2014 Lexus CT200h on sale from £20,995

 

 The facelifted Lexus CT200h 

has gone on sale, with prices starting from £20, 995. The facelift aims to address the most important complaint in regards to the current car : its unyielding ride. Lexus says that improvements have also been made towards the CT200h’s overall refinement. Perhaps most impressively, Lexus CT200h engineers have were able to further lower the CT200h's official CO2 rating. Models designed with 16in wheels see CO2 output fall from 94g / km to 88g / km. Models fitted with 15in wheels begin to see the CO2 figures drop from 87g / km to only 82g / km. The front bumper and grille and rear bumper have also been redesigned to slot in using the new Lexus design language, particularly the ‘spindle grille’Prices to the facelifted model in standard trim start at £20, 995, a £1000 reduction during the outgoing car, and rise to £29, 495 to the top-spec Premier version. 

Consistent with Chika Kako, the chief engineer to the 2014 model CT200h, the balance between wanting ‘direct handling’ and achieving a far more absorbent ride is addressed by selective stiffening from the bodyshell. To that end, structural adhesive along with spot welds are used join the panels all around the base from the A-pillars, all around the rear wheel housings and all around the lower tailgate opening. The tailgate structure is now also constructed using an elevated quantity of spot welds. Kako says the ‘significantly enhanced’ body rigidity has allowed ‘direct’ handling to become retained even thought the springs and dampers happen to be retuned for a far more compliant ride and a brand new rear anti-roll bar fitted. In an effort to improve cabin refinement, revised sound proofing was fitted towards the bulkhead and as much as 94 individual changes – for example the improved sealing from the holes inside the bulkhead itself – were made to scale back sound transmission straight into the cockpit. The current choice of six trim specifications - dubbed S, SE, Advance, Luxury, F Sport and Premier, are retained. 

The car also gets a revised and quieter intake system, along with remapping from the way the engine and CVT transmission work together. This uses a ‘more linear build-up of engine revs which more closely matches the increase in vehicle speed to produce a driving experience more akin to that of the conventional automatic transmission. ’Inside, Lexus says It‘s further upgraded the cabin materials and put in, along with adding a brand new TFT screen, and that is thinner and in fact now fixed in position. New speakers are fitted with super-thin diaphragms made out of a mixture of bamboo fibre, plant opal and charcoal. A brand new F-sport version also joins the range. It gets a rear spoiler, more aggressive grille design, 17in alloys and also a retuned chassis.  The 2014 CT200h is open to order now, with first deliveries scheduled for March. 2014 Lexus CT200h on sale from £20, 995