Why would anyone Own a Prius

First I responded to "A FWD hatchback will never be a great handling car."

A friend had a ~'95 GTI VR6 back in the day. That thing handled like it was on rails. FWD is an inferior platform, and it is never chosen as the platform on which a really performance oriented vehicle is built, but its ultimate inferiority does not mean it cannot produce a fast car that could get anybody in trouble on public roads. Here are some Nurburgring lap times, btw:

Nürburgring lap times - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That FWD record car beat a lot of sports cars.

Certainly not it's just a Prius with a badge and some accoutrements

 

Well, after reading the Edmunds article, do you still have the same opinion of the CT?? (Remember, Edmunds compared the CT200h to a Prius IV that they tested...they have not tested a Prius Five with the better steering, bigger rims, and unique suspension.) Ride comfort is not as good as other Lexus vehicles. Steering sucks, like all electric steering, despite the sport mode. Handling is average at best...63 mph slalom ain't gonna light up any Germans! Over 10 seconds (slower than Prius) to 60 mph ain't gonna beat many econoboxes on the road, much less the other sports car under $40k!

Luxury and prestige are not usually seen in entry luxury vehicles, esp. when one starts just at $30k. Your description is more for like an Lexus ES350 and up. HS250h has proven that Lexus can cut corners like the best of them!

I think that CT will be slightly better than HS, but that is not really saying much! In the big picture, the CT200h will not put much of a dent into the German sales. I would bet that the Acura TSX SportWagon is going to hurt the CT sales more than one may think. For $34k, you get a butt load more stuff (luxury stuff!!) than what the CT can offer.

 

I think Thai is right - a big bunch of people that would be interested in a car that looks like the CT are going to walk away as soon as they get a whiff of that 0 to 60 in 10.4 seconds. Others will likely never test drive it. 200 lbs heavier than Prius with same power output, ouch.

If it was 100 lbs lighter than Prius since it is 7" shorter, that would help, but it is not.

 

The GTI's steering generally gets high marks and it's electric. It's all in the tuning.

 

Yes, I expected it. My Prius is plenty fast for me already. I don't want a faster car. I want a better quality car. CT200h should be a little faster than my Gen2 but it has 4 MPG hit. That and the exterior styling are the only thing that is holding me back.

PHV Prius is also looking good.

 

Better quality? Lexus vehicles have rattles and creaks too. CT200h will have better interior materials, but the fit & finish may not be any better nor will this guarantees that it won't have rattles.

Now, the PHV Prius is a good choice for sure...and will be a much better choice than CT200h. Like i said earlier, the CT200h is already outdated in hybrid technology by the time it hits the Lexus showrooms.

 

I am not in the market for a new car yet but keeping my eyes open. It only has 141k miles and still running like new. Well, I lied. I think the front bearings or tires need to be replaced. It is getting loud on the highway.

 

Word is the CT has 9.9 gallon gas tank. Whut?

 

This is sounding more and more like another HS disaster....

I really feel fortunate to own a Prius Five...thank goodness that i did not wait for this!

 

I like the look of the Prius V alot more than the CT myself. The Prius is a very well packaged car, it has the wheelbase of a compact with the interior space of a mid-size. No it isn't the fastest car, but it isn't so slow that its dangerous to drive.

 

Everything I see on google says 11.9, like the Prius.

 

My brochure for the CT200h says 45 litres, same as the Prius. That's 11.89 US gallons.

 

I like the Ferrari tan colored seats and the bamboo trim. Too bad the rest of the interior looks too busy and the exterior looks like a Toyota.

 

Well, i was referring to the USA market. And you miss my point about the Cruze and Focus.

So, you believe that it will be a big seller with 134 hp engine, 10.4 seconds 0-60, very average slalom & braking (thus, debunking the handling aspect of the car), and costing about $35,000. I have my doubts. Yes, and it does suck that a Cruze can beat it a $35k SPORTS CAR off the line. Well, at least, the CT owners can flex their muscle at every Smart car out there!

 

I didn't buy one because they were not available when I bought my Prius and besides the nearest Lexus dealer is 200 miles from here. There are two Toyota dealers within 30 miles but Toyota dealers will not do warranty work on a Lexus.

 

Slalom and braking times don't mean anything more than 0-60 time. What matters is how the car feels. Does it feel sporty and fun to drive? We'll have to wait and drive it to see.

People said the same thing when the IS250 came out, that nobody would buy it because it was too slow...well the IS250 sells well and outsells the IS350 by a huge margin.

 

Does the IS250 take over 10 seconds to reach 60 mph?? The IS250 sells more than IS350 because it is cheaper than IS350, just like Mercedes C300 outsells C350, etc...it does NOT mean that speed is not important! Not sure what your point was in mentioning IS250.

Actually, for a sports car, slalom and braking (along with acceleration) means A WHOLE DAMN LOT!! Slalom is actually a key component (if not the main component) in evaluating a car's handling capability...something that Lexus has said was the main focus in the CT's development. Oh yeah, the IS250 with sport package does amazingly well in the slalom, on par with the best in its class. Go look it up. THAT is the difference why i respect the IS and not the CT.

 

And the CT200h is even cheaper than the IS250...so its your point I don't see. You're so attached to the numbers...what is so wrong with just waiting and seeing how the real world car drives?

Nobody said the CT was a sports car, its clearly not. Its a sporty 5 door hatchback design car...like a Mazda 3...that also has the benefit of being a hybrid. The IS isn't a sports car either...and while it will handle better and be quicker...it doesn't have nearly the gas mileage.

Here's a question for you, have you ever driven a car on a slalom or a road track? Don't lie.

I don't have to look it up...I've driven it. How can you respect or not respect a car without having driven it? Of course the slalom numbers are an indicator of handling prowess at the edge of the vehicle's performance envelope, but most drivers never reach the edge of their vehicles performance envelope, or even get close to it. Just because a car may not have "incredible" slalom, skidpad or braking figures doesn't mean it won't be zippy and fun to drive.

All of the statements you've made here and whether you "respect" the car or not is meaningless because you haven't driven it. Leave the judgements to those who have some idea what they are talking about.

Its not a Ferrari, its an inexpensive entry level Lexus hybrid.