2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid: A Good Excuse For A Little Extra Driving

2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid
The commute just got better with the 2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid

I don’t drive as much anymore.

There’s a price to pay for the new level of flexibility in the workplace. Whether you call it telecommuting, teleworking, working virtual, working remotely, or working from home (which is what I call it), it’s not all long lunch hours and open air work space. While working from home has about million different advantages, there are some downsides, such as little to no driving necessary.

Now, for someone who lives in the Baltimore/Washington metropolitan area, that might sound like a huge benefit but I actually enjoy getting behind the wheel. I just don’t have nearly as many occasions to do it. We live about two miles from my son’s school. Another two miles to the grocery store. And everything else is pretty much in a one mile radius of that. I like to get out of town. I just don’t always have the excuse to do it. Luckily, when the 2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE showed up in my driveway for a week long ride and drive, I actually had some driving to do.

2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid

As a previous owner of a Toyota Camry Hybrid, there was no learning curve for me as I settled into the driver’s seat and set off on my first adventure.

But hold your excitement. I was simply headed to the mall to see if I could get my iPhone repaired.

2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid

Avoid traffic: take the back roads

It’s about a 40 minute drive on a good day but the path to the mall involves some gorgeous back roads along a winding tributary of the Patapsco River and then on to the highway. On this particular day, there was a major accident shutting down a major highway. The exact highway I needed to get to the mall.

No worries. I had a navigation system and a full tank of gas and found that there are more than two ways to get to the mall (honestly, there are probably seven or eight and much more scenic road trips!).

2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid

The drive home was much slower but no worries because I had my newly repaired iPhone fully linked to the car via Bluetooth. While I could have killed time by listening to tunes, when I’m in the car, I prefer to get completely and totally engrossed in an audiobook (my recent favorite was We Are Water by Wally Lamb).

Wow, look at that fuel efficient Toyota Camry Hybrid

While that was a lot of excitement for me in one week, I headed out again for an all day session in Annapolis at one of the state legislature buildings.

Exploring Annapolis 2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid
A road trip in the 2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid is always a good excuse to explore your surroundings!

On this trip, I (thankfully) had very little stop and go and sailed the 50 miles each way while listening to more of my audiobook.

By the time I reached home that evening, I had already put over 150 miles on the car. A stellar week for me! But even more stellar was the fact the fuel gauge needle had seemingly NOT moved at all. I was quite enjoying the 41 mpg average in the fuel efficient Toyota Camry Hybrid.

2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid
I’ll admit to doing a few driving tests to see how high I could get my average MPG in the 2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid.

One final trip for a media event in Frederick, the second largest city in Maryland (no, really!). I met up with many other women as we were invited to explore downtown shopping and eating and share whatever delights we found. For the event, I parked the car and took a shuttle around town but after the journey home, I had put another 70 miles on the car.

Believe It Or Not, There'S A Bakery In Frederick Called Cakes To Die For And They'Re Delivered In A Hearse!
Believe it or not, there’s a bakery in Frederick called Cakes to Die For and they’re delivered in a hearse! (top photo)

For someone who works from home, I had a pretty zippy week taking me to different parts of Maryland and I was glad to not only have a comfortable ride to do it in but one that went super easy on the gas! If you’re thinking about a 2014 Toyota Camry XLE, I’ve got you covered.

2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid

What We Loved

  • The gas mileage, of course! The Camry averaged 41 mpg with combined highway and city driving
  • Takes regular gas
  • High tech: Bluetooth, voice commands, touchscreen nav, and plenty of USB and power outlets
  • It’s zippy! With 200 hp and just the right amount of torque, you won’t miss any of the power
  • Plenty of space: the trunk is adequately sized for grocery shopping and even the console space gives lots of room up front.

2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid

 

What You Need To Know

  • This car can be outfitted anywhere from a basic to a luxury sedan, depending on how much you want to spend
  • If you’re looking for a car that gets you noticed, this may not be it. The design is a little vanilla.
  • Cargo space is limited. The seats don’t fold down so what you see in the trunk is what you get.
  • There’s a new design for 2015 Toyota Camry. If you’re looking for a bolder design, you might want to check out the new model year. But if you’re looking for a deal on a solid, reliable, fuel-efficient car, now may be the time to get a great year-end deal!

2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid Interior

 Note: Toyota provided the car for my review. Opinions are my own.

 

 

 

Fadra Nally
Fadra Nally

A self-proclaimed "chick who digs cars," Fadra has long been a fan of aesthetics over mechanics. When she's not looking for an excuse to buy or drive a new car, she spends her time writing, blogging, and vlogging all over the internet (but mostly at allthingsfadra.com).

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