i drove a car

Vehicle: Toyota Camry

Trim: Hybrid SE

Miles: 4

MSRP: 34,000

Color: White

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A brand-new, never-driven, ’25 Toyota with all the fixins.

As I hop into the seat, I think: not bad. The human interface control suite—the UI—is pretty good for a modern car; there are physical buttons for almost all basic functions. Almost all.

The CC controls are inexplicably relegated to the little swatch of touchscreen below the physical controls (see img 1), for no reason whatsoever. Sure would be nice to adjust the fan and temp with dials like a regular human, but I guess that’s just not modern enough.

The interior is PU faux leather, which is actually pretty nice, except for the glaring white stripe that bisects the front seats. PU doesn’t age quite like leather, and I suspect that stripe is going to look pretty grim as it ages.

Steering is decent. I’d prefer stiffer, but it’s not a sloppy nightmare like so many other vehicles I drive. Like all Toyotas, the driver-assistance software only activates if you turn on cruise control; which kind of makes sense, but is stubbornly contrary to most other vehicles.

The Juice

This is a hybrid, right? On my ≈2 hr drive down I5 I managed a truly stunning 31 average mpg. Yikes. Maybe there’s a break-in period before the electric drive wakes up and does its job? I certainly hope so.

The Beans

Better than I expected, especially for a Toyota, which are usually pretty boring and sedate. It’s not a performance vehicle, but it’s not a miserable slug like the Rav4 either.

Thanks for reading.