Vegasaurus

How are cabin noise levels in the CT?

wind noise, rattles, road rumble, exhaust/transmission drone?

roof rails / roof rack noise?

my father's 08 IS250 would be pretty quiet if it didn't have the big wheels with low pro tires, is the sound proofing comparable in the CT?

Clutchless

I had a 2012 CT F Sport Special Edition for 2 years and thought the Prius 1.8 engine was particularly rough and loud, especially if you attempted to accelerate quickly. Lots of noise and little acceleration. Same with road rumble. Road rumble and ride was due to the F Sport suspension.
That was all so loud I did not notice much wind noise. I did not have a roof rack.

However with the F Sport suspension it was fun to drive, almost like a slow Mini Cooper, which was my prior car.

I got so annoyed I added sound deadener by using the paint on variety (Spray Dead) on the inside of the front and rear fenders. I had to remove the fender liners and on the fronts could really only get to the rear part that bordered the passenger compartment. I thought it made a big difference. I also added Raamat (like Dynamat) to the rear cargo area floor and sides but it did not make as much difference.

nacke

Bad tyres and rough pavement = plenty of road noise. Otherwise a silent car.

Another NVH problem: suspension is rather stiff, and it might wear you down in the long run if roads aren't butter smooth in your area (and this experience with non F-sport facelift version with 16" rims, which isn't the worst option in this regard).

Vegasaurus

disappointing you had to add to the stock sound treatment, good to know it wasn't too intensive though. i'm debating between the CT and the Prius and honestly if they both need work done to make them quiet i don't see much point in the CT... unless the Mark Levinson is really that much better than the JBL in the Prius.

thanks for the help

Clutchless

You really need to drive both and make your own determination about their respective noise, vibration and harshness, known as NVH in the auto industry.
You also sit lower in the CT than the Prius.

yeldogt

First and foremost the Prius is about practicality/ MPG. People in my family regularly get 60mpg in the summer -- Toyota wanted to make a very practical, safe car ... to do that they had to save weight. It's also more expensive to produce a hybrid -- they had to find ways to save money.

You have to drive the Prius .. would I love driving it 80mph for 6 hours from NY to Boston every week ... no. Do I have any problem in my area with reasonably good roads .. no.

A few months ago I was about to purchase a second Prius for the family and my business ... then I saw the CT. Figured I would test one out VS another Prius. The CT is not as practical (size wise) -- the car is quieter with a better interior. It actually has a harder ride vs the Prius -- the seats are much nicer/ more comfortable. My Prius is a 2011 Five - the CT is a lightly optioned car and was a couple K more vs getting another Five.

The Prius is the perfect second/ extra car.

KKM

Curious if anyone has test drive the '16 model Prius, it has been getting good reviews regarding the driving dynamics versus the last generation. Would like to hear how it compares to the CT.

TucsonLex

My 2013 CT was a bit loud, but my new 2016 is much better. More "Lexus-like" would be the term I would use. Even the doors on the new one have a solid "thunk" when closing. Older ones have been louder so it depends on what year.

lexusrus

I have a 2013 CT200H bought brand new. It was highly optioned, except for the F Sport trim.

To me and my wife it is very noisy compared to our LX570.

Still noisy compared to our RX450H.

Not as noisy compared to our RC-F,. BUT the RC-F is a very different animal all together!

When compared to my friend's Prius, the CT200H is not as noisy and A LOT NICER INSIDE. To me the Prius is too boring vs the CT200H.

Now that I got the RC-F for about 6 months now, the CT200H IS VERY BORING!!!! THINKING ABOUT SELLING THE CT200H! !!

RonSwanson

That's strange. I have a 2013 and I have driven my friend's 2015 many times as well as had CT loaners (2014 and 2015) and could not tell the difference. Maybe the tires on your 2013 had a lot of wear.

Wow, now that's a garage full of Lexus! 4 cars for 2 people? If that's the case it seems pretty unnecessary to keep the CT especially since you already have the RXh for gas efficiency.

yeldogt

The CT fits into a very small area of the automotive world. With three houses and a lot of driving -- Our Prius is the perfect extra car. Someone takes it every weekend and it's used every day during the week ... We have so many places that are 1hr away (60 miles). With 120k in 4 years -- we use it --- it's miles not placed on a car with 4x the operating costs. The point of a Prius is low marginal cost (maintenance and fuel) with practicality. If you don;t keep it and use it -- I don't see the point of the Prius.

So with the CT... it fits into a smaller space vs the Prius. If you don't want the low, long term ownership costs another car makes more sense. I actually find the CT to be a great city car -- so the size could be a selling factor depending on your parking space. The CT is not an ES replacement .. and certainly not an RX.

In reality, it's a less efficient Prius for those willing to give up some efficiencies for more comfort.

lexusrus

No, not two people. We have kids whom also drive.

So the LX570 for short length weekend trips or bad weather which is rare in SoCal or go to the mountains skiing. Otherwise we take our C-class RV for medium length or even short trips to the beach or mountains, if we pack a lot of gear which can be a bit much for the LX570.

RX450H for around town and get 28 + mpg. Basically grocery runs and kids' school and sports practice runs.

CT200H is my commuter car. But got kind of bored in it and missed the power and rumble of my old MB SLK55AMG. Rest of the Lexus lineup is kind of boring. But I wanted something very reliable too (MB is OK, but nothing compares to a Lexus on reliability). So I went looking for a RC-F. Test drove multiple variants of the RC series and bought a loaded RC-F without TVD/carbon package (I don't track cars, so no need for TVD).

So I'm waiting for the prices of the new RX450H to come down so I can trade in the CT200H! !!

lexusrus

This is true as the tires wear out, the CT200H (or any car) can get very noisy.

Also if you don't replace with LOW RESISTANCE (designed for hybrids), then you may have a lot of road noise.

One time a very old Prius with 300K+ miles on the ODO picked me up from the LAX airport (even though I had booked for a shared ride shuttle van service ), I had to literally scream and yell sitting in the back seat to talk to the driver and vice versa with all the windows up!! The driver said the car was not his and belonged to the "Company" and the owner put the cheapest tire on. When I got to my destination, I looked and saw that the tires were some unknown brand tires made in China!!!

E46CT

Not sure if many know here but the facelifted 2014 came with 90 engineering enhancements mostly with ride, and NVH. 20 additional spot welds and increased use of structural adhesives to result in increased torsional rigidity. Increased soundproofing at the firewall and rear wheel areas were also used. The front door structure, rocker panel @ hinge pillar were also reinforced for 2014+ I would say the quietness of the facelifted CT and CT overall is quite good but nothing mind blowing. I think the facelifted chimes in at 2-3db quieter than the pre-2014 CT.