First Impression: Lexus CT 200h

Lexus is  the luxury brand of Toyota. Lexus is known for making luxury cars and sport sedans. The brand produced its first supercar, the LFA, in December 2010. Lexus also has made hybrid versions of its popular models, the HS (IS hybrid), RX, GS, and LS hybrids. These car have good performance. When I first saw the CT 200h hybrid, I thought maybe Lexus would make a vehicle that is only available with hybrid drivetrain that is not slow. Then I remembered who owns Lexus.

I first saw the CT 200h at the 2011 Houston Auto Show. This was one of two hybrids that Lexus was exhibiting. The other was the LS 600h. My initial thought was "Great another hybrid hatchback." I was going to just ignore this car, but commercials started airing and Lexus was claiming 40+ mpg in the commercials. I took a look at its performance and was not impressed.

The Lexus CT 200h is powered by a 1.8L I-4 engine and a high-output, permanent-magnet, electric-drive motor with an EV mode that produce 134 hp and 152 lb-ft.  It goes from 0-60 mph in 9.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 113 mph. It has the same 0-60 time as the third generation Toyota Prius and has a higher top speed than the Chevrolet Volt and Prius. The price for the CT 200h starts at $29,120.  It is cheap for a Lexus but it is one of the slowest cars Lexus currently makes. This is Lexus' version of the Toyota Prius, just with a higher top speed.

It is a new car, so it has not been featured in video games. There are reviews online of this car, but nothing from Top Gear or Jay Leno's Garage. Motorweek will be featuring the car next month.

Final Thought: It is cheap and slow. There are better cars for under $30,000. Any Volkswagen Golf would be a better buy than the CT 200h. It is another hatchback that is is not "hot." The CT 200h is the Prius of Lexus.

Carjunkie
Photo taken from a camera phone

First Impression: Lexus LFA

Lexus was founded in 1989 to function as Toyota's luxury brand. The first two cars made by Lexus were the LS 400 and ES 250. In 2005, Lexus premiered a supercar concept and showed a more refined supercar concept in 2007. In 2008, Lexus reveal a roadster version of the supercar concept. In October 2009, Lexus revealed the production model at the Tokyo Auto Show. Lexus calls the supercar the LFA. The LFA is the first ever supercar made by Lexus. In December 2010, the first LFAs went into production. Over a 25 month span with 20 LFAs produced monthly, 500 LFAs will be produced.

I first saw the Lexus LFA at the June 2011 edition of Houston Cars and Coffee. There was a huge crowd around the LFA. It is a nice looking grand tourer, but there were better looking grand tourer at the event. The LFA's exterior was deisgned with an emphasis on downforce. With air intakes in the back, one would think the engine is in rear, but the rear air intakes help cool the breaks. The side mirrors are designed to help funnel air into the rear air intakes. The engine is actually in the front-middle of the car.The gap between the hood and front bumper help feed air to the engine. It has a small trunk in the rear that is accessible by lifting the rear glass. This is a great initial supercar by Lexus.

The LFA is powered by a 4.8L V10, paired to a six-speed semi-automatic transmission, that produced 552 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. The LFA goes from 0 to 60 mph in 3.6 mph and reaches a top speed of 202 mph. Prices for the LFA start at $375,000. The Lexus LFA is fast, but it is very expensive for car that goes 202 mph. There are cars that are faster and quicker than the LFA and cost less than $200,000.

Jay Leno did a feature of the LFA, which can be seen at www.jaylenosgarage.com. Richard Hammond reviewed the car during Top Gear Series 14, Episode 7. The LFA is playable in Grand Turismo 5, Shift 2: Unleashed, and Forza Motorsport 3.

Final Thoughts: The LFA is the best car made the Toyota Motor Company. It shows that Toyota and its other brands can make exciting high performing vehicles while making boring hybrids at the same time. Toyota can produce the Prius and the Lexus CT 200H hybrids while producing the Lexus LFA. One of Toyota's rival, Honda, stopped making the NSX and S2000 to focus on the production of the CR-Z and Insight hybrids. Compared to the Nissan GT-R, the Lexus LFA is faster and quicker and has a better design. It is fast, but there are several cars that are quicker, faster and less expensive than the LFA. The LFA is a very clever super car and is the fastest production car made in Japan. The price is just too high for what it is. The Ferrari 599, Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, and Lamborghini Gallardo are faster and less expensive than the LFA. Still, there is nothing like the LFA on the road and this car will stand out in parking lots and on the roads. People will stop to look at it.

CarJunkie
Photo taken from a digital camera

First Impression: Lexus IS F

Lexus introduced the IS in 1998 as its entry level luxury car/compact executive car. The IS is on its second generation, which went into production in 2005. In 2006, Lexus' high performance division, Lexus F, was founded. In Late 2007, Lexus released the IS F, a high performing version of the Lexus IS. Lexus F is also responsible for the Lexus LFA. The IS F is designed to compete with the BMW M3, Cadillac CTS-V, Mercedes-Benz C 55 AMG, and Audi S4/RS4.

I have seen the Lexus IS F on the roads of Houston and at Houston Cars and Coffee events. It has a more aggressive appearance than the normal IS. What makes the IS F truly different is the engine.

The IS F is powered by a 5.0L V8, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, that produces 416 hp and 371 lb-ft of torque. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and reaches a top speed of 170 mph. Prices for the IS F start at $60,660 with several accessories that come standard with the car. The IS F has great performance and a lot of standard features, and for a good price.

The IS F has been featured in Battle of the Supercars, where it went up against a BMW M3. Top Gear compared the IS F to the M3 on Series 12, Episode 5. The IS F is playable in Gran Turismo 5, Need For Speed: Undercover, Need For Speed: World, vDream Racing, Shift 2: Unleashed, Track Time, and Forza Motorsport 3.

Final Thoughts: This is a great car from Lexus. Lexus is known for making reliable luxury car, now they have a high performing luxury sedan with the IS F. The IS F is designed to be an M3 killer, but the M3 is cheaper (base price of $55,900), lighter, and quicker (0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds). The IS F is faster, more powerful and has more stuff standard than the M3. The IS F is a good alternative to the M3, but the M3 is still the standard for high performance compact executive cars. The IS F makes up for the lack of performance in the Lexus HS 250h and CT 200h hybrids.

CarJunkie
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