2017 Atara SL Petrol or Hybrid?

[jpress]

Hi guys,

I'm in the market for a 2016/17 Atara SL and wanting to scope out opinions on whether the hybrid is worth the extra money for my situation.

I am in Perth, Western Australia and commute approx. 300 kms a week. Most of the driving is on the freeway.

There seems to be a difference of about $2k - $3k between petrol and hybrid models.

Any and all opinions welcome.

Cheers.

[campbeam]

Big question over the hybrid models is the lifespan and replacement cost of the battery pack. Best to confirm with Toyota Australia about the warranty for the battery pack.

The other unanswered question is how long do you intend to keep the vehicle. Both of these factors are going to influence the total cost of ownership. Ideally you want the greater price difference difference between the petrol and hybrid models.

Personally, I am very conservative and keep my vehicles long term i.e. 10+years so would be more inclined towards the petrol model with its proven automatic transmission.

[ZZT86]

Economy difference: Petrol 6L/100kms vs Hybrid 4.9L/100kms exclusively driven on the HWY only . . . . so not much in it.

If you have a very laid back style of driving & not in a hurry then the Hybrid powertrain may suit. You must test drive it for at least 30minutes so you can get a true sense of what it's like, it's unlike any other car you've driven before especially sitting at traffic lights where the powertrain just shutsdown. I would ask the dealer to loan you the vehicle overnight so you can test it over your usually driven roads. The economy in the latest generation Camry is a real eye popper - mid 4's ! You should easily get the stated govt economy figures if you drive it sensibly & have a light foot especially from a standstill to force the system to run on EV mode only up until about 40km/h or if your right foot gets too excited or you run out of battery juice.

Warranty on batteries was 8 years for those cars which is now 10years for latest gen Toyotas IIRC. I have it from a good Toyota source that Hybrids are generally bombproof, a typical Toyota & the batteries will last a long time with little to no issues, hence the long warranty. Hybrid Taxis have been known to go 800K kms all OEM & easily get 750-800kms per tank!

Cost of battery replacement is about $3K-$4K, as Ash said perhaps confirm with a few dealers on cost first.

If $$ is tight get the Petrol (also simpler/cheaper to service), if you're adventurous perhaps the Hybrid.

Good luck.

Edited September 29, 2020 by ZZT86

[Tony Prodigy]

I think you both make valid points here but Ashley hit the nail on the head in terms of long term ownership. I know Toyota make a quality product but batteries are batteries and they will all go bad eventually and if a battery pack costs 7-8k now, how much would this be in 10 years from now ??

I think the hybrid will be ready for the wreckers at that point. Who'd spend 10K or more replacing the battery packs when the car is practically worthless ?

I much prefer petrol power and the refinements Toyota have made, especially to V6, make it a better choice for me.

[ZZT86]

I Personally think Hydrogen is the future, batteries are a big waste from start to finish.

Edited October 27, 2020 by ZZT86

[Tony Prodigy]

1 hour ago, ZZT86 said:

I Personally think Hydrogen is the future, batteries are a big waste from start to finish.

You'll start a war with OPEC with that free radical thinking 😂😜

[ZZT86]

Yeah, the REAL reason why OPEC opposing drivetrains have been slow to take off   It's all about the $$ not the health of the planet ;)