Leading the Hybrid car market in Vietnam, as of July 2023, nearly 7,000 Toyota Hybrid cars have been delivered to customers and received multiple reviews.
Since 1997, Toyota has sold 22 million electric cars worldwide, contributing to the reduction of 165 million tons of CO2. Currently, Toyota is the largest manufacturer of electric cars with over 60 models, selling over 2 million cars per year. Among them, the self-charging Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) have the largest number of models with 48.
In the Vietnamese market, Toyota officially introduced the mass-market Hybrid segment since August 2020 with the Corolla Cross. Following that, the Camry and Altis twins were introduced with hybrid versions in 2021 and 2022, respectively. After 3 years of development, the hybrid car community is growing stronger, with thousands of users all over the country.
In order to provide readers with accurate, objective, and realistic views of Toyota Hybrid cars, this article will feature the feedback from the car owners themselves, including Mr. Dao Binh Thin – owner of a Toyota Corolla Altis Hybrid and Mr. Tran Thanh Tung – owner of a Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid car.
Reasons for choosing Toyota Hybrid cars?
As a teacher living in a northern mountainous province, Mr. Binh Thin has had years of experience using cars. The first car he chose for himself was a 2015 Corolla Altis. Afterwards, to serve the travel needs of the whole family, he and his wife chose to replace it with a high-ground clearance Mazda CX-5.
Until this year, Mr. Thin added another Corolla Altis Hybrid to use alongside the SUV his family already had, fulfilling the daily travel needs in the city.
Sharing his decision to choose Corolla Altis Hybrid, Mr. Thin said: In terms of technology, the Corolla Altis is currently superior to its competitors. Not only the hybrid propulsion technology, but also the Toyota Safety Sense active safety technology is helping the car to have a “new elevated position” compared to competitors from South Korea, or even their compatriot Mazda. This is the reason that attracted Mr. Thin to the Corolla Altis Hybrid. Studying the global market, Mr. Thin feels more reassured knowing that hybrid engines have existed for a long time and have proven their position in demanding markets such as the US or Europe. Personally, he has longed to experience this technology.
For young customer Tran Thanh Tung, before coming to the Corolla Cross Hybrid, the 1997-born young man also had doubts about choosing the Ford Everest 4×2. However, the most impressive point that Toyota hybrid models brought to Tung was the surprisingly fuel-saving ability. Tung shared that the main reason for his decision to buy a Corolla Cross was because the car has Hybrid technology.
User reviews about Toyota Hybrid cars
About Hybrid technology: After using them for some time, both Mr. Binh Thin and Thanh Tung have dispelled their concerns about buying Hybrid technology and Toyota Hybrid cars. Both users affirm that operating a Hybrid car is very different, but it does not require any complexity or difficulty for the driver compared to running a gasoline car. The difference lies in the fact that when starting the car, the gasoline engine is not yet operational, the car will draw energy from the battery and run in electric mode (EV mode). When starting to accelerate, the car will activate the gasoline engine to supply energy to the battery and provide additional power to the car.
About the operating state: When starting to move, the car runs smoothly and silently, without emitting noise like a conventional gasoline car. When running at high speeds, the car will maintain its motion based on the electric motor system and run on inertia. At this time, users will clearly feel the smoothness and quietness of the car. The switch between the gasoline engine and the electric motor is completely controlled by an intelligent control system.
About the durability of the car: Mr. Thin said that a Corolla Altis Hybrid car is about 90 million VND more expensive than the gasoline version. However, the hybrid car is more fuel-efficient, up to 50% more.
In addition, Mr. Thanh Tung shared that at the first maintenance milestones of 3,000km and 5,000km, the maintenance cost of the car is very “comfortable” at only 500 – 700 thousand VND. Referring to major maintenance milestones such as 20,000km or 30,000km, Mr. Tung said the maintenance fees are also only in the range of 1 – 2 million VND, which means that it can even be cheaper than regular gasoline car maintenance.
About safety: Along with the hybrid technology, the active safety features in the Toyota Safety Sense package are also a very noteworthy point when using Toyota Hybrid models. Thanh Tung shared that no one can be 100% focused when driving. No matter how much focus is given, there will always be distractions. This is the time when TSS comes into effect. Thanks to TSS, the driver can not only have more peace of mind while driving, but also make the driving process easier, less stressful, especially on long journeys.
Mr. Binh Thin said that the design of the new version helps the driver’s field of view to be very comprehensive, minimizing blind spots, making it more convenient and safer.
Things to improve in Toyota Hybrid cars
However, no car is perfect. Sharing the same view, Mr. Binh Thin suggested that if the soundproofing ability could be improved, the Corolla Altis Hybrid would be a perfectly good car in all aspects, instead of receiving 9.5/10 points as it currently does. As for the Corolla Cross Hybrid, Mr. Thanh Tung said that the car needs to improve the rear suspension system to be softer. Currently, Mr. Thanh Tung rates the car at 8.5/10 points according to his subjective evaluation.
To Nhu (Tuoitrethudo)
