CT Autocar Road Test: Lexus CT 200h

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Autocar Test: Lexus CT 200h vs VW Golf 1.6 TDI

Acceleration (8 deg C / Dry):

Lexus CT 200h SE-L

0 - 30mph: 3.8s
0 - 60mph: 11.1s
0 - 90mph: 26.8s
0 - 100mph: 37.2s

30 - 70mph: 11.4s

1/4 Mile: 18.5s @ 76.7mph

0 - 1000m (1km): 33.6s @ 97.2mph

VW Golf 1.6 TDI Bluemotion

0 - 30mph: 3.7s
0 - 60mph: 11.1s
0 - 90mph: 27.2s
0 - 100mph: 37.6s

30 - 70mph: 11.2s

1/4 Mile: 18.3s @ 76.9mph

0 - 1000m (1km): 33.5s @ 96.6mph


Braking:

60 - 0mph: 2.69s



Dry Circuit Lap time

- VW Golf 1.6 TDI: 1min 29.3s
- Lexus CT 200h: 1min 32s

Wet Circuit Lap Time:

- VW Golf 1.6 TDI: 1min 16s
- Lexus CT 200h: 1min 17.7s

- Design & Engineering: 3.5/5
- Interior: 4/5
- Performance: 3/5
- Ride & Handling: 2.5/5
- Buying & Owning: 4/5

Autocar Verdict: 3/5


Autocar Road Test Top Five:

1. BMW 320d: 4.5/5
2. VW Golf 1.6 TDI: 4/5
3. Toyota Prius T-Spirit: 4/5
4. Audi A3 1.6 TDI Sport S-Tronic: 3.5/5
5. Lexus CT 200h SE-L: 3/5

 

[Centurion]

I feel bad for Toyota. They've worked so hard in trying to give the Lexus a foothold of the European market. Although a hatch is the right car for the right market, the segment is saturated. Cheap hatchbacks are offered by virtually every manufacturer out there and the premium hatchback segment it dominated by Mini and the 1er coupe. The CT is totally forgettable and won't make an impact what so ever.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

I feel bad for Toyota. They've worked so hard in trying to give the Lexus a foothold of the European market. Although a hatch is the right car for the right market, the segment is saturated. Cheap hatchbacks are offered by virtually every manufacturer out there and the premium hatchback segment it dominated by Mini and the 1er coupe. The CT is totally forgettable and won't make an impact what so ever.

Don't feel bad. It's their fault for comming up with such a lacklustle half baked effort.

 

[Merc1]

^ Exactly. Its a joke of a car. I've seen them on the road now, looks of high quality. Shiny glass, glossy paint, but a sorry arse "luxury car" if there every was one. Lexus needs to prepare for this to join the HS and the LS600hL on their can't sell them list.


M

 

[sfbayfan]

Is there one GIANT Japanese/Korean design studio that gives out all the same designs to the various Japanese/Korean automakers???

 

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[EnI]

Aesthetics factor of this car is ... 0 !!!

C'mon its one of the ugliest cars in the segment.

 

[martinbo]

Anyone who buys this car over a BMW 320d ED is quite simply an uninformed imbecile. There is no case for this horrid Lexus - none whatsoever. Unless of course, in some bizarre sado-masochistic fashion you actually wanted a slow, ugly, poor handling and unsustainably complex automobile.

 

[Kowalski]

£25.200 for that? Ha! Good luck Lexus, good luck. You will need it.

 

[Soup]

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

Anyone who buys this car over a BMW 320d ED is quite simply an uninformed imbecile. There is no case for this horrid Lexus - none whatsoever. Unless of course, in some bizarre sado-masochistic fashion you actually wanted a slow, ugly, poor handling and unsustainably complex automobile.

LMAO!

This thing is a joke.

We recieved some marketing media from Lexus along the lines, the incredible new CT200h with a 5 star safety rating etc etc. A few days later we recieved a follow up saying apologies, the car hasn't been crash tested in Australia yet.

 

[Monster]

Anyone who buys this car over a BMW 320d ED is quite simply an uninformed imbecile. There is no case for this horrid Lexus - none whatsoever. Unless of course, in some bizarre sado-masochistic fashion you actually wanted a slow, ugly, poor handling and unsustainably complex automobile.

Well Martin, there are indeed some strange people out there.............................

My friend and his brother got one each, by their own choice, for $55k AUD per car, with no discount even though they place their order together.

The car looks slightly better in person, I had a look inside nterior, even though it has contrasting white leather with black interior, it doesn't feel like a premium car.

 

[EnI]

When the Germans introduce their entry hybrid models, this Lexus will be a dead meat!

As Lexus in total already is in most Euro markets.

Lexus CT hatch was made for Europe especially, but the sales are marginal here.

The only Euro market where Lexus is still alive is the UK market!
Elsewhere Lexus is more exotic than eg. Porsche or Jaguar!!!!

Really: Lexus sales performance in Europe is PATHETIC!

Jan-Mar 2011 Euro sales:

Audi: 172,387
BMW: 158,113
MB: 139,144
Volvo: 67,883
Alfa Romeo: 39,964
Lancia: 25,847
Land Rover: 21,945
Jaguar: 6,387
Lexus: 6,347

Porsche: 4,054 (German market alone!!!); total Euro sales figures N/A

 

[cawimmer430]

The biggest mistake that Lexus did with this car is offering it with one engine only. Hybrids are viewed as needlessly complex and expensive. The CT200h would have been better off with a choice of gasoline and diesel engines.

But since Lexus tries to sell American style luxury in Europe, which means NO DIESELS, they simply won't go down that route. There isn't a single Lexus that is appealing in Europe. NONE.

The European markets that are keeping Lexus "barely alive" here are the UK and Russia. God I love how the fanboys over at Club Lexus like to blame the failure of Lexus in Europe on the "nationalism of the Europeans". The truth is that Lexus simply doesn't appeal to us. And for a supposed luxury brand they have no history and heritage. THAT is VITAL for a luxury brand in Europe. The buyer wants to know why he is paying so much money for a luxury car.


The IS is so uncompetitive here. No wagon, no engine choices and it's very cramped - even more than its rivals. The IS220d is outclassed and doesn't even come with an A/T option. The IS250 is slow and thirsty. Both these cars get their butts whooped in every comparison. The IS-F is the only competitive IS, but most people skip over it in favor of an S4/RS4, M3 or C63 AMG. The IS Convertible is a big failure here in terms of sales.

The GS is another failure here. For such a huge car it has zero interior space, especially in the back. I am 6'4" and I checked out a GS at a dealership once. I couldn't fit into the rear and in the driver and front passenger seat I was claustrophobic. This thing is seriously cramped! Also, the engine options are a joke. A gas-guzzling GS350 and GS460 and a gas-guzzling GS450h. No wagons or diesels or coupes or convertibles. If you want to know how to do it right, look no further than the Mercedes E-Class and all its variants.

The LS is available only in LS460 and LS600h form. Uncompetitive in the big picture. I think the only people who buy them do so for exclusivity. And the LS600h is such a joke. I mean I am not anti-hybrid, but the LS600h, once it is filled with four people, you have basically reached the maximum payload capacity. Auto Motor und Sport tested it once and said that if four people ride in an LS600h, their luggage has to be transported in a car following the LS600h. WHAT A JOKE. That's one of the biggest problems with Lexus cars here in general - their embarrassing payload capacity. Europeans take their luxury cars on road trips with the family and that means weight, weight, weight. The cars need to be able to haul weight around.

The SC430 is a bathtub on wheels. And an outdated bathtub at that.

The RX? That's the most "common" Lexus I see (every few months) here. Still a sales failure here.

And now the CT. I wonder how it'll do. I don't think it's a bad car as it is actually "mildly" adapted for the European market, but it would have been served better with a less Toyotaesque design and more engine choices.

 

[Karabiner98k]

Hybrid vs Diesel

A comparison between 118d & CT 200h in Polish AMS.

Source:
BMW 118d Lexus - auto motor i sport

 

[slicknick]

Anyone who buys this car over a BMW 320d ED is quite simply an uninformed imbecile. There is no case for this horrid Lexus - none whatsoever.

Unless if you are forced to pick a Toyota or a Lexus as your company car