New to the forum - Lexus driver crashing the party

Welcome to PriusChat! Both cars are good. Although I'm disappointed Toyota didn't upgrade the powertrain for the heavily refreshed 2021 model. All reviews so far seem to think the changes to the suspension setup is a large enough change.

The drivetrain is based on the Gen 3 Prius actually. 40mpg is about right for the CT200h. (The Gen 3 is rated at 48mpg after the 2017 EPA adjustment)

 

There's 1 generation of CT200h and it was available from 2011 to 2017 MY (2018MY in Canada).

It's based on the Gen 3 Prius with the 2ZR-FXE 1.8 litre DOHC VVT-i I-4 and never changed throughout its life cycle. 98hp @ 5,200rpm/105lb-ft @ 4,000rpm from the engine, total system hp is 134hp with ? torque number (Toyota doesn't release system torque numbers for some reason). Improvements for the Gen 3 Prius included an engine exhaust heat recovery system (EHRS) for quicker engine warm-up times as well as a cooled engine gas recirculation (EGR) system for cooling the engine (instead of the traditional way of splashing fuel) thus reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Thermal efficiency of the engine is 38.5%. A new electric water pump makes the engine completely beltless, eliminating any accessory drag on the engine compared to a regular car.

The benefit of the CT200h over the Prius' sibling is its rear multi-link suspension (compared to torsion beam on the Prius) which resulted in a nicer ride and better handling (tossed it over a manhole cover on a snow covered road on a corner on a test drive it was very composed compared to my old 2010 Prius). The lower mpg number compared to the Prius is a result of the less aerodynamic shape, shorter overall body length and larger wheel size. I guess it's also heavier than the Prius so they probably tweaked the final drive ratio for similar acceleration at the expense of mpg.


The Gen 4 Prius uses the same 2ZR-FXE 1.8 litre engine with tweaks. The torque figure of 105lb-ft available at a much lower 3,600rpm. Engine power is similar at 95hp @ 5,200rpm. Total system hp is 121hp but apparently Toyota said the performance is the same as the Gen 3, it's just the way they calculated total system hp that changed, resulting in a lower number on paper. Thermal efficiency of the updated engine rises to 40%, highest that at time (since surpassed by Hyundai Ioniq at 41% and 2018+ Camry Hybrid at 42%).

The hybrid transaxle is smaller with a 20% lower loss. The electric motor is smaller, with higher power density and 20% lower loss. Intelligent Power Module unit inside the inverter reduced in size by 31% and once again power loss reduced by 20%. I could go on with the battery (NiMH and Li-Ion) for power density, weight reduction, size reduction, new heat exchanger, new automatic grille shutters and so forth. None of these in the last two paragraphs are in the 2016 CT200h.

 

I don't think we got DRCC/PCS in Canada.... maybe the refresh but I can't remember now. Ours was reasonably priced (especially compared to the expensive HS250h).

Only the base version here got the 16" rims that the rest of the world seems to have as standard equipment. Other models (both F Sport and non F Sport) got 17" rims and tyres.

It could be, especially since the weight is closer to the Prius v as well.

No problem.

Ahh ok. That's a good update. As you've obviously researched, the early years of Gen 3 had the EGR issue.

I like the design as well, especially the F Sport after the refresh. In Canada, we didn't get the black roof option until 2016 (so one year after the US). It was well priced in Canada as well.