I am looking for a new car that can be my daily commuter car. I drive a combination of highway and city each day, M-F, for 115 miles roundtrip- about 70 of those are highway miles. Roads are bad (rough surfaces) and drive is early morning and often late evening. I have found three cars I like:
2013 VW CC (25/32mpg) Toyota Camry SE (about the same mpg as the CC) Toyota Camry Hybrid (35/40) and about $8K more than the gas Camry.
I am seeking any input on the VW CC - such as reliability, comfort, driving/handling, etc. It is a beautiful car, but is that really its best feature?
As for the Camry cars, I test drove the gas Camry - it was loaded with leather and was a nice drive. Would the hybrid at $8k more actually improve
my mpg that much? Has anyone had experience with these models (gas Camry 2012 or Camry Hybrid 2012)?
Finally, I will put close to 25K miles on a car in one year. Can these cars maintain decent value and reliability in the first year or two of ownership? Thanks for your advice and help.
The price difference between a Camry LE and a Camry Hybrid LE is about $3,000, not $8,000. At that price and a difference between 30 and 40 mpg average at 25k per year is 833-625 = 208 gallons X $4/gallon = $833/year, 3.6 years to pay it out. Pretty short in my book.
As for the Passat, it won a recent comparison test by Car and Driver, it’s a good car with yet-to-be proven reliability. It’s popular and well-reviewed.
I think hybrids tend to do better inthe city than on the highway. I get the impression from talking to a lot of people that VWs are fussy and expensive to keep up. Did you by chance look at any Accords?
Mazda 3 will get you 40 on the highway without being a hybrid. The CX-5 will get you 32 on the highway, with more ground clearance, if you get the FWD with auto(35 with stick)
According to Edmunds, Maintenance and Repair costs are about the same for the CC and Camry SE; the hybrid maintenance in the first 5 years is several hundred less, so it wins the M&R contest. Still only about $600 separates the 3 in M&R. The real money is insurance and fuel. The CC gas cost will be about $2000 more than the SE, and $6000 more than the hybrid. Insurance for the CC is a couple grand more than the Camrys. I suggest that you call your insurer to check that out.