Lexus CT 200H test drive since 2010 hatchback

Unique

Long -term Lexus CT 200H: premium hybrid.


The smallest Lexus in the history of the brand. The only lexus in the back of the hatchback. The first and again the only front -wheel drive Lexus with a hybrid power plant. The only hybrid of golf class in the Russian market, which the Japanese themselves call the world's first full-hybrid premium compact. And this unique, Lexus CT 200h, settled in our garage for a month.

Many believe that hybrids have no future. That this is only a marketing move, a way to make you pay attention. Until recently, I had the same opinion, but when I drove Lexus CT 200h, I somehow immediately forgot about all these disputes around hybrid car. My vigilance completely euthanized the magnificent interior.


I would not say that Lexus CT 200H looks avant -garde, but still its body has uncharacteristic proportions, especially in the rear. In any case, the appearance of Lexus turned out to be much more attractive than the appearance of the Toyota Prius donor.

It is not often that you have to start a story about the car with the description of its salon, but Lexus is exactly the case. The doors are closed juicy, and inside is cozy, warm and somehow at home. In the Lexus salon there is such a sense of security and peace so uncharacteristic for a small car. A unique sensation for a golf class car.

True, from a real golf class there is only sizes. The quality of the finish and materials at a level that most of the cars performing in this segment did not dream of. I am even ready to call the interior of Article 200h the best in the class is possible, only a new BMW penny can compete.

Interior


The best interior in the class: leather, wood, soft plastic. Inside is very comfortable, at home. There are no complaints about ergonomics: everything is convenient, everything is available. You get used to the mouse-controller quickly, as well as to a small nickel-based lever gearbox.


Front seats CT 200H in Lexus traditions. Comfortable, rather soft with decent lateral support. This will with convenience take any complexion into his arms. Ranks of adjustments, let's say, exhaustive.


Lexus CT 200H the only car in my memory, which has a well -thought -out and well -accessible niche for a mobile phone. A trifle, but very important.

Premium does not need to be found under a magnifying glass: a lot of skin, expensive plastic, wooden bar over a glove box, a two-zone climate control, a stylish lying central console with a joystick mouse and an 8-inch color screen at the top, a sliding hatch in the roof, a rear view camera and music Mark Levinson with 13 columns! And a miracle! There was a first car in my life with a full -fledged place for a mobile phone! Not from a durable remade, not with an uncomfortable shelf, not with a conditionally suitable pocket door for this, but with a real, very convenient slot to the right of the mouse, right at hand. And this is important, because each time, sitting down in the car, we take out the phone out of the pocket and should put it somewhere. In order not to thunder, so that he does not go back and forth, so that he does not fly under the seat. And so several times a day.


In addition to ordinary information about music, climate or navigation, a graphic display of the power plant and statistics on fuel consumption and saved energy can be removed on an 8-inch color display. At the moment, it is clear that the battery is almost completely charged and all the car systems work from it. That's just the schedule of gusts and resolution of the screen is small.

In the salon of Lexus, absolutely nothing annoys. A comfortable soft chair pleasantly hugs the body, the steering wheel with a chubby leather rim does not even overlap with a beautiful optimal tidy, and the right hand literally after ten minutes gets used to an unusual mouse, which performs the same functions as the IDRive Waste for BMW or BMW. MMI with Audi. And now the arrow on the screen is already quickly jumping on the menu items: settings, music, hybrid installation, motors, energy flows, green recovery mode.

I saw something similar on the Prius, and this is understandable because Lexus was built on the same units. But the main thing is that there is the same power plant with a total capacity of 136 horsepower, and this means that it is unlikely to be enough to call one and a half -ton Lexus a driver.

Disappointment? No.


1. The ariginal joystick of the control of the multimedia system, similar to a computer mouse, was quite convenient, although he still lacks the clarity of movements, and Enter's main key has to be pressed with an uncomfortable thumb.
2. On the central panel, under the cap inputs of USB, AUX and 12-volt outlet. Pay attention - the edges of the console are sheathed with the skin.

Lexus CT 200H captured me and converted me to his hybrid faith in just a couple of days. I accepted his rules of the game. I stopped hunting for speed, a screech of tires in turns, reactive effort on the steering wheel and the first place at a traffic light. At the wheel of Lexus, I turned into a hunter to comfort, silence and, of course, the small consumption of fuel. Otherwise, why is it high-tech appendage in the form of a heavy battery under the rear seats, an electric motor-generator and variator? We will save! Moreover, our eco-radiation fell on the winter: how effective will the hybrid installation be in frost?


Lexus Hybrid Drive
Lexus Hybrid Drive system Lexus CT 200H is almost the same as in the third generation of Toyota Prius. The sequential parallel installation circuit includes a 1.8-linen gasoline engine operating on the Atkinson cycle, an 82-horsepower electric motor (aka generator), a battery, power control unit and an endless transmission with a planetary transmission that can combine the moment from the traction electric motor and internal combustion engine in any proportions. As a result, Lexus can only move on the traction of an internal combustion engine or traction of an electric motor, or with a mixed mode. During braking, the electric motor works as a generator and converts kinetic energy into an electric one and accumulating it in the battery.

The first impression: the cold ST immediately begins to work on the internal combustion engine. It is logical, because the power plant needs to be warmed up, so the system does not allow the use of a purely electrical mode, although the battery is not completely discharged. On the other hand, such an algorithm somewhat contradicts the environmental ideology of a hybrid, because we know that in the first minutes of the work, an unenvoyless ICE throws a large number of harmful substances into the atmosphere.

Of course, there is certainly not sensors of oil temperature or coolant in high -tech Lexus. A peculiar indicator of the heating of the installation can be the transition of ST to the electrical mode.


Article 200h was the first to try on the new design of the front of the body. Soon all Lexus will become the same.

In the first weeks, I recalled that I go on a hybrid, only for informational, educational or game purposes. The car itself does not give out its technological work. On the course of switching between the modes, they occur imperceptibly. Only at large loads, when the variator displays the internal combustion engine for high speeds, does the gasoline engine become clearly audible despite good sound insulation. The rest of the time, the sound of a 1.8-frail four, working on the Atkinson cycle, merges with an almost invisible rumble of an electric motor and prevailing noise from his studded tires, and in the end for some reason reminded me of the sound of a more noble six-cylinder motor.


The profile is clearly noticeable how the rear doors came out with kutsy. And winter 16-inch wheels are lost in large wheel arches-on the summer 17-inch hatchback looks much better.

With low loads, Lexus most often moves in an electric protrusion and does it absolutely silently. And this is a problem, because in the yards I now have to crawl behind leisurely grandmothers who do not even know that the car is driving behind. But, to the joy of neighbors from the first floor, I park in the yard now I am almost soundless. And completely harmless.


All the main music control keys, microclimate, as well as the gearbox lever, Parking key and heating the front seats are logically located on the central console.

What does small loads mean? First of all, jewelry handling of gas pedal. He pressed a little sharper or stronger, and the green eye on the dashboard disappeared, and orange-yellow arrows flowed on the monitor from both engines to the transmission.

But holding Lexus in an electric tonus in the city is not difficult. The energy of the electric motor is enough for both sluggish Moscow plugs and for measured movement in the stream. Despite the fact that the Japanese officially declare maximum speed on electricity 45 kilometers per hour, in practice in ECO and Normal modes I managed to squeeze all 75! But in sports, indeed, the electric mode is available only to 45-and. Unclear.


The hybrid model of Lexus is hung with nameplates painted in a blue eco-flow. Tradition. In fairness, it is worth saying that the usual modification of ST still does not exist.

Probably, in this way, the car justifies its name City in the city, it is most economical, but on the highway, when the electric motor is constantly working with the ICE, the flow rate increases even at a stable movement at a speed of about 110 kilometers per hour.


Article 200h lacks stars from the sky of controllability and dynamics. Its horse is different: the smoothness of the course, the comfort of passengers, silence and, of course, economy. Accept his rules of the game and you will like it.

And in his habits Lexus is a completely city guy. The calm pace of the element clogged with the metropolis. It is difficult for him on the highway: a large mass and modest energy supply are affected. In addition, even in Normal mode, the hybrid hatchback is clearly sharpened to savings: the gas reactions are very lazy. And in Eco Lexus mode it becomes a perfect phlegmatic: even the performance of the climate decreases!

The reverse side improves efficiency. On Lexus CT 200h, I easily managed to keep fuel consumption within the framework of 7-7.5 liters per hundred. And this is in winter. And from the experience of driving Toyota Prius in Europe, I know that with proper organization of movement, this indicator can be reduced to 4.5-5 liters.


The operating modes of the power plant can be selected with a special washer on the central console. To the left of it, the EV-Mode button, with which the entire electrical mode is forced to turn on. But it works only if the battery is quite charged, and the internal combustion engine is heated.


In the ECO and Normal modes, the dashboard is illuminated by the moon-white light, and on its left side there is a scale of economy: until the arrow moves through the middle, CT rides on an electric trowel (at speeds of less than 75 kilometers per hour). When braking, the shooter shifts down (charge), the process of recovery is underway, the battery is charged.


In sports mode, the backlighting panel becomes bright red, and a tachometer suddenly appears on the left. 5300 speeds are most accessible to him.

But still the most pleasant CT 200H Sport mode. The dashboard changes color from environmentallygging blue to the draft red, the place of the economy indicator occupies a tachometer, the voltage of the battery grows from 500 to 650 volts, the gas pedal becomes more sensitive, the ESP unknown system reduces the threshold of the operation, and the steering is slightly clamped. And Lexus from a comfortable wrapping does not turn, of course, not into drivers, but in a car with good golf class habits. The dynamics improves, it becomes much easier to overtake.

In sports, Lexus favorably differs from his relative Prius. And the point here is not only in the specific settings of electronics, but that even on the winter wheels Lexus is more gambling than a donor. If the word excitement can generally be applicable to compact hybrids.


Traditionally, for Lexus, the steering on CT 200H can not be called completely transparent, and the rolls seem large.

A large role was played by the refinement of pendants by Japanese engineers. Macpherson was reconfigured in front, and an independent suspension is behind a half -dependent beam in the back. Yes, what is on double transverse levers. Of course, it did not add a place in the trunk (which, however, was already pretty eaten by the battery), but it allowed Lexus to stand in corners, and at the same time added solidity when passing irregularities. City, by the standards of the segment, is very comfortable, although for a car with Lexus nameplate, maybe a little harsh. Payment for collected habits of a clearance of 130 millimeters. In winter, you often have to scratch your tummy, and you have to forget about the arrival on the curb.


1. The luggage of the trunk of ST 200H was the victim of the battery, the rear independent suspension and high floor only 375 liters, including the section under the floor. The backs of the rear seats are folded in a ratio of 3: 2, the surface is flat, and the volume of the compartment increases to 975 liters.
2. Under the floor there is a foam organizer.
3. Under it - a dock, a jack and a balon key. The photo shows how a fragment of the battery is from under the rear seat.

Nevertheless, Article 200H is initially not intended for racing. He has other priorities. Therefore, even in sports mode, you should not expect neither hurricane dynamics or spectacular drifts from it. In total, 136 forces by one and a half tons of mass by modern standards are very few, and it is almost impossible to achieve the sliding of the rear axle: insufficient rotation is very pronounced. But even tormenting and slightly putting the car sideways, you immediately hear the crunch of the vain stabilization system. And if I usually rattle for the presence of an ESP OFF button, then here is not the case: security is an ally of savings and ecology.


That the front headlights, that the rear lights of CT 200H have a bizarre shape, but they largely determine its appearance. Farah with bixenon and LED daylight privilege of top -end Luxury top configuration. And there is a complaint to them: the near light shines under his breath, and the boundary of the light is very sharp.

Having experimented with different settings, I returned again, oddly enough, to the Normal mode, as the most suitable for a calm ride. Now that much is already clear, I again chose to be surrounded by a comfortable salon, a rich sound of my favorite music and inconspicuous hybrid technologies. At the wheel of this Lexus you can calmly think. In particular, whether this car is worth its money. Or about what it actually represents the opportunity to save on fuel, a fashionable track or entrance ticket to the Lexus camp?


You have to climb through the narrow doors on the rear seats. There is enough space here only for people of medium height and lower. Tall complained about the proximity of the ceiling, although there is even a special recess in its upholstery. But you can sit down and the three of the central tunnel is not.

First, we will deal with the savings. The consumption of 7.5 liters per hundred kilometers does not seem very superburial. Such indicators can be achieved and without resorting to the help of hybrid technologies. And to save on gasoline in order to somehow play part of a fairly high cost is a hopeless activity. If it was still talking about Europe with its benefits and a more logical rhythm of movement, then the economic meaning in the purchase of a hybrid may have remained, and we have a hybrid business. After all, our Lexus CT 200H stands in the top equipment Luxury 1.765 million rubles! So it does not fit with the input ticket: by adding another 20 thousand rubles you can buy IS 250 in the Premium configuration.

It turns out a fashionable track? Perhaps so. Because even with the average level of EXECTIVE equipment for 1.403 million rubles (however, everything necessary is here, even the leather salon is available) CT 200H is much more expensive than its classmates.

But you can look at this and on the other side from the priece. It also costs a lot of 1.395 million rubles in expensive configuration. And here the verdict is unequivocal: hybrids are not cheap simply because they are complex and technological. And in this context, Lexus is good in all respects of such comfort, homeliness and level of bells and whistles of Toyota. And compared to the Lexus donor, it looks very profitable.

Exploitation
The total mileage of the car, 14033 kilometers (15640)
Mileage from the beginning of the dough, 1245 kilometers (1607)
Fuel consumption, liters per 100 kilometers 7.5 (8.4)

Technical characteristics Lexus CT 200H
Body engine type R4 + electric motor
Working volume 1798 cm
Max. Power, L.S./O/min 99/5200 + 86 (total 136)
Max. moment, nm/rpm 142/4000 + 207
Type of drive front
Transmission of a stranded variator
Front suspension Independent McPherson
The rear suspension is independent
Brakes Disc ventilated in front and discs behind
Dimensions (DHSHHV), mm 4320x1765x1430
Wheel base, mm 2600
Equipped mass, kg 1485
Max. Speed, km/hour 180
Acceleration 0-100 km/h, from 10.3
Fuel consumption (comb.), L/100 km 3.8
CO2 emissions (comb.), G/km 87
Summer of the luggage compartment, l 375-985
Fuel tank volume, l 45
Tire size 205/55 R16
Price, rubles 1 201 300
 

A source: Motor magazine [March 2012]