u/Silent_Speed8663

Cowboys understand how they need to trust their horse. At night, or in the fog, while riding up/down a mountain, you learn to trust your horse. If he slips and falls, or "spooks", you can tumble down the mountain on this narrow trail and they wouldnt find the body for years.

"But, you have been here before" with this hoss, and you have an understanding. You feed him the hay he wants, he gives you the ride you need. You spend more time with him than you do with your spouse, because its a long, dusty trail to earn a living for your family. Sometimes muddy. Sometimes snow. YOur horse knows the trail and you know the horse..even if you have never been there before.

The CX 50 radar adaptive cruise control "sees" the car ahead of you even when the fog is so thick you cant see it. If that car ahead of you panics in the thick fog and stops, the radar sees him slow down and immediately slows down, even if that car has no brake lights working. You come to a stop, just like the car ahead and he saves you, again. How did he know. He just knows. Its built in.

Your CX50 does not break the bank. He runs on very little hay and does not complain. I get 38 to 40 mpg, or more, in ideal conditions..when its not too hot or too cold. That's the CX50's hybrid powertrain, dependable and reliable built by Toyota.

You gave up on the Toyota tax long ago. You went to a Toyota dealer, and he tried to sell you an allocation instead of a car....six months down the road. You didnt need a car in 6 months, you needed one today, because you buried your last horse yesterday, and have to be to work tommorrow. The Toyota dealer told you there is a "$3000 market adjustment" (and not in your favor) over MSRP. You walked out, deciding you wanted a car, not a market adjustment, not an allocation in colors you hate. You aint going back. And neither am I. I have seen enough, heard enough about how reliable Toyota is to know I still dont need a Toyota dealers "profit protection pacakage", which means more hay, added. Shucks, I could get 2 horses, for what the Toyota dealer wants to charge me for one. I guess Toyota dealers think Im rich or stupid, and I dont rightly think Im either.

So, I went to the Subaru dealer first. I dont need a horse that walks on only his front legs. Well, the Subaru dealer bragged their hybrid (hay saving vehicle) has MANUAL AWD. So, I asked what was wrong with connecting the rear wheels with an electric motor, like Toyota, and he told me the 4 or 5 bales per day Subaru penalty was worth it. Subaru Forester hybrid gets 34 mpg, while Rav 4 is closer to forty. I left.

Next I went to the Mazda dealer. "IM looking for a new horse, that works good, and does not need a ton of hay every day!.

You came to the right place. We got one that has a relaible Toyota motor without Toyota tax, thats nicer and smoother than the Toyota, costs less and still uses less gas.

What about riding my horse "in traffic"? How can I tell if there is another car in my blind spot?

Got you covered. See that light in the mirror? There is a camera that looks for cars in your blind spot and flashes when you try to run over them. No extra charge!

Hmm, I like no extra charge. Do I have to buy an allocation?

Nope, pick your color, we got lots of em right now.

Nice. Do you do "market adjustments"?

Nope. We have rebates and discounts instead!

I like that. But how does it look?

Nicer than the Rav 4..feel the soft touch!

We especially trained this horse to "learn the rider", since cowboys have different jobs, too, and some are taller than others. The seats are just firm enough to support you, but adjust the seat just right, and it remembers it the next time you get on!

"Get out of here! It remembers where I like my seat and the steering wheel an mirrors?" And you didnt charge me extra for that either?

Nope, memory seats are on the hybrid premium at no extra charge.

Do they come with the nice red leather, or do I have to have everything black so its very hot in the summer?

Yep, red leather is standard on the cx50 premium. You can pick black if you like, too.

"You mean I get to pick the seat color too? Toyota does not let me pick anything..I have to take what they have or wait longer.

Well, after riding this cx50, there is something I dont like about it.

What is that?

"I dont like that its your's, and not mine".

We can fix that. Lets see how many discounts you qualify for. Are you a Veteran?

Yep.

$500 discount. Well Toyota has that too, but I have to finance with Toyota at a higher rate to get my military disount.

Not with Mazda. You can get the lowest cost financing and payments and still get your military discount, even tho it has a Toyota reliable engine.

Ok, so how come eveyone does not buy a Mazda cx50, instead of a Rav 4?

"Well, cowboy, not everyone is as smart as you. Some people want the rav 4 Toyota badge and dont care that "inside" it has Toyota reliability. So they pay the extra added costs for a rav 4, or get worse gas mileage in the Subaru.

Tests show that Mazda CX50 hybrid climbs steeper hills and has better traction than the Rav 4 hyrbid.

Thats why cowboys love the cx50 hyrbid. And their horse.

I did an earlier review and decided to update it. This is my THIRD new Camry (hybrid). Im experienced with hybrids, as I have also owned 2 CRV hybrids, 1 Toyota Crown (hybrid), 1 Corolla hybrid, and one Ford Maverick hybrid.

Im gonna mention some things I know about hybrids, to include the drawbacks. First, both Toyota and Honda hybrids are, well, amazing. Yes, even the Ford Maverick does a nice job with the hybrid.

Wait, while I shoot the 64,000 pound elephant in the room. Dont fret about the hybrid battery replacement. The 10 year, 150,000 mile warranty on the Camry hybrid should put that "fear" of changing the battery to rest. (No, I can not promise all hybrids have this warranty, but my 2026 Camry LE does). If you want to worry about the warranty "after" 150,000 miles, then you can trade in your car after it turns over 150,000 miles, for most people that will be about a decade from now.

The 2026 has the Lithium Ion technology (hybrid) battery, which replaced the old Nickel metal hydride style of battery. The Lithium stores more energy, so you have more power, and a lighter vehicle. But the lithium tends to overheat, whereby Toyota "seems to have solved that problem" with a water (aka antifreeze) cooled battery technology, while most of the older hybrid batteries were air cooled.

If you buy "the Toyota hybrid powertrain" in EITHER the Subaru Forester, or the Mazda Cx50 hybrid (both of these have Toyota made hybrid system, the older nickel metal hydride battery technology.), you get the older nickel technology. Toyota saves "the newest generartion" of hybrids for themselves, so the 2026 Camry LE has the newest technology available, well ahead of the Mazda and Subaru's "Toyota made hybrids". In short, the newest generation tech gets better gas mileage and has less weight and more power.

This said, since I have owned both, the tried and true NIMH Toyota hybrid system has certain advantages, and its certainly proven reliable with some older Camry's and Prius running after 300,000 or more miles. Uber drivers love them, they get great mileage and go a long time.

Now, some drawbacks to hybrid technology, which mostly applies to them all. Toyota designed the system to "max out" at the optimum 77degress F. Temperatures either below that or above it operate at somewhat less efficient.

This will be noticable especially in extreme cold. Every single hybrid I ever owned got significantly worse fuel economy in cold weather. Cold weather erodes "the hybrid advantage" in fuel economy.

Indeed, my experience has been that the hybdrid "bump" in fuel economy mostly disappears when its very cold. You may as well have gas only if you live in places like Alaska or where the temp just does not warm up much of the year.

I estimate I get a nice hybrid "bump" in fuel economy about 9 to 10 months per year. So, its easy to overestimate how much fuel you will actually save.

But..back to the hybrid pluses, there is little dispute the "Total cost to own" is less in the hybrid, such as the LE hybrid.

Its "not just" about fuel economy. Maintence, is often less in hybrid than in ICE (gas only). Why?

1. Brakes. Hybrid car brakes "regenerate" that energy charging your battery, and not grinding away brake linings. My experience has been brakes on the hybrid last 2-3 times longer than gas engine brakes. That saves money, saving brake jobs.

2. No alternator or starter. This means they dont have to be replaced or repaired.

3. Your gas engine "runs less". It does not run "at all" when you are in "Electric" (EV mode). The battery will power your car, alone, for short distances at low speed, with a fully charged hybrid battery. As an example, if you are in EV mode "10 percent of the time", that suggests a motor with 100,000 miles actually only has 90,000 miles. So, your spark plugs last longer, and so do other gas engine components.

4. When you add up fuel savings, maintance savings on brakes, alternators, starters, and fewer spark plug changes, its "more than enough" to pay for a hybrid battery, if you keep the car long enough to wear out a hybrid battery. (I have not..After 7 hybrids, the only hybrid battery that failed (Ford Maverick) was covered under warranty.).

For me, I love the quiet, smooth power of a hybrid. Electric motors have "instant torque" while gas engines "need to rev up to the optimum RPM's" to generate max power, while the elctric motors get their torque immediately.

I bought a total of 8 hybrids, from 3 different companies: Toyota, Honda, and Ford. So far, I have bought "exactly zero" hybrid batteries, having owned mostly hybrids during the past 12 years or so. I was pleased with them all. ALL 3 had lower "total cost to own" than their gas only counterparts. Yep, they cost less. One reason, in addition to the others I mentioned:

Yes, hybrids often cost more up front but do they really cost more to own? Probably not. Why? Because they are popular and bring a premium when you sell them. (With older hybrids not so much). If the hybrid model costs 2500 to 3000 more than the gas model, well you often get that back when you trade it in).

Im "not the only one" who wants good fuel economy, and buyers of new or used cars oftne prefer the hybrids, as do I.

I bought the camry LE in early April, so I have had it a little over a month and put 1400 miles on it.

The LE model is the "sweet spot". Why? The XLE, SE, XSE all have those rough riding low profile cool looking tires and wheels, when I want a smooth, quiet ride instead. There is "more rubber and air" between you and the potholes on the 2026 LE with 16 inch tires, than those low profile rougher riding tires and wheels on the other models. Since a quiet smooth comfortable ride is a higher priority than impressing my teen age girlfriend with "black" wheels, my only option as a senior is the LE model. And my teen age grand daughters will have to go unimpressed with my wheels.

The elephant in the room? Does the LE really get 50 mpg in the city and 53 on the hiway? You wont like my answer, which "depends".

1. Yes in the warmer temperatures, "if you hypermile a bit" you can (and I did) get as much as 54 mpg. To do that you need to drive like you are trying to cut your fuel costs to feed your starving grandchildren. And, you have to put in "Top Tier GAS" and avoid fraud gas stations which mislabel and sell "their gas" as if it was top tier when it isnt. You have to be choosy, as you cant trust that "Shell" sign to mean its top tier, because the gas station owner can and sometimes does keep that sign up, while calling an independent trucker and tell him to fill your tanks with the cheap stuff. The safe way is to fuel at QT because those are company owned stores, not gas stations independendly owned and operated who can cheat on whose gas to put in regardless of what the sign says.

2. No in cooler climates, when you are in a hurry and dont want to hypermile, or make the mistake of thinking "Shell" means always top tier high quality gas..that there is no such thing as fraud with gas station owners.

The 2026 Camry LE is both amazing, and frustrating. Lets start with Amazing:

Its a very good value, much better than the accord hybrid. The low end hybrid "accord sport" is thousands more expensive than the Camry LE (all new Camry's are hybrid now). Worse, the Accord sport, tho it costs more, leave off the blind spot monitor. That ended it for me. Costs less than Honda accord sport and safer with blind spot monitor.

Im skipping over "appearance opinions" of the car..you either like it or dont, your choice and my choice does not matter that much to you..

The Camry "nailed it" when it comes to being able to buy "the equipment I want", but not be forced to overpay for other equipment in packages I dont like and dont want to pay for. For me, that means being able to buy "heated seats" and heated steering wheel, which I love, "without" also paying for unwanted overpriced moon roofs, and $2500 worth of "blacked out" uncomfortable riding low profile tires and wheels. In other words the car is equipped "to suit me", just the equipment I want, without being forced to buy stuff I dont need, dont want, and cant afford. That is huge. I cant do that with the Accord hybrid, I must buy uncomfortable tires and wheels and unwanted moon roofs to get the heated seats and heated steering I do want. I also must buy some of that stuff "just to get" the blind spot monitor, or else worry about cars "in my blind spot" each time I move over a lane.

The most amazing part of the camry is the power train. How they ever got it smooth, quiet, powerful, AND fuel efficient is just amazing.

Frustrating: I literally can not buy the comfortable leather seats "without" rough riding low profile tires. (No leather no faux leather, in the LE models). The packages are not designed for seniors at all. Its not "senior friendly".

I hear the TSS 4.0 (not available in the 2026 camry, they have to get rid of the unsold TSS 3.0 versions first, or have junk in inventory) is much better. Seniors want "intuitive" easy to use infotainment, not complex menus which require hours on utube to try to decipher into English.

Toyota wont admit mistakes. Instead, Toyota insists on the allocation system, pre supposing we are all too stupid to know what color or equipment we want, so we need Toyota inventory management to make those decisions for us. I want to pick my color, my equipment, my model, and negotiate my price, thank you. If I like, I can take pictures and let my spouse pick the color schemes. She is awesome at it!

This means you probably wont be able to buy a new Camry in your favorite color, favorite equipment. Instead, you will pick an "also ran" from Toyota allocation and wait..and wait..until Toyota finally decides you "did good enough" to pass the test and are "given the priveldge" of driving a Toyota. That is, assuming you dont get into a dispute anager your dealer who didnt tell you he was adding a market adjustment to the price, since Toyota is in "high demand", which gives your dealer the rights to steal your money.

In sum, I recommend a Camry "as long as" you are able to successfully bypass the "allocation trap" that Toyota has engineered into its marketing designed to part you and your money. You haver to keep looking until you find a color and equipment "on the lot" not in allocation. You are not allowed to negotiate on cars "in allocation" under the penalty of cash.

Im sure you have been through it, I certainly have. You see a Toyota commercial about, oh say, the Sienna (hybrid) that gets crazy good fuel economy and carries 8 passengers. I did. You go to buy one, to the dealer, and he explains the reality you must "get in line" for an allocation, as they dont have any cars available.

So, you sit down. The sales person asks, "Whats your favorite color?" after you respond, they say, " Oh, we dont have any of those on allocation, so you have to pick one of these other colors you hate. "

Grudgingly, you decide oh well, maybe that color is not all that ugly after all, it gets great mileage and will fit my family.

So you ask, "When can I test drive one?" The dealer responds, "after you buy it you can test drive it as long as you keep up the payments".

Finally you get to the bottom line. "How much are they?" "Shhhh..the owner will hear you and escort you off the premises." They are in such high demand, you have to be willing to buy it no matter how much "market adjustment is" when the car actually arrives.

Ok, well "what equipment will it have?" Shhhhhhh...Quiet...the owner will hear you and sense your hesitation! You have to buy it no matter how much extra profit equipment the van comes with.

(You keep going and realize you are a nobody facing a goliath company who has sold their reputation in order to maximize profits, at your expense.).

But you continue, as you like the idea. After all, Toyota is so reliable it will last 15 years right, so what if I have to pay 10,000 over msrp for mandatory "junk equipment" such as overpriced floor mats, nitrogen in tires, and dealer profit protection packages?

Ok, now when will the Sienna arrive? The salesman hesitates..looking at future allocations.."Well, with the mandatory add on equipment, dealer fees, market adjustments, and bumped up interest rates over "buy in rate" for additonal back end undisclosed dealer profit, the car will be priced over 100,000 and payments over $2000 per month. Can you afford that since it could likely be more, if prices and market adjustments increase before it arrives, and we cant be sure wwhen it will arrive?

You respond, "Uhh, I wanted the $44,000 LE model, with 4.9 percent Toyota advertised."

Sorry those are no longer available, and never were. Its a gimmick to get you in the dealership, and then switch you to a higher profit model. They sold the only few of these ever made to family members (and close friends) of dealers, so they could claim they had a $44,000 model in the ads at 4.9%. You dont qualify for 4.9%, unless you have close connections to the dealer or his family, or Toyota Financial services. Other wise, you pay 28 percent interest or higher, if you have bad credit. You must finance through the dealer, or you cant buy a car here to give the dealer more profit opportunities, to sell you over priced, unnecessary warranties, and also, market adjustments to increase interest rates for additional dealer profits.

Well, will you still be here to explain all this to me when the car arrives?

"Heavens no. I got fired from the dealership for telling the truth about Toyota allocations, and how they are a disasters financial decision for you, overpaying so much for the car, you will owe much more than the car is worth for at least 5 more years, "even with" toyota legendary reliablity and amazing resale value. Oh, and yes, many of Toyota's features trial version expires, so your payments will increase as you will need to pay subscription fees, to use things like the sirius xm radio, remote start, and even safety features like disabling the car in the event of car jacking, "if toyota decides to monetize that also" in the future. Today is my last day, so someone with less integrity will be delivering the car for you, who is willing to lie to you about the drawbacks before purchase.

The good news, is we have a sale on brand new 2024 Tundra's, with a turbo motor. They may get this disastrous failure prone motor fixed by 2026 or 2027, and, after you default on those payments because the Truck wont go any more due to a failed motor, you may actually have credit good enough to get a vehicle at a buy here pay here lot, as long as you are not picky there either. Of course, that will mean you will need to commit to about 90 percent of your income to outrageously overpriced vehicles, and userous interest rates, also hidden in fees, and other hidden charges.

Its true.

You want remote start? You get a one year trial on remote connect, then start making payments on your remote starter or its disabled after a year. Its the hidden payment plan.

Worse, Toyota offers about 4 or 5 different "subscription plans", they control the software and can disable it at any time. And, they can change these plans at their will, and disable some of the features you thought were free, such as using your phone as the car key.

They raised the prices of Toyota's doing this, deceptively, and hidden price increases. Its a ripoff.

Honda (2026 HRV) has a remote starter "on the remote" that cant be disabled by Honda.

Just say no to Toyota tax increases, whether or not they are hidden.