ROAD TEST LEXUS CT200H EXECUTIVE:WELCOME TO the heart of the so-called quiet revolution. It might seem something of an oxymoron, particularly in the motor industry where voluminous press releases are sent on topics as tenuous as changes in tyre tread patterns.
In truth, the quietness is supposedly a reference to the silent woosh of the new CT200h in electric mode, rather than the firm’s advances in hybrid technology.
That’s something they could rightly shout about. Indeed, one suspects if it were any other car firm that developed a technology initially dismissed and now rapidly replicated by rivals, they would be shouting it from the rooftops. Yet the Japanese seem content in just knowing they were right all along.
The underpinnings of the CT200h are largely shared with the new Toyota Prius. It’s powered by a 1.8-litre petrol engine and a 60kW electric motor that share the burden. Like the latest Prius, it has a full-electric mode that can be called upon for up to 2km at speeds of up to 45km/h. It’s perhaps the first experience many will have of driving a full-electric as the car glides along with only the slight ruffle of wind noise. In years to come it may be the norm, but for now the novelty factor’s strong.
Along with the full electric mode for the short hop, there are three other settings to choose, via a large dial in the centre console: economy, normal and sport. The differences are mostly perceptible in the throttle response; the sports mode improving the crispness of power delivery, the normal softening its cough, while the economy actually feels resistant to any calls to action. Given that owners are buying a hybrid in the first place, economy is clearly on their minds, so it’s a setting that you might expect to be called upon pretty regularly. Frankly, I found the setting irritatingly slow to react, too tuned to saving fuel.
We suspect most owners will spend their time in normal or sports mode, if only to replicate the feeling and responses you get in a non-hybrid hatch. The major gripe then is that when you kick down the throttle, the engine makes a disconcerting whine from 4,000rpm. It’s not the throaty engine note we’d expect from a car of its premium class or size.
In terms of fuel savings, the best we got from the test car was 5.1 L/100km (55.4mpg) and the average for the 977km on the clock was 6.7 L/100km (42.2mpg). All very respectable and better than we manage in most instances, but we had hoped for better as much of our driving was in city traffic, and we took full advantage of the electric mode.
The CT200h doesn’t get the new lithium-ion battery under development for the plug-in range, but its nickel-hydride unit is tried and tested, coming with a five-year warranty and designed to last the entire life of the car.
The car’s design is open to debate. Some like it. Others – this hack included – find it a little too busy, reminiscent of the current Subaru Impreza, which is not a complement. The front nose is sharply styled but the tailgate is an origami of creases and folds. The rear bumper seems oversized for the car, all the more so when contrasted with a small rear window. The car looks smart from certain angles, but not all, and that’s the trait by which we judge design.
It is inside that the firm’s usually acclaimed DNA shines through. Even on the entry-level model, the fit and finish is better than anything else on offer from premium rivals in this class. It puts cars like the BMW 1 Series and Mercedes B-Class to shame. And it signals the greatest opportunity that Lexus has with this car: fulfilling the needs of well-to-do motorists looking to downsize without compromising on comfort. Invariably these people – who hopefully exist in reality as well as in my mind’s eye – look for luxury car fit, finish and feel, but are not as concerned with hot hatch handling or the sort of time it takes to hit 100km/h from a standstill.
The ride quality is also aimed at comfort over agility. And it’s really surprising. On paper at least it should devour competitors. Contrary to rivals, the CT has a weight distribution of its powertrain of 50/50 on the front and rear axles, compared with a usual spread of up to 80 per cent on the front with a regular hatchback. That promises a remarkable improvement in handling, but the reality on the road simply doesn’t match up.
The CT200h’s handling isn’t bad, but it’s not agile either. In fairness, part of that could be down to the powertrain and the CVT transmission in particular: even in sports mode you can’t get the best out of the promised 140bhp. Given that there’s a 1.8-litre engine up front and the fantastic power on tap from the firms other hybrid models like the GS450h, this car should deliver a lot more punch. The engine whine seems like a cry of frustration from an engine that knows it can do much better if it wasn’t dependent on this gearbox.
It’s a shame that Lexus didn’t launch this car with a wider range of engines, limiting itself only to this hybrid. The premium Japanese marque has long been a niche player in Europe, battling stiff competition from the German trio. A product assault from all three has witnessed their model and powertrain portfolios more than double over the last decade.
Toyota and Lexus can rightly feel a little smug about the acceptance of hybrid technology as the bridge to an electric future, but it needs to be less fundamentalist in its beliefs. The fact is that if it wants to break into the mainstream then it needs to rethink its model line-up and include diesel and petrol engines in the mix.
References to the quiet revolution are apt when you consider the limited assault Lexus seems to be making on the market. The problem is that it deserves much better. The CT200h will certainly convert many to the hybrid and rightly so. This is a luxury premium hatchback rather than a hot-hatch and for most buyers in this segment that’s exactly what they’re looking for. What will tempt them all the more is a price tag that starts at €28,995 and emissions that are the lowest on the market outside the electric fleet.
FACTFILE
0-100km/h10.3 seconds
Maximum speed180km/h
L/100km (mpg)urban – 4.2 (67.3); extra-urban – 4.0 (70.6); combined – 4.1 (68.9)
Emissions(motor tax) 94g/km (€104) and 87g/km for Eco version
Bootspace345-985 L
Price€32,250 (starts at €28,450 for Eco model and €29,450 for the S-Design version)
Powertrain1,798cc four-cylinder 16-valve petrol engine combined with 60kW electric motor charged from a nickel-hydride battery and CVT auto transmission. Combined output of 134bhp and torque of 142Nm from engine and 207Nm from electric motor.
Specifications15-inch alloys; LED daytime running lights and LED rear lights; rain sensing wipers; clean air filter with active pollen removal mode; electric windows; dual-zone electronic climate control air-conditioning; split-folding rear seats (60:40); ABS; electric power steering; traction control with vehicle stability control