Lexus CT (2011 - 2020) 200h 1.8 SE-L (Navigation) 5d CVT Auto Owner Review

So, I'll address the negatives first. The ride is rock hard on my 2011 edition. I think they must have made the suspension from diamonds. Even my Ford Puma felt more forgiving. It does corner flat as a result, despite the car's weight, and grip is plentiful. However the end result is a ride that has you wincing and calling for a chiropractor if you so much as glimpse a bump or pothole. Whoever ok'd the ride is surely an invertebrate. The steering is nice and light round town but, despite weighting up at speed and in sport mode, the connection between wheels and road feels vague and does not inspire the confidence to push on round twisty routes, especially the rougher B roads. The CVT gearbox suits the car's relaxed eco driving nature, but will not thrill in any sporty way whatsoever. Engine noise will always exceed acceleration and higher speeds by a fair margin. With rather more wind and tyre noise entering the cabin than I expected, motorway driving is ok but not quite as relaxing as you might expect of the Lexus brand. So a bad car then? Absolutely not. The cabin is a very nice place to be in, with everything feeling well made and screwed together. I've never felt so relaxed in stop-start traffic The car encourages such a relaxed driving style due to being so quiet and easily manouverable round town. The mouse system for the entertainment/navigation is easy to use (how on earth anyone can prefer the fiddly, twiddly knobs of iDrive and it's other German clones is beyond me) and everything feels logically laid out, from the nav screen being at the top, to the heater controls and more auxilliary switches on the centre console. The styling is sensible rather than ostentatious (a subjective area I know) and the safety and kit levels are generous - the reverse camera is a handy thing to have in particular. Overall this is a very well made car that I really enjoy being in, even in heavy traffic on overloaded roads. Ignore the German badge snob brigade in the motoring press, who want hot hatches so they can drive like morons everywhere. This is a cracking machine. My only gripe is had Lexus cut out any idea of the concept of 'sportiness' this car would be bang on hitting the sweet spots in both town and long distance driving. A well equppied steady eddy rather than a hot hatch. Would like an IS300h next.