2011 Lexus CT 200H: A Hybrid with Style and a Pinch of Luxury and Sporty Tuning

If you have your heart set on a hybrid, but want a dollop of style and a pinch of luxury and sporty tuning, then the 2011 Lexus CT 200h may be just the one you’re looking for. Arriving next March, the Lexus CT 200H 2011(the initials stand for Compact Tourer) will be Lexus’s fifth hybrid offering—the most of any automobile nameplate.

And, with a Lexus CT 200H mpg combined for city-highway mileage of 42 mpg, it will be the first vehicle in the luxury segment to step over the 40-mpg line. The specs is powered by a version of the Prius powertrain with an efficient Atkinson cycle 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that generates 98 horsepower and 105 pounds-feet of torque. Well, this is more than the 2011 Lexus GS.

2011 Lexus CT 200h front exterior-image10

Combined with an 80-hp electric motor, a generator and a 202-volt nickel-metal hydride battery pack, the series and parallel hybrid system produces a total of 134 hp. A continuously variable transmission (CVT), the only transmission available, directs the push to the front wheels. It’s unfortunate that the 2011 Lexus CT 200H couldn’t come closer to the Prius’s 50-mpg efficiency.

Like the Prius, the 2011 Lexus CT 200H offers multiple driving modes. Available choices are EV, Eco, Normal and Sport. The EV mode allows drivers to go all electric for up to a mile—so long as the car is kept below 25 mph on flat paved surfaces (think parking lots only). Normal mode brings the CVT into play, allowing the new Lexus CT 200H 2011 to respond to changing driving conditions by instantaneously adjusting its gear ratios.

Eco mode alters that formula to provide maximized fuel economy for gas-electric driving—slowing cabin cooling, limiting throttle and accelerating regenerative braking to charge up the battery. The Eco mode is where drivers are most likely to achieve the Lexus CT 200H mpg which government estimated at 43 mpg city and 40 mpg highway fuel mileage.

Classified as a compact car, this 2011 model of the Lexus CT 200H is the smallest Lexus at 170.1 inches long, 69.5 inches wide, and 56.7 inches tall. It is built on a version of the platform that also underpins the Scion tC, Toyota Corolla and the larger Lexus HS 250H 2011. Using the HS 250h’s double A-arm rear suspension, the suspension has been returned for sporty handling and features a Yamaha front and rear damping system that stiffens the structure and minimizes body vibrations.

If the Lexus CT 200H 2011 feels lighter on its feet than any other Lexus, it’s because it is. Lexus engineers kept its heft down to a modest 3,130 pounds, making it both the trimmest model in the automaker’s fleet and the trimmest model in its segment.

2011 Lexus CT 200h Interior

Segment Market for the 2011 Lexus CT 200H

Feature-wise, Lexus has also positioned this Lexus CT 200H well for the younger set, offering commonly desired tech features like Bluetooth hands-free and audio streaming, full iPod control, XM Satellite Radio, keyless ignition, and Lexus Safety Connect all standard.

Options in the 2011 Lexus CT 200H include LED headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, or the Lexus Enform information and nav system; and a line of F-Sport performance and appearance accessories will be on offer at dealerships. With a sub-$30,000 price (the least expensive than the Lexus CT Hybrid price) and frugal fuel efficiency, the Lexus CT 200H 2011 stands poised to beckon fresh blood to the brand’s silver-haired customer base.