TheLexus CT 200h ventures into a new market segment and will look tocause a stir in the premium hatchback segment. This new market expansion has been a trend at Lexus of late, with the IS 250C entering the convertible segment and the LX570 entering the luxury off-road segment. The Lexus CT 200h is aimed at a younger customer while maintaining Lexus’ position at the top of the hybrid ladder in South Africa.

Lexus CT 200h offers low fuel consumption

Being a full hybrid vehicle, the Lexus CT 200h can run on petrol or electric or both combined. The petrol engine is a 1.8 litre VVT-I Atkinson and delivers 73 kW at 5200 rpm with 142 Nm of torque. Added to this is the electric engine which delivers 60 kW, combining to produce 100 kW of total system output.

Efficiency is where this vehicle stands out though; with ultra low emissions and some very impressive fuel economy figures. The fuel emissions statistics are class-leading, with an output of just 94 g/km of CO2. The fuel economy is also top-notch, clocking in at just 4.1 litres/100km combined cycle. This efficiency is in part due to the artificial intelligence systems in place on the vehicle. The Constantly Variable Transmission optimizes the petrol engine revs depending on the driving conditions while simultaneously synchronizing petrol and electric power to best suit the situation.

The Lexus CT 200h comes with a number of different driving ‘moods’; Relaxing or Dynamic. These moods are supported by 4 different driving modes which include: Normal, EV, ECO and Sport. As you can expect, each of these modes will drastically change the driving experience of the vehicle. ECO mode will soften the throttle response while Sport mode does the exact opposite as well as increasing the steering and driving control system responses.

Lexus CT 200h – Price

Lexus CT 200h S – R343,300

Lexus CT 200h F-Sport – R398,500

Lexus CT 200h F-Sport 10SP HDD – R434,200