I know there is a "all test drives" thread, but I felt as though one for fat guys, by a fat guy, may be helpful.
I finally had my chance to test drive the Emira, and I am so thankful I did. I'll be honest, I was really concerned I would not fit. All the video reviews posted online seemed to be by thin and/or shorter guys who would not share much in common with me when it came to comfort in the cabin. Much like my Mini Cooper, the size of the car relative to interior space is deceptive.
For reference, I'm 6'2" and around 350 lbs (25 stones for you UK people). Besides facing a hair of inconvenience bumping my head on ingress/egress, I fit rather comfortably in the cabin. I wouldn't say I had excessive room, but I was not claustrophobic. My seat was not all the way back. I did have it all the way lowered. I'm not confident I could fit my track helmet, but with enough manipulation of settings I'm sure I could find a way. I know many have complained of a tight pedal box. I wear a size 13 shoe and I swapped my sneakers for a pair of Puma driving shoes and had 0 issue. I drove a 718 convertible recently and found that cabin much more cramped and much more difficult to get in and out of. So, fat guys rejoice - - the Emira gets my stamp of approval and my deposit (#6 at my dealership) remains intact.
Now for the subjective bits unrelated to your BMI: The car is quick. Really quick. But not fast. (The 718 GTS I drove was fast.) The car handled beautifully. The brakes were incredibly precise. The fit-and-finish was impressive, and the interior felt premium. Not luxurious, but premium. (I mean that in a positive light.) The clutch felt really great and didn't seem to have any dead space. It reminded me of my old S2000 (again, that's a good thing). My test drive route was riddled with boring roads and lunch hour traffic, so I cannot speak much to cornering/understeer/oversteer/etc.
What did not match with my old S2000 was the shift action. I've owned a number of manual cars and have driven even more... The S2000 had the absolute best shift action of them all. The Emira's has a unique feel that I can't quite place. The positive force feedback when shifting does feel very mechanical, but there is a hollowness to it that leaves something to be desired - - for me, at least. I know many that have shared their test drive experience felt the gearbox was somewhat sloppy, but I don't agree with that sentiment. It felt precise to me and I didn't find myself missing any shifts. It's just that the shift feedback in my S2000 almost felt like you had to really push the lever all the way to end of its travel, which gave it such an engaging gearbox. The Emira has that feel of engagement initially, but it's almost like you give it a good push and then it just pops right into gear with no feedback given. That "popping-in" reminded me more of a modern BMW/Mini gearbox (which is not really a complement, I'm afraid).
One analogy that's coming to mind - - think of churning cream into butter. Initially when you're churning there is little feedback because the cream is liquid. As you churn more, and go from cream to butter, the whole action requires more force to complete the full travel up and down. The S2000 feels like churning butter through the full lever travel. The Emira feels like butter at first, then cream. A modern BMW is cream.
[This space reserved for joke about fat guy relating shifting to butter.]
In my 30 mins with the car, I really focused on the driving experience and didn't mess much at all with the infotainment / KEF audio / etc. so I'll withhold opinion on that. The little I messed with was nice.
One nice touch I haven't heard anyone really mention that I found particularly brilliant was just under the HVAC control there is a little nook that perfectly fit my Note 20 with a case on it. It struck me as a really thoughtful touch for keeping your phone in place and your cup holders free.
On driving experience alone, this test drive 100% cemented my interest, and I cannot wait for delivery. And if you're a bigger guy, I hope you find this information helpful.
I finally had my chance to test drive the Emira, and I am so thankful I did. I'll be honest, I was really concerned I would not fit. All the video reviews posted online seemed to be by thin and/or shorter guys who would not share much in common with me when it came to comfort in the cabin. Much like my Mini Cooper, the size of the car relative to interior space is deceptive.
For reference, I'm 6'2" and around 350 lbs (25 stones for you UK people). Besides facing a hair of inconvenience bumping my head on ingress/egress, I fit rather comfortably in the cabin. I wouldn't say I had excessive room, but I was not claustrophobic. My seat was not all the way back. I did have it all the way lowered. I'm not confident I could fit my track helmet, but with enough manipulation of settings I'm sure I could find a way. I know many have complained of a tight pedal box. I wear a size 13 shoe and I swapped my sneakers for a pair of Puma driving shoes and had 0 issue. I drove a 718 convertible recently and found that cabin much more cramped and much more difficult to get in and out of. So, fat guys rejoice - - the Emira gets my stamp of approval and my deposit (#6 at my dealership) remains intact.
Now for the subjective bits unrelated to your BMI: The car is quick. Really quick. But not fast. (The 718 GTS I drove was fast.) The car handled beautifully. The brakes were incredibly precise. The fit-and-finish was impressive, and the interior felt premium. Not luxurious, but premium. (I mean that in a positive light.) The clutch felt really great and didn't seem to have any dead space. It reminded me of my old S2000 (again, that's a good thing). My test drive route was riddled with boring roads and lunch hour traffic, so I cannot speak much to cornering/understeer/oversteer/etc.
What did not match with my old S2000 was the shift action. I've owned a number of manual cars and have driven even more... The S2000 had the absolute best shift action of them all. The Emira's has a unique feel that I can't quite place. The positive force feedback when shifting does feel very mechanical, but there is a hollowness to it that leaves something to be desired - - for me, at least. I know many that have shared their test drive experience felt the gearbox was somewhat sloppy, but I don't agree with that sentiment. It felt precise to me and I didn't find myself missing any shifts. It's just that the shift feedback in my S2000 almost felt like you had to really push the lever all the way to end of its travel, which gave it such an engaging gearbox. The Emira has that feel of engagement initially, but it's almost like you give it a good push and then it just pops right into gear with no feedback given. That "popping-in" reminded me more of a modern BMW/Mini gearbox (which is not really a complement, I'm afraid).
One analogy that's coming to mind - - think of churning cream into butter. Initially when you're churning there is little feedback because the cream is liquid. As you churn more, and go from cream to butter, the whole action requires more force to complete the full travel up and down. The S2000 feels like churning butter through the full lever travel. The Emira feels like butter at first, then cream. A modern BMW is cream.
[This space reserved for joke about fat guy relating shifting to butter.]
In my 30 mins with the car, I really focused on the driving experience and didn't mess much at all with the infotainment / KEF audio / etc. so I'll withhold opinion on that. The little I messed with was nice.
One nice touch I haven't heard anyone really mention that I found particularly brilliant was just under the HVAC control there is a little nook that perfectly fit my Note 20 with a case on it. It struck me as a really thoughtful touch for keeping your phone in place and your cup holders free.
On driving experience alone, this test drive 100% cemented my interest, and I cannot wait for delivery. And if you're a bigger guy, I hope you find this information helpful.
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