Lexuslsguy

Just purchased the CT. I used Carvana. Waiting for delivery this Thursday. I was back and forth between the Sonata / Optima hybrid as well as the Fusion hybrid. Looking forward to getting amazing mileage as a commuter vehicle. Kind of weird to purchase a car without driving it. Just read as many reviews as possible it seems to be the most favored. Hope I like it... lol

lexusrus

Congrats. I have a 2013 CT200h also. I mainly use it as a commuter car from home to airport when I fly out.

If you drive "normal", then you should get the advertised 42 mpg OR higher in city stop and go traffic. But if you put the metal to the paddle the mpg will drop substantially to mid 30's or lower. I keep forgetting while in the CT200h that I'm NOT in my RCF and wanting it to really go.... Hence my mpg is in the low to mid 30's.

The CT200h is a solid car. It corners well. It just lacks the power and punch found in higher hp cars (but it's not built for that, so for me it's all good). Just make sure you do or get the scheduled routine maintenance (which is not much to do at all as it is really a low maintenance car) done on time and it will LAST A LOOOOOONG TIME. The brake pads last a long time too due to it's regenerative brakes. Tires should last you a long time too. When you get around replacing them, just make sure to get "low resistance" (Green X as found on the OEM Michelin tires) to get the best mpg.

BTW, I found the OEM halogen headlights too dim and the fog lights too dim as well. I replaced both low beams and fogs with high powered LEDs. I left the high beams as OEM just in case the LEDs fail suddenly. But after three years + with the LEDs......I had to replace once (it was due to a crash so not that the LED bulb failed).

Lexuslsguy

Funny you mention the LED. This will probably be my first upgrade. I have also done the same on other vehicles and the 8k lumen sets can really put out some light.

Raidin

Since you bought it with Carvana, at least you can return the car within 7 days of delivery if you're not happy. I highly recommend you drive the car on the highway a lot to test out its passing ability and noise levels, and then also try it on rough roads to make sure you're happy with how the suspension affects the ride.

If you like cars with sharp, precise steering, great handling, and very high fuel economy, you'll like the CT. The only thing that turns people off on my car is the ride. Most people love everything about it, then wonder why it doesn't ride like a Lexus. This is just about the firmest Lexus they make, but it's comfortable for such a suspension setup. You just can't get into one expecting a ride like an ES or RX. I'd say it rides a lot like an NX (but firmer of course), and even more like an RC F Sport.

Lexuslsguy

Good point about ride and rough road. What caught my attention is the low profile tires. Well, lower profile tires on the 17 inch rims - 45's. I see 16's easily available but a 15 would be ideal. Yes, they don't look as good but a 55 or 65 sidewall rides very nice and takes rough road / potholes much better then a 45. Also, mileage would go up. Seems some have issues clearing the front calipers. Need that larger disk height or whatever the term is for caliper clearance.

huy33

When my tires needed replacing, I went with the Continental DWS. They're very quiet/comfortable tires for the CT. Discount Tires have them as Continental ProContact Sport I think.

RonSwanson

I would immediately get the car thoroughly inspected as soon as it's received and exhaust a search for any potential issues within that time limit that Raidin mentioned.

Lexuslsguy

Hey guys,

​​​​​​The car is in great shape overall. Still smells new. Put on a decent amount of miles this past few days. I'm g​​​​oing to take it to Toyota early next week for a full inspection. The dealer offers a 3rd party warranty for 100 days plus I have the factory powertrain.

There are a couple weird things it does. The regenerative braking is pretty obvious and the noises it makes. One odd behavior is that if I go over a large pothole or rough road it feels like the regenerative braking disengages and you loose a lot of stopping power. Anyone else experience this? Only happens with rough road braking.

I'm also getting a few creaks from the suspension and or brake noise. May be the sway bar​​​ end links. When reversing and then coming to a stop there is a noise in that area. Like a worn bushing type noise. Also a bit of a noise when in drive in drive and releasing the brakes. She may need new pads.

Overall drives great. Definitely want to put some smaller rims on for comfort. If we had great roads it would be a different story but the setup leaves a bit to be desired. Pretty fun car to drive honestly.
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Raidin

Yes, the loss of braking when braking over a rough patch of road is a well-known issue among most owners. I still don't understand why Toyota let that one slip through.

huy33

Gahhhhhhhh I was nervous the first time this happened to me. My traction control light even came on.

lexusrus

8K will be too blue. 6500 K is good.

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lexusrus

In some ways, my CT200h rides "firmer" vs my RCF!!! But the CT200h is smaller and lighter and therefore to me nimbler. I just wished the CT200h had more power. If that were the case the mpg will be lower.

Lexuslsguy

Well, decided not to spend the extra money on replacing the rims and just did the tires. Whoever owned the car probably did not rotate the tires and the car came with new Sumitumo's on the front and 60% worn Michelins on the back. Carvana I can only assume put the Sumitumo's on.

I replaced them with the Continental Purecontact Eco's and went with 225/45/17. I have been a Michelin guy for a long time but the procontacts on my A8 have been great the $100 savings combined with better tread rating seemed worth it over the Premier AS.

The sidewall measurement - 45 is a percentage of the width so you get a bit more going with a slightly wider tire. ​​​They ride great. With alignment and balance it's not cheap but worth the investment. Also having a little more rubber helps protect against curbing the rim.

Also installed the 8k lumen 6k color temp LED headlights. Great improvement over the halogens.​​ Funny thing is now the speedometer is exactly on par to GPS speed vs on the old tires.

Vegasaurus

great info, thanks for sharing.

how would you rate buying thru Carvana, if you don't mind me asking?

Lexuslsguy

​​​​​​Great. No issues at all. Found a low mileage car that was a single owner out of Savannah. I prefer southern cars as they have less rust and rough road issues. They trucked it up to NJ for free.