Not all hybrids are the same.
Perhaps they were initially, but with so many hybrid options coming to the market in the past decade-plus, the automakers have had to step up their game a bit to differentiate from their competition.

Meet Exhibit A: The 2014 Lexus CT 200h, a compact hatchback hybrid that’s among the more unique hybrid offerings in the market -- aiming to deliver not only that expected high fuel economy, but a better drive experience and overall look too.

Does it accomplish those goals? I spent a week in a CT 200h F Sport and am back with a full report.

Looks
The CT 200h I tested featured a very sharp design with a black-and-red scheme, and Lexus’ attractive and unique front grille. It’s a looker for sure, not some boring generic hybrid.

It’s not large inside, though, and this isn’t really a family car; If you going to carry around adults in your back seat regularly I wouldn’t recommend it. This is a commuter car for sure, getting you to work and back with rare trips to the gas station. There is also very little room for storage in the trunk.

Inside it’s a little less computerized than the Prius (i.e. -- no holographic screen), even though the hybrid system is the same. The materials used inside the CT 200h are quality, but not the highest you’ll find in the Lexus lineup. It still looks and feels quite upscale though.

Engine, horsepower
Like Toyota’s other hybrid vehicles, the Hybrid Synergy Drive system is used here. The vehicle offers a 1.8-liter four-cylinder gas engine, in addition to a pair of electric motors, one of which powers the vehicle’s front wheels.

When you are driving at lower speeds you’ll be in pure EV (electric) mode. If you’re really not in a hurry to accelerate (and don’t mind annoying the drivers around you); you can put the car into Eco mode and take extra long to get up to speed. There are four modes in total -- EV, Normal, Eco and Sport.

The tricky part on this vehicle is that while it looks sporty, you’re not really going to feel that when you hit the gas pedal -- even in Sport mode. To be kind, it is a bit better than most hybrids in this area, but that’s not really saying that much. The overall handling and responsiveness of the vehicle does impress, though.

With 134 horsepower total output from the HSD system, you won’t be breaking any speed records. And when you do hit the gas, the engine is quite noisy.

Still, as far as hybrids go, you get around as well as can be expected -- as long as your expectations aren’t too high.

Technology
The highlight on the tech end was the ability to reach out to a personal assisant via the Destination Assist feature. I verbally called this feature up and was quickly able to get an address to somewhere i needed to go as well as directions downloaded to my Navigation screen. Not too shabby.

The biggest pet peeve I have technology-wise with the CT 200h is the mouse-controlled tech interface (Lexus Remote Touch) in the vehicle. It is finicky (hard to control, overly reactive to movement) and seriously annoying to use most of the time, and I highly recommend that Lexus rethink it for the future and go another direction. Almost every other tech interface I have tried works better.

There is also a unique shifter in the CT 200h that takes some getting used to.

And like the Prius, it comes with that annoying beeping noise when you back up -- I’m not sure why was this ever put into this or any other vehicle, but it needs to go away.

Safety
Standard features include stability and traction control, full complement of airbags, automatic collision notification and stolen-vehicle notification via Lexus Safety Connect.

Optional features include front and rear parking sensors, plus the rearview camera (which I believe should be standard as it’s so critical to safety).

Other optional features include braking assist if you’re going to collide with the vehicle in front of you, as well as adaptive cruise control.

MPG
I averaged about 42 mpg in the CT 200h, but could have squeezed another mpg or two out of it had I been more conservative. Official numbers are 43 city/40 highway and 42 combined.

Hard to beat that with a vehicle in this class of hybrid -- in part because there is little competition in the first place.

Price, bottom line
The 2014 Lexus CT 200h starts at $32,050 to be exact, not a bad starting point for a Lexus.

Once all the features were added to my test model (F Sport premium package including heated front seats and rain-sensing wipers; F Sport interior package including leather trimmed steering wheel and shifter knob and sport-tuned suspension; Navigation system with backup camera; premium audio system; and more), the grand total was $39,030.

So you’re going to spend more than you would on a Prius, but you’ll be driving around in a little more style in addition to the high mpg.