As the topic name says school me on the Lexus CT200h - other than it is a Lexus Prius. Do they have better drivning dynamics or what?
As the topic name says school me on the Lexus CT200h - other than it is a Lexus Prius. Do they have better drivning dynamics or what?
It looks better....other than that I got nothin'.
Never driven a Prius or CT200h but have driven enough other CVTs to have a hard time believing they have any "dynamics" to speak of.
They look neat.
I have a 2014 F Sport that I bought 2 weeks ago.
It handles 90% as good as by 2006 MINI S Cabrio while having a far superior/comfortable ride. It corners pretty flat given the relatively beefy sway bars, 1" in front and 7/8" in rear. It is a stiff chassis. My wife still finds it "smooth" while I think the suspension is about as hard as most normal people would call acceptable. Still you can add a thicker sway bar set from Lexus and lowering springs too if you want more hardcore.
The braking is a little odd, but effective. There is a transition between regen and normal friction brakes that you can feel sometimes.
The acceleration around town is good/acceptable. 0-60kph is really quite good with the gas engine and battery giving decent oomph. Over 60kph is not so good. Highway acceleration can be noisy and pretty slow. It will drive 120kph effortlessly and near silently. The integration of the hybrid bits is really slick. You can't tell when the motor shuts down or turns on unless at a dead stop. There are pretty graphs and such to tell you what's going on.
The interior is very nice and well done. May be cramped for large folk, but I am only 5'8" and 160lbs so it's fine for me. Seats are good. The rear hatch area is fairly small but workable. The rear seat room is good for kids and two adults, but 3 adults would be a real squeeze. Stereo is good. Bluetooth is acting a little haphazardly, but it may be me or my phone.
I got 4.9l/100k on my last tank, that's about 48 US mpg with normal highway driving at 70+mph, no weird hypermiling involved.
I like all the LED lights and exterior styling, the grill is over the top, but it grows on you. It makes a noise like a space ship when in EV mode to warn blind people of its presence. I laughed when I heard it.
2014 got the mid cycle refresh so is quieter, stiffer, improved ride, improved power delivery, exterior changes and a few nice interior bits.
The not so good: costs a lot, you aren't supposed to put a hitch on it, smallish, could use 20+ hp, the VSC cannot be turned off, but the sport mode tones it down some, no slick factory roof rack, but Thule and Yakima have options, not likely to be a good autox or track day car.
A slightly larger CT300h (euro IS300h drivetrain) would be sweet.
I drove it when it first came out. It's a neat little car, but could use an injection of joy.
http://www.auto123.com/en/lexus/ct-200h/2011/review?carid=1113401001&artid=138243
bigdaddylee82 wrote: Never driven a Prius or CT200h but have driven enough other CVTs to have a hard time believing they have any "dynamics" to speak of. They look neat. - Lee
I am still getting used to this. The CVT is OK so far, can't complain. There is "b" drive mode that allows for engine braking. I haven't tried it yet, but don't expect much. I have flung it around a few corners and it did very well. Off the line in sport mode is really quite good, better than a laggy turboed AWD 3900lb wagon.
Lesley wrote: I drove it when it first came out. It's a neat little car, but could use an injection of joy. http://www.auto123.com/en/lexus/ct-200h/2011/review?carid=1113401001&artid=138243
"Inside that cheeky little hatchback beats a heart completely lacking in spontaneity, and the soul of a bean-counter"
One internet for you Lesley. Well played.
I love the way they look.
A (female) friend of mine had one for a couple years. She said it was "boring as hell" to driver.....and she had previously been driving an FJ Cruiser. Last I heard she had traded it in for something else.
I have lusted after an F-Sport for a bit over 2 years, now. I dont exactly love the styling treatment on the back end, but the car is sort of in a class of 1 so options are limited. F-Sport interior and the rest of the exterior are uhhhmazing imo.
It's sort of like a mazdaspeed3 where you trade 130 hp for 25 more mpg and a way nicer interior.
It is not a sports car. It's a really good commuter/city car. Think of it as a complement to your race/fun car.
Well, i already have an 07 Prius so a ct200h f-sport does ALMOST everything better. You definitely wouldnt want to think of it as a sports car even if it DOES handle 90% as well as a Mini Cooper S.
In reply to Vigo:
"Cabrio MCS".......a bit of a difference there from a normal MCS. 
You mean better weight distribution with the top down? I forgot about that!
You'll need to log in to post.
