Despite popping it into Sport mode on multiple occasions, I still managed to see a 5.5 L/100km fuel reading by the end of the week driving both in the city and on the highway. Pick your jaw up off the ground and listen up to the reason why.
The 134-hp, CVT Lexus CT 200h was so easy to drive in EV mode. Never have I been in a hybrid in which I used the full-electric mode so often. In traffic, on the streets surrounding my home, in parking lots; I pushed that EV mode button as often as I could.
And why? Because it worked up to 40 km/h and I could actually accelerate without it turning off. I didn't have to crawl everywhere. Oh, and the gas to electric transitions? Virtually flawless. No jerks, no stutters, just a seamless switch. I was able to drive it like a normal car.
A hybrid that drives like a planet-killing, gas-burning vehicle. And so the heavens opened up and the angels sang...
Well, not really, but I was definitely impressed and immediately knew I liked this hybrid – a massive statement for me.
Add to the smooth hybrid drive the fact that this luxury compact comes equipped with four disc brakes on 16” alloy wheels, leather-trimmed seats and steering wheel, Bluetooth, all the audio options you'd hope for as well as optional Remote Touch coupled with an in-dash LCD screen, all starting at just over $30,000, and the Lexus becomes that much more appealing.
It's not just that the Lexus CT 200h is a “luxury” hybrid that makes it a good one, it's that the technology has finally reached a drivable level (in my humble opinion) that this hybrid shines above the others. Kudos to Lexus for officially making me a convert.
There, I admitted it.
The 134-hp, CVT Lexus CT 200h was so easy to drive in EV mode. Never have I been in a hybrid in which I used the full-electric mode so often. In traffic, on the streets surrounding my home, in parking lots; I pushed that EV mode button as often as I could.
And why? Because it worked up to 40 km/h and I could actually accelerate without it turning off. I didn't have to crawl everywhere. Oh, and the gas to electric transitions? Virtually flawless. No jerks, no stutters, just a seamless switch. I was able to drive it like a normal car.
 |
| The 134-hp, CVT Lexus CT 200h was so easy to drive in EV mode. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |
A hybrid that drives like a planet-killing, gas-burning vehicle. And so the heavens opened up and the angels sang...
Well, not really, but I was definitely impressed and immediately knew I liked this hybrid – a massive statement for me.
Add to the smooth hybrid drive the fact that this luxury compact comes equipped with four disc brakes on 16” alloy wheels, leather-trimmed seats and steering wheel, Bluetooth, all the audio options you'd hope for as well as optional Remote Touch coupled with an in-dash LCD screen, all starting at just over $30,000, and the Lexus becomes that much more appealing.
It's not just that the Lexus CT 200h is a “luxury” hybrid that makes it a good one, it's that the technology has finally reached a drivable level (in my humble opinion) that this hybrid shines above the others. Kudos to Lexus for officially making me a convert.
There, I admitted it.
Article Gallery