2015 Toyota Camry SE Hybrid

2015 Toyota Camry SE Hybrid 2015 Toyota Camry SE Hybrid
Instrumented Test

The Toyota Camry didn’t become the bestselling car in America for the better part of the last two decades by falling short of customer expectations. In terms of reliability reputation, resale value, roominess, fuel economy, practicality, and just about every other metric that mainstream buyers care about, the Camry ranks at or near the top of the charts. But few souls, certainly not us, would argue that Toyota’s evergreen family sedan has had gotta-have-it looks or sports-sedan qualities.

To address that perception, Toyota has given the Camry a four-corners facelift for 2015. The previous dour and blocky visage gets sportier this year courtesy of a longer, lower, and angrier-looking snout, a lightly creased and folded hood, newly chiseled and sculpted flanks, and a wider stance. Inside, there’s new cheer, as well, with more soft-touch surfaces, accent stitching, and bright silver trim. The redo also includes the Camry hybrid, of which there are now three trim levels: LE, XLE, and the new SE, the subject of this test. The SE adds some red mist to its green image with a mesh grille, dark chrome trim, a spoiler, and 17-inch aluminum wheels.

Update on the Updates

All 2015 Camrys receive structure-stiffening measures via additional spot welds in key areas, such as the cowl and door openings. Toyota also massaged the electric power steering (to allegedly make it feel more like a traditional hydraulically boosted system) and added a dual-stage brake booster in an attempt to make pedal response more linear.

The SE hybrid gets specific suspension bushings, shock valving, and a rear anti-roll bar tuned for a smidgeon better responsiveness. Its ride is a shade firmer than other Camrys’ but is still optimized for comfort. Steering response, while linear, feels somewhat wooden. And brake-pedal response, even with Toyota’s years of practice blending regenerative and hydraulic systems, has a slightly remote feel.

Sporty Looks, Somnambulant Driving

We’d like to report that the SE hybrid’s sportier appearance is matched by an equally more engaging driving experience. But that’s not the case, and the test numbers reveal no additional liveliness, either. According to our gear, the 2015 Camry SE hybrid managed the same 178-foot 70-to-0-mph stopping distance and 0.78 g of lateral grip as the last Camry hybrid we tested, a 2012 XLE model.

In a sense, all Camry hybrids are sportier than nonhybrid four-cylinder models thanks to a more powerful drivetrain. Whereas the conventional four-cylinder Camry makes do with just 178 horsepower and 170 lb-ft of torque, the combined 200 horses of the hybrid’s gas-electric powertrain and the stout low-end torque of the electric motor get this gas-sipper off the line briskly. At 7.2 seconds from rest to 60 mph, the 2015 Camry hybrid was a full second quicker to that mark than a four-cylinder nonhybrid Camry.

Drink Less

But let’s not forget the main reason that seven percent of Camry sales so far this model year are hybrids: fuel economy. Despite the tweaks Toyota visited upon the SE hybrid model—including wider, 215/55 rubber—its EPA mileage rating is the same 40/38 mpg city/highway as the XLE hybrid version. While those aren’t the headline-grabbing 43/39-mpg figures of the Camry LE hybrid that rolls on skinnier, ultra-low-rolling-resistance 205/65-16 tires, it’s a big improvement over the base 2.5-liter’s 25/35-mpg ratings. In several hundred miles of testing, we averaged 31 mpg with the SE hybrid, 5-mpg thriftier than the last conventional four-cylinder Camry we evaluated.

The sportier models have been garnering more and more of nonhybrid Camry sales, so Toyota may be onto something by offering an SE version of the hybrid. When we’re able to pitch one against the Ford Fusion hybrid, Hyundai Sonata hybrid, and Kia Optima hybrid we’ll be able to see whether the Camry SE’s touch of red mist helps it win the battle of the green sedans.