Tesla Model 3 vs Toyota Camry
- by Carsguide.com.au
- Feb 13, 2022
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Note, however, that towing capacity is a paltry 400kg, braked or unbraked.
So, how does all that upgraded electrification deliver out in the real world? Keep reading to find out!
Efficiency
Despite being heavier and gruntier, Tesla claims the new Performance Model 3 manages to be more efficient than the one it replaces, albeit delivering just a two per cent reduction in energy consumption. Claimed energy usage is 16.7 kWh/100km.
Tesla claims a total range of 528km on the WLTP, which is obviously going to drop if you drive it the way its makers clearly intended.
Using a Tesla Supercharger, you can add 228km in 15 minutes and... that's all Tesla will tell us. There are no official figures available for how long a full charge takes, on either a Tesla charge or a home wallbox of your own.
Efficiency
The previous Camry hybrid returned between 4.2 and 4.5 litres per 100km depending on grade, while today’s version cuts that to 4.0L/100km, for a carbon dioxide emissions rating of just 91 grams per kilometre (down from 96-107g/km).
Result? Theoretically, with its modest 50-litre tank, this 'big' mid-sized sedan can average 1250km between refills. In reality, we averaged just 4.6L/100km, which should see you travel an impressive 1085km on a single tank.
Aiding this is slightly improved aerodynamics, along with a weight drop of between 15kg and 30kg depending on grade. The Ascent/Ascent Sport tip the scales at 1565kg while the SL is at 1625kg.
Three driving modes are available – 'Normal', 'Eco' and 'Sport', while an EV mode offers low-speed electric vehicle driving over “short distances”, according to Toyota.
The only fly in the ointment for some consumers is, as before, the hybrid’s preference for 95 RON premium unleaded petrol. This means a Camry that’s recommended to run on regular unleaded is no longer available with the deletion of the non-hybrid variant.
Driving
Very occasionally, one drives a car that makes the human body feel inadequate to the task. I would have worried that I’m getting old, that my body is simply too flubby and my brain too broken, to cope with the kind of wild acceleration and brutal g-forces the Model 3 Performance delivers.
But, fortunately, I had a videographer in the passenger seat, a much younger man who loves fast cars, and he kept threatening to vomit when I drove it hard, too.
I’ve driven quite a few cars that you can use make your passenger sick, or hurt their necks - one obvious competitor in the shape of a Porsche Taycan Turbo S comes to mind - but it’s very rare that a vehicle is so intense it can make you, the driver, feel bilious.
Yes, you do bring this on yourself, by choosing to push this Performance anywhere near its limits through particularly sharp and intestine-shaped roads like the canyons outside Malibu Tesla chose to launch it on.
On longer, sweeping bends it was far more of a joy, and less physically punishing, but in the tight stuff it often felt like corners were being thrown at you, as if you were driving behind the Millennium Falcon and being pulled along in its wake.
The brakes, special new sporting ones with track-ready pads, were up to the task, even though it often felt like they couldn’t possibly pull you up from the speeds you were doing.
And yes, it was entirely my fault that the very first time I even gently prodded the throttle and it launched me ahead past a California Highway Patrol officer, that was my fault too. Three minutes into the drive, holding an American fine, I had already deduced that perhaps this car was too fast for my own good.
But lots of EVs are fast in a straight line, you’re really comparing the length and depth of your “oooophhh” sounds at this point, but where this one succeeds is by being a lot better in the handling and ride and cornering departments than most.
Tesla’s stated goal with this car was to move beyond straight-line speed, to become more than a one-trick pony, and to do that it’s given the Performance a stiffer structure overall and updated the springs and stabiliser bars.
Aerodynamic changes have reduced drag by five per cent, delivered a 36 per cent lift reduction, and a 55 per cent improvement in front-to-rear lift balance.
Tesla’s own, in-house version of adaptive dampers, not an option but included in every Performance, work with the car’s 'Vehicle Dynamics Controller' through its various modes - 'Insane' and 'Track' being the most… ludicrous - to immediately respond to driver inputs.
The Performance rides well on LA’s awful concrete freeways but feels absolutely nailed down when you attack even a bumpy driver’s road.
This version also has a lot more power going to the rear wheels, to help it feel more sports-car playful and to fire out of bends the way an enthusiast’s car should. And make no mistake, I met them, the people behind this car are serious driving enthusiasts (although they demur, slightly, on whether their boss is one).
Track mode will allow some serious adjustability, drifting ability and fun, so the kind of people who want to hurl around a racing circuit in silence will love it.
Perhaps the only let downs are that it still feels a bit austere inside, just not very special, and that the steering is just a bit digital, soft and uninvolving, compared to the cars they clearly benchmarked against - BMWs and Porsches.
Driving
Even if you haven’t driven the previous model for some time, getting behind the wheel of the new Camry is a very familiar – and, for many, reassuringly welcome – experience.
Push the start button, select drive via an old-fashioned gear lever, and the sensation is typical Toyota hybrid, but with extended electric driving. Which is the point of the tech upgrade for #9.
Near-silent off-the-line acceleration thanks to electric-motor input means smooth low-speed driving, before the petrol engine inevitably takes over. It all happens so seamlessly and feels natural.
It’s when more go is required that the latest hybrid tech really makes itself felt, with consistently urgent response. Speed builds strongly, with plenty of thrust in reserve for instant overtaking. You can feel the extra torque as soon as you flex your right foot on the throttle.
Off-throttle, the energy-distribution graphics display EV-only motion, and now maintained for longer periods than older Camry hybrids ever managed.
Back on the accelerator, and the e-CVT works effortlessly, and without lag or engine drone as per other similar autos. There’s something to be said for honing proven tech.
Even the brakes react naturally without being odd or grabby – traits common in many lesser hybrid applications.
It shouldn’t surprise anybody that the Camry’s steering is light yet accurate, and with enough weight for solid and controlled handling. The hybrid takes corners with a flat and unflustered attitude that – to most SUV drivers – will seem almost sporty.
In reality, there’s not really enough feedback or agility for anybody to mistake this for a Mazda 6 dynamically, let alone a BMW 3 Series, but the Toyota is not pretending to be a sports sedan. Maybe that’s why the old SX grade has been discontinued.
But even with that, we weren’t expecting such a big turning circle, until you realise the latest Camry is nearly five metres long. That caught us out a couple of times. Specifically, gutters the front bumper snared when nosing into parking spots.
However, there are a couple of more serious issues that need addressing.
Firstly, the revised adaptive cruise control features a new speed curve reduction tech that automatically lowers the car’s speed, but it washes away too much momentum and by a potentially hazardous amount at freeway velocities.
The Camry slows down far too much, even through gentler arcs, and needs more-nuanced tuning for Australia.
Everyone will appreciate how supple the Camry’s ride is. In the 17-inch wheel models, the suspension has a pleasing softness that can be blissfully isolating.
But over undulating roads at speed, there’s too much suspension travel, with our example hitting its bump stops on one occasion. Hopefully this is atypical suspension behaviour.
Some coarse-road noise comes through, but only over certain surfaces.
Otherwise, the Camry drives exactly as you might expect. It's comfortable, refined and easy, yet gutsier than you might expect from a hybrid.
Only this time, the 2025 redesign benefits from a bit more electrification that helps it go just that little bit further… in terms of efficiency as well as our estimation.
Safety
Tesla provided no information about safety for the Performance Model but it is assumed it will be unchanged from a standard Model 3.
Aside from Autopilot that means auto emergency braking, lane keep aids, and instead of blind-spot monitoring, it gets the surround radar view and blind-spot cameras when you indicate.
The latest Model 3 has an additional centre airbag for a total of seven, as well as additional bolstering where the doors meet the body in response to requirements in its American home market.
It should be able to carry its maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating, which the original version achieved in 2019.
Safety
Hopefully, you’ll never need to test the Camry’s safety credentials, but the latest model manages a maximum five-star ANCAP assessment. A broader array of driver-assist tech and a stronger body help.
These include the items that fall under the so-called 'Toyota Safety Sense2' umbrella, meaning AEB (with pedestrian, cyclist, motorcyclist and oncoming vehicle detection), intersection collision avoidance support, emergency steering assistance, acceleration suppression at low speeds, adaptive cruise control (with ‘curve speed reduction’), deceleration assist, lane trace assist with lane-departure alert, speed sign recognition and automatic high beam.
Every Camry also includes an 'Emergency Driving Stop System', blind spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert, safe exit assist, a driver monitor camera, front and rear parking sensors, parking support brake, a reversing camera with guidelines, seven airbags and a pair of ISOFIX child restraint points with top tethers to match the trio of tether support latches out back.
Ownership
Again, we've been asked to assume the Performance will come with Tesla's standard four-year/80,000km warranty and roadside assistance. And that the battery and drive unit will fall under an eight-year/192,000km warranty, whichever comes first.
Tesla says it monitors its cars to ascertain when they need servicing, and so it is based on a case-by-case situation. Every 12 months/20,000km is recommended for a general check-up, and includes tyre rotation.
Wiper blades, brake fluid and cabin air filters need replacement every two years while the air-con service is every six years.
Of course, there are no oil changes, filters or spark plugs to replace, and even brake pad wear is less than on an ICE vehicle because of the regenerative braking system. Although it will likely be higher in the Performance variant.
Ownership
An industry-average five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty is offered on the Camry, though under certain conditions, including taking the car to a Toyota dealer only and on time, can extend the warranty to seven years.
Service intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km. Toyota publishes a sharp capped-price service amount of $255 per service.
There’s also a year’s free subscription to Toyota Connected Services, providing automatic emergency-services callout in the event of an accident, a range of remote functionality via an app and other benefits, as well as a year’s free subscription to a service that unlocks greater multimedia features.
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Used Tesla Model X 2019
Apr 21, 2022
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