Sit down inside the Lexus CT 200h (on possibly the most comfortable seats, ever) and you'll be pleasantly surprised. As the first luxury compact hybrid, Lexus made it a point to make the CT 200h cabin as inviting as possible – and it worked. For a smaller car, the interior cabin of the CT is pleasantly roomy. Two, three, four or five adults can sit comfortably in this Lexus.
And I can proudly say this hatchback passed the Costco test. I managed to fit a 5 cu.-ft stand-up freezer (packaged) in the back, despite the 14.3 cu.-ft (or 405-litre) cargo space in the rear due to the battery location. I was sufficiently impressed.
Slick and modern, the middle stack features a mountain-climbing-tool-like shifter that's a little hard to get used to at first, with its spring-back motion and “B” gear (for faster battery regeneration to be selected while on steep declines and under severe braking) and a stereo and climate system that seem to have switched places. The location of the radio would have been fine, had the knobs for the volume and track changes been a bit larger. I felt a bit ginormous trying to grip them and select one station back or forth. It took some serious precision.
The coolest part of the centre stack, though, is most definitely the Selectable Driving Modes knob. What this does is allow you to drive in Eco, Normal, Sport or full EV Mode. Basically, what this nifty little knob allows is control over the 1.8L 4-cylinder as well as the nickel-metal hybrid battery in a fantastic way.
In Eco Mode, the car is refined and controlled, keeping you in the best fuel-saving range as often as possible, switching to electric when it can (slower speeds, when the car is stopped). In this mode, your dash will display a neat Charge/Eco/Power band that will let you monitor how your throttle play is affecting the CT 200h's efficiency. Snap the knob all the way over to the right to Sport and your dash will take on a red tint and your eco band becomes a tachometer.
And here's where my epiphany first began with the Lexus. When you select Sport mode, you can feel the difference. The steering becomes more direct, there's better throttle response, and the onboard stability and traction control systems become far less intrusive so you can have a little fun on the road without a nanny. Oh, and the battery output increases from 500V to 650V so you've got a bit more zip too.
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| As the first luxury compact hybrid, Lexus made it a point to make the CT 200h cabin as inviting as possible. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |
And I can proudly say this hatchback passed the Costco test. I managed to fit a 5 cu.-ft stand-up freezer (packaged) in the back, despite the 14.3 cu.-ft (or 405-litre) cargo space in the rear due to the battery location. I was sufficiently impressed.
Slick and modern, the middle stack features a mountain-climbing-tool-like shifter that's a little hard to get used to at first, with its spring-back motion and “B” gear (for faster battery regeneration to be selected while on steep declines and under severe braking) and a stereo and climate system that seem to have switched places. The location of the radio would have been fine, had the knobs for the volume and track changes been a bit larger. I felt a bit ginormous trying to grip them and select one station back or forth. It took some serious precision.
The coolest part of the centre stack, though, is most definitely the Selectable Driving Modes knob. What this does is allow you to drive in Eco, Normal, Sport or full EV Mode. Basically, what this nifty little knob allows is control over the 1.8L 4-cylinder as well as the nickel-metal hybrid battery in a fantastic way.
In Eco Mode, the car is refined and controlled, keeping you in the best fuel-saving range as often as possible, switching to electric when it can (slower speeds, when the car is stopped). In this mode, your dash will display a neat Charge/Eco/Power band that will let you monitor how your throttle play is affecting the CT 200h's efficiency. Snap the knob all the way over to the right to Sport and your dash will take on a red tint and your eco band becomes a tachometer.
And here's where my epiphany first began with the Lexus. When you select Sport mode, you can feel the difference. The steering becomes more direct, there's better throttle response, and the onboard stability and traction control systems become far less intrusive so you can have a little fun on the road without a nanny. Oh, and the battery output increases from 500V to 650V so you've got a bit more zip too.
 |
| Your dash will display a neat Charge/Eco/Power band that will let you monitor how your throttle play is affecting the CT 200h's efficiency. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |