybrid vehicle in the conventional Camry's outfit. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram says, "There's no oddball styling that pronounces to the world that it's a 'green' car... so if you're wanting a gasoline-electric hybrid car to make an obvious statement to your fellow motorists that you're energy- and environmentally conscious, the…Camry Hybrid might not be the vehicle for you." Read More

Camry-Hybrid Interior - 8.0 (Very Good)

Most report the 2008 Camry Hybrid is a comfortable vehicle that's packed with features. The Los Angeles Times describes the car as "loaded to the gills," while Forbes says its proportions "allow the interior to feel quite spacious, with decent space in front, a rather cavernous trunk and a backseat that's comfortable enough to seat two and just wide enough to fit three smaller folks in a pinch." Read More

Camry-Hybrid Safety - 9.8 (Excellent)

With a competitive list of safety equipment, the 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid does very well in government crash tests. Read More

Camry-Hybrid Reliability - 8.0 (Very Good)

The 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid reliability score shown is the Predicted Reliability rating provided by J.D. Power and Associates. This score is based on trending the past three years of historical initial quality and dependability data from J.D. Power's automotive studies, specifically the Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) and the Initial Quality Study (IQS). Toyota offers a three-year or 36,000-mile basic warranty for the 2008 Camry Hybrid. Read More

Review Last Updated: 3/10/09