Guilt Free Luxury

EDITOR’S NOTE: Our Business Motoring extravaganza this week features three exclusive firsts – two sneak peeks as models yet to make it into local showrooms and one in-depth interview with Dr. Fuels himself, Dr. Eric Holthusen. Enjoy reading them first in these very pages. And the rest of our features as well…

CHANTILLY, FRANCE – In this charming town 35 kilometers north of Paris, there is an almost intoxicating buzz of excitement – specifically around the Chateau Hotel Mont Royal. This is so because for the past few weeks, the place has been playing the role of host to media folk from all over the world, and to a very special vehicle – one whose very presence signifies the arrival of a new breed of automobiles. It is here where the Lexus CT200h is making its public debut.

Let’s quickly define what exactly the Lexus CT200h is so we can move on and talking about the car’s significance. The Lexus CT200h is the world’s first full hybrid luxury compact car. In plain speak, that means it just might be the Japanese luxury car maker’s most important model yet. In their eyes – and, as we found out while mingling with several Lexus owners throughout our stay, in the eyes of Lexus owners as well – it ushers in the future.

As its name suggests, the Lexus CT200h is a full hybrid. Unlike in mild hybrids, this means that the car is actually capable of being propelled around via electricity alone, meaning even as the car is running, no fuel is burnt and there are zero emissions. At least when the CT200h’s driver decides so. And yes, if you must ask, we did decide so during our time behind the CT200h’s wheel.

We hinted in these very pages last week that you would get to read about the Lexus CT200h here first. We kid you not since today is the day that the news embargo on the new vehicle is lifted – and The Philippine STAR was given first dibs on test-driving it. The Lexus CT200h is actually the company’s first stab at the hatch market. Understandably, its very existence has one very specific goal – that of wooing in a new breed of customers to the Lexus fold. With its unique energy management system, head-turning looks, stellar handling and commendable combination of driving dynamics and comfort, it’s bound to do just that.

The Lexus CT200h is powered by the company’s patented Lexus Hybrid Drive. Though this system ought not be measured as conventional combustion systems are, for the sake of clarity, we’ll indulge you. Let’s just say that the comparable output for a car with an internal combustion engine would be around 135 horses. Now that may not sound like much, but as we said, the entire propulsion system works differently. As such, the car can go from a standstill to 100km/h in roughly 10 seconds. Which is not bad at all. More importantly, given its aim of combining driving dynamics and comfort, it has four driving settings that actually make it quite the sporty (or, as we mentioned earlier, frugal) performer. Basically, with the flick of a switch on the car’s center console, you can choose between two driving modes – dynamic or relaxing. Driving can then be further personalized with the use of the full hybrid’s four “on demand” drive modes – EV, ECO, NORMAL or SPORT. To simplify things, let’s just say that those modes, in that order, make the car go from sedate to aggressive.

Ah, but the fun doesn’t stop with the CT200h’s versatility. There are technical improvements in this particular Lexus as well, the most impressive of which is the unique lateral performance damper system, which was specifically designed to absorb and minimize body vibrations. The CT200h’s steering benefits immensely from the system – as does the car’s ride comfort. If you must picture the system, think of it as a strut bar with a shock absorber. Now you get it, ei?

The CT200h being a Lexus through and through, it brims with luxurious character, hatch design notwithstanding. You could say that it has that Lexus L finesse design philosophy down pat. It looks sleek with its sharp edged look. The sweeping lines that flow from front to rear look purposeful. It’s got a wide track and a reasonably long wheelbase given its hatchback configuration (and consequently a low center of gravity which gives the car great balance). Of course, typical of any Lexus, the CT200h has an efficient and elegant cabin that combines ergonomics and human/machine interface technologies with panache. Down to the kick-@$$ Mark Levinson sound system it aims to do nothing but spoil its passengers.

Speaking of being spoilt, Lexus engineers revealed that the CT200h is equipped with the most comprehensive range of active, passive and pedestrian impact safety features (though we were naturally averse to testing the systems). As the car is so fresh out of the Lexus stables, as of presstime, it had yet to receive an NCAP rating. But the car is reportedly built to achieve the maximum 5-Star Euro NCAP and NCAP (USA), and 6-Star J-NCAP crash test program ratings. Needless to say, the CT200h has got the entire safety alphabet listed amongst its standard features.

That being said, we’ve practically forgotten about what makes this car the breakthrough that it is, to begin with. As we had stated at the beginning of this article, the CT200h is the world’s first full hybrid luxury compact car. So yes, it is frugal – and a lot kinder to Mother Earth than the average automobile. Rough computations have the CT200h going for an average of 26 km/l. It is said to emit a class leading 89g/km of carbon dioxide even as it generates significantly less nitrous oxide and particle emissions than an equivalent diesel engine. Guilt free luxury at it’s best? You bet!

Though our sources at Lexus Manila say that negotiations for the pricing of the CT200h locally are still ongoing, they are also quite confident that it can be placed in a bracket that approximates the entry level IS300. If so, then the CT200h should fall right smack in the category of similarly packaged luxury hatchbacks in the country. Except this one’s without a doubt the freshest product out there – and it doesn’t hurt that it’s more environmentally friendly than anything running on our roads today. Did we already mention that this amazing new Lexus is targeting an all-new audience? Oh yeah. We already did…