Why would anyone Own a Prius

I feel safe when they are shut off with no Toyota owner inside the vehicle.

 

The HS and the CT are also different animals. The HS has nothing to appeal to sporty image driven young buyers. My guess is the HS will wind up being discontinued. Lexus really missed the mark with this car.

The CT though is sporty, peppy and fun. You know as well as I do that the hybrid powertrain with the low end electric motor torque makes them feel stronger accelerationwise than they really are. The economy of a Chevy Cruze or Focus will be meaningless to these buyers, they won't be cross shopping them.

Anyways, the car is $39k fully loaded, few cars will be fully loaded. Most CTs will wind up being 34k or so. The Audi A3 TDI which is a good competitor to the CT200h does 0-60 in 8.7 seconds. 3/4 of a second doesn't amount to a whole lot, depending on the gearing and the feel off the line.

Thats like saying the Prius is a $35k car. Its not a $35k car, it can reach 35K but the average cost is $25k or so probably.

Absolutely false. There are LOTS of competitors out there to the Prius now, worthy competitors. Why do you think Toyota made the 2010 more mainstream in look and operation to the Gen II? To bring in more buyers who aren't only looking for a Prius.

We'll just have to wait and see which of us is correct. I think the car will be a success, and there will be higher performance versions I'm sure.

 

Yeah. I myself started looking only into the prius when i first started and didnt even consider the fusion.

Now i am running into a problem of wanting to wait for the new Civic Hybrid, Kia optima hybrid and also i might want to go test drive the sonata hybrid just to see what fits me best. I really need a car that i can drive to and from school everyday that will save me gas.

 

If you just want cheap, economical transportation? Don't buy a Hybrid. I'm serious, buy some little economy car that gets MPG around 40...and drive it till it dies. I would look at a Chevy Cruze. Great car.

Driving a Hybrid doesn't save you any money, unless you fit into a very slim set of parameters.

 

All this talk about the CT200h is like a Mazda3 , blah, blah. Mazda3 averages 25 MPG.

On another note ................. at the SF Auto Show, Lexus had a CT200h in White decked out with the 18" wheels and sport trim .......

there were quite a few groupies hanging around the car, oohing and awing, sitting in it.

There was a Red Prius III and Gray Prius IV in Toyota's camp. Sure, people were sitting in them, but it was a different crowd, not standing back looking at it like it's all hot.

CT and Prius not very comparable. One is a sport hatch, other is a family hatchback.

btw, that 42 MPG Cruze highway figure quickly becomes 32 average when the city figure is what, 25 MPG?
CT average FE is 42 MPG, so don't waste time quoting conventional highway FE's like the marketing tricksters do.

 

I wasn't very impressed sitting in back seat of Cruze, seemed awfully cramped in headroom. First thought was it doesn't stack up to a Civic which btw, will have a new model this Summer. Aren't they running a 1.4L in the Cruze? Why put such as small engine in it?

 

In the back seat you're right, but from a ride and drive perspective the Cruze is a step up from the current Civic.

 

I dont know what other car i could buy. For me its either all or nothing. I kinda dont like to go in between. So i feel like i have no choice but to get the prius Or a hybrid vehicle with good mpg.

I really want to buy an Evolution again and fix it up and enjoy it but it is an expensive hobby and expensive to maintain. I want a car that i dont have to worry about regarding tired and breaks and too much maintenance. I have a heavy foot and like to open cars up on the freeway and enjoy them haha . If i get the prius i can aim to maximize my MPG and drive carefully to conserve gas so i can concentrate on school. Once i finish and get a full time job i can buy a real car for enjoyment then. A hybrid seems like a good everyday car for me to go to school and back and go out with my girlfriend. if i get any other car i might be tempted to modify it like i did my evolution!

 

Well, here is some engineering information why CT200h cost more.

LEXUS CT 200h: ENGINEERED FOR SPORTY HANDLING AS WELL AS FULL HYBRID FUEL EFFICIENCY

 

Thank you for admitting it's the Toyota owners who are the culprit

 

See my bolded comments.

 

If one is looking for a hatchback and a hybrid, the choices narrow considerably. People who want hatchbacks want them for specific reasons. I prefer a hatchback myself, don't want a sedan. So... Prius or Insight or (now) Lexus CT.

Prius wins hands-down. Best mpg and less expensive than the Lexus. Better mpgs and larger interior than Honda or Lexus.

 

Hatchbacks sure have their advantages. It's great to have a load floor that is flush with the bumper.

Couple weeks ago I took a heavy box of waste liquids to the depot. Had to lift it down into trunk of my Accord. That can put a back out if not careful, lifting heavy things down into a trunk.

Much easier to lift heavy box onto a flush load floor.

It is kind of sad how for many years, car industry has given us only SUV, CUVs with hatchback in cars with much size or generous seating for the driver with reasonable cost. Things are getting better, but the list is still too short for small-midsize hatchbacks with generours driver's seating. Rav4's, CR-V's do not count in my book.

My list is - Jetta Sportwagen, 3rd gen Prius, Mazda3 hatchback (more compact), Subaru Outback ?

That's a short list.

 

Says who? And what do they expect to get out of that wimpy 1.4L 'ecotec' engine? Civic is a pretty nice car to drive: snappy acceleration and nice steering, although it's a bit much road noise.

btw, edmunds showing only one version of Cruze that gets 42 MPG highway. What would be the catch with that? How all of a sudden could a conventional car of that size do an honest 42 MPG highway when all others for years only do mid 30's?

I'll bet the real world numbers are < 42 MPG for the Cruze.

 

Here's a beefy front stabilizer bar, it's 1 1/4" diameter -



Interesting CT has a damper in its stabilizer bar(s).

 

I don't think the CT200h will steal away the 'young lawyers' looking for more ooomph from a standing stop.

I think the CT will draw in the crowd looking for a hybrid, even the Prius V, but they want something decidedly more sporty (please, don't try to convince me the Prius V was designed to be a sport hybrid).

IOW, the young lawyers and empty nester hybrid fans with money will prob'ly look at the CT.

Some people just do not want the shape of the Prius. I think it's fine 'cause it's shaped like that for a purpose.

 

Yet, it gets 8 mpgs less...for anyone truly interested in hybrid will be taken back by that.

 

Yeah, by the same people who are mighty disappointed in the upcoming Prius v's mpg. Some prospective Lexus owners will be taken back by the fact that it looks like a Toyota (just like the HS does).

 

Just last month I was test driving 2011 Mazda3 hatchback Grand Touring, 22 city / 29 highway. So, ~ 26 MPG combined. (btw, it's a nice to drive car and nicely equipped for the price)

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Here's one for ya - CT has 10 way power adjustable driver's seat with power lumbar support in all trims.
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CT rated 42 MPG combined. Yes, it is upscale and will definitely outclass Mazda3, albeit 1 second slower 0 to 60.

But, is 42 MPG combined bad? No.

InsightII is 40/43, CR-Z is 35/39 Civic hybrid is 40/43

Some are going to choose the CT over the Prius.

http://priuschat.com/forums/lexus-hybrids/77191-2011-lexus-ct-200h-8.html

 

At least, the V is bigger, so you expect it to lose some mpgs.

The CT is smaller than Prius, yet just as slow, less slippery thru air, and gets only 42 mpg.