2012 Lexus CT 200h consumer reviews

Three years ago, I bought a used 2006 Prius on ebay with the intent of reselling it. Coming home I got 53 miles per gallon. So I begain rethinking what I would do. I sold my old Isuzu Trooper and drove the Prius for the next two years. Sold it in the summer of 2011 with the intention of buying a CT200h. Only problem was the four month wait, so I bought a new Prius. It is an excellent vehicle. However, when compared to the CT, it isn't nearly as much car. The local Lexus dealership offered an extremely attractive trade for a new 2012 Premium CT200h, so I bought it. This new vehicle is smaller than the Prius but is so much more vehicle. It handles like a sports car, rides like a dream and is quiet as a tomb. The distinctive looks also set you apart from the image of the "green movement Prius owners". I am averaging 45 mpg in my combination city/highway driving. This is about 2 mpg less than the Prius, but the difference in the driving experience is more than worth it. Is the extra cost of the Lexus worth it? As with most things in life, you get what you pay for. This will be the best money you ever spent.

I've had my Lexus about three weeks now, and overall I am very disappointed with a car in this price range. What drew me to the CT200 was the exterior styling but now that I've driven it about 1,500 miles I'm noticing the drawbacks. The interior is quite cramped, the back seat room is very small and there is no cup holders for the back seat. The driver seat has the 8 way power adjustment and the passenger seat has only a two way manual seat (definitely not Lexus stadard). The overall drive is very rough and there is a lot of road noise, something I didn't pick up on during the test drive. This car has the premium sound package, but it is far from sounding premium. The radio looks old school, those that I have seen in the 80's. The stearing wheel controls lack options for the radio, only does volume and changing preset channels. To me owning a Lexus means owning a high quality drive experience and the CT200h did not meet the Lexus standard. If I had not already known I was driving a Lexus I would think that I was driving a much lower priced vehicle. The savings in gas mileage is not much compared to other cars in this size class and definitely does not make up for the difference is overall cost. I guess I got caught up in having a "stylish" hybrid that I forgot about function. The performance of the car is very good for a hybid. Put it in sport mode and the throttle response is much better, the engine and electric motor work in unison for maximum acceleration and the handling improves even more, however the gas miliage dips quite a bit. I went from averaging 44 MPG driving very conservatively to about 37 MPG driving more aggressively. Overall I expected more for my money.

I have a 2011 CT. My wife drove a 2009 350CLK 75 miles a day and it drank premium. Full set of tyres every 20K, full set of pads and rotors at 40K, replaced cyl head at 41K. While her car was in the shop she drove my CT for a week to work. As soon as her Mercedes was out of the shop she traded it in for a new 2012 CT. On her cross Silicon Valley trip every day she is getting almost 50mpg, in comfort with the confidence she wont be heading to the shop constatnly for repairs. Our CT's are comfortable, quiet, handle very well and we feel safe in them. m only complaint is I dont like the sunvisors, they are pretty much worthless. In sport mode it scoots. go buy one. as for those that complain about expecting more from Lexus, there is only so much you can do with a compact vehicle. I feel Lexus squeezed al they could out of it.

This car far exceeds all of expectations in terms of handling, fit and finish and comfort. Where the CT200h has really blown me away is with the mileage. The window sticker reflected 40/43 but I am averaging 49-51!!

I expected more for a Lexus, even a small one. I've found the seats are terribly uncomfortable after being on the road for a half hour. Not the sort of thing you notice on a test drive. The stereo system is pretty lame, and the controls are pretty cheap and low end for a Lexus. Miss the stereo mute button, having a button to open the tailgate remotely, side body moldings to protect from dings, a hidden radio antenna....my 10 year old Buick had all these. Minor, yes, but examples of non-luxury thinking that were left out. Yes the hybrid mileage is great; it's not the 42mpg advertised...but I can't complain at 37 compared to the 18 I got before. Overall I guess it's worth the tradeoffs...but it's sure not what I expected from a Lexus. Add this to the snooty 'we don't negotiate' attitude of the Lexus dealer and I probably won't buy another.

Great purchase. Happy with the ct200h. Wish it was a red one instead of being grey. Would recommend.