Tow-free hybrids a 'lifestyle' issue: Toyota

Tow a caravan behind a hybrid? Surely that's as unrealistic as loading a golf bag in a Fiat 500 or setting fastest time in a Land Rover Defender through a slalom?

There's a public perception that hybrids are slow. By analogy, they're not all that powerful -- and if they're not powerful, how can they possibly tow trailers or caravans adequately?

Some hybrid-drive vehicles could actually be well suited to towing. Cars such as the Toyota Hybrid Camry produce 187Nm of torque from the petrol four-cylinder engine and a further 270Nm of torque from its electric motor -- with both engines operating simultaneously through the same drivetrain. Cumulatively, the two engines have more than adequate muscle to haul a small trailer or light caravan.

Yet Camry Hybrid owners cannot make use of the combined torque for that purpose. As far as Toyota's concerned, it's about using the car's power for good, not evil. Good purposes? (or at least necessary evils) -- emergency situations. Evil? -- towing stuff.

Toyota Australia PR Manager, Mike Breen advised that the company's Lexus luxury brand does field a hybrid that will tow -- the RX450h. If you plan to tow with your hybrid, this is the vehicle for you.

One principal difference between the Lexus and the Camry is that the former drives through all four wheels and spreads the available torque accordingly. It is just plain better suited in the role of tow vehicle.

Breen was responding earlier this week to a question put to him by the Carsales Network after we observed that the Federal Government's ADR (Australian Design Rule) approval documentation for the company's Camry Hybrid indicated it wasn't cleared to tow any sort of weight at all, braked or unbraked.

"TMC recommends that you don't tow with the Hybrid Camry, which is the same for Prius," Breen replied.

"When TMC were coming out with the concept of hybrid, they were looking at it as basically a vehicle that was designed to achieve the best possible fuel efficiency -- and they figured that towing a caravan, a trailer or something would negate that. So basically they chose not to make it available for towing.

"The RX450h [Lexus] can tow, but it's the lifestyle vehicle that people would tow with, whereas I think the research showed that with just the normal petrol Camry, only about 12 per cent of people that buy the Camry tend to tow with it.

"People buy an Aurion or a Kluger if they were looking at towing. With the Hybrid Camry, because of the design concept of the hybrid, it wasn't necessary to have it available with towing."

The Camry Hybrid is actually capable of transferring more torque through the diff and CV joints than the V6-engined Aurion. However, there would be additional stresses potentially acting on other parts of the drivetrain, such as the dual planetary gearset in the continuously variable transmission. Therefore, it wouldn't be unreasonable for Toyota to discourage towing in the Hybrid on durability grounds -- but it's not a question of durability or any similar consideration, we're told.

Breen was unequivocal that the decision not to homologate the Camry Hybrid for towing was about the way the car presents itself to the market, not the short space of time available to bring it to production or any other challenge the company faced.

"There's been no technical reason," Breen said. "TMC just felt that with the concept of hybrid, that towing would be contrary to the lifestyle that the Hybrid [Camry] represents."

Will TMCA (Toyota Australia), leave the way open for an ex-factory tow kit to be offered as an option or accessory down the track then?

"I'm sure they'll look at it and -- as the years go by -- they'll definitely look at that, as hybrids become more common," said Breen.

"You can tow with a conventional Camry, or the towbar is available for the conventional Camry. Like I said, only about 12 per cent of people go for a Camry with a towbar. If they want to tow a caravan, they generally elect to go for an Aurion or a Kluger."