I agree with your list (except the NAV screen seems fine to me) and can add a few of my own:

1) The cheesy plastic interior. I would pay a bit more for a better quality trim material (check out the Accord).

2) Related to above, the hard plastic on the center console where it hits my right leg while driving. Maybe just the way I "rest" my leg against it or something? No big deal, just a bit annoying.

3) I've grown to really dislike the poorly designed armrest with the massive door pull/handle right where I would like to be able to rest my arm! :sosad:

4) The seemingly random and incessant chimes reminding me of something Toyota thinks I should know about...(yes, some of them actually do serve a useful purpose).

5) I have grown a bit tired of the "whistling" sound (for lack of a better term) during certain throttle positions and speed. I accept this in part due to the Hybrid drive system and regenerating etc. but wish it were more subdued. I find myself modulating the throttle at times just to avoid this annoying sound...

I have NEVER owned a car that did not have some idiosyncrasy or quirk here and there and don't expect to in the future. All in all, I rate the TCH as a solid 9 out of 10! :thumbup:

 

2) Related to above, the hard plastic on the center console where it hits my right leg while driving. Maybe just the way I "rest" my leg against it or something? No big deal, just a bit annoying.

+1 on this one and the ECO button location.

I also wish the dipstick had more that just the two little bumps as level markers. A auto-disabling parking brake feature would have been nice as well as a oil percentage remaining indication. The no fog lamps available is also kinda strange.

The Navi/Bluetooth/Voice commands feature takes some getting used to but with lots of trial and error I've come to like it (please no flames). Overall I'm very happy and I'm really enjoying the MPG...

 

well seat memory is still limited to the luxury cars. They haven't trickled down far enough yet. Also, the navigation screen is Toyota's latest and highest resolution screen! It came out in 2006 and it's one of the sharpest in the industry. (It has to be if it is to play DVDs in conjunction with the ML systems on the Lexus models).

Folding mirrors would be super helpful and yea that ECO button is poorly placed.

 

well seat memory is still limited to the luxury cars. They haven't trickled down far enough yet. Also, the navigation screen is Toyota's latest and highest resolution screen! It came out in 2006 and it's one of the sharpest in the industry. (It has to be if it is to play DVDs in conjunction with the ML systems on the Lexus models).

Folding mirrors would be super helpful and yea that ECO button is poorly placed.

True but you would think a $30,000+ would be equipped with such. I'll rather have that then the "Voice Command" which can be considered a luxury option.

I guess I was used to the sharpness of the portables by Garmin.

 

I wish Toyota would offer (in NA) a different form factor for the Smart Key (SK). My wife just zips it in to a little pocket that her purse has; me? To paraphrase May West "Is that a Smart Key in your pocket or you happy to see me?"

How about a credit card form factor without any buttons, just the RFID and a battery. Or bring in those Citizen watches.

 

I wish Toyota would offer (in NA) a different form factor for the Smart Key (SK). My wife just zips it in to a little pocket that her purse has; me? To paraphrase May West "Is that a Smart Key in your pocket or you happy to see me?"

How about a credit card form factor without any buttons, just the RFID and a battery. Or bring in those Citizen watches.

Sounds good! But that's a bit too high tech for me. I like how it is now with a little conventionality.

 

The Lexus LS has those "wallet-sized" smart keys which is exactly what you described cdn_tch. It's a credit card sized card with no buttons.

 

1. The entire sat nav system. In my area the maps are woefully out of date (running 6.1). To get a map update Toyota will charge me $250, when I can buy a new portable for that price. The way you navigate between screens is odd at best. To drive to NYC, I have to change regions. I cannot do anything unless I am totally stopped which is fantastic when the system guides me through southeast DC rather than taking the loop. Even a passenger cannot make an update. I do not fancy my car telling me how I should operate it.

2. Chime, ding, beep, gong, bong - FFS! I want to take the seatbelt off to get the mail, the damn car does not need to go nuts for the drive up my driveway and into the garage.

3. +1 on the ECO button, it is at such an angle that I cannot read it well while driving without taking my eyes off the road.

4. The parking brakes is on the FLOOR! WTH! The lever jabs into my shin all the way down the road.

5. Song titles and artists are limited to only 10 characters on the display screen.

6. The handling on this car is sloppy, the battery weight in the back makes it corner terribly on twisty mountain roads.

7. ++1 on the cheap plastic interior. I feel like I am driving a cheap economy car. For this price I expect more. The person in charge of ergonomics at Toyota should be sacked.

8. The styling in the rear, the deck lid looks as if it were abruptly chopped off. It is ugly.


Overall, I like the car mechanically, but the poor ergonomics make me want to get rid of it as soon as I can.

 

Switch lighting

Why is there not back lighting on all switches for use in the dark, i.e., tunnels & night time? Especially the commonly used switches such as windows & mirrors!

 

Dislikes:

1. Interior materials. Our '92 LE has much nicer materials
2. Door/window button illumination - they're not, save the driver' door controls. Again our 16 year old Camry did it better with all 4 window buttons lit.
3. Fuel latch/ECO button - why are these on the UNDERSIDE of the dash curve?
4. Visibility. Airbags require thicker pillars and the rake of the windshield limits vision.
5. Lack of trunk space. You can carry 5 adults in comfort but not their luggage.

 

The blasted center console with the bright blue back light is aweful on night drives, should be more subdued.
Another really observation is the cheapness of the center console nearly coming apart when I pulled my power adapter out for my cellphone.
Finally, the incessant squiking noise from the bad upper dash fit while driving on slightly rough pavements.

 

Finally, the incessant squiking noise from the bad upper dash fit while driving on slightly rough pavements.

There are several TSBs related to dash squeaks. Your dealer should be able to apply one to your situation.

We had the sqeaks and rattles in colder weather. I called the service manager, made an appointment where we left the car overnight and... viola! Now our TCH is quiet as a mouse. They will remove the dash and add better padding/insulation points. It takes the tech about 8 hours.

 

Of course, no car is perfect, and the TCH is no exception. How 'bout this: the Blue Halos of Economy surrounding the main gauges. These things drive me nuts. I want it to be one way or the other. Sometimes I have to drive in lower mpg situations (like a fast highway run). Sometimes I can drive very economically (as in running exclusively around town). But that's usually out of my control, and I really don't need blue halos, or the lack thereof, to remind me of how it's going. Besides, I routinely look at my numbers.

 

Of course, no car is perfect, and the TCH is no exception. How 'bout this: the Blue Halos of Economy surrounding the main gauges. These things drive me nuts. I want it to be one way or the other. Sometimes I have to drive in lower mpg situations (like a fast highway run). Sometimes I can drive very economically (as in running exclusively around town). But that's usually out of my control, and I really don't need blue halos, or the lack thereof, to remind me of how it's going. Besides, I routinely look at my numbers.

I kinda like the 'blue halos' as an incentive for me to keep a light foot on the gas pedal.:lol: If there's one thing that drives me nuts more than anything else is the damn teal blue light in the center console during night driving.

 

2 person seat memory x100
I would love that option.

 

Wait during display of safety warnings, and lockout of touch-screen entry while moving, are big annoyances. The people who put those there are well meaning individuals or bureaucrats who are thinking of my safety. (But let us not turn the thread to politics and how we sacrifice freedom and liberty for security.)

The crappy exterior paint likewise I can put to social issues. Durable paint seems now to be sacrificed for environmental concerns.

No, my major peeve with the TCH is the BlueTooth handset switch on the steering wheel. That is the result of either total absence of thought or worse, intentional malevolence - some sociopath loose in the design department.

To 'pick UP the handset' the natural choice is to mash the UPPER of the two buttons - the one that has a RAISED CONVEX surface.

To 'put DOWN the handset' the natural choice is to mash the LOWER of the two buttons - the one with the DEPRESSED CONCAVE surface.

I get it wrong nearly every time.

The printed images (handset-on-hook, handset-off-hook) are no help. Without an included arrow to show direction of motion, there is nothing to indicate whether the desired condition (i want the handset up) or the existing condition (the handset is up) is being shown.

First impression of the images is correct. (OK, a picture of the handset off the hook - yes, that's what I want.) But it is immediately conflicted by the buttons themselves, which more often than not win the arguement. (Why would I press the DOWN button, the LOWER one, the one with the DEPRESSED SURFACE, if I want to raise the handset? No, some idiot designer must have got the images reversed. I'll mash the UPPER button, the one with the RAISED surface to pick up the handset and answer the phone.)

It is worse than useless. It is counter-intuitive and perverse.

I gotta ask.. Are light switches in Asia backward from ours? Do you flip the light switch up to turn off the lights in a room and down to turn them on?

 

I gotta ask.. Are light switches in Asia backward from ours? Do you flip the light switch up to turn off the lights in a room and down to turn them on?

Actually yes. Some switches are backwards but they're the wide, flat rocker ones, not the "stalk" type flip switches. The flip switches are still "normal".

 

1) The cheesy plastic interior. I would pay a bit more for a better quality trim material (check out the Accord).

amen! the interior on my 19K $ Mazda 3 makes my TCH's interior seem shabby.

2) Related to above, the hard plastic on the center console where it hits my right leg while driving. Maybe just the way I "rest" my leg against it or something? No big deal, just a bit annoying.

yeah, this is a real annoyance. I've had this problem with my Mazda's in the past and keep a bead-filled wrist rest nearby to place between my leg and the center console.


3) I've grown to really dislike the poorly designed armrest with the massive door pull/handle right where I would like to be able to rest my arm! :sosad:


again, I've placed one of those long bead-filled computer wrist-rests on the arm rest to ease the pain of long contact with the cheesy hard plastic arm rest. makes a big difference on long drives.


4) The seemingly random and incessant chimes reminding me of something Toyota thinks I should know about...(yes, some of them actually do serve a useful purpose).

I'm in the process of talking my dealer/shop into disabling those. So far, I've gotten them to reverse the default settings of many of the HVAC controls so that the A/C isn't on by default, but they're being stubborn about the seat belt chime.


The TCH is a frustrating combination of high tech motive power and lowbrow interior.

 

Guys,

You have to remember that we are not driving a Lexus. We are driving a Japanese Chevrolet.

 

Love my '08 TCH overall. Just a matter of time before gas prices rocket back up and I smile even more passing by the station...
Dislikes: Nav in our Honda seems much more user friendly than the TCH's.
Wish that fog lights would be an option (or at least pre-wired.) But got great advice here previously for aftermarket install options.

 

I'd like a rear window washer/wiper.

 

Seat memory would be nice for 2 people. The wife and I have "discussions" all the time about where the seat should be. LOl

Fog lights for us country folk, I added them myself. Gets really foggy out here where I live. A place for the switch to be added in the dash for the aftermarket switch. I put mine by my right knee.

Bought a Garmin, not spending the huge price for the NAV system. I can use it in all my cars also.

Less confusing heat/cool/auto controls for climate control.

A sport exterior, I added a razzi ground effects to mine.

 

I've been reading through these posts to get an idea about problems with the Camry Hybrid. It is really hard to get an idea about the quirks prior to purchasing. For instance, I'm the owner of a 4 cylinder 2008 Honda Accord and it has an issue with the headlights where the dim at night, but at seeming random times - usually at the worst times. Dealer did not inform me this was a "normal characteristic" with Honda. So, I was looking checking to see if this occurs on the Camry Hybrid, so far I haven't found any mention of this. I'm considering switching, plus I'm only getting 24 mpg in the city.

Cheers.

 

I think the lights are fine. Some people have installed HIDs in their TCH. May upgrade to HIDs sometime in the future. Depends on $.

FYI, I'm averaging about 38.5 MPG now in the winter, around 40-41 MPG in the summer.

No real complaints, every car has its quirks, you get used to them. Some wishes

 

Wow. Some of you guys have a lot of complaints.

I test drove one a couple of months ago and loved it. When I pay off the Silverado, we are going to trade the Prius in for a Camry hybrid.

 

Well for our MSRP of almost $35000 I agree with everything you all have said and I cannot believe when they say on the window MSRP: Power driver and passenger seats, that the passenger only goes fwd and back, no 6-way or lumbar support or even up and down. If I could get a drivers seat track from from the Jap. car,right hand drive then I could have 6 way power maybe?

 

MSRP of $35,000? Who are you kidding? Even with the upgrade package, leather, navigation, heated seats, floormats, remote start, and delivery... the bottom line for a 2009 comes to only about $32,500. (And you'd have to be pretty dense in the head to pay that price.)

I get your point- but still. I think that the Camry hybrid comes very well equipped for its price. I can live without most of the stuff discussed here. They would be nice, but certainly not necessary. Keep in mind that we all purchased a midsize sedan, NOT an entry-level luxury car.

 

If Toyota had combined the interior from XLE into the hybrid,this would have most our issues solved

 

Are you saying they have a 6 way power passenger seat in the XLE? Instead of the fwd and back as in the TCH?

 

'07 TCH Paint Scratches in clearcoat

Hi, my '07 TCH has 50K miles, and is running great. But I dislike the scratches in the paint. Seems the clearcoat is scratched very easily and it leaves a white mark on the dark grey color of the car. I was able to buff some of them out, but it's a pain to do. Anyone else see scratches in the paint?

 

I have 2 massive gripes with my wife's TCH; 1st is the freakin transmission, I HATE IT. Seriously this car is sketchy on mountain roads because at just the right throttle position the transmission feels like it goes into neutral which totally disturbs the dynamics of the car....which are extremely poor to begin with. Also have any of you noticed that while in gear (but no gas) on a slight hill it will roll like in neutral, WTF is up with that?

The other thing that drives me crazy is that the climate control unit on this car, why oh why does it always want to put it on recycled air? It's always turning itself on making the inside of the car feel like a humid summer day when the AC isn't turned on.

All that said my wife likes the car so what ever.

 

The other thing that drives me crazy is that the climate control unit on this car, why oh why does it always want to put it on recycled air? It's always turning itself on making the inside of the car feel like a humid summer day when the AC isn't turned on.

All that said my wife likes the car so what ever.

Go to your dealer and have them reset the preferences so it does not go into recirc on its own at all.

 

+1 on the climate control. It should start up where you left it - on fresh air flowthru.

We have the TCH with the CVT tranny (technically not a transmission but the Split Power Device). There is no "engaging" or otherwise, it's just "there" all the time.

It is a bit eerie without the engine running up and down the RPM scale...