Lexus CT200h

Much more than a refined Prius

Cathy and I along with some other press folks were invited to New Orleans to preview the all-new Lexus CT200h luxury hybrid and as one would expect, there was a lot of buzz about the car, not the least of which were comparisons to the ubiquitous Prius. Let me say this right now, it’s not, nor was it ever intended to be, an upgraded Prius with a Lexus badge; kudos to Lexus. This is a very nifty little car that stands on its own and will, as all vehicles do, either make it or not on its own merit. What I’m interested in finding out is if the American buyer is ready for a Eurostyled hatchback engineered to appeal to American drivers.

What I like about the car starts with the styling which incorporated a bit of Lexus signature L’Finesse styling. It’s edgy without being garish and in truth a good compromise between form and function when it comes to aerodynamics. It has a pretty aggressive stance and is surprisingly comfortable for me although my partner felt the seating a little tight…hmmm, oh well, let’s move on.

Inside the CT200h offers a driver focused interior with supportive and well bolstered seats that come standard in faux leather polyurethane based NuLuxe material which is softer and greener than leather although you can opt for the real deal if you so desire. The dashboard is divided into divergent zones, the upper highlighted by an eight-inch LCD display screen and the lower section that handles the audio system and other ergonomic controls.

 

Lexus touted this car as a drivers car despite the fact that it’s a hybrid, and while it certainly won’t set any speed records in the quarter mile, or rip your head off from a standing start, the car performs admirably. For those of you that have followed my reviews over the years know, performance is very important to me and I think Lexus pretty much hit the mark with the CT200h regarding form, function and a touch with an added touch of driving enjoyment.

The CT200h offers a non-hybrid driving experience for a couple of reasons; one, because the suspension is tighter without being harsh and it allows the CT to easily soak up any imperfections in the road without losing its poise. And two, you can choose one of four driving modes, EV, ECO, NORMAL and SPORT and the latter is what appeals to me because you actually have quite a bit more pop. When you rotate the dial to Sport Mode, the power indicator on the left side of the gauge package turns into a tach and the throttle is remapped for quicker response. The electric power steering is recalibrated for less assist but unfortunately doesn’t offer any more feedback to the driver but still, it is a hybrid.

We had a lot of fun and we look forward to our week in the CT200h when it hits the press fleet in Phoenix. There’s a lot to this car so if you’ve been thinking about a hybrid and want more styling élan and a bit of driving pizzazz to tolerate your daily commute, the CT200h may be just what you’re looking for.

2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport SLS

By: Two for the Road USA

For a long time now the Suzuki brand has been about utilitarian vehicles. Vehicles that met needs and didn’t cost a lot; and while sporting some interesting names like Grand Vitara and Equator, they were basically pretty vanilla. Enter the Kizashi, and yes I know you thought “gesundheit’ I must have had ten people say it to me, but not withstanding the rather peculiar name, the Suzuki Kizashi is one nifty little pocket rocket. As I understand it, Kizashi translated means “something great is coming” and while I’m not quite ready to hang the “great” label on the Kizashi, it is in fact much better than just good.

The Suzuki Kizashi starts pricing starts at under $20,000 for the base model and $24,699 for the Sport SLS version we tested, which stickered at $25,304. With extras that included destination charges, Premium Floor Mats, Premium Metallic paint and XM Satellite Radio. Some niceties that come standard on the Kizashi include Smartpass keyless Entry and pushbutton start Electronic Stability Control, Traction Control ABS and eight airbags to name a few. Some of the Sports SLS Package adds include; Leather Appointed Interior, Power Sunroof, heated/power front seats, Rear Parking Sensors and Auto Headlamps and Rear View Mirror. The Sports Package includes Sport Aero Body Kit, Light Weight Sport Wheels, Sport Tuned Suspension and the Sport Design Steering Wheel. Which I believe epitomizes the phrase “a lot of bang for your buck.”

The Kizashi athletic styling looks good from all angles and inside you’ll find a pretty nice looking and functional interior. The level of refinement inside Kizashi's cabin surprised me as our test car was equipped with sharp black leather, dual-zone climate control, and 10-way power-adjustable heated front seats; it even had iPod and USB audio controls. The 10-speaker, 425 watt Rockford Fosgate sound system and integrated Bluetooth with audio streaming could be controlled from the steering wheel.

After driving the Kizashi Sport SLS I quickly realized that Suzuki certainly took the car to a higher level than the base model. It has a firmer ride and feels very secure on twisties or zipping through a cloverleaf on or off a freeway ramp. With 185 Horsepower it won’t rip you head of by any stretch of the imagination but mated to a 6-speed manual transmission, the Kizashi Sport is a whole lot of fun to drive. As with almost all cars that add the Sports moniker to a car, the stiffer suspension does transmit more road imperfections back to the driver but not to the extent it’s troubling although I have to admit, it could wear on you after a while on longer treks.

Bottom line, I think all the players in this segment need to pay close attention to Suzuki’s Kizashi. It offers a lot for a little and actually has a bit of a personality. So if you’ve been thinking about something different,  while the name alone may intrigue you, I can assure you, Kizashi is a whole lot more than just a name; it is indeed something good.

The Kizashi come with EPA ratings from 20-31 mpg and 36 month 36,000 base warranty and an 84 month 100,000 mile powertrain warranty.

2010 Caliber Rush

By Two for the Road USA

The Caliber is a Dodge compact vehicle that features interesting styling and flexibility that makes defining whether it’s a CUV or SUV difficult, although I’m not sure there’s one finite definition that will settle the debate. The 2010 Caliber receives a spiffed up interior that features a new instrument panel and padded door panels driver along with front passenger active head restraints. A Sport Appearance Package for Caliber SXT includes 18-inch polished aluminum wheels, performance suspension and performance steering.

I will confess now that I have not been nor do I see myself becoming a big Caliber fan. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be a mid-size Magnum because it looks as though design was struggling for that look but got to the rear end and wasn’t quite sure how to finish it so they just gave it a kind of droopy chopped off look. I think it suffers from the same lack of styling identity that the wannabe Charger looking Avenger does.

I’m not saying the Caliber doesn’t have its place, it does offer a pretty fair amount of room and comfort for the money. Base priced at under $20,000 the Caliber comes with a sufficient amount of standard features that include a Media Center with HDD radio and a 30 Gig Hard Drive and Uconnect Blue Tooth. Unfortunately Electronic Stability Control, Brake Assist and Supplemental Front Seat-Mounted Side Airbags are optional.

My test car came with the standard 2.4-liter Inline 4-cylinder engine mated to a 5-speed manual transmission that comes standard in SE and SXT with the 2.0-liter engine. It’s the first Caliber with a manual transmission that I’ve driven and frankly it’s a double edged sword. I like the peppier performance but really I don’t like the manual for a daily commuter. It just didn’t fit with the car for some reason.

Driving the Caliber is an exercise in passivity as there is absolutely nothing remotely scintillating about the car. Before all you Caliber aficionado’s out there, of which there seem to be plenty judging by the number I see on the highways, eviscerate me, I’ve never kept secret that I’m all about both form and function and alas the Caliber is pretty much a utilitarian vehicle; however, to that end it works well.

It drives and handles just fine, it has room to haul the kids and soccer gear around easily and its pretty decent on the highway although I’m not sure I’d like to drive it on a trip that took over 2 hours, but that’s me. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve seen a lot of Calibers on the road and there are actually Caliber car clubs so clearly Chrysler has reached some people’s hot buttons.

Bottom line, if you want something that certainly stands out from the norm, has room for 5 with a good amount of cargo area, at a cost that won’t break the bank, check out the Dodge Caliber. Our test car came with the $780.00 Optional Equipment Package that includes EBS, Brake Assist and the supplemental Front-Seat-Mounted Side Airbags. It also came with the $795.00 Leather Interior Group, the Driver Convenience Group for $300.00, with Tire Pressure Monitoring Display, Electronic Vehicle Information Center and the Universal Garage Door Opener and finally the Power Express Sunroof for $845.00; all that brought the price of the tester up to $23,445. The Caliber comes with an EPA rating is 23/29/25 and Chryslers 3/36 base warranty and a 5 year 100,000 mile powertrain warranty.