When I grew up with Lexus and was an enthusiast, my perception of the brand is that they make cars that are as light and luxurious to drive as boring. And with Lexus’s parent giant, Toyota, which is a leader in performance and hybrid powertrains, enthusiasts believe that Toyota and Lexus are the exact opposite of everything. This is not to say that they make terrible cars, but those that say too much for the average consumer, and not for enthusiasts.
Currently, the Lexus lineup has five hybrids, and the CT 200h is the fifth. Overall, last year Toyota sold more than 500,000 hybrids. So ToMoCo, and, in particular, Lexus is not used to the hybrid world. I mean, they founded the industry for Pete. But how many of these buyers do you consider to be enthusiasts? Usually, when you equate hybrids with their demographics, you think that they are simple Jane, ordinary Joe and, of course, tree lovers.
All kinds of people who, it would seem, preferred ordinary ham and cheese from Wonder bread, rather than a more refined, slowly baked, hand-carved leg with glaze from panini with ham and aioli with honey Dijon juice. And if anything, the only Lexus that currently has a sporting reputation is IS and LFA. Therefore, when I was told that we were going to drive the cheapest Lexus, I expected to drive a Toyota Prius, despite Lexus saying that the CT200h offers exceptional fuel economy and a dynamic driving experience. However, Honda has shown the world that hybrids should not be boring with the CR-Z. Could it be the same for the Lexus CT200h, which is currently the only car of its kind?
-Jack Wilson