Delemer which to Buy CT or GTE

[Colvic25]

Hi all, I hope this is the correct way of tagging on here apologies if its not I'm obviously new to this, I wondered if anybody could give me some advice on which car to buy, I understand this maybe the wrong place to ask but would appreciate an unbiased opinion if that's possible, I currently have a Audi A3 and luv it but was looking into buying a Hybrid & the two cars i've singled out are the Golf GTE and Lexus CT, my dilemma is I like them both & each one have there pros and cons, I must admit though I'm leaning towards the Golf but the reputation Lexus has in reliability is second to none and reliability to me is so important, I've driven the CT definitely different but something I could get used too its a quality car, what do anybody out there think I should go for the GTE or CT, would appreciate any sensible advice thanks.

[200h]

hello martin and welcome to the forum

with being on a lexus forum you may get biased answers to your question

i've had lexus since 2013 and to be honest i cant imagine driving anything else

you will find there are quiet a few ex german brand drivers now on here 

so hopefully an ex german owner will be able to give you the answer you need

with an unbiased opinion.

[rich1068]

I haven't had a German car for years but I'd choose the GTE over the CT all day long. 

How's that for unbiased 

[royoftherovers]

https://www.carwow.co.uk/volkswagen/golf-gte

[Colvic25]

Thank you I actually decided today to go for the Lexus but ironically after making that decision & thinking I did all my research I came across a blog on this forum that's making me doubting myself, and that's the big problem currently with stolen catalyst converters to be honest that's frightened my to death thinking I cant leave the car out of my sight not even outside of my house, What do you think or am I overdoing it or what would like to here your opinion.

[olliesgrandad]

11 hours ago, Colvic25 said:

Thank you I actually decided today to go for the Lexus but ironically after making that decision & thinking I did all my research I came across a blog on this forum that's making me doubting myself, and that's the big problem currently with stolen catalyst converters to be honest that's frightened my to death thinking I cant leave the car out of my sight not even outside of my house, What do you think or am I overdoing it or what would like to here your opinion.

I think that is an unnecessary worry. I suspect that more Golf's are stolen than Lexus because they are easier to part out etc, and more of them around to create a demand for cheap spares. 

 

[stormchaser]

I came from owning a Skoda Octavia diesel for 6 years to now owning a CT. its the best thing I have done and should have done years ago.


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[olliesgrandad]

22 hours ago, Colvic25 said:

Thank you I actually decided today to go for the Lexus but ironically after making that decision & thinking I did all my research I came across a blog on this forum that's making me doubting myself, and that's the big problem currently with stolen catalyst converters to be honest that's frightened my to death thinking I cant leave the car out of my sight not even outside of my house, What do you think or am I overdoing it or what would like to here your opinion.

I think that is an unnecessary worry. I suspect that more Golf's are stolen than Lexus because they are easier to part out etc, and more of them around to create a demand for cheap spares. 

Just read an article on most stolen cars in UK and the Golf is one of the most stole. 

Lexus CT doesn't make the list 👍

[scudney]

There are always advantages and disadvantages to everything we do in life(should I have sold my shares last month or should I keep them for another year etc etc etc).You could easily have gone on to a VW forum a read something about the golf then what?On the other the golf is more likely to get stolen than the lexus ct🙂🤔

[Colvic25]

Yes I may have over exaggerated there😱 anyway thank you for your comments I'm picking her up next week and cant wait😁, its a F-Sport with Premium Navigation, Leather & Convenience Pack, believe It or not I haven't seen the car yet as its some distance from me but knowing Lexus and going by the spec, photographs & video i've seen I don't think I will be disappointed, what do you think on the spec has most things I need I believe any tips.

[Chef1969]

Martin you will love it and i'm a bit jel as it sounds a lovely motor you have bought. I have had Fords, Volvo, Saab and a Mazda over the years and before my CT a diesel Lexus IS220 which wasn't great( see the forums!)  but I will stick with Lexus from here on in! My partner has got a 19 year old 2001 IS200 (petrol) still going strong !  

[Colvic25]

Thank you hopefully it is, I decided to go with the CT not only on the looks spec etc but mainly on the reliability aspect and its reassuring to find out how long your partner have had there's, when I test drove the CT at my local Lexus garage I couldn't believe how solid it felt built like a tank comes to mind no wonder they last so long.

[Paul Brooksbank]

I'm afraid German car manufacturers are run by accountants whereas the Japanese firms (except Nissan) are run by engineers. Every German car has failure built in as a profit maker. Sorry, but the Mercedes and VW we had failed every few months with suspension and brake issues, EFI failures and coil packs burning out, whereas the MX5 hasn't had any major problems, unless you count a couple of anti roll bar bushes. In fact, we've had five MX5's, Hondas, Toyotas and now Lexus and never paid for more than an oil change. 

My friend is an AA man, he's never been out to a Honda or Toyota for more than an empty fuel tank. He's been to one Lexus with a flat tyre. Take your pick mate! 

[Colvic25]

I took it and picking my CT up week tomorrow😁👍.

[Basil]

I've had a whole heap of Audi A3s and Golfs of various flavours in the past (2.0T, 2.0T quattro, S3, R32, GTI etc), so I was naturally quite attracted to the Golf Mk7 GTE.  I'd still look carefully at the upcoming Mk8 GTE or A3 etron.  

The CT200h makes a lot of sense, though, even to this VAG fanboy.  It costs about 30% less than a GTE of the equivalent age and you're less likely to experience issues with a CT - the GTE arguably has the more complicated drivetrain, less proven.  On top of that, it seems that many people's fuel economy is similar in a GTE to a CT, noting that you go through the hassles of a plugging in with a GTE. 

The GTE will inevitably be faster in a straight line.  If you can get beyond that, then you might find - like me - that the CT actually steers pretty well and delivers a more nuanced performance than 0-60 can describe.  It certainly benefits from an anticipative / "cool" driving style, but once you adapt you will enjoy it and find it perky when needed.  

Having spent a year driving my CT, I'd say that the CT seems like a higher quality car than any Golf or A3 I've driven.  The VAG products have an attractive veneer of quality, but it's only skin-deep in comparison to what I'm finding in the CT. 

I don't think the CT can compete with the kerb appeal of GTE, but that aside it's still a very decent buy at the end of its production lifespan.  

[Colvic25]

 Basil thanks for that I hope you are correct I will find out soon I guess, by the way what do you know I don't saying end of production I haven't read anything on this and when I asked the question at Lexus recently I was told they knew nothing, 

Back to the question GTE or CT when you mention only skin deep I totally agree I couldn't believe how solid the CT felt when I test drove one a few weeks back, I drive an A3 at the moment two totally different vehicles don't get me wrong I do like the A3 its a lovely car but there's something about the CT I really stood out and against the GTE well its a golf and honestly I cant get excited over a Golf to me its such a plain looking car on the other hand the F-Sport CT to me because its different its interesting and apart from the drive that's  what I like about the CT.

 

 

[Basil]

I don't think there's an end date for the CT200h's production yet... but it has been around since 2011!  

An Autocar interview with a Lexus insider in 2019 said that they were working on a replacement for 2021-ish, but that it wasn't decided whether it would be another hatchback or a small crossover.

 

[Colvic25]

Hi all, I was wondering who can tell me how efficient the CT is on a long run, its been well documented what it does around town on short journeys but not what I can see on a good distance, the more I read about the CT the more I'm doubting whether I've made the correct decision who can convince or reassure me otherwise. 

[200h]

when i had my ct we used to go to alton towers its about 100miles each way

i used to average low 60's mpg so i really wouldn't be concerned about the mpg

it will be good, but as always your driving style will play a part

[Colvic25]

Thanks that's reassuring, I like a bit of speed but I'm certainly no petrol head keeping on the motorway to the speed limit mostly, I asked because I think most people buy these cars not only because they are reliable but they predominantly drive them around towns and cities so curious how they do on a long rum. 

[Brendan3006]

My wife bought a 2015 CT with 40k miles six months ago and it has been flawless for the near 10k miles she has covered since. I've reset the MPG calculator three times in this period and it always returns to an average of 5.4 L/100kms which is around 52mpg. She typically uses the car for runs of about 10 to 20 miles at a time, nearly all of which are on rural roads. I use the car occasionally on longer motorway runs of c.80 miles and tend to drive it more aggressively and the average always stays the same.

We would definitely highly recommend the CT and, in our opinion, it is far more refined than the C Class she has previously (which gave an amount of trouble too).

The only complaint I have on the CT is the harshness and road noise from the 215/55/17 Yokohama's but I hope to address this by changing the brand of tyre and the size to 215/50/17 (previous threads refer). 

[Colvic25]

Brendan that's good to hear and thank you for the tip on the tyres, The CT model I'm interested in buying is a 2018 F-Sport would that have the same tyres ?, Could anybody also tell me when the headlights were changed to the current type with the all day LED light on top of the head light as opposed to being on the bottom, I believe It must have been sometime in 2018 but when, the 2018 car I'm interested in has the LED on the bottom I do wish it was the other way around to me it looks so much nicer what do you think.

Through my extensive research on the CT one problem that comes up quite a lot is the quality of the leather or not upholstery after 30 or 40 thousand miles use can crack and break down, are anybody aware of this and if so did Lexus do anything about it.

[Basil]

My overall fuel economy is around 55mpg, mainly in urban driving.

In the summer, I've had up to 76mpg indicated on long (200+ mile) runs and I normally get about 60-65mpg in other seasons.  But - and it's a big but - you have to really change your driving style to get these sorts of figures.  

Accelerating briskly but not with wide open throttle followed by coasting is the essence of the "pulse and glide" technique, which is what you do for driving on anything apart from a motorway.  On the motorway, I let the adaptive cruise control do its thing... set at 65mph. 

I've had a lot of performance cars over the years, so the CT has been quite different to drive but it's a different kind of pleasure.  It's a bit of a chillout car and so there's no point making it struggle to perform like a fast car when its strong suit is something very different.  (That said, it actually handles very well and, for brief bursts of acceleration, the battery-assistance in sport mode can be quite effective - especially 0-20/30!).