How To Almost Double Your Gas Mileage In a Toyota Camry XLE (Hint: Buy The Hybrid)

The 2013 (and 2014) Toyota Camry Hybrid.

All right, so the headline is a bit of a giveaway.  But here's the simple truth about the Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE we drove recently:

You can take most of what we wrote about the Toyota Camry XLE V6 in early October, change the V6 to a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder, change the six-speed automatic transmission to a continuously variable transmission (CVT), adjust the 0-60 time from 5.8 seconds to 7.3 ( a mere second and a half), change the trunk space spec from 15.3 cubic feet to 13.1 (the batteries of the hybrid live underneath), and cut the base price by $2,800.

And then just about double the EPA city mileage estimate from 21 to 40 (highway goes from 31 to 38).

2013 (and 2014) Toyota Camry Hybrid.

Regular TireKicker readers know that while we appreciate the hypermiling hybrids like the Prius and Prius C, we've always thought the sweet spot in hybrid technology was in the family sedan arena, where the mileage payoffs can be exponential rather than incremental.  And the Camry Hybrid is an excellent example of just that.

The EPA fuel economy portion of the window sticker also lists how much money you'll spend on fuel over 5 years relative to the "average new vehicle".

The sticker for the Camry XLE V6 reads "You save $850 in fuel costs over 5 years ..."

The sticker for the Camry Hybrid reads "You save $4,850 in fuel costs over 5 years..."

Our biggest knock against hybrids has always been that it would take you anywhere from 9 to 20 years, depending on the car, for the fuel savings to pay for the extra cost of the vehicle.  But Toyota's gone aggressive...pricing the Hybrid lower than the V6.

2013 (and 2014) Toyota Camry Hybrid interior.

Now, that is the base price, and our Hybrid tester was heavily optioned to bring it more in line with the full-luxe treatment you get with a top-of-the-line XLE V6. $500 for a blind spot monitor.  $695 for the Convenience Package (backup camera, HomeLink, anti-theft alarm).  $515 for SafetyConnect (Toyota's version of OnStar, offering stolen vehicle location, roadside assistance and crash notification.  The price is for a one-year subscription). $1,185 for the leather package which includes heated front seats and gives 4-way power adjustment to the front passenger seat.  $2,670 for the Premium HDD Navigation with Entune and JBL. $915 for a power moonroof.  And $225 for a carpet and trunk mat set.  With $795 delivery processing and handling fee, the bottom line is:

$35,170. Which is only $1,050 more than the as-tested price of the V6 XLE.

Let's be real:  If you're serious about a Camry, it's unlikely that 0-60 times are more important to you than miles per gallon.  And even then, 0-60 in 7.3 isn't shabby. 40 miles per gallon in the city in a car this size is remarkable.  The payoffs are huge in the Camry Hybrid.

UPDATE: Esteemed fellow journalist and TrueDelta founder Michael Karesh pointed out to me on Facebook that the more accurate comparison for this review would be with the 4-cylinder non-hybrid Camry XLE.  He is right.  We haven't driven one, but for perspective, the Hybrid increases that base price by $2,270, the 0-60 time is 0.2 seconds quicker in the Hybrid, and gas mileage improves greatly, from 25 city to 40 city (the highway goes from 35 to 38).

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What $2,720 Extra Buys You In The Toyota RAV4 Limited

The 2014 Toyota RAV4 Limited.

A shade over 4 months ago in this space, we reviewed the 2013 Toyota RAV4, the XLE model...and liked it a lot.

Well, you can get a RAV4 three ways...the base LE model, the XLE we tested and the Limited. Given that the Limited is only $3,710 more than the LE and a mere $2720 higher than the XLE we tested, we thought it would be worth a look.

Rear view of the 2014 Toyota RAV4 Limited.

Suffice it to say  a Limited is a very different experience from the XLE. Virtually all the price difference is spent on the interior.  You get every bit of standard equipment that comes with the XLE, and then add a SofTex-trimmed 8-way power-adjustable driver's seat with memory function, an adjustable power liftgate...a Smart Key system, and an option list that allows you to choose (at extra cost) a display audio system with navigation, Toyota's Entune infotainment app suite and JBL speakers.

As much as we liked the XLE's straightforward interior, the luxury afforded by the step up to the Limited was pretty enticing, too.

2014 Toyota RAV4 Limited Interior.

The specs are all the same...a 176-horsepower 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine with a six-speed automatic transmission, EPA fuel economy estimates of 24 city/31 highway (and, as with the XLE, we wound up a few mpg short in real-world driving), and as with the XLE, it benefits from a longer wheelbase and more rear-seat legroom.

Ours checked the option box for that upgraded display audio/navigation/Entune/JBL system ($1,600), as well as a blind spot monitor with rear cross traffic alert.

And that's it for the options, which makes the total (with $845 destination fee) a rather reasonable $30,015.  I say that because we drove examples of the last-generation RAV4 that were nowhere near as satisfying that hit that dollar figure.  This is a much better value for the money.

If you're okay with basic goodness, save a few bucks and get the XLE...but if that extra touch of style moves you, I'd never criticize choosing the Limited.

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Why You Should Buy One Version Of The 2014 Lexus LS 460 But Not The Other

The 2014 Lexus LS 460.

You may have noticed new signs of aggression from Lexus, for nearly 25 years the maker of whipped cream on wheels.

The signs are in the styling now for most of the lineup and in the engines and suspensions for machines like the IS, GS and most F-Sport models.

Even the flagship LS 460 has been given the new edgy treatment.  The lines are taut, purposeful....the spindle grille fits in with the rest of the family design language...and this year, the LS offers an F-Sport model.

This is good news, because the LS, for all its charms as a smooth all-day cruiser, has never had moves that would inspire confidence on a winding road.

The 2014 Lexus LS 460 has nice proportions, more muscular lines than in previous generations.

So we decided to sample a range of the LS...starting with the base model.  "Base" is a purely subjective term in this case. For $72,140, you're not going to find rubber floormats or cheap plastics.  That particular price gets you a 388-horsepower 4.6-liter V8 engine, an 8-speed sequential automatic transmission, 18-inch alloy wheels, a full complement of air bags, rain-sensing wipers, a standard nav system with a 12.3 inch color screen, the Lexus Enform infotainment app suite, "dynamic LED interior lighting", leather everything, a moonroof , a 10-speaker premium audio system and an analog clock linked to the GPS system (so it updates itself). Very cool.

There's also an all-wheel drive model that we sampled, which takes away 28 horsepower, but gives you a surer footing in bad weather (to be honest, on the dry pavement around Phoenix, Arizona, we didn't really notice a change in traction or that much of a deficit in power.

The 2014 Lexus LS 460 interior: Leather, leather everywhere.

Our LS added options including a blind spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert, the all-weather package, the comfort package, LED headlamps, a killer Mark Levinson 19-speaker audio system, a heated wood steering wheel, cargo net and trunk mat, bringing the bottom line with destination charges to $78,734.

And it's very nice.  We've been recommending the LS to buyers of big luxury sedans for more than a decade now, and the LS delivers all the good stuff at a price that isn't anywhere near cheap, but when you compare it to the sticker of a Mercedes-Benz S Class, BMW 7-Series or Audi A8, represents strong value.

It's even a bit less floaty than previous generations...which really whetted our appetite for the wonders the F-Sport would bring.

Quite possibly the best advice one human being can give to another is to be yourself.

The Lexus LS needed a fearless best friend to tell it that, while there may be people who do want their next Lexus to be a BMW, it simply...isn't.

The Lexus LS 460 F-Sport.  

The F-Sport Package adds $8,350 to the base price of an LS 460.  For that money, you get 19-inch, 10-spoke forged-alloy wheels, an F-Sport tuned and lowered adaptive variable air suspension, stabilizer bars and shock absorbers, big (almost 15-inch) Brembo brakes, a limited slip, rear-diff, and some interior and exterior styling cues.  And the F-Sport Comfort Package adds another $1,650 for climate-comfort front seats, a power rear sunshade and a one-touch power trunk open and close button.

And you get....

A car that resists being driven smoothly.  With other options added, the F-Sport we drove was eight grand more than the stock LS 460, didn't go any faster (they share the same engine), and all the performance bits just made it worse.  If it were worse in an old BMW Alpina way, if there was some measurable payoff for having your kidneys bludgeoned, that'd be one thing...but this doesn't give you that and while your kidneys don't get the Alpina treatment, there is no comfort to be found anywhere in the vehicle.  It's what you'd get if Lincoln had decided to do a Shelby GT 500 version of the Town Car.

The LS is still our pick for a big luxury sedan.  The base and AWD LS 460 is a tremendous car.  The F-Sport is awesome on other Lexus models, and someday may be for the LS, as well.  But today is not that day.

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