My CT 200h test drive last night.

That might be right, but other surveys have Mini in the top 10, such as whatcar:
What Car? Reliability Survey 2010 - Land Rover - Renault - Car and Car-Buying News - What Car?

Message boards are often the place you go with problems nowadays and you should be cautious of using them to make an informed decision based on reliability. If you used Priuschat as an example, you might think the latest Prius is rattly and falls short of the EPA rating.

 

I bought a Lexus CT about 10 days ago. LOVE the car. A blast to drive. 40+ mpg even when you're flogging it much of the time in Sport mode (which really works). We also have a 2011 Prius IV, and my impression is that the CT is faster, not slower, but that could be perception, they're really probably very close. But the CT handles so much better it's no contest. MUCH more fun to drive. GREAT ergonomics. NICE Lexus luxury. Wonderful car.

You don't form those positive impressions so much on a short test drive or two. The more I drive this car the more I'm falling in love with it. Let's face it, anybody buying a CT isn't looking to race anybody, they want a Prius that's fun to drive that has a touch of Lexus luxury for a price that's quite similar (my CT only cost $1200 more than my wife's Prius IV with Navigation).

People vote with their wallets. Lexus' goal was to sell 1000 CT's monthly in the US. Last month the sold double that (over 2000). The sales manager at the Lexus store where I bought mine had only 3 in stock, he says they're selling them as fast as they arrive. 90% of the cars are coming in like mine - base Premium model, no options, $32K list price. The car comes with a nifty center console gizmo holder where my Garmin fits right in and gets great satellite reception, my iPod USB's right into the audio system which has a great iPod interface in an old style radio, and when I get an iPhone next year I can bluetooth the audio along with the cell phone, which bluetooths flawlessly. Perfect set up for me. And I get a cool sunroof.

Couldn't be happier. My gas cheapskate side, inner tree hugger, sports car enthusiast and weekend warrior bicycle racing sides (I use the car to go to bicycle rides and races all the time, I can fit two bicycles in the back with the rear seats folded down) are all satisfied.

The Prius is a fantastic car, the CT is also a hit, the former is much more of a practical family car, the CT is more sporty personal luxury car but with very practical aspects (cargo space, high mpgs).

 

Congrats on your purchase; you made a good choice. I looked at this car but went with a Prius 2 over better MPG and lower entry price. The CT200h is likely a better value than a Prius 3 with the solar roof package but that's an apple to oranges comparison. And you've the envied Lexus brand name to keep your resale value even higher, a win-win for you, to be sure.

 

The solar roof on the Prius is pretty dumb. All people want is a sunroof, they don't want some dopey $2000+ high tech option that doesn't offer much besides more stuff that can break when the car has 100K miles.

 

Some people prefer the comfort of entering a car that is not 50degrees hotter than outside ambient temperature. The solor roof also helps keep the cabin cooler so when you start your trip you are not trying to reduce heat by using the AC as much. The AC can have a very dramatic effect on MPG during the time it is trying to cool the cabin down to your desired temp. I've monitored this and for the first 5-30minutes that you are trying to get the cabin down to your desired temp the mpg hit can be as high as 10mpg.

While I wouldn't opt for it due to the high price, I think there are many people with more money than I who would purchase the upgrade. Especially if they knew about the MPG hit from the AC when it's 90+deg outside.

I need to drive one of the CTs. I'm curious how the handling stacks up against a Prius with lowering springs and 17s or 18s.

 

This car is too small. I feel like it is a sub compact. I would have jumped but I am disappointed in the CT200h. I believe the specs are the same as the Prius with suspension change.

 

The Prius is a mid-sized car. You might call the CT a compact, but it's a large compact, not a sub-compact. The CT is completely different from the Prius in every respect except for the drivetrain, and even that has differences. If you want a larger Lexus, step up and by a GS for $40K, or just buy a Prius. Completely different cars. Actually it's surprising how many people here fail to grasp that. I'm puzzled why that would bother them; the Prius is a perfectly wonderful car that you can outfit with a fair amount of luxury by just getting options like leather and navigation.

 

I'm sure it has its virtues, what drove me crazy shopping the car (particularly when they were in short supply this summer) is how many cars had this $4000 package, which is pretty silly considering a sunroof typically adds $1K-$2K to a car's price even, and that's if you even WANT a sunroof. Essentially it took one car after another out of the shopping mix, and I found the whole marketing strategy puzzling, the car is supposed to be an economy car, and the last thing they need are option packages that inflate the Prius price.

Hey, what do I know, they're selling more solar roof packages than they thought they would, it's a surprisingly popular option even @ that price. I guess it depends what you want, I paid $2K+ for navigation and I can buy one of those for 1/10 that price or less @ Radio Shack : ).

 

I'm curious about a Prius with that new performance package, but if you do a little homework on the CT, you'll see that the whole car is performance oriented, lower center of gravity, sophisticated suspension, Yamaha lateral performance dampers, 17" wheels with 45 series tires, the works. You yank it into a 90º turn @ 35 mph and the car just goes there. Makes you wonder what a blast to drive a CT might be with 300 hp, hell, it's fun with 130 hp.

You can lower a Prius and put higher performance wheels/tires, but I don't think it's going to handle like a CT. But it would handle better than a stock Prius with 15" wheels hanging on for dear life on the exit ramp : ). Hey, I love our Prius, the car rides great, I didn't buy a Prius for its handling.