I was never much of a model-maker as a child. I had ambitions, of course, but piecing together an Airfix Wellington bomber or Spitfire rarely went as smoothly as I’d hoped. I got there in the end, but the finished article was as much glue as it was plastic, with large blobs of the stuff spoiling both the aesthetics and, probably, the aerodynamics. It’s fortunate those things were never meant to fly.

That wasn’t the worst of it though. Oh no, because then I had to paint it. So out would come the little pots of Airfix paint and the selection of fine brushes and after many, many hours of endeavour some would be on the model but most would be on the newspaper than my dear old mum would insist I laid out on the table before I began, and to which the aforementioned model was now stuck.

Strangely it was first encounter with this week’s test subject, the Lexus CT200h that brought these fond memories flooding back. It was the paint scheme – black and titanium – that struck a chord. Now, I appreciate that colour choice is very much a personal one, but there was something about the combination – a silver roof with black body – that had me thinking about those heady days as an aspiring aeronautical engineer.

After that not insubstantial prelude you’ll be pleased to learn that I’m not going to let what is, in my opinion, a questionable choice of colour scheme influence my opinion of the CT.

Like all the models that Lexus offers, the CT200h has the contemporary looks to stand out in a crowd, regardless of the hue. It sits on broad, muscular haunches and sports a power bulge in the bonnet that are designed to lure in younger buyers and yet, perhaps strangely, its designers have opted to squirrel away the exhaust beneath the rear valance, rather than have sporty looking finishers on display.

For the 2018 model year there has been few tweaks to keep it competitive. You might notice stronger exterior styling, including more prominent spindle grille treatment and a repositioning of the arrowhead daytime running lights above new single-projector LED headlamp units

Changes have also been made to the rear of the vehicle with a new garnish and treatment of the lower rear bumper section, and new 16 and 17-inch wheel designs have been introduced.

There’s a fair degree of sound-proofing across the car, with wheel arch liners in the front wings and side protectors to reduce the level on road and engine noise that permeates the cabin, while a dynamic noise damper inside the tailgate has the same effect on road noise entering the cabin via the boot floor.

Lexus have resolutely ploughed their own furrow when it comes to the design, function and ergonomics of their interior. The CT200h is no exception but, idiosyncrasies aside, it’s an extremely affable place to be.

Cabin quality, already a strong point, has been improved further and, as well as new exterior colour choices there are also additional cabin upholstery and trim options.

The leather, of which there is plenty, is tactile and exquisitely finished and the plastics soft and substantial. It looked especially inviting in the tan and black combination in my test car. Certainly I preferred being on the inside looking out, to being on the outside looking in.

You operate the Lexus Premium Navigation system via the company’s Remote Touch multi-function controller. It works in a way that’s vaguely similar to a computer mouse but it can prove a little fiddly and far from intuitive until you become accustomed to it. That said, the new 10.3in screen is crisp and bright and the sat nav is accurate and clear, something that you can’t always take for granted.

The driving position is low and sporty, and there’s plenty of flexibility, and room, to help you get comfortable. People travelling in the rear aren’t as well catered for where things are a bit tight for adults and older children.

Clever packaging that places the battery pack between the wheels means that boot capacity is a healthy 375 litres – including the underfloor storage – with the rear seats in place.

My, I will call it “striking”, test car was in Luxury spec which wins you Adaptive Cruise Control, Automatic high Beam, traffic sign Recognition and lane keep Assist with sway warning, heated front seats, keyless entry, dual-zone climate control, Bluetooth, rain-sensing wipers, front and rear parking sensors, LED daytime running lights, LED front fog lamps, LED rear lights, electric, folding, heated door mirrors with puddle lights, 17in alloy wheels, Rear spoiler, Rear privacy glass, premium navigation with a new 10.3in display screen, Remote touch control, 10-speaker audio with DvD and DAB tuner. It’s a pretty comprehensive package of standard equipment.

The CT200h mates a 98 bhp 1.8-litre petrol engine with an 81bhp electric motor. The hybrid system’s total power output is not, as you might imagine, 179bhp but a rather less healthy 134. The trouble is, on the move, it doesn’t even feel close to that figure.

Power is sent to the front wheels via a CVT gearbox that holds on to its virtual cogs for far too long, flooding the cabin with a painful wailing noise under hard acceleration that encourages a more circumspect approach to driving.

The zero to 62mph time of 10.3 seconds and top speed of 112mph would seem to support this approach. This is not a car that you’d want to try to drive rapidly across country, though there is a decent amount of grip and very little lean in corners, there’s no information being fed back to the driver through the steering wheel, so you’re never quite certain what the front tyres are doing.

The CT200 is much happier cruising at speed on the motorways where, once its finished protesting about being asked to go faster, progress is relaxed and refined. It’s also here that the ride is at its best, relaxed and isolating, it completes the relaxed ambiance in the cabin.

It’s whisper quiet around town, in stop-start traffic and at low speeds, when it will slip into EV mode, using electric power only.

There are three selectable driving modes to choose from – EV, Eco and Sport – that adapt the vehicle’s driving dynamics with the emphasis on either efficiency, fuel economy and emissions, or performance and dynamic handling.

Lexus have, right across their range, always offered buyers a left-field choice and the CT200h is no exception. It’s immaculately built and cabin quality is first class. The styling, both inside and out, could be divisive – it certainly looks better in some colours than others – but you won’t get lost in a crowd.

It isn’t without its flaws, a lack of dynamic finesse chief among them, but if you’re looking for something as well-built as a BMW, Mercedes or Audi, but with a very different approach to premium motoring, then the CT offers a viable alternative to the big three.

Lexus CT200h Luxury with Leather P Nav

Price (as tested): £27,355

Engine: 1.8-litre 4-cylinder petrol

Transmission: Electric CVT

Max power (engine): 98bhp

Max power (motor): 81bhp

Max torque (engine): 142Nm @ 4,000rpm

Max torque (motor): 207Nm

Max speed: 112mph

Acceleration (0-62mph): 10.3sec

Urban: 68.9mpg

Extra urban: 70.6mpg

Combined: 68.9mpg

Emissions (CO2): 94g/km

For more information visit www.lexus.co.uk