Skip advert
Advertisement

Lexus CT200h review - A premium hatchback alternative - Design

A frugal choice, but lags well behind German rivals for driving entertainment

Evo rating
RRP
from £21,000
  • Peerless Lexus service, reliability and tax-dodging emissions status
  • Eco focus makes for a dreary drive, yet the suspension is overly firm

Design

The CT is a curious looking hatchback, its heavy slab sides making it look weighty, more Toyota in its style than Lexus. The addition of the Lexus 'spindle' front grille has given it a more obviously familial look, but it’s unlikely the styling is ever going to have your head turn like it might with an optioned-up Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

Advertisement - Article continues below

In S specification the Lexus CT looks terribly under-wheeled, those deep flanks exacerbating the visual effect of tiny alloy wheels. A smart, rather than sharp looker then, which, in the cut-and-thrust compact premium marketplace, is a problem. 

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Best cars of the 1980s – performance icons from the decade of excess
Best '80s cars
Best cars

Best cars of the 1980s – performance icons from the decade of excess

The performance car as we’ve come to adore it has its origins in the 1980s. Family cars got fast, fast cars got faster, all of them were huge fun
19 Aug 2025
Mercedes-Benz EQS 2025 review – electric S-class takes aim at the BMW i7
Mercedes EQS – front
In-depth reviews

Mercedes-Benz EQS 2025 review – electric S-class takes aim at the BMW i7

Mercedes put all of its resources into creating a bespoke all-electric flagship, but it’s not quite worthy of replacing the S-class yet
18 Aug 2025
Gordon Murray has built two new supercars, and one of them looks just like a McLaren F1
GMSV S1 LM and Le Mans GTR
News

Gordon Murray has built two new supercars, and one of them looks just like a McLaren F1

Gordon Murray has announced the Le Mans GTR and S1 LM – a pair of track-oriented spin-off supercars from a new Special Vehicles division
15 Aug 2025