LexFather

Sorry have to disagree here. They feel like luxury cars, have features of luxury cars that non luxury cars don't offer and are built like luxury cars.

I can name about 1,000 things the HS and CT have that the Verano can't even spell let alone offer, sorry Mike.

I bet not one Buick offers HUD or Semi-analine leather let alone a real hybrid option. The hybrid powertrain in both cars are substantially more advanced than in any Buick. Don't forget I am a huge Buick fan and supporter as you know.

Lexus has said the CT is it and the upcoming CX will be the new entry level SUV. No reason to go below that. Dealer also want some more expensive product with bigger margins for them to sell and profit off of.

mmarshall

Well, Mike, we're just going to have to disagree like gentlemen on this one. Sure, the CT has slick-upholstered seats (it's not real leather, but looks and feels like it) and some Lexus luxury-features inside. But, IMO, it drives pretty much like what it is...a small, light, stiffly-sprung, firm-riding, and somewhat noisy (for a Lexus) poorly-insulated hatchback. I mentioned, in my CT review, that I thought it would be better marketed as a Toyota than a Lexus, and, in your reply at the time, you said that I had made a fair write-up. Consumer Reports, BTW, also agreed.

Now, of course, the CT has its good points, too. Its reliabilty, as expected, is first-rate. It gets great gas mileage (though not quite that of the drivetrain-sharing Prius). It will (likely ) have low depreciation and good resale value from high demand. It's more versatile in cargo-space than an HS, and, from its small size, very easy to park. But, in my book, it is simply not what I would call a luxury car.

Outrage

The Buick Lacrosse is available with a heads up display. Historically, General Motors has made more affordable cars with a heads up display than any other manufacturer. Quite a few Pontiac and Saab models were equipped with this feature.

Gojirra99

So, how would you classify the Mercedes A and B class? Many "non luxury" models from other brands are better equipped and more refined than those ...

mmarshall

I haven't had a chance to actually drive one (or to even sit in one), so I'm going to have to pass on that question for now. Mercedes still (stubbornly) refuses to bring them to the U.S.

Sulu

Take a Canadian vacation. The MB B-Class has been available here for a number of years; my neighbour drives one.

Hatchbacks may be louder than sedans because the rear wheel wells are not isolated from the passenger compartment by the enclosed trunk. And the CT is meant to be sporty Lexus model so its suspension will be harsher than the ES or LS.

mmarshall

Yes...that has been true for decades (also was the caes with wagons). But even sedans can be noisy if not well-insulated. The torsion-bar/leaf suspensions (especially in old Chrysler products and before the rubber-isolators were used)) used to have a reputation for transmitting road and tire-noise up into the car's structure. They were noticeably less-quiet than their Ford and GM competition, which usually had coil-springs.

Yes, that's part of it, but other factors play in as well, such as the CT's short wheelbase, low-profile tires, light weight, and low-stance fenders which don't allow much room for up-and-down suspension travel to absorb bumps.