Considering a CT200h

geordiepaul2011 · December 25, 2016

Hi all,

My Nissan leaf has come to the end of a three year PCP deal and as I am unsure how many years the Battery will last, I am considering the switch to a Lexus CT200h.

I am after your thoughts on whether the car will be suitable for my needs.

My commute is 55 miles per day and I average around 1000 miles per month. I have three kids and around four times a year I travel with them and my wife in the car from Newcastle to Norwich when we visit friends. When this happens we usually take two large cases with us.

I have spotted a 2013 Sport model with 30k miles on the clock for £13k.

Cheers, and merry Christmas.

Paul

talaipwros · December 25, 2016

looks like an excellent choice.

Have you thought of buying it new? you will find that with a couple of thousands deposit you will end up paying £300 a month for 3 years, probably better net present value than 13K cash for a 3+years old used

floggit · December 25, 2016

I looked at a leaf recently when looking to change. I like the idea of never having to visit a petrol station. Would you not consider another leaf? The ct200 is certainly a different animal. In terms of quality the lexus wins hands down and youll not be disapointed. But you will have to say hello to petrol stations again lol. As above id certainly consider the new route as an option. Ive had mine two months and love it. If you go the nearly new route the main thing to have is dealer history, with that there are no Battery issues not that they have them anyway. With extended yearly services past 5yrs and up to 10 lexus are happy to warrant their batteries so no worries there.

geordiepaul2011 · December 25, 2016

4 hours ago, talaipwros said:

looks like an excellent choice.

Have you thought of buying it new? you will find that with a couple of thousands deposit you will end up paying £300 a month for 3 years, probably better net present value than 13K cash for a 3+years old used

I haven't looked at new ones as I am trying to keep my monthly cost of motoring about the same if possible.

Unfortunately when Nissan calculated the guaranteed future values on their PCP leafs, the priced them to high which means I have no equity (deposit) to take into my next purchase.

geordiepaul2011 · December 25, 2016

1 hour ago, floggit said:

I looked at a leaf recently when looking to change. I like the idea of never having to visit a petrol station. Would you not consider another leaf? The ct200 is certainly a different animal. In terms of quality the lexus wins hands down and youll not be disapointed. But you will have to say hello to petrol stations again lol. As above id certainly consider the new route as an option. Ive had mine two months and love it. If you go the nearly new route the main thing to have is dealer history, with that there are no battery issues not that they have them anyway. With extended yearly services past 5yrs and up to 10 lexus are happy to warrant their batteries so no worries there.

The leaf has been a great car and other than a new set of tyres in 3 years, I have had no issues whatsoever. It's only the fact that the Battery degrades and I only have 18% left when I get home that is making me twitchy of purchasing over another three years.

The lexus I am looking at is through a Lexus dealership, so I am hoping it will all be tip top. I am LED to believe they need to have full service historys etc to be used approved. I'm just hoping it's a similar size to my Leaf or the wifes Nissan Note.

200h · December 25, 2016

i would go with the Ct without thinking about it, no rental for the Battery pack that can be £70 per month

this amount would cover your petrol virtually,then the advantages:-

1) dont have to give your employer an excuse for not coming into work of i didnt plug in my car

2) the ct will always be ready to use

3) no extra charging costs to pay

4) your not tethered to a plug socket

5) its a lexus and not a nissan

colin79666 · December 25, 2016

I'd strongly advise a test drive as a next step. 2013 cars will be before the revised suspension and in f sport trim will be pretty hard which isn't to everyone's liking.

If you do like the test drive then the act is otherwise a great choice. Generally reliable and apart from servicing and tyres they don't require must in the way of maintenance. 2 suitcases should be fine although be aware the boot is smaller than you might think from the outside due to the Battery storage.

stormchaser · December 25, 2016

Do test drive a CT although you won't be disappointed. Full Lexus luxury and great fuel economy. It also charges itself!

The suspension is firm but not that you'll find it uncomfortable. It is a 1800 kg car. I have a 2011 SE L Premier with every added extra incl Mark Levinson sound system which is amazing. It's on 72K and still drives like a new car. Good luck in your choice.

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Wass · December 27, 2016

Three children and two large cases puts you into Prius or Auris estate territory really. As recommended earlier, take the kids and the cases for a test drive in a CT. I have long legs which means there is very little space for passengers to sit behind me. There are just two of us with a small dog and we wouldnt want much less space than there is in a CT. Five person travelling would not be very feasable.

geordiepaul2011 · December 27, 2016

6 hours ago, Wass said:

Three children and two large cases puts you into Prius or Auris estate territory really. As recommended earlier, take the kids and the cases for a test drive in a CT. I have long legs which means there is very little space for passengers to sit behind me. There are just two of us with a small dog and we wouldnt want much less space than there is in a CT. Five person travelling would not be very feasable.

That was my worry, I was hoping it would be a similar size to the leaf. It might be back to the drawing board but I've got the car seats and cases ready to take along to the dealership in the morning.

stormchaser · December 27, 2016

That could be its downfall for you which is a shame. The boot space is level and fairly big but it has no depth to it.

stormchaser · December 27, 2016

I just took another photo of the rear legroom. I'm 6'4" and the seat isn't quite fully back but the passenger one is. Only my wife and I are in the car all the time. Sorry for dark picture.

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PaulWhitt20 · December 28, 2016

We went on holiday in the CT with two teenagers and managed but we had to leave the kitchen sink at home.

The boot is small in the CT and oddly shaped by the angle of the back window, it is a bit cramped in the back too.

Have you considered a Honda Jazz? My wife has a MK3 Jazz and the room in the back of that is stupidly big, bigger than an S class Mercedes! We get about 50mpg. But it's a Honda not a Lexus!

Alternatively, get the Lexus which will be fine for 90% of the time and hire a car for when you need more space.

DanD · December 28, 2016

As much as I like the CT I would not recommend it as a family car, especially with three children who are no doubt growing. The car is simply too small.

I would recommend a Toyota Prius which is much bigger... but also cheaper... if you can live with the looks!

geordiepaul2011 · December 30, 2016

Thanks for all of the feedback guys.

I've been at work over the past few days but managed to fit in two trips to the dealership - On the first I managed to fit two large suitcases into the boot when I removed the tray from the boot floor, and I also managed to fit a baby chair, booster seat and myself in the back - although it was snug.

I then revisited to take the car for a test drive and I must say that I am pleasantly surprised - though it will take some getting used to the driving style, even coming from a Nissan Leaf. I just have to convince the wife now as there is no flexibility in the asking price and my wife was hoping to get the cost of the scuff repairs to our Leaf knocked off the cost of the Lexus.

adnewton · January 20, 2017

The CT is a fantastic car in most aspects. You do have to compromise though on rear space due to Battery package & it being a Compact Tourer ( CT ).

If you have a family, it wouldn't be my first choice. There is only 2 of us in ours most of the time, which makes it ideal. As the guys have already stated, Prius, Avensis or RAV4 would be better options for space, but you just can't beat the fact Lexus are a great brand & owning one makes you feel a little bit special.

MPG wise - a lot depends on weather. Warmer weather will return you 60 mpg, winter weather 45-50 mpg. Road tax is £0. You also have to consider Dealership satisfaction. My wife has a Juke & must say the dealer is OK, but not a patch on Lexus dealers.

Take into account servicing costs also. Lexus prices are fixed and are £295 for intermediate & a whopping £495 for full. Warranty is also only 3 years but 5 years on Hybrid components. You can buy extended warranties 2 for one for £495 over 10 months interest free. These though force you to have your car serviced at a Lexus centre.

Car also has low ground clearance, so fully loaded you have to watch opening doors kerbside & like me, on/off my drive which has a hump at top of slope. Car bottoms out when I'm loaded up.

Hope this helps.

-Rich- · January 31, 2017

I guess it depends on how old your kids are but if they're more than toddler age I don't think they'll be comfortable in the back. We managed to get 3 adults in the back of our CT for a 5 minute drive down the road and there was no room at all. The weight also made the car sit very low and it caught somewhere underneath (I think it was a brace) when going down a slope. I'd imagine it would also catch on speed humps too.

Most of the time it's just the missus and one other person in the car so it's fine. We'll be using it to go away for weekends with our 17 year old son but it definitely won't be large enough for a week or more.

My only real issue with the car is the seats, to start with they gave me back ache but I've got used to them now. If any one other than you is going to be driving I would suggest getting one with electric seats. I'm finding the manual drivers seat doesn't adjust well and if I change it the missus moans cos she can't get it back to how she likes it. So I'm only allowed to move it back and forwards when I do drive it! We've never had this issue with other cars which is why I didn't want to pay the extra for the Premier over the SE-L but in hindsight I kind of wish I had.