2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid: Buying Your First Hybrid Car Has Never Been Easier

Let’s start with a bit on Camry history: The Camry is a mid-sized four-door sedan that has been one of the best-selling vehicles ever. Its famous for efficiency, comfort and reliability. Toyota is determined to maintain their reputation for quality and reliability, but they’ve also done a lot to make sure this new model is fun and exciting to drive as well.

The Camry Hybrid lineup is special because you have several model choices available, each with its own focus and personality. The LE model is more conservative and fuel-efficient, with a more traditional face, the SE is designed to appeal to driving enthusiasts with a more performance-oriented appearance and the top-of-the-line XLE is all about luxury, both inside and out.

Early hybrids were infamous for making a lot of unusual sounds; beeps and clicks and shudders could make the experience unsettling for drivers new to that kind of powertrain. All of that is gone with the new Toyota Hybrid System II. All you need to know is that the driving and ownership experience is very much the same as any other vehicle. You never plug it in and you put gas in the tank like a traditional car, just much less frequently.

Safety has always been a critical part of Toyota vehicle design and the new Camry Hybrid takes it further than ever before with not one, but two systems of cutting-edge technology each working relentlessly to keep you safe every second you are on the road.

The first system is called the Toyota Star Safety System. It’s standard equipment on all Hybrid models and features six advanced accident avoidance technologies including Anti-lock brakes, Brake Assist, Electronic Brake-force Distribution, Traction Control, Vehicle Stability Control and Smart Stop Technology.

Toyota created Smart Stop Technology to help negate driver error in panic situations. If you panic and “mash” both the gas and brake pedals at the same time, Smart Stop automatically cuts engine power and allows the brakes to take precedence over the accelerator.

Also, standard on 2018 Camry and Camry Hybrid is Toyota Safety Sense P, which features the Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Automatic High Beams, and Dynamic Radar Cruise Control.

Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) uses radar technology to help maintain a safe distance with the vehicle ahead of you, automatically adjusting your vehicle speed with smooth acceleration and deceleration.

Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist (LDA w/SA) alerts you if you start to drift out of your lane when visible lane markings are detected. On some models, the Steering Assist function may also provide small corrective steering inputs to keep you safely in your lane.

So, it’s really not the hybrid powertrain that will make the 2018 Camry Hybrid seem different from your last vehicle. It will be the plethora of safety technologies constantly at work. But, after even a short drive, we’re confident that you’ll get comfortable very quickly knowing that you are driving one of the safest motor vehicles ever manufactured. Call for a test drive today.