colin79666

Yes quite firm and narrow (although I expect they will give a bit as they wear in). At least they do have lumbar support now and actually proving more comfortable than they look. Certainly a bit different to the very comfy leather seats in the CT.

Well the time finally came to trade in my second CT200h. I’ll certainly miss the comfort on long journeys and near silent electric mode. Before the switch to Lexus I had a Suzuki Swift Sport and while the CT200h was far better on fuel and cabin quality I did always miss the fun of a pokey engine and manual transmission. With the world changing due to COVID and a house move to be closer to my workplace my car needs have changed. With the CT200h being end of life and Lexus seemingly focused on SUVs I’ve now left the mark (for now). Time to return to a hot hatch before everything goes battery powered - a Fiesta ST. Oddly it is cheaper to insure than the CT200h. Thank you for all the advice over the past few years. I’ll still be popping in from time to time. 🙂

Mine don’t have much protection, far less than the Yokohama. The one pictured is the +. Perhaps some other sizes have more of a rim protection bit but not in CT size. I had the original CC on my last CT and visually they were identical except the + on the sidewall. It was totally driver error on my part but I’m sure the damage would have been more minor if they had a bit more meat at the interface with the rim. I ended up replacing the rim as no one can guarantee a colour match with the F Sport grey paint. I’m sure Michelin have multiple factories, mine were produced in Germany. Indeed they had a factory Dundee way until quite recently.

No, cross climates do not provide rim protection 😪 I still rate them highly however. Got me out my street with 4-5 inches of snow on it last week with virtually no slippage while neighbours were stuck spinning their wheels.

The CC+ have done over 15k miles so far on mine. 5mm left on the front and 6mm on the rear. Not sure you’d need their winter performance though?

Yes if the OEM wheels. Yokohama DB E70J are the OEM tyre, at least in the UK. Of course you can fit other brands.

That isn’t what was said. My point was there are various factors that can be considered as to what constitutes quality and the balance between them isn’t the same for everyone. I’m sorry, the 2011 Auris was a very different experience in the cabin to the CT even if the drivetrain is the same. It was better after a facelift and the Corolla is a big improvement, hence my point that now there isn’t such a gap to justify the Lexus brand being attached. Perhaps we will just have to disagree on that. Also keep in mind on price you have to compare the top end hybrid Auris and not the base model with manual gearbox and no hybrid system where there is a much larger price gap. No doubt the “true” Lexus cars are another leap up in quality but so is the cost, putting them out of reach of most of the new car buying market.

Quality can be measured in many ways. Some posts above consider the CT to be a step down, which I agree with if you are considering quality to be how nice it feels at the key touch points and in perceived fit and finish, yet if you measure quality by reliability you will consider the cheapest car in the Lexus range to be the best quality as it regularly tops reliability surveys. I’ve only every owned CTs from Lexus and they are a big step up in quality to what I have had before, both in reliability and just the feeling of the cabin. I’ve driven the UX, IS 300h and NX as courtesy cars. I could could see myself in an IS but they discontinued it, the NX was lovely but too big for my needs and I really disliked the UX (felt cheap in places and SUV styling is not my bag). SUVs have been very popular in recent years but that might be beginning to change as efficiency becomes more important to buyers and Lexus have little to offer a not insignificant slice of the market that used to be met with the IS and CT (I haven’t seen an ES except in the showroom). I’m beginning to wonder if they will ever bring out a CT replacement as the new Corolla is already pretty good and making it a Lexus would bump the price up even more. The Corolla would sell much better if it was a bit cheaper as it struggles against the traditional competition of Golf, Astra and Focus but doesn’t quite match the 1 Series or A Class, at least not to badge snobs. I shall be sticking with my CT for now 🙂

Sorry to hear this has happened to you. I’d suggest tying up anything hanging onto the ground and don’t drive it further than the recovery truck. This is what insurance is for really even though it will likely put the renewal cost up a little for a few years. I’d go the official route myself, until they chop it off would they stop and check if it is an oem part? Lexus posted a bit on this issue a while back: https://blog.lexus.co.uk/catalytic-converter-theft There are some threads on here about the cat lock with more detail on that. Sadly it is probably like other burglaries, now the scumbags know where your car is they might try again. You might also consider a security doorbell/camera that covers your drive as a deterrent.

If you just want the Rev counter you can turn that on in the menu so it appears in normal mode. I’ve got used to driving about in eco most of the time and just switch straight to sport when wanting a quicker blast such as for overtaking. Eco isn’t really any slower, it just takes more throttle application, something quite handy in the snow round these parts and it makes for smoother inputs.

I haven’t but might get them when I get new tyres. Cost me £360 to replace a wheel on my CT after I struck a kerb cutting a corner too much. Turns out even the highly regarded wheel specialist firm can’t replicate the finish of the F Sport wheel paint finish and I could live with it being chipped like that on a year old car 😫

I went from a 2014 Advance to a 2018 F Sport and found little difference in the general ride. Both quite firm but then I came from a Suzuki Swift Sport so seemed fine to me. Yes pre 2014 model year are a bit firmer as part of the facelift they stiffened the chassis, allowing for slightly softer suspension and they also changed the CVT a little so it drones a bit less when accelerating up to speed. Plenty people happy with their pre facelift cars though. The 2018 facelift was more cosmetic and there have been various changes for the kit included in the trim levels over the years.

Nothing to worry about doing small or large miles in the CT. The 12v battery will lose charge if the car isn’t used for several weeks but as it doesn’t have to crank the engine with a starter motor it doesn’t need a long run to put back in what was required to start it. A few short trips plus one or two long ones in a month is fine. The bigger traction battery can go months unused without issue. The CT works best around town, often running on electric only, but it will happily cruise on the motorway when needed. I’d definitely recommend test driving one, even if that takes a bit more organisation with COVID restrictions. It will be quite different to the IS and needs to be driven differently to get the best out of it. Some people find the ride too firm and CVT annoying but most (I.e. not motoring journalists doing 0-60 thrashes) get on fine. It isn’t a quick car if you just stab the throttle but it does handle quite well so rewards smooth inputs and can corner quite fast with the weight being low down and a stiff chassis (stiffer on 2014 models onwards).

Battery stuff is already covered above. If it is parked on a level surface leave the parking brake off, transmission in P will lock it in place anyway so no one can wheel it away. Wash off any bird muck ASAP. If you can take it for a drive every other week, failing that at least move it a bit so the tyres get rotated if it is going to be sitting for weeks. Before starting it check under the bonnet that it has oil and no furry creatures have taken up residence.

Looks great and will be the same when it hits 140k, the CT barely wears anything at all with miles covered 😀