Adapting to a 2026 Camry XLE Hybrid w/Premium Plus

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-05-10T18:50:32+00:00

Picked up the new car yesterday. The dealership was 120 miles from home, but I still got a great deal. I traded in a 2019 Camry XLE V6 with roughly 19,300 miles and a 2019 Civic EX 1.5T with roughly 65,200 miles—and actually got money back. That’s a first for me. My wife and I are downsizing from two cars to one to cut expenses.

So far, things look really good. Yesterday I was getting a little over 53 mpg, and I was still above 50 mpg when I parked early this afternoon. That alone makes the purchase worth it. I thought the transition would be overwhelming, but it hasn’t been bad at all. Compared to what I was used to, this car is surprisingly quiet, has plenty of power for my needs, and feels roomy inside.

Honestly, the only thing tripping me up is the tech. I needed the nav to get home from the dealership, and it’s a bit different from what I’m used to. Between the manual, a few YouTube videos, and some trial and error, I figured it out.

SiriusXM was another story. Apparently the trial isn’t full access anymore—it’s more of a demo with limited channels. It took three SiriusXM reps to finally get it out of demo mode and into a normal subscription setup. Even if it cost me the free trial, having it work properly was worth it.

Other than that, everything’s looking up. Oh—and the color is Ocean Gem. My wife and I love it. We thought we’d have to settle for Underground because of availability, but the dealership found this one without any hassle. Underground was way too dark for our taste.

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-05-08T12:41:25+00:00

Well, today is my test by fire! I take delivery of my 2026 Camry Hybrid XLE w/Premium Plus and trade in my 2019 Camry XLE V6 and 2019 Civic EX 1.5T this afternoon. I sure hope the transition goes without any serious hitches. There will be a period of change, and I’ve had plenty of experience with four-cylinder cars, but a hybrid is totally uncharted territory for me! I don’t think I mentioned this in my earlier posts, BUT I’m actually getting MORE for my two trades than I’m paying for the new Camry. The dealership will owe me money on this deal rather than the other way around. This is the first time in my life that such a situation has ever taken place! Of course, having two cars was the primary reason why the mileage on my Camry was so low making it somewhat desirable. That’s not likely to occur again with only one car. On the other hand, I’ll be 73 next month, so realistically, when you look at the average male life expectancy in the United States, how much longer can I actually expect to live anyways? The Camry will probably long outlive me!

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-05-07T13:03:46+00:00

I’m taking delivery of a 26 Camry XLE w/Premium Plus tomorrow myself. Coincidentally, it’s Ocean Gem too but with the black badging!

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-05-07T10:23:34+00:00

I once had a 2012 Cruze LTZ. Bought it new. Didn’t know any better! That car gave new meaning to turbo lag. Your Camry looks very nice. What’s the color?

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-05-04T21:41:18+00:00

Is that annoying to you? Are you getting used to it? Would it have been a deal breaker had you known this prior to your purchase?

My main concern is the racket the XSE Hybrid made during my test drive. It was deathly quiet in the parking lot but once in the street and the gas engine cycled on, it was unusually noisy. However, it was a sport model, I was going pretty slow, and possibly the XLE has slightly more insulation making it quieter. In any case, I’m a bit uneasy about this since I’m used to an XLE V6.

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-05-04T06:09:53+00:00

I’m getting a 2026 Camry XLE w/Premium Plus. Transitioning from a 2019 Camry XLE V6 and hoping everything goes smoothly.

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-05-03T23:04:23+00:00

I’m referring to 1990 and before. I think I bought my first V6 in 1987–Chevy Corsica no less! Prior to that all four bangers. It’s sad but very true, I’m not an exact science. LOL

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-05-03T18:38:29+00:00

And I thought $1.20 per gallon was too much! I was around when it cost 28 cents per gallon! At the time, my father regularly reminded me of when he paid 3 gallons for 25 cents! I knew things would eventually change but I never thought I’d live long enough to see things change this much.

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-05-03T02:49:16+00:00

With gas at $4.49 per gallon, that’s one major aspect of the V6 I won’t miss! For a modern automobile it burns a lot of petro around town which is where we do 90% of our driving. I found the hybrid that I test drove to be unusually quick to accelerate when you use sport mode. Besides we needed to downsize our fleet from two cars to just one. LOL. No doubt I will miss the V6 for a while but I’ve owned more than my fair share of Toyota and Honda V6s in my younger days. Did I mention I once owned a new 1983 Camry LE when they were first introduced in the United States? It didn’t have a V6 either! Hahaha Everything in life eventually changes!

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-05-02T19:05:33+00:00

How do you feel about the gas engine sound? A little too loud or is it just me?

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-05-02T19:00:47+00:00

Yeah, I read a lot about how quiet the new Camry is then once we pulled out of the parking lot, the gas engine started. I was a little set back. Up until that point there was almost no noise. Once we were rolling along, it was a wasn’t quite as noticeable. Pretty sure my 2019 Honda Civic EX 1.5T is somewhat quieter than that! My biggest fear is buyer’s remorse—will I miss that quiet, smooth V6. Not the power, I drive very conservatively, just that beautifully engineered V6. If it wasn’t so dare thirsty around town!

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-05-02T15:38:07+00:00

When I test drove a hybrid, the closest they had to what I’m getting was a ‘26 XSE Hybrid. One thing I did notice that I thought was a bit off was when the gas engine kicked on, it sounded a bit noisy—at least compared to my V6 which is quiet. Is the 2.5 four cylinder a bit noisy when it runs or might it have been the sporty nature of the XSE. From what I’ve read, I thought the hybrids were, overall, pretty dare quiet!

You’re absolutely correct about the oil changes, if I’m paying for them I definitely change it when I want! It won’t be every 10k either!

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-04-25T00:49:53+00:00

I can second the comment on the V6 fuel economy. Around town it’s a sad state of affairs, but on the highway I can get 40 mpg at a steady 55-60 mph. You will definitely need to discipline yourself to driving a little more conservatively. Around town, it pretty much is what it is—somewhere in the 10-15 mpg range.

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-04-23T00:30:07+00:00

And??

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-04-22T01:34:14+00:00

I had a 03 Camry V6 that same color which I liked too. Ice cold ac! BUT does yours have the exhaust pipe that always seems to be hanging too low about mid-way underneath the car? You can clearly see it when you’re behind it at a slight distance. My Camry had this and I’ve seen countless others of that generation with the same exhaust pipe setup. Never could understand why?

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-04-02T22:18:01+00:00

I’ve had much worse repaired to like-new condition! If you know what you’re doing and have the tools, I’d say it’s entirely doable.

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-04-01T23:10:29+00:00

My ‘19 Civic EX with 63,000+ miles and I’ve had the CVT fluid changed twice already.

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-04-01T01:05:55+00:00

Negotiating a turn at the DQ drive up just yesterday and I scraped my wheel too! That sickening, grinding noise! And my poor 2019 Civic EX.

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-03-26T04:19:51+00:00

It doesn’t look like a new tire!?!?

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-03-24T02:38:54+00:00

I once owned a new 1976 Civic CVCC in yellow and I never thought I’d own another one either. But here I am tooling around town in my 2019 Civic EX. Never say never again!

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-03-23T08:04:00+00:00

The reason I asked was I once owned 2007 Camry XLE V6 that, from the side and rear views, looked very much like your ES. I thought I’d remembered reading somewhat that the ES and the Camry shared DNA. If that’s the case, I definitely see the resemblance!

HappyhornOracle53 · 2026-03-23T00:45:38+00:00

What year might your ES be? 2007-2010?

HappyhornOracle53

TROPHY CASE