Shropshire Star

UK Drive: The Lexus CT200h remains a viable choice for urban drivers, but less so for long-distance motorists

The Lexus CT200h isn’t alone in the compact hybrid segment. Can it fend off key rivals? Jack Evans finds out

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What is it?

The hybrid market is ever-growing, with new legislation and mounting pressure on manufacturers to produce cleaner vehicles resulting in more and more plug-in, electric and hybrid vehicles arriving on our roads. Lexus isn’t a newbie to this game, however, and has been producing hybrid vehicles for some time now, shunning diesel in favour of petrol engines with electric motors.

The CT is the smallest car in the Lexus range
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What’s new?

The Lexus CT has been given a boost with more generous trim levels and a refreshed front design. Other than that, it follows the same recipe as the original CT. Underneath sits a hybrid powertrain, which is based on that of the previous-generation Toyota Prius.

The rear of the car is sharply styled
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What’s under the bonnet?

The Lexus CT uses a full hybrid powertrain. This means there’s a 1.8-litre petrol engine under the bonnet, connected to an electric motor. Together, they produce 134bhp and 349Nm of torque. Given the car’s heavy weight, that power can only push the CT to 60mph in around 10 seconds, before hitting a top speed of 112mph. Power is sent to the front wheels via a CVT gearbox which, as we’ve found on many cars which utilise the same ‘box, does detract somewhat from the car’s overall driving characteristics.

A 1.8-litre petrol engine is linked to an electric motor
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What’s it like to drive?

Let’s get things straight first – the CT is by no means a quick car. If you’re after a vehicle that is going to effortlessly whisk up to motorway speeds, you may want to look elsewhere. Any decent press of the throttle is accompanied by a real wail from the engine and this, when combined with quite a lot of road noise, makes for a less-than-relaxing accelerating experience.

At higher speeds the petrol engine comes into play
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How does it look?

In our eyes at least, the CT looks pretty classy. It’s a very modern exterior design and, in brighter metallic shades, is one that certainly stands out from the crowd. The more dynamic F Sport trim level adds a little more to the car’s looks, with an intricate front grille design and larger alloy wheels beefing up the CT’s on-road presence. Our car, in Luxury trim, came on smaller 17-inch alloys and, though they may not look as good as the large versions, do help give the CT a slightly better ride.

The CT is only available with a hybrid powertrain
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What’s it like inside?

The interior of the CT is a mixture of the good and the bad. The materials used are, for the most part, of a good quality, with soft-touch plastics found on the areas in the upper parts of the cabin.

The CT's cabin is littered with many buttons
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There are simply too many buttons in the cabin, and it means simple tasks take a lot longer than you’d expect them to.

What’s the spec like?

Our test car, in Luxury trim, came in at £27,355. For that, you get quite a decent amount of standard equipment including heated front seats, dual-zone climate control and front and rear parking sensors. The exterior benefits from LED daytime running lights and the previously mentioned 17-inch alloy wheels. Our car came with Lexus’ Premium Navigation system as an optional extra too.

This features a 10.3-inch infotainment screen which is clear and easy to read, though its computer trackpad-style controller is less intuitive. It’s quite easy to select the wrong function when using it, and certainly lags behind rivals’ systems in terms of ease-of-use and responsiveness. That said, the 10-speaker audio system included in the package provides a clear sound, and is a component of the optional extra that we’d highly recommend.

Verdict

If you’re after a car best suited to urban, around-town-trips, then the CT wouldn’t be a bad choice at all. Electric power and low emissions mean that it’s well suited to life in the city, and won’t cost the earth to run here either. However, if you’re after a car for longer, more motorway-based journeys, then we might suggest you look elsewhere – the CT’s droning acceleration note is enough of a reason to, but add to that the car’s poor economy when travelling at higher speeds, and it’s simply not a viable option for longer trips.

Facts at a glance

Model as tested: Lexus CT200h
Price (as tested): £27,355
Engine: 1.8-litre petrol with electric motor
Power (bhp): 134
Torque (Nm): 349
Max speed (mph): 112
0-60mph: 10.0 seconds
MPG (combined): 68.9 (combined)
Emissions (g/km): 95

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