2011 Lexus CT200h Hybrid
Lexus showed the LF-Ch concept at last fall’s Frankfurt motor show, and now the company is showing the production version, the Lexus CT200h Hybrid. There are four driver-selectable driving modes available in the CT200h: Normal, Eco, EV, and Sport. In Normal mode, the car can operate on battery-only power up to speeds of 28 mph, while EV mode forces the car to rely only on battery power for 1.2-mile stretches. Lexus's computer-mouse-style Remote Touch controller lives on the center console. The Lexus CT is 170.1 inches long, 69.5 inches wide, and 56.3 inches tall, and there are 102.4 inches between the axles. For comparison, a Prius is 5.5 inches longer, 0.8 inch narrower, and 2.4 inches taller, while riding on a 3.9-inch-longer wheelbase.
It uses the petrol-electric powertrain ofthe Toyota Prius and Auris HSD, driving the front wheels of a car whose design is a visual collision of a five-year-old Lexus styling sketch and a current Subaru Impreza.
It's the usual 1.8-litre Prius-type engine whose particular spread of variable valve timing makes it very fuel-efficient but not very sharp. The engine manages just 99bhp, but the electric motor can produce up to 82bhp provided Sport mode is selected.
Power reaches the wheels via a CVT transmission, and the Lexus CT200h can run for a short time on electric power alone at up to 30mph provided you accelerate gently. New to Toyota/Lexus hybrids is a Sport setting. It damps body vibrations to improve refinement, and the engineers claim it even improves the clarity of the (impressive) stereo system. What’s it like to drive?
You sit low – the hip-point is lower than that of an Auris, a car with whose underpinnings it actually shares very little despite superficial similarities including a double-wishbone rear end – so the first impression is promisingly, er, sporty. Step-off from a standstill is pretty brisk but there's little energy beyond 80mph, even in Sport mode. Chief engineer Osamu Sadakata says Lexus is considering a 2.0-litre turbo engine, which is exactly what the CT200h needs. About half that, we'd guess, if the CT200h is driven with vigour.
There are three trim levels: SE-I, SE-L and SE-L Premier.
Arriving next March, the CT 200h (the initials stand for Compact Tourer) will be Lexus’s fifth hybrid offering—the most of any automobile nameplate. And, with a combined city-highway mileage of 42 mpg, it will be the first vehicle in the luxury segment to step over the 40-mpg line.
Classified as a compact car, the CT is the smallest Lexus at 170.1 inches long, 69.5 inches wide, and 56.7 inches tall. It's unfortunate that the Lexus CT 200h couldn't come closer to the Prius's 50-mpg efficiency.
Like the Prius, the CT offers multiple driving modes. In the CT 200h, the choices are EV, Eco, Normal and Sport. Normal mode brings the CVT into play, allowing the car to respond to changing driving conditions by instantaneously adjusting its gear ratios. Eco mode alters that formula to provide maximized fuel economy for gas-electric driving—slowing cabin cooling, limiting throttle and accelerating regenerative braking to charge up the battery. The Eco mode is where drivers are most likely to achieve the government’s estimated 43 mpg city and 40 mpg highway fuel mileage.
Motor Trend says, “Lexus quotes a 0-to-60 time identical to the Prius at 9.8 seconds. Regardless of driving mode, transitions to and from electric power and gasoline power are so seamless that you simply forget they’re happening. Wards Auto says the Lexus CT 200h is a good start in the direction of affordable green sportiness, but “needs more oomph.”
Placing a big back door instead of a trunk on a small car doesn’t seem very Lexus-like, but the CT 200h was designed for Europe where luxury five-door hatchbacks are becoming a large segment of the market. The question is, will the CT sell in Peoria? While the design is untypically stylish for Lexus, it is somewhat spoiled by a drive selector lever that is standard Toyota hybrid equipment and not very sporty in appearance. Switchgear is familiar Lexus offerings, meaning the tactile feel is quality and substance.
Lexus did a credible job of carving as much space as possible in a compact car. Lexus claims the car is 80 percent recyclable. To compete in the compact luxury class Lexus has equipped the CT with all of the desired standard features: keyless entry with touch sensors on exterior front door handles; dual-zone climate control; cruise control; steering-wheel audio controls; heated seats; Bluetooth for phone and music streaming; USB/iPod connectivity; and a six speaker audio system with a CD player.
The HS offers 35/34 mileage, which is not as efficient as perhaps the better backup choice, the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. Hybrid technology is at the heart of the formula, and will increasingly become an essential part of future Lexus vehicles.
