Discussion
Has anyone got owned or own a CT200H. I am on the lookout for a IS250 SE-L but I am wondering could this little car, also be a contender. The IS250 looks excellent, but knowing nothing about these hybrid cars I thought I would ask about them.
Whether they would be suitable for 6k a year
What are they like in terms of service cost
Any issues or problems
Whether they would be suitable for 6k a year
What are they like in terms of service cost
Any issues or problems
Drove one for a couple of weeks.
Underneath, they are actually just a Toyota auris hybrid in a posh frock.
Nothing wrong with the prius/auris hybrid engine, but the packaging in the CT I found made it a much worse car than either of them.
The problems all seem to come from the packaging and changing perfectly good things just to be different - here are 15 things:
1) MPG – somehow the car seems to get less mpg than the Auris hybrid, about 5-10mpg less. Perhaps the Lexus sport mode runs the petrol engine more than the Auris’s own power mode?
2) The ride quality – too hard for a car that has an 11 second 0-60.
3) The infotainment system – controlled by a wheel and buttons, not the easiest to use on the move. The system itself is laggy.
The best design for infotainment seems to be a touchscreen surrounded by physical buttons – if something works perfectly why try to change it? Indeed, many cars infotainment systems would be vastly improved by instead using a £100 android tablet running tomtom go and android auto.
4) Speaking of infotainment, the audio quality was one of the worst I’ve come across – I have a £20 Bluetooth speaker that gives better sound
5) The rear of the car gets very dirty quickly – perhaps the diffuser? In the rain, you are having to have the rear wiper on constantly to keep a porthole clear
6) The seat heater controls – something mentioned in another review, if you put something in the cubby in front of them, they are blocked by it
7) USB/power access – under a flap that opens the wrong way for the UK right hand drive market. And you can’t close the flap when a USB memory stick is in place.
8) Reverse beep – not limited just to the CT200h, and a dealer programming option to change, is the annoying continuous beeping when the car is in reverse. Just like driving a bin lorry!
9) Heating controls – the best design is the one used by the Auris/Yaris etc., with two knobs and a few buttons between them. Rather than splitting everything up into separate buttons that you must take your eyes off the road to set.
10) Driver display – most cars have two dials and an information screen between them. Ideal when you want a quick glance at the outside temperature perhaps during winter. In the CT200h the screen is tiny and on the bottom right, making it hard to use.
11) Rear seat space – the central console extends backwards, encroaching on the rear centre seat space. A Yaris would appear to have a more useable rear seat space, easily taking 3 adults. The seat belt buckle arrangement in the CT200h also means that sliding across, you are likely to have an unexpected prod in the posterior!
12) Weird boot shape – in a hatchback you would expect the rear parcel shelf to be connected to the tailgate, so it moves out of the way when you open it. Many cars have this, and it works well. But in the CT200h you have a roller, like in an estate car, but just giving you a small opening to put things into unless you put them down and wind the roller back.
13) An offset drivers seat? The drivers seat appears to be placed away from the door, meaning getting out in a tight parking space is a two-stage process. First you must slide half off the seat and then get out.
14) Low door opening. I was forever hitting my head on the driver’s roof handle when checking behind before pulling away. Despite lowering the seat, the relationship of the seat and door opening height appear off.
15) Distant window switches – opening the drivers window requires a stretch, as the buttons are far away on the driver’s door.
No, I didn't like it!
Underneath, they are actually just a Toyota auris hybrid in a posh frock.
Nothing wrong with the prius/auris hybrid engine, but the packaging in the CT I found made it a much worse car than either of them.
The problems all seem to come from the packaging and changing perfectly good things just to be different - here are 15 things:
1) MPG – somehow the car seems to get less mpg than the Auris hybrid, about 5-10mpg less. Perhaps the Lexus sport mode runs the petrol engine more than the Auris’s own power mode?
2) The ride quality – too hard for a car that has an 11 second 0-60.
3) The infotainment system – controlled by a wheel and buttons, not the easiest to use on the move. The system itself is laggy.
The best design for infotainment seems to be a touchscreen surrounded by physical buttons – if something works perfectly why try to change it? Indeed, many cars infotainment systems would be vastly improved by instead using a £100 android tablet running tomtom go and android auto.
4) Speaking of infotainment, the audio quality was one of the worst I’ve come across – I have a £20 Bluetooth speaker that gives better sound
5) The rear of the car gets very dirty quickly – perhaps the diffuser? In the rain, you are having to have the rear wiper on constantly to keep a porthole clear
6) The seat heater controls – something mentioned in another review, if you put something in the cubby in front of them, they are blocked by it
7) USB/power access – under a flap that opens the wrong way for the UK right hand drive market. And you can’t close the flap when a USB memory stick is in place.
8) Reverse beep – not limited just to the CT200h, and a dealer programming option to change, is the annoying continuous beeping when the car is in reverse. Just like driving a bin lorry!
9) Heating controls – the best design is the one used by the Auris/Yaris etc., with two knobs and a few buttons between them. Rather than splitting everything up into separate buttons that you must take your eyes off the road to set.
10) Driver display – most cars have two dials and an information screen between them. Ideal when you want a quick glance at the outside temperature perhaps during winter. In the CT200h the screen is tiny and on the bottom right, making it hard to use.
11) Rear seat space – the central console extends backwards, encroaching on the rear centre seat space. A Yaris would appear to have a more useable rear seat space, easily taking 3 adults. The seat belt buckle arrangement in the CT200h also means that sliding across, you are likely to have an unexpected prod in the posterior!
12) Weird boot shape – in a hatchback you would expect the rear parcel shelf to be connected to the tailgate, so it moves out of the way when you open it. Many cars have this, and it works well. But in the CT200h you have a roller, like in an estate car, but just giving you a small opening to put things into unless you put them down and wind the roller back.
13) An offset drivers seat? The drivers seat appears to be placed away from the door, meaning getting out in a tight parking space is a two-stage process. First you must slide half off the seat and then get out.
14) Low door opening. I was forever hitting my head on the driver’s roof handle when checking behind before pulling away. Despite lowering the seat, the relationship of the seat and door opening height appear off.
15) Distant window switches – opening the drivers window requires a stretch, as the buttons are far away on the driver’s door.
No, I didn't like it!
Hi.
I hired a CT200h and it was utterly woeful. It was terrible to drive, hideously ugly, hideously uncomfortable, and hideously cramped.
However I own an IS300h and it is LEAGUES ahead. Honestly. Get an IS300h, it is better in every fathomable way.
Great to drive. Good looking, especially in F Sport with rose leather and graphite wheels. Very spacious. And very comfortable. RWD means its much more rewarding than a FWD CT200h which is just a glorified Auris.
I was looking to buy a CT200h and it was so terrible I bought an IS300h and it’s a fantastic car.
But - if you are set on a CT200h, get a SE-L Premier and don’t settle on anything else other than this. Nice seats and Mark Levinson stereo. If you can’t get a premier get an SE-L, but you are missing out on the hifi system. The Advance is bloody awful
IS300h
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
CT200h
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
The SEL Premier CT200h is acceptable but like I said the IS300h is leagues better
I hired a CT200h and it was utterly woeful. It was terrible to drive, hideously ugly, hideously uncomfortable, and hideously cramped.
However I own an IS300h and it is LEAGUES ahead. Honestly. Get an IS300h, it is better in every fathomable way.
Great to drive. Good looking, especially in F Sport with rose leather and graphite wheels. Very spacious. And very comfortable. RWD means its much more rewarding than a FWD CT200h which is just a glorified Auris.
I was looking to buy a CT200h and it was so terrible I bought an IS300h and it’s a fantastic car.
But - if you are set on a CT200h, get a SE-L Premier and don’t settle on anything else other than this. Nice seats and Mark Levinson stereo. If you can’t get a premier get an SE-L, but you are missing out on the hifi system. The Advance is bloody awful
IS300h
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
CT200h
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
The SEL Premier CT200h is acceptable but like I said the IS300h is leagues better
OP just read the original post again
Service at a Lexus dealer ranges between £300 and £500 , there is an excellent level of after care and it comes with a full hybrid health check and courtesy car.
6k miles a year is fine. I do around 13000 in mine. Doing 6k miles means you get the cheaper plan.
Road tax is £0 or £10 depending on the spec, assuming its used as well. The standard Advan tyres are fine as well.
I’ve had 2 minor niggles with mine. The seatbelt warning is malfunctioning, no longer recognising people in the back need to put their belt on and playing the chime. The other minor issue is the sat nav screen having some sort of issue where a few pixels in a certain area play up . But this is intermittent.
Quick clear system has also slowed down considerably over time.
So i’d advise you to check the screen is working properly, and the heated windscreen, and that the seatbelt chime is working consistently for the REAR seats.
Also, try and get a car with a reversing camera
Service at a Lexus dealer ranges between £300 and £500 , there is an excellent level of after care and it comes with a full hybrid health check and courtesy car.
6k miles a year is fine. I do around 13000 in mine. Doing 6k miles means you get the cheaper plan.
Road tax is £0 or £10 depending on the spec, assuming its used as well. The standard Advan tyres are fine as well.
I’ve had 2 minor niggles with mine. The seatbelt warning is malfunctioning, no longer recognising people in the back need to put their belt on and playing the chime. The other minor issue is the sat nav screen having some sort of issue where a few pixels in a certain area play up . But this is intermittent.
Quick clear system has also slowed down considerably over time.
So i’d advise you to check the screen is working properly, and the heated windscreen, and that the seatbelt chime is working consistently for the REAR seats.
Also, try and get a car with a reversing camera
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 27th January 16:29
That looks lovely the 300H F Sport. Ideally I am looking at a IS250 SE-L for my budget which was £3k but having looked at them a nice one with low mileage is around £10k or a bit less. It’s ideally to replace my Mini. So I am going to see what I can find in regards to an SE-L I’m sure the ones for £3k to £4K are fine but I think spending double would be a safe bet.
I think from what I’ve read on here and online I may rule out the CT200.
The IS300h however expensive to me, looks like a really nice car, and I think would be a great purchase to consider. The road tax is £10, it’s got the MPG and the best of an electric and petrol. Reliability is second to none and the serving from what I have read is supposed to be great.
So if you where me what would you go for?
I think from what I’ve read on here and online I may rule out the CT200.
The IS300h however expensive to me, looks like a really nice car, and I think would be a great purchase to consider. The road tax is £10, it’s got the MPG and the best of an electric and petrol. Reliability is second to none and the serving from what I have read is supposed to be great.
So if you where me what would you go for?
To be brutally honest the IS300h offers not much more than the 250, I spend my commute on the motorway and A roads where the car is pushed pretty hard, so I only get 33mpg average over 13000 miles.
If you’re going to do motorway miles or rag it there are better options than the IS300h as the CVT box makes quite an awful noise at high revs.
HOWEVER, if you are going to spend most of your time in stop start traffic for example inner city London the IS300h is in a league of it’s own. You’re going to see waaaaaay more than 33mpg if you keep the car in EV mode (which deactivates over 20mph). I’d estimate 50mpg as I have seen these figures. The same rule applies to the CT200h. It’s a truly brilliant car to drive sedately.
The IS250 is anther fantastic car. For motorway miles these rule the breed - understressed (loses the 2.5 4 cylinder of the 300h and the horrible at high revs CVT) thanks to it’s V6 and has a more conventional box while retaining all the other charms of the 300h. So if you’re doing motorway miles then this is the car for you.
The last IS you might want to consider is the IS200t. Now this adds the much needed fizz to the IS range. 2.0 turbo delivers punchy peformance and is easily the most fun model. Good handler as well.
If you want to do sedate driving at low speeds the IS300h is easily the best - at anything except motorway miles. The IS250 blends motorway miles and sedateness at the low speeds well at the cost of economy. The IS200t blends all three and is the most fun but I prefer the 300 still.
So my order:
IS300h
IS200t
IS 250
However, all these cars are still in my opinion, exceptional, so really it’s all based on price. The IS200t is the newest, being released recently, the 250 is rare and 300 is available pretty much from the £9000 bracket for the Advance, but you want leather, nav at the minimum.
If you don’t mind me asking what is your budget?
If you’re going to do motorway miles or rag it there are better options than the IS300h as the CVT box makes quite an awful noise at high revs.
HOWEVER, if you are going to spend most of your time in stop start traffic for example inner city London the IS300h is in a league of it’s own. You’re going to see waaaaaay more than 33mpg if you keep the car in EV mode (which deactivates over 20mph). I’d estimate 50mpg as I have seen these figures. The same rule applies to the CT200h. It’s a truly brilliant car to drive sedately.
The IS250 is anther fantastic car. For motorway miles these rule the breed - understressed (loses the 2.5 4 cylinder of the 300h and the horrible at high revs CVT) thanks to it’s V6 and has a more conventional box while retaining all the other charms of the 300h. So if you’re doing motorway miles then this is the car for you.
The last IS you might want to consider is the IS200t. Now this adds the much needed fizz to the IS range. 2.0 turbo delivers punchy peformance and is easily the most fun model. Good handler as well.
If you want to do sedate driving at low speeds the IS300h is easily the best - at anything except motorway miles. The IS250 blends motorway miles and sedateness at the low speeds well at the cost of economy. The IS200t blends all three and is the most fun but I prefer the 300 still.
So my order:
IS300h
IS200t
IS 250
However, all these cars are still in my opinion, exceptional, so really it’s all based on price. The IS200t is the newest, being released recently, the 250 is rare and 300 is available pretty much from the £9000 bracket for the Advance, but you want leather, nav at the minimum.
If you don’t mind me asking what is your budget?
IS200t - cheapest is £19,995
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Very pretty IS250 F Sport with rose leather - £15500
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
IS300h F Sport with rose leather I’ve already attached - rose leather seems to keep its value so I have attached one without rose leather - £13750
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Very pretty IS250 F Sport with rose leather - £15500
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
IS300h F Sport with rose leather I’ve already attached - rose leather seems to keep its value so I have attached one without rose leather - £13750
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
They look lovely. Well budget ideally was £3k but I’m probably going to have to spend about £8k to find a nice IS250 SE-L.
It would be on finance anayway as I would be selling my car and then using that as a deposit. So budget ideally would be around £3k to £8k. Maybe in the future I could look at the hybrids when I get a decent pay rise.
It would be on finance anayway as I would be selling my car and then using that as a deposit. So budget ideally would be around £3k to £8k. Maybe in the future I could look at the hybrids when I get a decent pay rise.
Hybrid wise the IS300h is a much better car than the CT200h it's packaging is better, an alternative is the very rare Infiniti M
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Or the later Q50 depending on you budget:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Or the later Q50 depending on you budget:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
ZX10R NIN said:
Hybrid wise the IS300h is a much better car than the CT200h it's packaging is better, an alternative is the very rare Infiniti M
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Or the later Q50 depending on you budget:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
I would have to see if I can stretch to it, depending on the finance.https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Or the later Q50 depending on you budget:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
I didn't realise it was your post OP, you need to workout what you actually want to spend you've had a load of what car threads with the budget going from 12-3-15k you won't get a car if you can't decide what type of car you want & how much you want to spend going 1-2k either way is normal but your all over the shop.
What is wrong with your Mini?
You've had it up for sale for over 5 months & it hasn't sold so you've either got it priced to high which in turn means you're not trying to sell.
What is wrong with your Mini?
You've had it up for sale for over 5 months & it hasn't sold so you've either got it priced to high which in turn means you're not trying to sell.
ZX10R NIN said:
I didn't realise it was your post OP, you need to workout what you actually want to spend you've had a load of what car threads with the budget going from 12-3-15k you won't get a car if you can't decide what type of car you want & how much you want to spend going 1-2k either way is normal but your all over the shop.
What is wrong with your Mini?
You've had it up for sale for over 5 months & it hasn't sold so you've either got it priced to high which in turn means you're not trying to sell.
First off, there is no harm in getting different opinions based on certain prices. Second there is nothing wrong with my Mini, it’s not priced too high, it’s priced right. I’ve researched it based on what others are selling it for, age and mileage, mine has had a lot of work done on it, but still I’ve priced it to what other are selling. I have decided that I want to get a Lexus I am just asking about the hybrid models and whether I could get one for my FINAL budget having worked out the finance would be £8000. The finance over two to three years is affordable and I shouldn’t loose that much money if I decide to sell it after that time or possibly keep it. What is wrong with your Mini?
You've had it up for sale for over 5 months & it hasn't sold so you've either got it priced to high which in turn means you're not trying to sell.
I did consider getting a Lexus for the price of my Mini which is £3k, but they are all very high mileage. So I decided to add a little more to the budget to get one that’s got lower mileage, plus trying to find an SE-L model is hard at £3k. Ideally I want black leather as I think the cream shows up dirt and wear a little more. So I decided to increase the budget to £8k. If I can get one for that or even less that would be great as I can use that as a fund for the car, servicing etc.
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 27th January 21:19
No harm in asking opinions but your budget was all over the place now you have now settled on a budget, which means you can assess what you're looking at more objectively, at this price point you will get a great SE-L IS250.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Edited by ZX10R NIN on Sunday 28th January 12:30
ZX10R NIN said:
No harm in asking opinions but your budget was all over the place now you have now settled on a budget, which means you can assess what you're looking at more objectively, at this price point you will get a great SE-L IS250.
I hopefully should be able to find one. Most of what I’ve seen has been sold. Fingers crossed someone buys my Mini.Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff