Ex CT200h Owners - Any regrets?

[kal]

Hi all

Current owner of a ct200h SEL,  and looking at upgrading to an IS300h F Sport.

Just after owners opinions after upgrading from a CT to an IS and if they have found any features that were better in their CT?

Thanks

Kal

[rayaans]

I cant imagine many owners will be regretting going to an IS300h from a CT. Completely different vehicle and much more polished than the CT which is essentially an Auris with a fancy body. I was disappointed with the CT when I drove it and that was the "Facelift" model with upgrades but then I drive an RX which is even more polished than the IS is!

 

[PaulWhitt20]

Disadvantages of the IS over the CT

No rear wash wipe

Satnav not as good (I had the built in TomTom on the CT)

No spare wheel or space for one

Advantages of the IS over the CT

Too many to list

You won't regret it.

Paul

[rayaans]

I wouldnt say that having no rear wiper is a disadvantage though as it looks daft on saloons to have a wiper there. Besides, if you go for the F-Sport with Premium nav youll get a reversing camera which should suffice. I genuinely cant remember the last time I looked out of the rear window apart from on the motorway. Its probably because I used to have a van with no rear windows.

Also with the sat nav - there's nothing wrong with it. It gets you to where you want to be provided you know how to use it and it gives very clear instructions. I also have a tom tom but I dont really think its any better.

[kal]

Thanks guys.

At the moment I'm getting an average of 55mpg from my CT (not car reading) based on records taken over 12 months. Anyone got annual avg for an IS300h?

Being a heavier car i expect it to be less.

[PaulWhitt20]

I got an average of 51 over two years on the CT. getting 45 over three winter months on the IS so expect a drop but not much.

Don't forget it will cost an extortionate £10 to tax and servicing is more expensive too.

However the ride is much better. It's more refined, loads more power, better toys, the chassis is better.

Don't just think about it. Go for a test drive but expect to come away having ordered one.

Just a question. What attracts you to the f sport? It's the same engine with harder suspension. The only difference I can see is the looks.

[kal]

Luxury, Premier both look great, but it is the looks of the F Sport that wins it over for me. Also keen on the Dark Rose Leather seats which only come with F Sports.

My CT (2011)  does have a firm ride on the 17" wheels, but kind of use it after 3 years. Not sure if the ride on the F Sport would be any different?

[PWOOD]

I picked my IS300h  Sport up last week after trading my CT Advance which was a brilliant car.  The IS is way better in every way.   

[rayaans]

2 hours ago, PaulWhitt20 said:

I got an average of 51 over two years on the CT. getting 45 over three winter months on the IS so expect a drop but not much.

Don't forget it will cost an extortionate £10 to tax and servicing is more expensive too.

However the ride is much better. It's more refined, loads more power, better toys, the chassis is better.

Don't just think about it. Go for a test drive but expect to come away having ordered one.

Just a question. What attracts you to the f sport? It's the same engine with harder suspension. The only difference I can see is the looks.

Not exactly. The suspension is not that much harder but the F Sport handles much better round the corners and it's more stable on the motorway. It handles like it's on rails. 

Also the seats are better on the F Sport, the other seats don't have a huge amount of support IMO. 

If you're coming from a CT you'll notice that the IS F sport actually rides better than even the new advance CTs

[ganzoom]

I have to say our non-F sport rides/handles better than my old BMW 335i on bespoke Bilestein B8 dampers. Someone else mentioned that the IS300H has monopod suspension stock which helps to explain the excellent ride on OEM suspension.

[200h]

you wont look back after buying your IS300h

pros..

quicker,quieter,very similar mpg,more comfortable ride

cons...

i'll tell you when i find some.

[kal]

Not much snow this winter, but has any one experienced trouble with the rear wheel drive in the snow? I live at the bottom of a slight gradient Street and have been stuck many times in my previous FWD honda accord.

CT handles this quite well.

[rayaans]

7 hours ago, kal said:

Not much snow this winter, but has any one experienced trouble with the rear wheel drive in the snow? I live at the bottom of a slight gradient Street and have been stuck many times in my previous FWD honda accord.

CT handles this quite well.

Nope no problems in snow. Much better than our previous Mercedes C class which shat itself in snow

[darrude]

I was pleasantly shocked in the snow. I have winter tyres on mine but had a courtesy car with summer tyres on the worst snow day this winter and no problems getting around, even up some relatively steep hills.  Think the batteries over the rear axle probably help more than on a traditional rwd car. We live down a very steep hill, hence the winter tyres, I missed 2 weeks of work about 5 years ago as couldn't get my car out even with snow socks (which are useless by the way, only cars with winters / awd got out that year!).

[LiCkWiD]

Lexus gave me a CT for a few days whilst they investigated an interesting error on my dash.

Really didn't like it. It was pre-facelift, so had the reversing camera in the rear view mirror. I hated it. The performance, the ride, the feel of the trim. Almost everything. It was a while ago, so I may have forgotten any bits I did like.. but I don't remember there being many, if any.

My point is.. if you're thinking about upgrading to an IS300h F-Sport, then you will regret nothing about the move. MPG isn't amazing, but after 90,000 miles in my IS300h F-Sport, I can tell you decent returns can be had if you can behave yourself. I get about 44-50 and I do try to drive relatively economically.

[Ian J. Parsley]

I have both a 2013 IS300h Lux and a 2016 CT200h Adv in the household. 

As I've written elsewhere, I like them both. It's not unknown for me to choose to take the CT on a short journey over the IS, although frankly that's partly because it's often parked nearer the door!

In the CT, I prefer parts of the central interior layout; and there are some subtleties I prefer such as the location of the cup holders (and I like some really nerdy things like the fact you can press the mirror fold button after you park the car and they reopen automatically when you restart it - doesn't happen on my 2013 IS). 

In the IS, I prefer parts of the layout, the drive, the comfort levels marginally, and the reverse camera which comes with the Lux trim. There are other subtleties I like such as the analogue clock (and I prefer a button for the auto wipers). 

They're both good, but I doubt you'd regret the change. 

[tond]

Upgraded from a CT to an IS F Sport with electronic suspensions last September. 

IS pro: a lot, starting from the power of the drivetrain, to the smoothness of the drive, the confort, the handling that is vastly superior. In general the feeling is much more refined and pleasing.

CT pro: MPG, shorter and lighter

With the CT I used to have an average of 17km/l, with the IS I'm averaging 15km/l. But I'm driving much faster with the IS, I cannot resist to the hybrid power.