October 2011 Consumer Reports
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Link?
the main article open to all is: Fuel-efficient cars review, Consumer Reports road test
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It's cool knowing that the CT gets the highest overall score, and I get that pasting chunks of the review is truly uncool, but what's the gist? 71 doesn't sound all that high on CR's scale of 100, so what's the general story?
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I tried, but the Zinio app won't allow me to cut & paste any text.
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Highs: Fuel Economy, Secure Handling, Hatchback Versatility
Lows: Ride, Noise, Acceleration, Snug Interior, Rear Visibility, Cargo Space
Road Test
Premium 4-cyl CVT
A small-sized luxury car with fantastic fuel economy sounds like a great idea, but it's a dream not fully realized in the Lexus CT 200h hybrid. While the CT gets a respectable 40 mpg overall and has some luxury appointments, nothing else is special about this least-expensive Lexus. Handling is responsive and secure but acceleration is leisurely and the ride is stiff and choppy. The cabin admits too much road noise and feels cramped, especially in the rear. The minuscule cargo space and impaired rear visibility don't help, either.
The Driving Experience
Ride comfort and noise: Lexuses are famed for their soft rides and quiet cabins but you won't find either one here. Road bumps punch through as hard, rubbery kicks, and frequent, quick ride motions persist even on a smooth highway. Lots of road noise enters the cabin, and the engine sounds loud when revved high, which happens often.
Handling: Overall, handling is nimble, and the car feels tied down, leaning little in corners. The steering has a vague spot on-center but it's quick and well weighted. The CT clung to the track nicely in our emergency-handling tests and proved secure and forgiving when pushed past its limits. It also posted a commendably high speed through our avoidance maneuver.
Powertrain: Power comes from the same 134-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and electric drive motor used in the Toyota Prius. Acceleration is sluggish and the power plant works hard to merge or maintain speed on the highway or on hills. A selectable ECO mode makes the throttle even less responsive. In EV mode, the car moves solely on electric power up to about 25 mph. With light throttle, we were able to cruise at 40 mph with the engine off. We averaged 40 mpg in mixed driving in Normal mode. That's excellent but still 4 mpg less than the lighter, quicker, and roomier Prius. The CVT transmission operates smoothly but keeps the engine revving fast for what seems like extended periods while accelerating, and that exacerbates engine noise in the cabin.
Braking: Performance was very good overall, with notably short stops on dry pavement. Average-distance stops on wet pavement are somewhat less impressive. Despite the regenerative braking system, the pedal felt responsive and quite natural.
Headlights: Low beams projected a good distance forward and to the sides but with a sharp upper cutoff. High beams reached out a very good distance and with more intensity than the low-beam lights.
Inside The Cabin
Driving position: The steering wheel tilts and telescopes, and the foot well is spacious, but the low, narrow seats, wide center console, and modest head room all conspire to make the cockpit feel closed in. A high dashboard and thick windshield pillars reduce the forward view. The view to the rear is inhibited by small windows, big rear head restraints, and thick roof pillars. A backup camera would be nice at this price.
Seat comfort and access: The front seats are firmly padded and deeply contoured and there's a power lumbar adjustment. People who fit them may appreciate the seatbacks' lateral support but others will find these seats too narrow and confining. The tight rear seat provides just adequate space for two adults, let alone three. Despite the low roof and seats, it's easy to get in and out of the front seats but it takes some ducking and bending to access the rear.
Controls and gauges: The primary displays are bright and backlighted. A power-usage gauge morphs into a tachometer when you select the powertrain's Sport mode. Controls aren't complicated but some could be designed better. The radio is low and far away while the little-used drive-mode selector takes up prime real estate. The radio's one-line display makes navigating iPod menus tough. The stubby electronic transmission lever takes getting used to -- you flick it forward for Reverse, and hit a separate button for Park.
Interior fit and finish: The interior is nice but is more typical of a Toyota than a Lexus. While the padded dash and door trim are attractively stitched, much of the rest is hard plastic lacking a luxury look and feel. The glove compartment and center console aren't flocked inside, a cheesy omission for a Lexus. The right front door pull came out on our test car.
Cabin storage and cargo room: Cabin storage amenities are modest, with only a few nooks besides the glove box and center-console compartment. The tiny cargo area can hold just one large suitcase and a duffel but the split rear seatbacks fold down to make more luggage space. The CT comes a temporary spare tire, lodged under the storage area.
Safety Notes
Safety belts: All seats have lap-and-shoulder belts; the front pair has pretensioners and force limiters.
Air bags: Knee air bags and chest-level side air bags protect front passengers. Head-level curtain bags extend to both rows in side impacts. An occupant sensor for the front passenger seat withholds air-bag deployments if it detects a child-sized occupant or if the seat is unoccupied.
Head restraints: Front head restraints are tall enough to protect an adult even when lowered. The outboard rear restraints stow out of the way when unneeded, to improve the driver's view out. When flipped up, they're tall enough to protect an adult. The center-rear restraint is too low to protect an adult even when raised.
Crash-avoidance systems: Antilock brakes, traction control, and electronic stability control are standard. Adaptive cruise control with pre-collision warning is optional.
Driving with kids: It may be tough to secure a rear-facing child seat in the center rear using belts alone. LATCH anchors are effective and easy to access. There are three top-tether anchors.
Lows: Ride, Noise, Acceleration, Snug Interior, Rear Visibility, Cargo Space
Road Test
Premium 4-cyl CVT
A small-sized luxury car with fantastic fuel economy sounds like a great idea, but it's a dream not fully realized in the Lexus CT 200h hybrid. While the CT gets a respectable 40 mpg overall and has some luxury appointments, nothing else is special about this least-expensive Lexus. Handling is responsive and secure but acceleration is leisurely and the ride is stiff and choppy. The cabin admits too much road noise and feels cramped, especially in the rear. The minuscule cargo space and impaired rear visibility don't help, either.
The Driving Experience
Ride comfort and noise: Lexuses are famed for their soft rides and quiet cabins but you won't find either one here. Road bumps punch through as hard, rubbery kicks, and frequent, quick ride motions persist even on a smooth highway. Lots of road noise enters the cabin, and the engine sounds loud when revved high, which happens often.
Handling: Overall, handling is nimble, and the car feels tied down, leaning little in corners. The steering has a vague spot on-center but it's quick and well weighted. The CT clung to the track nicely in our emergency-handling tests and proved secure and forgiving when pushed past its limits. It also posted a commendably high speed through our avoidance maneuver.
Powertrain: Power comes from the same 134-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and electric drive motor used in the Toyota Prius. Acceleration is sluggish and the power plant works hard to merge or maintain speed on the highway or on hills. A selectable ECO mode makes the throttle even less responsive. In EV mode, the car moves solely on electric power up to about 25 mph. With light throttle, we were able to cruise at 40 mph with the engine off. We averaged 40 mpg in mixed driving in Normal mode. That's excellent but still 4 mpg less than the lighter, quicker, and roomier Prius. The CVT transmission operates smoothly but keeps the engine revving fast for what seems like extended periods while accelerating, and that exacerbates engine noise in the cabin.
Braking: Performance was very good overall, with notably short stops on dry pavement. Average-distance stops on wet pavement are somewhat less impressive. Despite the regenerative braking system, the pedal felt responsive and quite natural.
Headlights: Low beams projected a good distance forward and to the sides but with a sharp upper cutoff. High beams reached out a very good distance and with more intensity than the low-beam lights.
Inside The Cabin
Driving position: The steering wheel tilts and telescopes, and the foot well is spacious, but the low, narrow seats, wide center console, and modest head room all conspire to make the cockpit feel closed in. A high dashboard and thick windshield pillars reduce the forward view. The view to the rear is inhibited by small windows, big rear head restraints, and thick roof pillars. A backup camera would be nice at this price.
Seat comfort and access: The front seats are firmly padded and deeply contoured and there's a power lumbar adjustment. People who fit them may appreciate the seatbacks' lateral support but others will find these seats too narrow and confining. The tight rear seat provides just adequate space for two adults, let alone three. Despite the low roof and seats, it's easy to get in and out of the front seats but it takes some ducking and bending to access the rear.
Controls and gauges: The primary displays are bright and backlighted. A power-usage gauge morphs into a tachometer when you select the powertrain's Sport mode. Controls aren't complicated but some could be designed better. The radio is low and far away while the little-used drive-mode selector takes up prime real estate. The radio's one-line display makes navigating iPod menus tough. The stubby electronic transmission lever takes getting used to -- you flick it forward for Reverse, and hit a separate button for Park.
Interior fit and finish: The interior is nice but is more typical of a Toyota than a Lexus. While the padded dash and door trim are attractively stitched, much of the rest is hard plastic lacking a luxury look and feel. The glove compartment and center console aren't flocked inside, a cheesy omission for a Lexus. The right front door pull came out on our test car.
Cabin storage and cargo room: Cabin storage amenities are modest, with only a few nooks besides the glove box and center-console compartment. The tiny cargo area can hold just one large suitcase and a duffel but the split rear seatbacks fold down to make more luggage space. The CT comes a temporary spare tire, lodged under the storage area.
Safety Notes
Safety belts: All seats have lap-and-shoulder belts; the front pair has pretensioners and force limiters.
Air bags: Knee air bags and chest-level side air bags protect front passengers. Head-level curtain bags extend to both rows in side impacts. An occupant sensor for the front passenger seat withholds air-bag deployments if it detects a child-sized occupant or if the seat is unoccupied.
Head restraints: Front head restraints are tall enough to protect an adult even when lowered. The outboard rear restraints stow out of the way when unneeded, to improve the driver's view out. When flipped up, they're tall enough to protect an adult. The center-rear restraint is too low to protect an adult even when raised.
Crash-avoidance systems: Antilock brakes, traction control, and electronic stability control are standard. Adaptive cruise control with pre-collision warning is optional.
Driving with kids: It may be tough to secure a rear-facing child seat in the center rear using belts alone. LATCH anchors are effective and easy to access. There are three top-tether anchors.
There were 22 cars tested and scored in this article, with 5 of those written up in more detail, including the CT. The highest score was 80 (Hyundai Elantra) and the lowest was 54 (Honda Insight). The CT200h was not on the recommended list even though the Corolla and Kia Forte scored the same 71, they were on the recommended list, and the Mazda3 as well with a score of 70. The only reason I can think of that it was not recommended despite the score was that the predicted reliability data was insufficient since it is new.
Didn't read the whole article but did notice that the 0-60 test showed it was timed at 11s while the VW Jetta TDI was clocked at 9.5. The CT did beat the Jetta in emergency handling and transmission, but the VW scored higher or tied in all the other categories. The other cars that it was compared with beside the Jetta was the Civic hybrid, Fiat 500, and Chevy Volt.
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Ya, wasn't recommended due to being too new. But it scored pretty well despite the complaints (constrained seats... Bite me CR!)
I don't understand why it isn't recommended either. It has the same power system as the Pruis which is the gas milage king and it scored well.
I dont care what they say. The car might be a little small inside but if your not lugging around a giant family it is the perfect car. I LOVE my CT.
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There has been more than one reviewer complaining about the rear visibility being bad because of the headrest. They should understand the car they are reviewing (read the manual or ask questions) and would know that the rear headrest tilt forward so you can see out the rear better.
How can you review a car when you know nothing about it?
How can you review a car when you know nothing about it?
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