Lexus CT 200h: The queen of spunk

the numerous television channels.
There was one advert that kept popping up in all the channels, this was one on the new Lexus CT 200h.
Instinctively I told myself that I just had to take a look at this car and check out what the entire buzz surrounding this queen of spunk was about.
When I got the chance to view this car I was greeted by a US$30 000 price tag, which was way out of my league so I could not bring it home but I did the next best thing, drive it.
The Lexus CT 200h is an upscale hybrid hatchback that offers more luxury and performance than the Prius.
Remember the Prius?
For those of you who love movies, especially comedies will think of one called “The other guys”, I watched it on the plane a few months ago and there is this one guy who drove a Prius and his partner always teased him about that car saying one or two words which aren’t suitable for print lest I get fired.
My point is that the Prius being a hybrid has been likened to organic food among other things.
Hybrids don’t have the same agility and rogue handling of non-hybrids. They are safe for the environment but boring to the fun lover.
However, with mother earth suffering from all the contamination we subject her to, greening our cars will help save her.
This is the reason for the introduction of hybrids. It is because of this that I would choose this baby because of its good pricing, handling, and practicality, at 42 miles per gallon, which is about 18km per litre any day.
The Toyota Prius gets better mileage though but hey with those pros, who would want to be left out.
The bottom line is that this is an upscale hybrid that is easy on the environment and the pocket.
The Lexus CT 200h, which is a front-wheel-drive and has been in dealer showrooms for about a month now, is a terrific upscale alternative to the Toyota (TM) Prius.
It is no BMW, but it offers a nicer cabin and greater driving panache than high-mileage competitors such as the Prius and Honda Insight.
If your priority is the greatest possible fuel economy, thee the Prius is still the best buy on the market, as far as I am concerned.
If you are willing to pay a bit more for nicer styling and better handling, the CT 200h is well worth a look.
This Lexus’ new entry-level hybrid has the same power plant and drive train as the Prius, an 80-horsepower electric motor and 98-horsepower fuel engine that generate a combined 134 horsepower.
The transmission is fuel-efficient, continuously variable automatic.
That is where the similarities end.
It is a four-door/five-passenger hatchback, a highly practical style of vehicle that is popular in Europe and Africa since we are not big fans of oversized vehicles.
The CT 200h is an excellent choice for commuting and is flexible enough to handle everything from weekend chores to a car-pool with three or four kids.
The sporty, well-bolstered front seats are much more comfortable than front seats in the Prius.
There is only enough knee-and-foot room for two average-sized adults – not three – to sit comfortably in the rear seat.
Even with the rear seats up, there is luggage space, about equal to the trunk of a midsize sedan. As with the Prius, the rear seats folds down to make room for a large hauling space.
Standard equipment includes a chunky, leather-clad steering wheel, a six-speaker audio system, 17-inch alloy wheels, a push-button starter, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, and stability and traction control.
Standard safety features include eight air bags and stability and traction control.
Even though the handling of this vehicle is sluggish somewhat, on the plus side, the car is instantly ready to go in cold weather. The windows defrost as swiftly as the heated front seats become toasty-hot.
This car has three driving modes: eco, normal, and sport. If you were to keep it in eco most of the time – accelerating and braking gradually – I suspect you could easily average 70km per gallon or more.
If you really want to economise, you can drive up to 2 km on electricity alone at speeds as high as 30km/hr.
One cool feature: The instrument panel backlighting is blue in eco and normal modes and switches to bright red in sport mode.
The CT 200h accelerates from 0 to 100 in 9.8 seconds, same as the Prius but slow, even by economy-car standards.
However, the Lexus is more fun to drive than the Prius because its developers went to considerable lengths to give it better driving dynamics. Among other enhancements, it has an independent rear and MacPherson strut front suspension, as well as lateral dampers and a rigid frame to improve steering and handling in the corners.
The centre of gravity is much lower than in the Prius, and the seats are in the centre of the vehicle, which improves balance.
Putting it in sport mode quickens throttle response and steering feedback and makes the suspension settings sportier. Going to such lengths to improve handling in such a slow vehicle might seem almost ridiculous but it works.
While the Prius feels stiff and ungainly on the road – like a giant toy car – the CT 200h is fun to drive.
Toss this car around some curves in sport mode and it feels tight and under control.
The speed-sensitive electric steering provides a surprising amount of road feel.
The CT 200h would be more fun had it been fitted with paddle shifters and did not have a boring (albeit fuel-efficient) continuously variable transmission. For a super-efficient hybrid, it is not bad.
Notably, the seats and cabin are upholstered in a faux leather called NuLuxe, which is both cheaper and more environmentally friendly than the real thing. (No volatile organic compounds are used in its production and two-thirds less C02 is generated.)
Personally, I would stick with NuLuxe. If you want real leather, it is available as part of a US$1 330 package that also includes rain-sensing intermittent wipers, driver’s-seat memory, and auto-dimming outside mirrors.
The CT 200h is a niche product: Lexus expects to sell only about 12 000 annually in the US.
So it is not for everyone. But it is a vehicle I would definitely consider buying for myself.
Till next week, enjoy.
l Fact D. Jeke is a motoring enthusiast who has attended auto shows, rallies and has written for various publications in the region for the last decade. She can be contacted via email on [email protected]