Not likely. The ES was designed with the highway cruiser in mind. It's those that value serenity and a comfortable, luxurious ride above all else. This one seems to be tuned for those that place more emphasis on how fast a car can go around corners (i.e. the IS crowd).
Well.. as per the announcement yesterday... my focus now shifts from the PHV (2013 in Louisiana), to either the Lexus CT 200H or the "regular" prius.. With the all-too-well documented problems that I have had with "friends" and family concerning the Prius.. starting to take a look here....
No new information was provided about the PHV Prius in yesterday's announcement. What made your focus to shift?
They said sales of the plug-in would initially be only to certain states on the east and west coasts, with nationwide sales coming later.
Toyota plans to roll out first to states where Prius purchases have been highest. I find this interesting, because although it is clear that Toyota should pick markets with the most interest, it is also true that those markets with the highest Prius sales have expended purchasing power. I wonder if it is not possible to find the expanding fringe of Prius adoption.
Contacted my local Lexus dealer yesterday... going to schedule a test drive perhaps in March. As my wife told me the other day.. "who cares if it is a hybrid, IT'S A LEXUS!!!" Still not sure if I'll pull the trigger though.. the truck is driving well....
Not to be rude, but clearly image is important to the wife. (Prius = stupid but Lexus = Lexus!!). However, it's probably a good compromise btwn fuel efficiency and keeping the wife happy =). Looking forward to your review (the CT is still not here in Canada yet... at least I haven't seen them at the dealerships)
Is your wife typical of women in your area ? I am really trying to not succumb to my latent southern prejudice, but I need some help here.
At the Montreal Auto Show last Sunday, I fell in love with the CT 200H !!! It's coming out in May 2011. I honestly think that I'll change my 2010 Prius for it, rather than pay the remaining 4 years on the Prius. I liked it THAT MUCH. Or, put another way, the rather shoddy interior of the 2010 Prius with it's many rattles has me wanting more out of my main car.
We had the CT200h for a sneak preview in our dealership in St. Paul last night. The person who drove it up from Chicago got 47 miles per gallon in bad weather and with the winter fuel mixture. Starting at $30,000 including destination it is an outstanding value. Nicely equipped with leather, moonroof and navigation the MSRP is $35,340.
You too, huh. Right now, its a big (personal) competition with the Prius v. I like the room of the Prius v, but a Lexus at about the same price and it's coming out 6 months in advance. I'll have to test drive both. But if I get a test drive in the Lexus first it may be all over.
I test drove the CT 200h yesterday. It's a great car. It's elegant, quiet, and seems to be beautifully engineered. Suspension is a little stiff (like it should be), but comfortable. If you need power, such as on a steep hill, it's there in the Sport mode. It was important to me to find that it did not have the slight hesitation that the Prius shows when accelerating. The quality of the interior can't be compared to a Prius. I love the car. There are only a few available here in Massachusetts, and there's about a two month wait for a special order (depending on the production situation in Japan). Finally, I've been told in Toyota and Lexus dealerships that there's no financial incentives or discounts on any hybrids. Is this generally true? I found one on Edmonds.com for the CT 200h, the the Lexus dealer denies it. Art
I've been driving my CT200h for a week. I had purchased a Prius IV (navigation and leather) for my wife, and fell in love with it. I was going to buy a similar Prius for myself (a IV or V) but decided to test drive the CT. Didn't like it at first. Went back and drove it again, and a bell went off in my head. This was a tossable luxury Prius with great style. Now I own one. It's not 'all Prius under the skin' as one post in another thread suggests. The power train perhaps. But the rest of the car is all Lexus. Stiff ride to be sure, but you get an amazingly tossable sports wagon. And the car is surprisingly quick in the Sport mode. Man, I LOVE this car. Very happy with it. Very different from the Prius, which is considerably bigger, a bit more comfortable on a long trip perhaps, but not nearly as much fun to drive.
