Test Drove A Ct200H The Other Day

[denslexusgx470]

I had the opportunity to test drive a new CT200H. First of all, that car is way too small for me (I'm only 5'11"). We had a full load of 5 people in the car, the smallest one being about 5'4" and the rest ranged from 5'7"- 5'11" (so you can imagine how cramped we were and how worked up the car was). Even with all the weight, the car did decently ok! It was pretty peppy than what I imagined.

If you drive the car in normal mode, the car feels like a typical hybrid. The vehicle feels lighter than a Prius for sure. The steering wheel feels a little sportier, not too "Lexus-like" even with the way it handles. Now if you push it over to Sport mode, it really gives you full engine power. They claim that maybe the worst gas mileage you can get with the car will be around maybe 35mpg (which to me is like a JACKPOT considering that I have all SUVs in my garage and a BMW). Otherwise they said it will be well into the 40s. Also the car has an 11 gallon gas tank, so even if gas hits $5/gallon, that's only $55 for a full tank.

The controls are confusing to me. They seemed to be scattered everywhere (have you seen the interior of the CT200H?) but still user friendly unlike the simple pictures that the Germans use in their Mercedes and BMW (especially the non-user friendly i-Drive)

I LOVE the gauges though. When you're driving in Normal mode, one of the gauges is the typical hybrid meter

But if you have the car on Sport mode, the hybrid meter turns into a tach and the lights around the gauges turns red! I absolutely love that!

Overall I was satisfied with the performance of the vehicle aside from the horrible interior space for bigger people like myself

Found a link to an Autotraderlink

[LEXIRX330]

Cool Dens...was a loaner or are you looking for another Lexus! :whistles:

The CT will appeal to some...to be honest I would like to park one in the back of my GX. Then if I need to slip out once I am at the office to grab something I can take that.

[denslexusgx470]

Cool Dens...was a loaner or are you looking for another Lexus! :whistles:

The CT will appeal to some...to be honest I would like to park one in the back of my GX. Then if I need to slip out once I am at the office to grab something I can take that.

Lol. The wife of a good friend was looking for a car and they test drove a Prius already so might as well offer them the CT200H since it's new, it's a hybrid, same size, and about the same price.

It looks nice, but too small for me. It turned a lot of heads for sure. Cars ranging from a CR-V to a 09 IS350 parked next to me at a stoplight, it definitely turned heads lol.

[Steve]

got my test drive on Saturday :)

[ES350_2011]

test drove the CT200h premium last week. if the CT200 was available last December when I needed to buy a car and bought the ES350, I would have gone with the CT200. The exterior is nicely styled, not too quirky, but unique. The ride is much smoother and quieter by far than my Prius, more peppy in normal mode and fairly quick in sport mode. The rear storage space is ample, easy to throw in a bike or other substantial gear. My disappointment was in the cockpit. After the first ten minutes I realized the lumbar support was all the way out. My back hurt from that and didn't recover for the rest of the ride. My impression is that the seat is not comfortable and I'll be looking for other opinions on that. There's also a good deal of plastic in the cockpit with open compartments that will easily accumulate grit and dirt. Most of the Lexus options that are available in the ES are available in the CT.

I'm hopeful Lexus will improve the seating comfort over the coming years by the time I'm ready to trade.

[SKperformance]

Drove one last week and liked the styling accents and interior but the performance and the quick rewrapping of Subaru interior panels is weak.

For me i want to go when i need to and this car made me wonder "what's the point? " .

Way too slow to merge into fat moving traffic as the corolla felt much more responsive .

Nice idea but unless you live in a downtown core or a large city with occasional road trips it just is not a car i would look at .

I know i was biased going into the test drive but thought i would give it a chance . Wish it had done better but it is still a mish mash of Subaru and Saab (GM) and not a true Lexus . I prefer the Subaru as it is a beautiful drive in so many ways.

[denslexusgx470]

Drove one last week and liked the styling accents and interior but the performance and the quick rewrapping of Subaru interior panels is weak.

For me i want to go when i need to and this car made me wonder "what's the point? " .

Way too slow to merge into fat moving traffic as the corolla felt much more responsive .

Nice idea but unless you live in a downtown core or a large city with occasional road trips it just is not a car i would look at .

I know i was biased going into the test drive but thought i would give it a chance . Wish it had done better but it is still a mish mash of Subaru and Saab (GM) and not a true Lexus . I prefer the Subaru as it is a beautiful drive in so many ways.

It is pretty slow, but quicker than a Prius. It all depends on where you live and what the environment (traffic wise) will be like. Honestly after being rear-ended 3 times in my other car, I definitely need to drive something that has decent power to speed up especially when entering the highway.

[lemon]

My 400h was in for service last week, and I sat in one of these at the dealership. It was the last one - the service manager told me they had been selling well and only had the one left. Very nice I thought, though small. I will say that I would rather have one of these than the Prius.

[jaswood]

I had the opportunity to test drive a new CT200H. First of all, that car is way too small for me (I'm only 5'11"). We had a full load of 5 people in the car, the smallest one being about 5'4" and the rest ranged from 5'7"- 5'11" (so you can imagine how cramped we were and how worked up the car was). Even with all the weight, the car did decently ok! It was pretty peppy than what I imagined.

If you drive the car in normal mode, the car feels like a typical hybrid. The vehicle feels lighter than a Prius for sure. The steering wheel feels a little sportier, not too "Lexus-like" even with the way it handles. Now if you push it over to Sport mode, it really gives you full engine power. They claim that maybe the worst gas mileage you can get with the car will be around maybe 35mpg (which to me is like a JACKPOT considering that I have all SUVs in my garage and a BMW). Otherwise they said it will be well into the 40s. Also the car has an 11 gallon gas tank, so even if gas hits $5/gallon, that's only $55 for a full tank.

The controls are confusing to me. They seemed to be scattered everywhere (have you seen the interior of the CT200H?) but still user friendly unlike the simple pictures that the Germans use in their Mercedes and BMW (especially the non-user friendly i-Drive)

I LOVE the gauges though. When you're driving in Normal mode, one of the gauges is the typical hybrid meter

But if you have the car on Sport mode, the hybrid meter turns into a tach and the lights around the gauges turns red! I absolutely love that!

Overall I was satisfied with the performance of the vehicle aside from the horrible interior space for bigger people like myself

Found a link to an Autotraderlink

Simply a shame they didn't begin with the Toyota Venza as a Base, maybe even use the Venza's I4 but upgraded with Atkinson and DFI.

[Legendarith]

I drive at least 50 miles per day (only getting 21mpg on my 03' Acura TL Type-S and was going through toll way everyday so it totalled to around $6000 in gas and toll way per year for me). I filled up around twice per week at around $55 per fill up. I sold my TL Type-S and picked up a black CT200H (getting a lot more head turns now despite the smaller storage space) this past Friday. Now it's only around 1 fill up per week at around $30. The selling point for me was the amount of gas I would save or else I would not be buying this car at all because I'm power hungry and in need of space for golf clubs and guns. Until the Audi Q3 comes to the US or until I move closer into town, I will be driving this car with a big fat smile on my face and using Sport mode when ever I need a quick pick up. :P

[LEX-SV]

I drove a CT200H for the first time last week, it was better than I expected.

My Lexus dealership gave it to me overnight as a loaner car while my IS was in for service and recall.

[13IS250C]

Wow Lex.....you pulled this one up from the bottom. I have to admit, I think they are really cute little fellas. I have a few years before I car shop again though. Maybe I can get one for a loaner.

[LEX-SV]

Yes, the CT loaner (loaded, low mileage and clean) was a nice surprise when I dropped my IS350 off for service and a recall.

The CT was a very pleasant drive, not very powerful, but adequately powered with excellent fuel efficiency. The hybrid drivetrain makes for a very smooth and refined driving experience. The small cargo capacity was the only significant deficiency I noted.

[13IS250C]

Last loaner I got was one of those that the engine shuts off every time you stop. I didn't like it at all. Can you imagine how fast the starter would wear out?