Give The Lexus CT200h The Respect It Deserves
The Lexus CT200h was never the most popular car here in the U.S. It was expensive because it was a Lexus, slow because it was a Prius, and not nearly as fuel-efficient as its non-luxury sibling. It was also a hatchback (even though it was a luxury car, too), which limited the appeal even further. The U.S. may not buy mainstream hatchbacks in large numbers, but we're basically obsessed with them compared to luxury hatchbacks. Luxury cars are supposed to be massive, dammit!
The fact that large numbers of people weren't willing to pay New Lexus money for the Luxury Prius doesn't mean it was a bad car, though. Far from it. It was just misunderstood and poorly positioned, because at the end of the day, it's still a good looking hatchback with a Prius powertrain and a Lexus interior. Sure, you give up a few miles per gallon in the trade, but we're still talking about a car that's rated at 42 mpg combined, while also being far more comfortable than the Prius.
Which is why it's nice to see Regular Car Reviews spend some time in one of the most overlooked modern Lexuses ever built. Is it a perfect car? Not at all. But it's also far better than a lot of people want to give it credit for, if they even remember it existed in the first place.
The Lexus Prius
As you may have noticed, I have a bit of a soft spot for the CT200h. It isn't necessarily my kind of weird, but a while back, my mom needed a new-to-her car that was comfortable, reliable, and fuel-efficient and eventually settled on a used CT200h. My dad probably would have preferred if they'd saved a little money and bought a Prius, but I pushed hard for the Lexus and somehow won. I'm not really sure how, but hey, I guess miracles really do happen every now and then.
Compared to most other modern cars, it's pretty darn slow, but it's not like it's the kind of slow where you sometimes struggle to maintain your speed up a hill. It's just not quick. And if you would describe yourself as broad, you're probably going to have a hard time getting comfortable in the cabin, since it very clearly wasn't designed with the average American in mind. Oh, also the infotainment system suck and odds are, you'll still pay a premium compared to the more fuel-efficient Prius, too.
But dang it if that cramped cabin doesn't still feel basically brand new, even more than a decade later. It's almost annoying how well put-together a Japanese-built Lexus is, because it makes so many other used luxury cars feel old in comparison. While averaging close to 40 mpg. Even better, used prices appear to be hovering around the $10,000 mark, making the CT200h a great used buy if rising gas prices have you scared.
When it was new, the Lexus Prius would have definitely benefited from a lower price, but it's nice to see more people realizing what an incredible value these things are on the used market. Maybe in a few years, the Lexus CT200h will finally get the respect it deserves as a stylish, fuel-efficient, luxurious hatchback that's far better than its sales figures would ever have suggested.