2010 Toyota Camry: Hey, I Get 33 MPG, Too!

The mileage wars continue: The Toyota Camry, which snagged the sales crown among cars in 2008, will get an EPA-estimated 33 mpg for the 2010 model year. The vaunted highway figure is something GM’s midsize triplets — the Chevy Malibu, Saturn Aura and Pontiac G6 — have dangled in Toyota’s face for the better part of a year.

Not anymore; with a new four-cylinder engine and six-speed manual or automatic options, the face-lifted 2010 Camry will get 22/33 mpg city/highway with a stick shift and 22/32 mpg with an automatic, Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong said. Though you have to shift your own gears to get the 33 mpg rating — something we suspect few Camry drivers will opt for — you can bet Camry commercials will blare “33 mpg” all year long. (As long as they don’t blare “Saved by Zero,” we won’t argue.) Though GM’s competitors can get 33 mpg with an automatic,  the Malibu and G6 require you to get the uplevel six-speed auto to achieve it; only the Aura has the six-speed standard. With the base four-speed auto, highway mileage in the Malibu and G6 drops to 30 mpg.

The Camry’s new figures are up 1 to 2 mpg over the 2009 model, whose smaller four-cylinder and five-speed transmissions returned 21/31 mpg. The 2010 model hits dealerships this spring. Of course, we’d expect another wave of mpg one-upmanship from Ford, as the redesigned 2010 Fusion will peg 23/34 mpg when using a six-speed automatic. Among the major players, it looks like GM and Toyota will have to fight it out for second place:

Comments

"...it looks like GM and Toyota will have to fight it out for second place..."

He-he-he
GM and ford will fight for the 4th/5th place as Camry Accord and Altima are still the mount to climb.

Also, the real road tests regularly reveal that Japanese cars deliver on EPA mileage while GM and Ford don't.

6 speed is standard on all but base level Malibu LS. I am thinking that is the rental fleet model. Toyota can advertise the manual model all they want (just as Honda does in its commercials) but people are buying automatics in this class. Besides, a manual isnt even available in the most trims of the camry.

Tony:

real world testing of the Accord has shown the V6 to return about 21mpg in mixed driving and the I-4 to deliver about 24-25mpg. That is about what the EPA says the car should do and is no better than the Malibu. What evidence do you have that imports regularly exceed EPA mileage and domestic fall short?

The Malibu only has a 4 speed on the stripper LS model. That is likely for fleets. The LT model has 6 speed standard. Either way, amongst automatics the Camry will be in third place once the Fusion comes out. MAnuals are a rarity in this class and its annoying when automakers use manual EPA ratings for ad purposes in segments were 95% of cars are automatics.

The new EPA estimates are pretty accurate. Most first hand accounts can be slanted due to driving conditions as well as the driver.

I dont think Tony has actually surveyed many real world results for the cars in question. Sounds like he is making a blanket statement based on the premise that cars built by foreign a automakers are more efficient by default.

Just went to the Detroit auto show. Not impressed by the newest GM's product. Just why do they have to put the light switches on the dash?
The Malibu didn't have backseat armrest. The Astra didn't even have the front one. Before they have to brag about their mileage, they have to beef up their quality and designs.

Original sheth,

Read Car And Driver, Edmunds comp. tests and you'll see that in the small car test, for example, Corolla and Civic were on money while American counterparts were not. Same was in the Hybrid runs. Camry delivered, Fusion-not.
In my post I didn't say Malibu will not. I said, that there is past experience of GM and Ford. See, I didn't say Malibu, Fusion, etc

Sheth,

It seems like the Camry only does NOT offer the manual in V6, Hybrid and XLE models.

You might want to update your information.

"Before they have to brag about their mileage, they have to beef up their quality and designs.
"

K, they have to do all of it. Market is brutal. Edmunds in the recent long term test revealed that Aura has interior parts which fall apart and don't stay together.

I've been inside Malibu. I can say that lower level Accord feels cheap but it is well put together. It has no gaps, rattles, etc. Malibu feels cheap and like it is going to fall apart.

Sheth,
I have taken the Cobalt for a trip in the Summer on I-75 from Detroit to Atlanta.
Guess what the calculated (actual) mileage is? 28mpg. The on board computer says 35mpg. Come on, I can do the math. Distance traveled divided by fuel consumed equals to miles per gallon.

Original sheth, the 4-speed auto is standard on both the LS (which is a popular model among more than just fleets) and the 1LT.

Forgot to mention about my own car.
My Civic gets average 35 mpg in suburb city driving, where the speed limit is 35 to 55 miles per hour.

You might say that is because I am familiar with my own car. But the difference is minimal.

K, the Camry does not offer the manual in most versions, as Sheth correctly said. You can get the manual in just two trims: LE 4-cylinder and SE 4-cylinder. Automatic only: LE V6, SE V6, XLE 4-cylinder, XLE V6, hybrid.

Sheth,
Hey, it seems like not only the LS has the 4 speeder, but also the 1LT.
Also, just a check in the local Chevy dealer inventory reveals there are 10 out of 23 are equipped with the 4 speeder. 2 out of the 23 are 6 cylinders.

Brady,

Did you forget the base model Camry without any trim level designation?

Not to get into the domestics vs imports again - even though they are ALL made in here in N. America, but why the heck doesn't anyone pay attention to CITY mpg? This is actually the mileage that most should pay att'n, because 95% of the time, we are driving in stop & go condition - whether one is on the fwy or not. Be honest, how many times do we get to drive 55 mph without stepping on the brake pedals each day?

We all fell into the car companies propoganda - paying att'n to some unrealistic driving situation, hence Hwy MPG, when in fact, the real world is like City driving 95% of the time, thus, the lower, but more accurate, City MPG. Using the logic, the Altima should be high on the list (and share with Ford when the next Fusion is available).

Wake up, people.

K,

I guess I did. So that's three Camrys with the manual out of a total of nine. Definitely not wrong to say most versions are auto-only.

AR, most people don't drive in a city, they drive in a combination. Where do you get 95% from?

Tony:

In most tests vehicles are acheiving mileage close to their EPA ratings for combined mileage. In one test on Edmunds the Accord has the worst mileage in the test even though its EPA mileage put it ahead of the Malibu and Altima. I have rarely seen imports exceeding EPA mileage under the new standards in magazine road tests.

"It has no gaps, rattles, etc. Malibu feels cheap and like it is going to fall apart."

Thats a lie. As for the Aura, I have one and experienced none of the issues that IL experienced with their LT car. BTW, they really only had one issue related to build quality. Get your facts straight.

This assumes that Nissan and Hyundai don't have any new tricks planned and in fact Hyundai has a new six-speed auto ready. The new '11 redesign seemed the most likely timeframe, but now who knows? One version of this tranny's already in production. And so far haven't heard anything about what Nissan plans, but we could be in a for a surprise.

Tony:

In C&D's recent hybrid car comparo the Malibu averaged 29mpg and the Toyota averaged 31mpg. The Toyota was under its EPA average while the Malibu was right on its EPA average.

Brady,

You're right. The 4 speed is on the 1LT. As for the LS, I rarely see any on the road which tells me its likely primarily sold to fleets. We can just replace the Malibu with Aura since it has the 6 speed standard. Bottom line is that GM has an auto model that still gets better mileage than the 2010 Camry automatic.

K,

Try to find a camry with a manual on a dealer lot. I have barely seen the base model camry on the streets since the current body style debuted. The last gen camry had a CE model that had a manual tranny and no creature comforts for $19k or so but you never saw any. Automakers sometimes have stripper models just so they can say "starting under $19K!" in their ads. The Camry is one such car. The overwhelming majority of camrys I see are LE models.

K,

While I stand corrected about the Malibu I think its worth noting the 4 speed Malibu still gets better mileage than the Accord I-4.

Original sheth,

Don't kill the messeger

"...This suburban loop is 177.9 miles long and we averaged 31 mph in the Fusion Hybrid. Typically, cars we've tested on this loop return fuel-economy figures a little better than their EPA city estimates. The Fusion Hybrid did not.

In fact, we could manage only 35.7 mpg. The car's onboard computer was a little generous, claiming 37 mpg. The Camry Hybrid we tested on the route (on a different day) returned 41.8 mpg and the Prius garnered 51.9 mpg."

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=138726
---------------

Regarding Malibu I can only say that when I got in and heard the door closing cheaply. Then, the other things and general cramness... Accord even with lower mileage looks like the better deal. And in my discussion I never talk about 6 cyl models. This is crazy. Most of them out there are 4cyl. What for even to discuss 6 cyl? The auto magazines do 6 cyl comparos just because manufacturers push these models to them. They want to show top models to people while real market story is not EX-L, it is LX.

Tony,
You're using a hybrid comparison though not a regular gas engine comparison. And it is just one example.

I'll allow the Edmunds link because it is in response to the other comments and I don't think it's spammy.

Tony:

I'm not killing the messenger. Different tests have different results but you proclaimed there is a definitive trend here. That is not the case. In most tests the camry hybrid has returned 32-34mpg which is right on its EPA rating. The Fusion has not been matching its EPA ratings in early tests but that doesnt mean domestics "generally" fall short or that imports "generally" exceed EPA estimates.

I only mentioned the V6 cars because they were compared. I said nothing about what % of sales they constitute. Since you like researching on IL check out the tests involving the Accord on that site. I dont think it exceeded its EPA mileage in any of the tests. The Malibu generally matches or beats the Accord in mileage in the tests I have seen although the 6 speed I-4 model has not been compared to the accord yet. MT only averaged 17.5mpg in an Accord coupe in a comparo against the Altima and Eclipse.

In my experience (and based on reviews) the Malibu is very solidly built. The doors close with a nice thunk and the interior is built to tight tolerances. You sound a little biased.

Here's an article from the LA Times where the fusion hybrid achieves 52 mpg:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-neil19-2008dec19,0,1742816.story

And another from Autoblog where they achieved 43 - 46 mpg.

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/09/autobloggreen-gets-43-1-mpg-in-the-2010-ford-fusion-hybrid/

I think Edmunds had it out for the fusion and drove it like they stole it.

Jfsvo,
That's the problem with allowing so many links, the Edmunds story is referring to the outgoing Fusion hybrid not the upcoming 2010 Fusion Hybrid which gets much better mileage.

Sheth,

A check in the local dealer shows 5 manual Camry out of 72(Including some models not offered in manual meaning XLE and V6)

The Accord gets worse mileage than the Malibu?
21/30 Accord AT, 22/31 Accord MT, and 22/30 Malibu.
Maybe? But there is a power difference of 8 horsepower. The Accord is also a bigger vehicle.
On the other hand, bringing in the Malibu has better mileage than the Accord did not change the fact that the Camry just had the Malibu beater fair and square. All it did is showing you are biased against the foreign brand vehicles while they are made here domestically.

David Thomas,

Did you even read the edmunds article? It's the 2010. lol Ford didn't even have a hybrid Fusion before the 2010.

jfsvo,

Edmunds definitely seemed like they enjoyed reporting how the Fusion came up short on mileage. They did not they couldnt really compare its mileage to the Pruis or Camry on that same loop unless they did the driving on the same day.

DT,

The is the first Fusion hybrid. There is no outgoing model.

K,

The difference in mileage between all midsize cars is slim. The Malibu does get better mileage than the Accord, even if the diffference is small. The Accord is a larger car but its no heavier than the Malibu and has a smaller trunk. Chevy is getting more out of its old 4 speed/ecotec combo than Honda is getting out of its powertrain in the accord.

Not really biased againt foreign brands at all. Camry cant be applauded for catching up to Sonata and Malibu. The fact that the Malibu doesn't have the 6 speed standard doesnt change the fact that Chevy beat Toyota to the market with a 6 speed/four cylinder combination. The camry has the BASE MODEL Malibu beat in mileage. It doesn't have the 2LT or LTZ models beat. Not sure what is so "fair and square" about your assertion that the Camry is more efficient.

seth,

And who knows if it was the same driver, what the weather conditions were, etc. From what I have read from other reviewers you'd have to really try to get only 35 mpg in the fusion. It has the capability to go 47 mph on electric only, but if you mash on the gas at every stoplight there is naturally going to be less benefit.

Fuel economy is going vary by driver. I have a lead foot and I am impatient. I usually get worse mileage in 4 cylinders than I do with bigger more powerful cars because I am not wringing every once of power out of them. I have driven, as rentals in the past year ( I know even I preach about not comparing rentals), an '08 Altima, '08 Galant, '08 Camry, and '08 Mariner. the altima got close to what the epa says it should, so did the mariner. The Camry was a little further off than the mariner and the galant was nowhere close. In all fareness though, on straight roads, the Camry was far superior and driven the hardest by me. Basically, who really cares about a mile or two difference that you probably wont even see anyway. And where are all these people driving these hwy miles. I would think the city number would matter more- it does to me.

Broq

Original sheth,

exactly! the thunk on Malibu wasn't as good as Accord's. Really, while Accord historicaly (latest history) is not most reliable car, just as "the machine" it is way ahead of Malibu.

Tony<

I am not sure what you mean by "exactly". I never said the Malibu's doors sound cheap when closed. I said the opposite. I find that the doors on most Honda products feel like they weigh 10lbs. The doors on the Malibu/Aura feel more like a German car than a Honda when closed. Even Acuras have very light feeling doors that lack that "thunk" when slammed shut. I find the same thing with most Toyotas but that shouldnt be surprising because Toyotas are always light compared to similar cars from the competition.

Our Toyota Camry 2010 is about 4 weeks old. We are seeing 22 MPG in mostly city driving. One caveat, it's hot in Atlanta and we are running the A/C a lot. BUT, I was hoping for a much higher average MPG. So, while I am happy with the car, I have not seen anything close to 30+ MPG. Of course, I suspec the same would be true for the Chevy Malibu and other cars mentioned.

Our 2010 Malibu LT2 is 2 weeks old with only 1000 km on it. On a 800km highway trip at 110-115 kph i was getting 7.4 L/100 km (or 38 MPG Imp or or 31.75 US MPG - Used Wikipedia Conv). It has the 6 spd auto & is rated at 48 MPG Imp. but i know i would probably never achieve the ratings with ANY car. Most people (including myself) will not drive at 100 km/hr when the speed limit is 110 km/hr (or 68 mph) to achieve better fuel economy. The car is very nice & refined and the only NEW car i have ever bought, although in the past i have owned used GM's,Nissan's,Toyota's & Mazdas. We were able to purchase for about $6000 below sticker price. We hope the mpg increases from 38 to 41/42 mpg after a while.

While the newer GM models are good on fuel , they are cheap cars , no comparison to a Accord or Camry , so the point is mute . Lets see how well those GM's are running with 200,000 miles . Wait , maybe a 100,000 ...LOL

My 2010 Camry is getting 17/18 in town...