Vermillion Ct200H: Week 1

[melodien]

I picked up my new CT200h on Tuesday night, bidding a fond farewell to my Prius. Today is the first day I have had time in daylight to just sit in the car and adjust things, play with the controls and generally get comfortable. I also had time to take some pictures:

Overall I'm very happy with the car: the handling is good, the seats are comfortable, the finish is excellent. The sound system is much better than that in any car that I have owned before (note: if you are a real sound system aficionado, do not take this as a definitive statement about the quality of the CT200h sound system. I've spent too many hours in noisy data centres, and my hearing is well below the original "factory specs" as a result. YMMV, caveat emptor, etc.), and the iPhone integration is a huge improvement over the phone integration in the Prius (OK, so there was no where to go but up on that one).

What I don't like.....

OK, who designed the compartment for sun glasses? And what were you thinking? Even a basic pair of Polaroids from the Cancer Council will not fit in this tiny space.

It is not possible to fit a standard street directory in the door bins. Yes, I know there is a GPS, but sometimes you need to look at a paper map to get the big picture.

I'm not crazy about the permanently illuminated "emergency flasher" button. I'm sure I will get used to it, but a red light on the periphery of my vision is distracting.

I'm used to a car that has several covered internal storage spaces: my Prius had a glove box, console bin, another small compartment in the middle of the dash, and a "drawer" at the bottom on the center console. This provided plenty of places to stash gloves, tissues, spare umbrella, small change, access cards, CDs, hand cream, car park access cards, phone charging cables, spare sun glasses, pens, and all the other small objects that I'm used to keeping in the car, while still keeping the car tidy. I have had to relocate some things that I would normally keep within arm's reach of the driver's seat into the storage compartment in the bottom of the boot.

I also urgently need a retractable black iPod cable. I've seen the thread on this subject, and I'll be interested to see what other people's recommendations are as they try different options.

[ilv1004s]

looks great there do you prefer this car over the prius???

well least u get sunglass compartments

us IS250/350/F guys dont get any lol

[dragon81]

Wow it looks good! congrats and yeah i cant wait for mine now, going to pick it up tomorrow!

that seems to be the same issue as my IS250 not enough compartment space!

[queenfish]

Sure does look good and I also can't wait for mine now. I've still got a while though ..... end July.

I was wondering if you took the paint protection option. I had a phone call from Lexus last week informing

me of the wonders of paint protection. I thought $1890 was a lot of money. That included Scotch Guarding

the interior as well but very expensive.

I live close to the ocean and am a bit concerned about salt. Your CT looks great. Did you have paint protection

applied.

I picked up my new CT200h on Tuesday night, bidding a fond farewell to my Prius. Today is the first day I have had time in daylight to just sit in the car and adjust things, play with the controls and generally get comfortable. I also had time to take some pictures:

Overall I'm very happy with the car: the handling is good, the seats are comfortable, the finish is excellent. The sound system is much better than that in any car that I have owned before (note: if you are a real sound system aficionado, do not take this as a definitive statement about the quality of the CT200h sound system. I've spent too many hours in noisy data centres, and my hearing is well below the original "factory specs" as a result. YMMV, caveat emptor, etc.), and the iPhone integration is a huge improvement over the phone integration in the Prius (OK, so there was no where to go but up on that one).

What I don't like.....

OK, who designed the compartment for sun glasses? And what were you thinking? Even a basic pair of Polaroids from the Cancer Council will not fit in this tiny space.

It is not possible to fit a standard street directory in the door bins. Yes, I know there is a GPS, but sometimes you need to look at a paper map to get the big picture.

I'm not crazy about the permanently illuminated "emergency flasher" button. I'm sure I will get used to it, but a red light on the periphery of my vision is distracting.

I'm used to a car that has several covered internal storage spaces: my Prius had a glove box, console bin, another small compartment in the middle of the dash, and a "drawer" at the bottom on the center console. This provided plenty of places to stash gloves, tissues, spare umbrella, small change, access cards, CDs, hand cream, car park access cards, phone charging cables, spare sun glasses, pens, and all the other small objects that I'm used to keeping in the car, while still keeping the car tidy. I have had to relocate some things that I would normally keep within arm's reach of the driver's seat into the storage compartment in the bottom of the boot.

I also urgently need a retractable black iPod cable. I've seen the thread on this subject, and I'll be interested to see what other people's recommendations are as they try different options.

[dis-lex-sic]

I was wondering if you took the paint protection option. I had a phone call from Lexus last week informing

me of the wonders of paint protection. I thought $1890 was a lot of money. That included Scotch Guarding

the interior as well but very expensive.

I live close to the ocean and am a bit concerned about salt.

No no no.

All new Lexus come with a 4 year "Paint defect & Surface Rust" warranty & a 6 year "Corrosion Perforation Warranty" from factory.

Not something that you should need to buy on a premium vehicle. The reason the car is more expensive is the higher level of quality which does includes the paint.

http://www.lexus.com/TheHardWay/index_dealer.html

[Lexus Nerd]

I was wondering if you took the paint protection option. I had a phone call from Lexus last week informing

me of the wonders of paint protection. I thought $1890 was a lot of money. That included Scotch Guarding

the interior as well but very expensive ...

No no no.

All new Lexus come with a 4 year "Paint defect & Surface Rust" warranty & a 6 year "Corrosion Perforation Warranty" from factory.

Not something that you should need to buy on a premium vehicle. The reason the car is more expensive is the higher level of quality which does includes the paint ...

Interesting, then, that a Lexus dealer tried to sell paint protection.

My Lexus dealer didn't even bother trying to sell any of the usual high-margin, third-party products one normally gets pressured to buy with a new vehicle. I was so prepared for the sales plug to happen that, when it didn't, I almost forgot to ask for the window tinting I actually wanted ... only to find out that, after it was fitted and paid for, Lexuses also have a degree of window tinting as standard. D'oh! Oh well, the result is a darker glass that others have admired.

[queenfish]

Thank you for the links to the Lexus process. I found the video very informative. I'm not getting the paint protection option now. I was surprised that it was offered in the first place as I did think I was already paying for the best - not nearly the best-it could be better.

I would like to buy the boot liner for my CT. I've seen another members post on the price he paid so I'll watch out for sales plugs.

I dream of driving my CT. Six weeks to go.

[dis-lex-sic]

Interesting, then, that a Lexus dealer tried to sell paint protection.

Yes LN, I thought the same thing.

[LEX51S]

nice work guys. great team work helping out other members. love it!!!