All around the world, it’s happening.  Car manufacturers are ditching the internal combustion engine (ICE)-only way of doing things and are trotting out hybrid vehicles, in line with legislation in Europe to have all new cars hybrids or electric vehicles by some point in the near future.  As a luxury marque like Lexus wants to compete in the European market as well as here in the Australian market, it’s no surprise that this latest offering from Toyota’s fancy offshoot is a petrol–electric hybrid, giving drivers the best of both worlds: the 2018 Lexus CT 1.8L Hybrid (also known as the CT 200h).

The 2018 Lexus CT 1.8L Hybrid is the current hatchback in the Lexus lineup for this year (and we hope they’re going to add more).  CT stands for “Compact Touring”, and this pretty much sums up this five-door hatch in a nutshell.  On the one hand, it’s got a small engine and a hatch body style, but it also has the Tardis-like ability to be surprisingly roomy on the inside (although it can’t travel through time like the Tardis).  Lexus boasts that this is the very first luxury hybrid hatchback, so good on them for leading the way!

To look at, the 2018 Lexus CT 1.8L Hybrid is lovely.  It looks modern, snappy and innovative, and every line blends nicely with the characteristic Lexus spindle-grille design.  It’s angular without being boxy or harking back to the 1980s too much, but it’s certainly left the softness of turn of the century vehicles behind.  Curves are there for aerodynamics – a must in any vehicle that wants to deliver on the fuel economy front – but they’re mostly noticeable from a bird’s-eye view or if you’ve got one of the trim packages that features a moonroof (Sports Luxury package) or a contrasting colour roof in black (F Sport variant).  There’s also just a hint of curvature in the roofline when seen in profile that adds to the assertive styling.  The 2018 Lexus CT 1.8L Hybrid sits low to the ground, giving the hatchback a sporty look.  The colour choices depend on your trim, with 10 options open for the Luxury and Sports Luxury lines, and seven for the F Sport.  Ten-spoke alloy wheels (16 or 17 inch wheels as standard for the Luxury and Sports Luxury respectively) complete the side view styling, and the LED daytime running lights finish off the front end (and you get fog lights with the F Sport and Sport Luxury variants).  And you’ve got to love that cheeky little shark fin antenna and the discreet rear spoiler.

The interior of the 2018 Lexus CT 1.8L Hybrid has been set up so the driver can get the most pleasure out of the drive.  This is partly achieved by the low placement of the driver’s seat so if you’ve got the wheel, you’re close to the vehicle’s centre of gravity and are more in tune with the forces of gravity and acceleration.  From the passenger perspective, they’ve managed to maximise space for the passengers’ legs by ensuring that the front seats are slimmer without compromising on safety or comfort.  There’s plenty of load space behind the rear seats as well.  The baseline Luxury model comes with fabric trim, but you can upgrade to the yummy leather accents with the F Sport and Sports Luxury.  Even if you’re in the Luxury variant, you can stay comfy with the dual-zone climate control but the two posher types add in heated seats – downright delicious!

Going back to the driver’s perspective and the way things feel, this will also depend on your preferred variant.  While the Luxury has L-Arm MacPherson strut front suspension and trailing arm double wishbone rear suspension, the Sport Luxury takes it up a notch with front and rear performance dampers, and the F Sport takes it all the way with exclusive suspension tuning.  The driver also gets to enjoy the upgraded sports pedals and steering wheel in the F Sport.   Some of the other things that make driving the 2018 Lexus CT 1.8L Hybrid very enjoyable also double as active safety features, such as the traction control, the hill start assistance and the vehicle stability control.  The brakes come with the works (EBD, ABS and Brake Assistance, plus a pre-collision safety system that includes pedestrian detection).  Throw in cruise control, and you’ve got a very nice drive indeed.

The thing that sets the 2018 Lexus CT 1.8L Hybrid/Lexus CT 200h or whatever you want to call it is its hybrid engine.  This is not an ICE-only vehicle, and it combines a thrifty little 1.8-L petrol engine with a 650-V electric motor with style.  When the two types work in tandem, the maximum power generated is 100 kW. The torque peaks at 142 Nm for the petrol engine, which is cheekily overtaken by the 207 Nm of the electric powerplant.  The electronic CVT transmission runs super-smoothly and works well in combination with the drive mode selector to get the performance to EV (electric vehicle), Eco, Normal or Sport.  The drive mode is linked to the mood lighting, which is kind of fun: yes, it’s go-faster red for when you’re in sports mode!  The official combined fuel consumption figure is 4.1 L/100 km, but we all know that this is going to be different in real-world conditions.  However, the regenerative braking system and the stop/start function help keep the figures down.

Naturally, there is an impressive range of gadgets and controls inside the 2018 Lexus CT 1.8L Hybrid, as you would expect from any good car in the era of the Internet of Things.  Command Central for all the devices is the 10.3-inch multimedia screen.  However, they’ve cleverly divided the console into zones, which they call the Display zone (at eye level) and the Operation zone (lower down but easily in reach where you can use the Remote Touch controller and the Drive Mode buttons).  Sat-nav comes as standard, as do multimedia voice control, Bluetooth connectivity and the Lexus Enform App suite.  The sound system in the Luxury variant is a very nice 10-speaker system (USB and Aux input as well as DVD audio), but an upgrade’s possible with the Sport Luxury.

With any car at the smaller end of the spectrum, safety is important, and the 2018 Lexus CT 1.8L Hybrid certainly doesn’t break this rule.  Apart from the active features mentioned earlier (e.g. ABS brakes, pre-collision safety system with pedestrian detection), you’ve also got lane departure warning and a reversing camera.  Eight strategically placed airbags complete the safety package, but if you drive the 2018 Lexus CT 1.8L Hybrid right, you won’t get to see these.  Hopefully, you won’t have to make use of the other security feature that comes on the F Sport and the Sports Luxury variants: the anti-theft siren.

All in all, the 2018 Lexus CT 1.8L Hybrid is a very scrumptious drive that’s bound to be popular with those who like it small and sporty with tons of style and comfort.

Current model series include:

• 2018 Lexus CT 1.8L Hybrid Luxury
• 2018 Lexus CT 1.8L Hybrid Sports Luxury
• 2018 Lexus CT 1.8L Hybrid F Sport

For any more information on the 2018 Lexus CT 1.8L Hybrid, or for that matter any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quotes requests out to our national network of Lexus dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!