New Camry Hybrid

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › New Camry Hybrid

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

3539 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 124

Trusted

#1343292 14-Jul-2015 20:30

mattwnz: The mazda 6 is a nice vehicle, and I believe they have facelifted it quite recently , so has a lot of the new tech in it. Don't think they sell too many diesels though, because unless you are doing lots of km's the additional costs don't really add up. I sold my diesel recently for this very reason, and it did have quite a lot of torque up the Rimutukas.

People always make the accusation that Diesel vehicles cost extra, but when the difference of 80c per Litre in fuel cost is considered, as well as the greatly reduced registration costs for diesel vehicles and a similar servicing interval to petrol vehicles, I'm not sure that statement is valid any more.

When we first bought our Golf, the difference in fuel price was around 50c per litre and the RUCs $40 per 1000km. Now the difference in fuel price is 80c per litre and the RUCs $58 per 1000km. So the saving in fuel offsets the increase in RUCs by almost double.

An additional benefit which not many people know about is that owners of diesel vehicles can fill up at unattended diesel-only truck stops if they have the right type of fuel card. When I was last in Whangarei a couple of weeks back, the service stations around town were selling diesel @ $1.35 per Litre. At the truck stop it was $1.13 less the 12c per litre discount from our fuel card so the price per litre was just $1.01. So we have had extremely cheap motoring for the past 6 months or more, and a 55L tank full lasts for around 1000km on a long trip.

I'm not sure why the difference between petrol and diesel has ballooned out so far in recent months, because AFAIK it has never been this high during the past 10 years. Long may it continue!

Batman

Mad Scientist
29827 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6089

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1343294 14-Jul-2015 20:35

mattwnz:
alasta:
grant_k: If you're driving up and down mountain ranges with many sharp bends, you should be looking at a Diesel.

Try driving a modern European diesel and you'll be very pleasantly surprised at the performance, and the cornering ability. If you're looking at a Camry Hybrid, it sounds like you have a reasonable budget to play with, so you could easily afford a low-mid range VW or perhaps an entry-level Audi. Or if you're willing to overlook the negative connotations of a Skoda badge, consider that the parts underneath are basically the same as a VW, at a cheaper price.

Actually the Camry hybrid ranges from $44k to $52k so they're a lot cheaper than they used to be, hence why it grabbed my attention.

A diesel is definitely worth considering - as someone else mentioned the Mazda 6 is available as a diesel. Some of the latest turbo petrol engines have a heap of torque and good efficiency though, including the one in the upcoming Optima.

The mazda 6 is a nice vehicle, and I believe they have facelifted it quite recently , so has a lot of the new tech in it. Don't think they sell too many diesels though, because unless you are doing lots of km's the additional costs don't really add up. I sold my diesel recently for this very reason, and it did have quite a lot of torque up the Rimutukas.

If the OP has never driven a 6 Diesel, I suggest they test the Camry, give it all it's got, then go test the 6 Diesel.

Make sure you bring a change of underwear.

grant_k

3539 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 124

Trusted

#1343326 14-Jul-2015 20:48

joker97: If the OP has never driven a 6 Diesel, I suggest they test the Camry, give it all it's got, then go test the 6 Diesel.

Make sure you bring a change of underwear.

My mechanic always comments on how quickly our Golf accelerates, and he gets to drive a lot of vehicles. In ultimate top speed, a petrol usually wins out due to increased kW. However in this country where many areas have few straight roads, quick acceleration out of corners and much better engine braking downhill are a big advantage. What's the point in having a possible top speed of 200km/h plus when you can only use it on a race track, or maybe take a gamble on finding an empty straight piece of road with no cops...

The driving experience is very different for someone who has never driven a diesel before. A petrol engine has its peak torque near the top end, whereas a diesel has its peak torque at less than 2000rpm. In a few years time I look forward to getting an electric vehicle when the range is better. They have the full amount of torque available immediately off the line which would be an awesome feeling.

mattwnz

20259 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4524

#1343327 14-Jul-2015 20:51

grant_k:
mattwnz: The mazda 6 is a nice vehicle, and I believe they have facelifted it quite recently , so has a lot of the new tech in it. Don't think they sell too many diesels though, because unless you are doing lots of km's the additional costs don't really add up. I sold my diesel recently for this very reason, and it did have quite a lot of torque up the Rimutukas.

People always make the accusation that Diesel vehicles cost extra, but when the difference of 80c per Litre in fuel cost is considered, as well as the greatly reduced registration costs for diesel vehicles and a similar servicing interval to petrol vehicles, I'm not sure that statement is valid any more.

When we first bought our Golf, the difference in fuel price was around 50c per litre and the RUCs $40 per 1000km. Now the difference in fuel price is 80c per litre and the RUCs $58 per 1000km. So the saving in fuel offsets the increase in RUCs by almost double.

An additional benefit which not many people know about is that owners of diesel vehicles can fill up at unattended diesel-only truck stops if they have the right type of fuel card. When I was last in Whangarei a couple of weeks back, the service stations around town were selling diesel @ $1.35 per Litre. At the truck stop it was $1.13 less the 12c per litre discount from our fuel card so the price per litre was just $1.01. So we have had extremely cheap motoring for the past 6 months or more, and a 55L tank full lasts for around 1000km on a long trip.

I'm not sure why the difference between petrol and diesel has ballooned out so far in recent months, because AFAIK it has never been this high during the past 10 years. Long may it continue!

You do also have far higher registration costs, and higher servicing that need to be factored in, which can change the figures quite a bit if you aren't doing bigger distances. Since I sold my diesels about 6 months ago, I haven't really looked at the pricing difference, but it does look like Diesel has dropped quite a bit in price recently. But that doesn't mean it is going to stay low.

davidcole

6057 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1432

Trusted

#1343346 14-Jul-2015 21:08

3l v6 diesel, not too bad on the gas, and a fair amount of fun to drive.

Previously known as psycik

Home Assistant: Gigabyte AMD A8 Brix, Home Assistant with Aeotech ZWave Controller, Raspberry PI, Wemos D1 Mini, Zwave, Shelly Humidity and Temperature sensors
Media:Chromecast v2, ATV4 4k, ATV4, HDHomeRun Dual
Server Host Plex Server 3x3TB, 4x4TB using MergerFS, Samsung 850 evo 512 GB SSD, Proxmox Server with 1xW10, 2xUbuntu 22.04 LTS, Backblaze Backups, usenetprime.com fastmail.com Sharesies Trakt.TV Sharesight

Batman

Mad Scientist
29827 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6089

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1343348 14-Jul-2015 21:09

I drove a Santa Fe once and nearly wet myself. The 6 Diesel has very similar figures to the Santa Fe, but much lighter vehicle, so it should make you wetter.

Batman

Mad Scientist
29827 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6089

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1343351 14-Jul-2015 21:11

can't beat an Audi S4 .... not sure how much they cost ...

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

davidcole

6057 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1432

Trusted

#1343354 14-Jul-2015 21:13

There was a spreadsheet for calculating rego on cars. But you plugged in l/100 km on a petrol and diesel, and some kms and it broke down the costs over a year.

Inphinity

2780 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1184

#1343355 14-Jul-2015 21:13

With the current discrepancy between petrol and diesel, it's almost cost-neutral to go diesel even below 10,000km/year, but it is still marginally more expensive (talking a couple hundred dollars maybe) than petrol for under about 15,000km per year. But not enough to be a factor in a decision either way imo when looking at a new or near-new car.

That said, to go VW Diesel, the OP would have to stump up a $20k premium over the Mazda 6 petrol, given the Passat Diesel range starts at about $67k, while the Mazda 6 GSX is $46k. The Skoda octavia is about the only euro diesel that doesn't command at least a $15k premium over a Japanese or Korean comparable vehicle - there's only a $2k jump in the Mazda 6 to go to Diesel, though, for example. That said, if you're like me, by the time you factor in a couple thousand extra up front, a couple hundred extra per year, and the extra hassle of remembering something else (RUC) to do, it's a tough sell ;)

Inphinity

2780 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1184

#1343357 14-Jul-2015 21:16

joker97: can't beat an Audi S4 .... not sure how much they cost ...

MSRP $114,900 for the sedan or $118,900 for the avant on the current model. Not really in the same price bracket as a Mazda 6 or Kia Optima ;)

be a great choice though! hah

Batman

Mad Scientist
29827 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6089

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1343363 14-Jul-2015 21:28

http://www.caradvice.com.au/334137/2015-mazda-6-review/

grant_k

3539 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 124

Trusted

#1343365 14-Jul-2015 21:29

Inphinity: ...
That said, to go VW Diesel, the OP would have to stump up a $20k premium over the Mazda 6 petrol, given the Passat Diesel range starts at about $67k, while the Mazda 6 GSX is $46k. The Skoda octavia is about the only euro diesel that doesn't command at least a $15k premium over a Japanese or Korean comparable vehicle - there's only a $2k jump in the Mazda 6 to go to Diesel, though, for example. That said, if you're like me, by the time you factor in a couple thousand extra up front, a couple hundred extra per year, and the extra hassle of remembering something else (RUC) to do, it's a tough sell ;)

Looking at the specs for the Mazda 6 Atenza Diesel Wagon: 2.2L SKYACTIV D 16 valve DOHC Intercooled Turbo Diesel (129 kW at 4,500rpm, 420 Nm at 2,000rpm)

Those are pretty impressive figures and at $46k, is well worth a look. I was under the impression that Camry Hybrids were a lot more expensive than that until Alasta pointed it out.

Regarding RUCs, it's not a big deal if you do it once per year together with your rego. I typically buy 20,000km at a time which has worked well for the past 4 years as we were able to beat the yearly increases on 1st July.

grant_k

3539 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 124

Trusted

#1343370 14-Jul-2015 21:33

mattwnz: You do also have far higher registration costs...

NOT SO! The difference is now only $50 per year.

mattwnz: ...
and higher servicing that need to be factored in...

A commonly believed fallacy but we have found the servicing for our Diesel Golf is very much the same as for Petrol vehicles we have owned previously. The only difference is a 15,000km servicing interval instead of 20,000km but that equates to about $100 extra per year.

alasta

6738 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3168

Trusted

Subscriber

#1343386 14-Jul-2015 21:59

grant_k:
Inphinity: ...
That said, to go VW Diesel, the OP would have to stump up a $20k premium over the Mazda 6 petrol, given the Passat Diesel range starts at about $67k, while the Mazda 6 GSX is $46k. The Skoda octavia is about the only euro diesel that doesn't command at least a $15k premium over a Japanese or Korean comparable vehicle - there's only a $2k jump in the Mazda 6 to go to Diesel, though, for example. That said, if you're like me, by the time you factor in a couple thousand extra up front, a couple hundred extra per year, and the extra hassle of remembering something else (RUC) to do, it's a tough sell ;)

Looking at the specs for the Mazda 6 Atenza Diesel Wagon: 2.2L SKYACTIV D 16 valve DOHC Intercooled Turbo Diesel (129 kW at 4,500rpm, 420 Nm at 2,000rpm)

Those are pretty impressive figures and at $46k, is well worth a look.

I just checked Mazda's web site and its $47k for the GSX petrol vs $49k for the diesel, but that's still reasonable value. It's a shame there is a $9k premium for the limited because the extra features would be nice but the mechanicals are all the same. My budget is low $50s.

I know that the Mazda 6 is highly regarded by owners and critics, but for me personally it doesn't scream "buy me". Maybe I will feel different when I have looked at these vehicles properly in the flesh.

mudguard

2159 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1069

#1343390 14-Jul-2015 22:06

My work car is a 2014 Camry GL (base model). I drive 50-60,000k per year around the country. I normally average about 8L per 100k in it. However I can get it into the 6's occasionally (a towbar mounted bike rack with bike is horrific for fuel economy just by the way!). Power is fine, nothing outstanding, 6 speed auto blah blah.

I drive all the mid to large size rentals for 1 week a month, I've had the Camry Hybrid 3 times now. Usually for 800k's heading north out of Wellington and back. I've been gobsmacked by the economy. I have to guess it's heavier than my Camry, but each trip I've averaged in the 5's. To be fair, the first trip I was being a bit of an eco warrior, but the other two was normal driving (sometimes I have to fill up 3 times a week, so I can be a right monster on gas).
And the Hybrid completely changed my mind on CVT's too. I loved it, the extra power came on instantly at any throttle position. I was really surprised to see the torque and power figures weren't much better 133kW/231NM vs 118kW/213NM but 150kW total. It certainly feels much stronger.

I can't see the figures for the 14 cars anymore, but I thought the Hybrid was only a 2.0L four. Either way I enjoy driving it, particularly as it has more options. Just don't get a white one. Everyone will think it's a taxi.
I guess a grain of salt is 99% of my driving is with just me in it. But the Camry is quite a big car (very long) and has a massive boot. It's not as good looking as the others, but much better than it used to be.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4