New & Used Toyota Hybrids Near Cincinnati

It’s becoming increasingly evident that the automotive world is moving away from traditional fuel-powered engines. The transition, however, is a slow one, and hybrid vehicles are the ideal compromise between gas and electric. Toyota’s impressive hybrid lineup has a wide variety of vehicles, so you can be sure you’ll find what you’re looking for.

What Are Hybrid Vehicles?

Before discussing the advantages of hybrid cars and mentioning specific models, it’s important to understand the technology behind this type of vehicle. The basic definition of a hybrid car is a vehicle that uses two engines: a conventional gas-powered engine and an electric motor using energy stored in batteries. The latter powers the car at low speeds to reduce the high fuel consumption needed to get the car moving, while the former takes over at higher speeds.

Combining the strengths of gas and electric power results in much lower emissions, especially since hybrid vehicles have innovative ways to regenerate power. Some of these ways are:

• Recharging while using the gas-powered engine: You can’t recharge a hybrid vehicle’s battery by plugging it in, as you would with a plug-in hybrid or electric vehicle. However, plugging it in is unnecessary because the hybrid system uses the power generated by the traditional engine to recharge the batteries constantly as you drive.
• Regenerative braking: Another innovative way of getting power back into the batteries is by using the kinetic energy that the car produces when braking. Whenever you hit the brakes, the system collects some of that energy and moves it back into the car’s batteries.
• Automatic start/stop: Using electric power to get the car moving means that the engine completely shuts down at a standstill and only turns back on when you press the accelerator pedal. This means that, unlike most gas-powered cars that still use up some energy while standing still at a stop sign, hybrid cars only use as much as they need.

Why Choose a Hybrid?

There are plenty of advantages that come with owning and driving a hybrid vehicle. Some major ones are:

• They use much less fuel: The main advantage of owning a hybrid vehicle is that you’ll save a lot of money on gas over time. For example, a regular gas-powered Toyota Camry has a 28 city mpg rating, while a hybrid Camry has an impressive 51 city mpg rating.
• They’re more environmentally friendly: Besides being better for the environment by consuming less fuel, hybrid cars also eliminate the emissions that gas-powered vehicles have by simply standing still at a red light. Since they use electric power at low speeds, the engine only burns fuel when the car is in motion.
• They have financial benefits: Due to their environmental friendliness, there are many benefits that you can take advantage of by purchasing a hybrid vehicle, such as better credit conditions and lower taxes.
• They typically require less maintenance: Although this depends on multiple factors, hybrid vehicles tend to require less maintenance than gas-powered ones. The main reason is that they use an electrical powertrain at low speeds, reducing the engine’s wear and tear.

Toyota’s Impressive Hybrid Lineup

Toyota is a pioneer of hybrid technology and offers its customers a rich lineup of hybrid models.

2022 Toyota Prius

The Prius was the world’s first mass-produced hybrid vehicle 25 years ago and is still going strong today. The 2022 model is part of its fourth generation and manages to improve upon an already impressive vehicle. Its strong point is its amazing fuel economy, with an EPA-estimated range of 56 mpg in combined city-highway settings. The Prius is a highly economical, very comfortable, modern car with a quiet interior and infotainment features. It’s also reasonably powerful, with its hybrid powertrain producing a total of 121 horsepower.

2022 Toyota Camry Hybrid

If you’re looking for the comfort and elegance of a classic sedan but also want a fuel-efficient vehicle, the Camry Hybrid is the ideal choice. With a combined fuel economy rating of 52 mpg and a power output of 208 horsepower, it’s truly a way to reduce fuel consumption without compromising on performance. Also, as you would expect from a modern sedan, it has plenty of safety and infotainment technology. Even the base version comes with driver aids like forward collision mitigation, adaptive cruise control, a lane-keeping system, and infotainment features like smartphone integration and a touch screen display.

2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

Having a hybrid SUV is ideal for taking road trips with family and friends without having to spend too much money on gas. With around 40 mpg and a smooth, continuously variable automatic transmission, every trip is likely to be smoother and more environmentally friendly than it would be in a standard SUV. It also has other desirable attributes for an SUV, such as all-wheel-drive capability, high ground clearance for venturing off-road, and 37.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the two rows. Overall, the hybrid RAV4 is an improvement on an already great vehicle.

2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

If a standard SUV can’t fit all your friends or family, you can choose the three-row SUV Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Having a combined mpg of 36 is impressive for a vehicle this size and is more than 10 mpg better than its gas-powered version. Also, despite its size, the Highlander is surprisingly agile and fun to drive, with a zero to 60 time of 8.2 seconds that even beats some much smaller sedans and hatchbacks. Its space and comfort are the biggest selling points, with eight comfortable seats and 48.4 cubic feet of space behind the second row.

Electric vehicles may be the future, but at the moment, hybrids enjoy the best of both worlds. If you’re looking for a vehicle that’s both fuel-efficient and doesn’t have the limited range that fully electric vehicles have, you can definitely find something that suits you in Toyota’s lineup. See them up close and take them for a test drive by visiting us at Performance Toyota.