NEVER having been too carried away with the world of the hybrid car I have tended to pass by on the other side, as they say.

However, having spent some time recently in the company of one of the luxury members of the genre, my interest has taken on a new lease of life.

The car in question was the Lexus CT 200h hatchback in Luxury trim and I found myself seated within an interior of pure class in a light and airy cabin which also comes with a superb leather finish.

Opt for a CT200h without the sat nav and you will be surprised by a smart and well ordered dash that is easy to use and is lovely to look at.

However, opt for sat nav and up pops the Lexus Remote Touch control system. While the mouse like controller does look nice, it also introduces an unnecessary level of complexity to the simplest of functions.

And, while the boot offers 375 litres of space with rear seats up, it is also hindered by the battery pack beneath the rear seats and boot floor, while rear leg and headroom just about qualifies as adequate - although youngsters and smaller people will probably be all right.

Whichever trim level you opt for you will get more kit than in a similarly priced rival, and, with entry level S models having essentials such as alloys, climate control and Bluetooth, SE trim adds foglights and privacy glass.

Space in the rear may be tight but the driver and front seat passenger do enjoy class leading head and shoulder room while the comfortable leather seating with eight-way power adjustment and heated seats add further to the facilities. So does cruise control and parking sensors while Premier trim cars get sat nav and a quality 10-speaker audio system.

In addition, for comfort and convenience there is also smart entry and start, traction control and stability control, dual zone climate control, Bluetooth, aux-in and USB connections, automatic headlights and front and rear parking sensors.

On the road, Lexus has done its best to make the car handle effectively with some quite clever weight distribution.

The car's hybrid propulsion components are mounted as close to the floor as possible, helping the vehicle to maintain a low centre of gravity while the bonnet, tailgate and bumper reinforcements are all made from lightweight aluminium.

The CT200h makes a pretty good first impression, its front end putting in a purposeful appearance while offering high levels of active and passive safety which earned this car its top five-star rating in Euro NCAP testing.

The 1.8-litre 98bhp petrol engine is supplemented by an 81bhp electric motor to produce a combined power output of 134bhp.

The car handles well, thanks to some precise, direct steering although ride quality did prove to be a little harsh, particularly for rear seat passengers.

Different driving modes can also be selected on demand, EV offering limited full electric motor driving if required for a few miles, and with just 94g/km of carbon emissions the car is exempt from road tax enabling company car drivers to enjoy the lowest rating for Benefit in Kind tax of just 10%.