CT 200h: first impressions from a production vehicle

I had a chance to drive a production CT 200h late yesterday. Overall, this is a nice car. While it doesn't offer the MPG of the Prius, it does create a new class of entry level luxury with good MPG. But is it enough with the new crop of EVs and hybrids hitting the market?

One thing you notice immediately about the car is it sits low. The driver's seat position and panel are designed to give it a more "sporty" look and feel. The car sits nicely and the driver is clearly given a similar view out the front. I found the center console to be well designed, with clear markings and easy to reach and work controls.

The car feels a bit more snug than a Prius, but doesn't feel cramped. The rear seat is comfortable but not for three adults or tall individuals. The fit and finish of the materials are decidedly Lexus, with a firm and refined feel. The instrumentation is polished; it follows the elegance of other Lexus vehicles but isn't an icon of technology prominence as we are starting to see in some of the newer PHV and EV vehicles hitting the market.

As the car is based on a Prius powertrain, I was interested to see how the vehicles would compare. A few immediate differences become obvious. First, there are two EV mode designations on the car: one appears whenever the ICE isn't running, and the other when you force EV mode, within the limited range prescribed. The other are the software changes made to make the drive better, including braking. The brake transition from regenerative braking to regular brakes I felt was far more seamless. Likewise, the drive software had been tuned to provide better low end response. The sport/power modes seem more reminiscent of the Prius response. The drive feel though couldn't be more different. I found the steering and handling to be decidedly more performant; where the Prius would feel flighty the CT 200h felt strong and confident.

The standard sound system was nothing special; I imagine the premium sound system will be on par with other Lexus vehicles. Other amenities were as expected for a luxury class car.

Which brings me to options and pricing. This is an expensive Prius clone. Feature-wise, there isn't parity. The Prius V with the advanced technology package offers intelligent park assist, lane keep assist, and radar cruise control-- in addition to LED headlights. The highest trim of this vehicle offers the radar cruise control....if you can get it. As of this writing, they aren't being imported into this region. You will have to decide if the other performance tuning and interior appointments can make up for the missing features.

From a finance standpoint, these cars are being sold by dealers largely at MSRP. As of the time of this post, the opening money factor they are offering Tier 1 customers seems to generally be .0021, with a 36 month residual of 57% for 15k miles. The money factor isn't great but seems to follow TMCCs strategy from the Prius III intro. For comparison, the Insight offers comparable residuals but with a money factor that's almost half. You will need to decide if it is worth it!

As I have mentioned in my Volt review, I can't help but think how much more competitive this car would have been if it had been on the market sooner. It is a good car, but with new EV and hybrid competition coming soon, the price premium and options available seem a bit underwhelming. If you are a Lexus fan though, this is a good car and will clearly move you ahead on both the gas consumption and drive fronts.

 

Assuming I could get the equipment I'd want, yes.

 

I'd say the radar cruise control is most used in my advanced tech package-- so I'd say that is critical, along with Nav.

As for the thing that would push me-- a PHV CT that's like a Volt would move me in a second.

 

Actually, it came out in June of 2009 in the U.S.

 

They are indeed in short supply; the road noise and general fit and finish seem improved from a Prius.

 

Yes, I felt it was an improvement. Only one possible area is right near the glove box, there's a plastic plate that's small (a trim piece) that's a bit iffy but it doesn't stand out much.

 

The mileage was around 38 mpg...

As for the PHV version, it isn't clear from the article if they mean after calendar year 2012, or for the 2012 model year:

" Lexus is considering a higher performance version of the CT200h as well as a plug-in hybrid version which will make its debut after 2012. "

 

It does ride better; I found the vehicle was more efficient at dealing with typical road bumps and cornered better.