Lexus CT200h 10,000 mile review

I landed an awesome job in Boston this past fall. It unfortunately meant that my commute was now going to be 1.5 hours of bumper to bumper traffic each way. My Mazda2 wasn't going to cut it anymore. I needed something with an automatic that was comfortable, good on gas, reliable, and reasonably priced. I thought the Prius was an obvious choice, but I just couldn't get into it after test driving a couple of them.

After test driving maybe 6 different cars - A 2014 CT200h popped up for sale at a local Infiniti dealer and I figured I would give it a shot. It checked off all of the boxes and I ended up buying it. I'm now 10k miles into ownership since October and here are my thoughts:

Pros:
-They're cheap used. I paid $14,900 for this thing with 55k miles on it. Mileage was a bit high for a 2014, but this was THE cheapest 2014 I saw on a nationwide search on autotrader.
-It's been completely reliable so far. Oil change interval is 10k miles and I've only had to do one since buying it.
-It's quiet and comfortable and I don't feel like death after the long commute.
-It had Lexus accessory F Sport springs and Yokohama S Drive's on it when I bought the car... it actually handles surprisingly well.
-I'm averaging 44MPG since buying it. Worst tank was 41mpg and the best was 48.5. The car has been on snow tires the majority of the time I've owned it too.
-It has dealt with the snow pretty well with General Altimax Arctic tires on it.

Cons:
-I can't stand CVT transmissions and I don't feel any better about them after putting 10k miles on this car.
-The visibility isn't great. The rear windows are tiny and the blindspots took some getting used to.
-It's slow. Really slow. Like 0-60 in 10+ seconds slow.
-Maybe it's just the lowering springs on mine, but it is a bit harsh over potholes.
-Trunk space is surprisingly poor. The batteries in the trunk lift the floor height fairly high.

Overall: If you're looking for a car to sit in traffic all day - this is a pretty solid choice. There is little in the way of fun, but it is a reliable and efficient option that is more comfortable and nicer looking than a Prius. I certainly wouldn't pay $30k+ for a new one, but these are a good used buy.

Photos of mine: And with the snow tires on:

disappointing to hear about the lack of acceleration. I like the way that they look and thought that they might be a pretty ideal sporty option for the high MPG set.

Me too. My morning drive has me take an onramp that has a 90 degree left turn onto it and then is uphill, curving, and merges two lanes into one, all at the same time. Normally I try to place myself at the traffic light to be in the lane with little/no traffic, so I can just zip past everyone. That morning, I found myself second in line behind an older Prius. The guy had the same thought process I did and just plain booked it up the onramp when the light turned green. I was going flat out and he was walking me. We were going about 70mph at the merge.

Thanks for the review! And you solidified my urge to buy one of these to replace my RDX. While the Acura has been stellar, the poor MPG and using premium fuel adds up big time for my 75 mile round trip to work. I want the fuel economy of the Prius, but I want the comfy interior of the Acura. The CT200 fits that criteria, and I can deal with the slow acceleration since it'll save me sooooo much money in fuel costs.

Still wanting to know if a 50 shot will work with the synergy drive.

In reply to Knurled:

A CT200h is less than 100lbs heavier than a same-year Prius, and they have the same drivetrain, so either that was a REALLY uniquely fast Prius or the CT would be perfectly acceptable to you

Is the CVT the only transmission option for those cars?

Woody wrote: Is the CVT the only transmission option for those cars?

Yes, only cvt. Prius drivetrain.

To the OP, how are the ergonomics? They seem to have a very nice cockpit in pictures.

John Welsh wrote: To the OP, how are the ergonomics? They seem to have a very nice cockpit in pictures.

I think the ergonomics are great. The slanted center console and gear selector seemed a little weird at first, but everything is pretty much where you'd expect it to be. My car doesn't have the navigation option so the area where the mouse is in your photo is a cell phone sized cubbby. I've used the Lexus nav in other cars and the mouse thing isn't terrible, but I prefer the car without it.

Another note about the speed. It's a 3300lb car with 130hp. I wouldn't call it dangerously slow by any means, but it's acceleration is mediocre at best. You floor it, the engine shoots up to 4000rpm and stays there, and the car slowly builds speed. In bumper to bumper traffic you don't even notice the CVT, but it just feels unnatural when you're trying to merge onto the highway or if you're passing someone.

I have a 2014 FSport. The ride is pretty good, but you do still feel sharp bumps. There are 3 spring/sway sets for this car: Stock Non FSport < FSport Factory < TRD/FSport Accessory. FSport stock springs are different than the TRD/Accessory lowering springs. Also the FSport sway bars are different than the TRD bars. You might be able to find some stock Fsport suspension on the web or trade somebody for your TRD stuff. There is a CT200h webforum as well as a sub-forum on clublexus.

I don't drive mine on the highway much so don't really need to accelerate on a ramp much. I agree that it is slow in those situations. However, around town in "sport" mode it is surprisingly quick. I think the CVT is fine for stop and go traffic.

OP - your mileage will improve once the weather is warmer. You should see 50+mpg on occasion.

Mine has gone 50k km will zero repairs. The brake pads and rotors still have tons of life.

Thanks for the review, I've always wondered what these are like to live with for a commute. I think they're a good-looking car!

We had one of these for about 18 months and it was a great little car. The dog wasn't a huge fan of the high load floor (batteries) as he was a little cramped, but I was surprised at what we were able to fit in that little thing. Also, it repeatedly knocked down 40-45 mpg for us, which, when gas was hovering around $4 a gallon was pretty awesome.

It's not exactly a CVT in the traditional sense - it's a power split planetary gearset. Toyota likes to call it an "e-CVT" but its really just a planetary gear. Not belts or chains.

My dad has one (and a built hyabusa lol) and he's been really happy with it. He ditched the factory hypermiling rubber, said it trasformed it. Definitely a momentum car though.

I have seen a number of these with the FSport suspension. It always seemed like a strange option for these cars. Clearly not a fast car. I am not sure it has much use for the suspension improvements (especially with the mileage focused tires mentioned above) and is only making the ride harsher then necessary.

I've been a big fan of the CT200h ever since i got a chance to check out an F-Sport when they first came out.

As a Prius owner (1.5L version as well, slower than the 1.8 drivetrain in the CT) i'm perfectly ok with that level of acceleration in certain contexts. However, i do feel like the CT is a huge could've-been due to the lack of power. Toyota has the parts to build a fast compact hybrid, and i wish the CT had been it.

The Camry Hybrid drivetrain would make a ~3200 lb car very quick. They've ALMOST built this car before. The HS250h had the 1st gen Camry Hybrid drivetrain in a smallish car. However, the 1st gen Camry Hybrid drivetrain was much weaker than subsequent versions and the car was not particularly quick, about low 16s 1/4. The last two generations of Camry Hybrid have been quick cars in their own right, trapping about 90mph in the 1/4. That drivetrain in the CT would have made it a legitimately sporty compact hybrid hatch. I wish they had built it that way.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/IcgyvQBODyI?ecver=2

Funnily enough, I was just watching this. What this guy has done to his CT is pretty neat.