First Drive: 2011 Lexus CT 200h

Filed under: Hybrid, Hatchback, Lexus, First Drive, Luxury

Lexus Tries To Build A Better European Luxury Hatchback

2011 Lexus CT 200h – Click above for high-res image gallery

“Stealing” seems a touch harsh, so let’s go with “uninformed borrowing” instead. After all, Lexus did hand me the keys to a U.S.-spec CT 200h hybrid, along with a vetted and approved route book through Northern France, but I had different plans. I was on a mini-mission.

You see, the wife doesn’t ask much when I travel abroad. A phone call or two a day, keep hydrated and avoid the brothels. A simple list. But when she caught wind I’d be in France for the Paris Motor Show, she requested one thing: macarons. Specifically, the meringue confections from Paris’ world-famous Ladurée.

So with a willing driving partner and the sat-nav set to a location a few blocks from the Arc de Triomphe, we headed south to snag some pastries and give Lexus’ hybrid hatch a thorough testing in its natural (read: European) environment.

Gallery: 2011 Lexus CT 200h: First Drive