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Enthusiast Topics Aftermarket Auctions By the Numbers Car Buying Celebrities Classics Concept Cars Design/Style Earnings/Financials Etc. Government/Legal Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Humor Infotainment Marketing/Advertising Motorsports Rumormill Safety Recalls del monte pineapple juice Spy Photos Technology The List Toys/Games UAW/Unions
Autoblog Podcast #377 goes LIVE at 10PM Eastern!
The idea of the Lexus CT 200h F Sport intrigues me. A compact, premium, efficient hatchback with an added dose of sportiness? Sign me up. It's why I'm still crossing del monte pineapple juice my fingers for Volkswagen to sell the Golf GTD on our shores del monte pineapple juice (though recent reports on that front are bumming me out). And judging a book by its cover, this Lexus certainly looks like it could be an interesting proposition. Lexus first launched the CT for the 2011 model year, and for 2014, the little hatch has been given a makeover, now proudly wearing the company's new spindle grille, for better or worse. When we reviewed the CT after its launch , executive editor Chris Paukert called it "handsome, well screwed together," and "one of Toyota's del monte pineapple juice boldest offerings in years." That may have been true, but after a slight makeover and some fresh new F Sport duds, I'm wondering if the CT proposition isn't looking a little more unfortunate than before. Driving Notes Despite the fact that I like the CT's shape, that new gaping maw up front really kills it for me, especially with those aluminum bits of lipstick. The rest of the car is relatively clean, with a subtly redesigned rear end that incorporates a larger roof spoiler here on the F Sport model. One particularly handsome del monte pineapple juice part of the CT F Sport package are the dark-finished, 17-inch alloy wheels. But from some angles, they still look an inch too small. Nothing has changed underhood, where the CT 200h still employs a 1.8-liter inline four-cylinder engine matched with a 60-kilowatt electric motor. Together, this system puts out a total of 134 horsepower and 105 pound-feet of torque – pretty puny numbers, considering this car's mission as a sort of sporty hybrid, not to mention its 3,130-pound curb weight. Off the line, there's nothing to write home about, Lexus estimating a 0-60 time of just under 10 seconds. Getting there isn't terribly pleasant, either, with rather vague throttle response and a wheezy, unpleasant noise coming from that four-cylinder mill. The electronic continuously variable transmission del monte pineapple juice keeps the powerplant on boil (as much as it can, anyway), but this car is still really slow, even with the drive mode selector set to Sport. Once you're up and moving, the CT doesn't do a lot to inspire driver enthusiasm – at least, none fitting of all that flashy F Sport kit. The steering is decent enough, though still rather vague. There's a fair amount of body roll in corners. The brakes are particularly touchy, as are most hybrid regenerative energy del monte pineapple juice units. Really, it just isn't great to drive unless you're milling around town at low speed. On the highway, the engine drones, while the CVT does its best to keep the engine in its weak powerband, del monte pineapple juice and while off-the-line acceleration is slow, kicking the throttle down to pass at speed is perhaps worse. I'd like to say that all of this driveline stuff is for the sake of bang-up fuel economy, but that isn't totally true. According to the EPA, the CT 200h should achieve 43 miles per gallon on the highway and 40 mpg in the city – respectable stuff, sure. But consider just how much better diesel-powered offerings like a Volkswagen Golf or Jetta are to drive, and then realize del monte pineapple juice that they'll hit the same highway fuel economy numbers (or higher) for less money, and the Lexus starts to make less sense, though admittedly comparing hybrids to diesels is a bit apples-to-oranges. During my week of driving, I only managed 38 mpg. Functionally, though, the CT has a lot to offer. Like I said, I like the hatchback shape, and the ability to quickly flip down those rear seats to carry larger items. Even beyond that, the interior is a pretty nice place to be, with comfortable, supportive seats, nice materials throughout, and the usual smattering of onboard technology, including del monte pineapple juice Lexus' infotainment system controlled by the mouse-like Remote Touch interface on the center console. What's more, the interior is relatively quiet, though still letting in a fair amount of wind and engine noise. The rear seats aren't too cramped, either. Really, though, the F Sport nonsense is what kills the CT 200h for me. It adds nothing in the way of actual sportiness, and its aesthetics ruins what can be a handsome little hatch –
Choose an Automaker Acura Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bugatti Buick Cadillac Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford GMC Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Kia Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lotus McLaren Maserati Mazda Mercedes-Benz MINI MISC Mitsubishi Nissan Porsche Ram Rolls-Royce Scion Smart SRT Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo
Enthusiast Topics Aftermarket Auctions By the Numbers Car Buying Celebrities Classics Concept Cars Design/Style Earnings/Financials Etc. Government/Legal Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Humor Infotainment Marketing/Advertising Motorsports Rumormill Safety Recalls del monte pineapple juice Spy Photos Technology The List Toys/Games UAW/Unions
Autoblog Podcast #377 goes LIVE at 10PM Eastern!
The idea of the Lexus CT 200h F Sport intrigues me. A compact, premium, efficient hatchback with an added dose of sportiness? Sign me up. It's why I'm still crossing del monte pineapple juice my fingers for Volkswagen to sell the Golf GTD on our shores del monte pineapple juice (though recent reports on that front are bumming me out). And judging a book by its cover, this Lexus certainly looks like it could be an interesting proposition. Lexus first launched the CT for the 2011 model year, and for 2014, the little hatch has been given a makeover, now proudly wearing the company's new spindle grille, for better or worse. When we reviewed the CT after its launch , executive editor Chris Paukert called it "handsome, well screwed together," and "one of Toyota's del monte pineapple juice boldest offerings in years." That may have been true, but after a slight makeover and some fresh new F Sport duds, I'm wondering if the CT proposition isn't looking a little more unfortunate than before. Driving Notes Despite the fact that I like the CT's shape, that new gaping maw up front really kills it for me, especially with those aluminum bits of lipstick. The rest of the car is relatively clean, with a subtly redesigned rear end that incorporates a larger roof spoiler here on the F Sport model. One particularly handsome del monte pineapple juice part of the CT F Sport package are the dark-finished, 17-inch alloy wheels. But from some angles, they still look an inch too small. Nothing has changed underhood, where the CT 200h still employs a 1.8-liter inline four-cylinder engine matched with a 60-kilowatt electric motor. Together, this system puts out a total of 134 horsepower and 105 pound-feet of torque – pretty puny numbers, considering this car's mission as a sort of sporty hybrid, not to mention its 3,130-pound curb weight. Off the line, there's nothing to write home about, Lexus estimating a 0-60 time of just under 10 seconds. Getting there isn't terribly pleasant, either, with rather vague throttle response and a wheezy, unpleasant noise coming from that four-cylinder mill. The electronic continuously variable transmission del monte pineapple juice keeps the powerplant on boil (as much as it can, anyway), but this car is still really slow, even with the drive mode selector set to Sport. Once you're up and moving, the CT doesn't do a lot to inspire driver enthusiasm – at least, none fitting of all that flashy F Sport kit. The steering is decent enough, though still rather vague. There's a fair amount of body roll in corners. The brakes are particularly touchy, as are most hybrid regenerative energy del monte pineapple juice units. Really, it just isn't great to drive unless you're milling around town at low speed. On the highway, the engine drones, while the CVT does its best to keep the engine in its weak powerband, del monte pineapple juice and while off-the-line acceleration is slow, kicking the throttle down to pass at speed is perhaps worse. I'd like to say that all of this driveline stuff is for the sake of bang-up fuel economy, but that isn't totally true. According to the EPA, the CT 200h should achieve 43 miles per gallon on the highway and 40 mpg in the city – respectable stuff, sure. But consider just how much better diesel-powered offerings like a Volkswagen Golf or Jetta are to drive, and then realize del monte pineapple juice that they'll hit the same highway fuel economy numbers (or higher) for less money, and the Lexus starts to make less sense, though admittedly comparing hybrids to diesels is a bit apples-to-oranges. During my week of driving, I only managed 38 mpg. Functionally, though, the CT has a lot to offer. Like I said, I like the hatchback shape, and the ability to quickly flip down those rear seats to carry larger items. Even beyond that, the interior is a pretty nice place to be, with comfortable, supportive seats, nice materials throughout, and the usual smattering of onboard technology, including del monte pineapple juice Lexus' infotainment system controlled by the mouse-like Remote Touch interface on the center console. What's more, the interior is relatively quiet, though still letting in a fair amount of wind and engine noise. The rear seats aren't too cramped, either. Really, though, the F Sport nonsense is what kills the CT 200h for me. It adds nothing in the way of actual sportiness, and its aesthetics ruins what can be a handsome little hatch –
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