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I just sold my Z4 and looking for something a little bigger, good mileage but still sporty with a luxury feel.
A coworker suggested to look into a CT 200h so i went to local Lexus dealership and test drove a 2014 CT 200h F sport. At first, I was kinda hesitant because it was essentially a glorified prius but after driving it, i was pleasantly surprised. The first thing that caught my eye was the color..USB is stunning in real life, pictures hardly do it justice. I really like the styling with the F sport accents. The one thing that was odd was the roof was blue and not black. According to the sales guy, Lexus Canada kept the roof blue in 2014 and changed it to black in 2015. Anyway, on to the drive portion, the suspension was firm, the handling felt stable. Normal mode felt balanced to me, Eco mode was so sluggish and Sport mode felt like a clutch slipping every time i press the accelerator.
now some questions for you guys:
- the sales guy said that car has HIDs for the front headlights. Was this an option from the factory or did the original owner added it themselves?
- the car was not equipped with Navi. I think i could live without this option but would you Navi or non Navi guys consider it a deal breaker?
Those HIDs have been added by the owner, I'd be cautious with a car which has such modifications. One should check how they are installed and is there additional mods.
I don't think that Navi would be essential, but it depends on your needs. It warns about speed cams at least in Europe, which is great.
I thought HIDs were an option, but maybe they were LEDs. Either way, I've never seen either on a CT. Dealers don't seem to order them, I think because they're too expensive. Like a lot of mods, aftermarket HIDs are OK, assuming they are high quality and the installation was done correctly. The improvement over the stock halogens (they're terrible) would be worth it, in my opinion. The integration of other systems into the Nav system are a big reason I always get the nav option. Climate control, programming preferences, audio, etc. just seem a lot better to me, and you get some of the cost back at resale. I'm not sure it would be a deal breaker to me to NOT have it, though. The actual navigation functionality is well behind aftermarket nav systems from people like Garmin, which is also a lot less expensive.
If the headlight is one large projector lamp that cuts into the LED day time running light strip, and it had HIDs, then it's an aftermarket bulb. If you see two small headlight projector lamps that don't cut into the LED strip (and you see bumps in the bumper right in front of each headlight which are the wiper washers), then the car has the LED headlight option from the factory.
The problem with navigation on this car is that you get stuck with Lexus' terrible remote touch controller. If it has a screen but has a round **** instead of the remote touch controller, you have the display package, which is everything the nav package has minus nav, the Enform apps, and the rectangular mouse controller. It's the better option imho.
Strange, LED headlamps as standard on most trims, but they don't give you the headlamp washers. Wonder if it includes auto-leveling and LED fog lamps too. Still though, factory LEDs are best after all.
Did you turn the headlights on to confirm they were in fact HID? The salesman may very well have no idea what he's talking about and the may just be OEM halogen.
Does the CT even come with HID?! My base has halogen and I'm thinking about putting HID in it but it might be too glary for oncoming drivers because of the big squirrel spotters.
If u can get one with nav u'll be glad u did, if not it's a hassle to mount a GPS or phone every time u need directions.
USB is so rare in my area, I've only seen 1 and it does look sweet.
Does the CT even come with HID?! My base has halogen and I'm thinking about putting HID in it but it might be too glary for oncoming drivers because of the big squirrel spotters.
If u can get one with nav u'll be glad u did, if not it's a hassle to mount a GPS or phone every time u need directions.
USB is so rare in my area, I've only seen 1 and it does look sweet.
Yes, you can get HIDs with the CT as an option as mentioned earlier. They don't offer Xenons, but they do offer LED headlights (low beams only) with LED fog lights. If you look at the picture, you'll see the CT there has 2 small projectors instead of one big one. Those are the factory LED headlights when optioned. You more than likely will have to order a CT that way, as virtually no dealer orders them for sale on their own.
Yes, you can get HIDs with the CT as an option as mentioned earlier. They don't offer Xenons, but they do offer LED headlights (low beams only) with LED fog lights. If you look at the picture, you'll see the CT there has 2 small projectors instead of one big one. Those are the factory LED headlights when optioned. You more than likely will have to order a CT that way, as virtually no dealer orders them for sale on their own.
Your statement conflicts with itself. You say you can get HIDs, but you can't get "Xenons". "Xenons" are HIDs. LEDs are not HIDs.
HID stands for High Intensity Discharge, as specific lighting technology that involves an electrical ballast and a "bulb" that provides light from an electrical arc as opposed to a filament. "Xenon" is a slang term for that technology. LEDs are not HID, entirely different technology.
Your statement conflicts with itself. You say you can get HIDs, but you can't get "Xenons". "Xenons" are HIDs. LEDs are not HIDs.
HID stands for High Intensity Discharge, as specific lighting technology that involves an electrical ballast and a "bulb" that provides light from an electrical arc as opposed to a filament. "Xenon" is a slang term for that technology. LEDs are not HID, entirely different technology.
I've always thought HID was just a term for high-intensity types of headlights, which LED would count as. I didn't realize they only pertained to gas-discharge bulbs.
06-24-15, 07:53 AM
Test drove a CT yesterday
but after driving it, i was pleasantly surprised. The first thing that caught my eye was the color..USB is stunning in real life, pictures hardly do it justice. I really like the styling with the F sport accents. The one thing that was odd was the roof was blue and not black. According to the sales guy, Lexus Canada kept the roof blue in 2014 and changed it to black in 2015. Anyway, on to the drive portion, the suspension was firm, the handling felt stable. Normal mode felt balanced to me, Eco mode was so sluggish and Sport mode felt like a clutch slipping every time i press the accelerator. 
