SmallerBaller
Emira Fan
Today I had the opportunity to test drive a 718 GT4. I have given my thoughts on the Emira test drive that I had, I will link to it if you want to read, but I wanted to get my thoughts down for my own sake. Context: I am 26 years old, put the deposit down on an Emira when I was 25. Looking for something used less than a daily-driver and more than a weekend warrior. I have also tested a 718 GTS 4.0, an R8 v10+ manual (2012), and would like to test a supercharged 90’s NSX. Basically anything that is mid-engined, rwd, manual, and not electric is my criteria. I did not come from money, and this is probably my only big purchase like this for the rest of my life, so take that into consideration with how you may value the dollar vs how I do, be it more or less.
GT4 test drive conditions were a bit wet and not warm, on cup 2s, and city/highway. Manual Transmission. I don’t think there is any crazy new information in this review, so if you want to skip, the only brand new-ish things that may help you understand the cars without driving is in the ‘feel’ and 'verdict' section that I wrote.
The link to my Emira review, if anyone cares: https://www.emiraforum.com/threads/...mer-test-drives-thread.2080/page-4#post-59465
Visuals: Much like the Evora/ GT, it is hard to photograph the GT4, as in my opinion it never quite looks as good as when you see it in person. Proportions are really great, and the profile of the Spyder they had looks even better to me. That said, it still does not look as nice as an Emira, in person or in photos. On the drive, it drew much less attention until the engine wound up than the Emira did. On the road, pretty much everyone snapped to look at the Emira, and only a couple did with the GT4. That could be good or bad, depending on your goals.
Getting in/ Interior: This will be different for LHD vs RHD, but the pedal configuration in the GT4 is laid out much more nicely than in a LHD Emira. Getting in and out is much harder in a GT4, as it is lower to the ground and the bucket seats are fairly aggressive. Immediately, the Porsche feels better around your body than the Emira, more on that later.
This may be controversial, but the analog and needle display and lack of big chunky display sticking out of the dash was much more my style. The Porsche felt more put together, but also more bare. I prefer the interior of the GT4.
Handling: People aren’t kidding when they say this is as good as an electric steering setup can be. There was less feedback from road vibrations, but I would venture to say that even though I was pushing it wayyy less than I was able to push the Emira, it directed where you wanted it to slightly better. This was likely a result of the Emira I tested being on sports suspension with goodyears, but I could definitely feel the front end start to give way (which in a sense is good that I received that feedback before ending up in a wall). There was none of that in the GT4. Exactly where you put it, and pretty much with identical immediacy between the cars.
Confidence: The GT4, maybe ironically, is an easier and more intuitive car to drive. Kind of crazy how approachable it is, actually. I was genuinely hoping that I would get out and think it was wayyy to intense to be a daily, but that just wasn’t the case. The rev matching feature is nice for when youre adapting to the vehicle, but I would ultimately turn it off.
Sound: The GT4 sounds better, and for longer in the rev band, period. It does not feel neutered like the Emira exhaust does.
Gearing: This is a big point for everyone on this forum… you can hit about 80 mph in 2nd gear. I will say I never went above 3rd, apart from a mis-shift into 5th. However, unlike the Emira, it pulls throughout the range with a pretty massive powerband (in terms of longevity), so just because you can be in second gear, doesn’t mean you will suffer if you shift around from first to third. You don’t have to shift near redline to get sufficient pull for a thrill, which is a bit unlike the Emira. Tall gears were not nearly the detriment I was told (and frankly I was hoping) they would be.
Feel: I am putting this separate from handling because I think it is an important distinction. I will do my best to describe this. In an Emira, you feel extremely connected to the road, but you feel like you are sitting in the car. In a GTS and GT4, you don’t feel as connected to the road, but you feel like you’re one with the car. You almost wear the Porsche and it does the work for you with insane ease. The Emira makes you work for it, you move the car based on what the road is telling you. The GT4 moves you with precision.
Suspension: Sports on an Emira and GT4 sports (adjustable) were both completely fine even on crappy roads for me – but I am younger than the average person here and have a history of cars with teeth-rattling suspension. That said, there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that the GT4 suspension would blow an Emira’s away on a track with either spec.
The GT4 is very low, and front axle lift is not an option. This alone may be a reason I am unable to own one, give the approach angle leading to my neighborhood.
Engine: The 4.0 feels like it is doing what it is designed to do and is not holding anything back, and as I am sure anyone who has driven the Emira near redline can say, it feels like it has just a bit more to give. These are both cars that could get you arrested easily at 10/10ths. However, as I am sure you all know, you will have many more opportunities to drive the Emira harder than you would a GT4.
Visibility: Slightly better view out the back in the Porsche, much much better view out the sides in the Lotus. The windshield in the GT4 also makes you feel like you can see less ahead of you, and feels less open than the Emira’s.
Used vs New: You cannot spec a new GT4 anymore, so you are stuck picking from a pool of pre-owned ones. For a car this price, you may want to have it exactly how you’d want, which you can do with an Emira. On the other hand, a pre-owned Porsche is something you can own today, and interest rates are only going up. Additionally, even a pre-owned Porsche comes with a better warranty than a brand new Lotus. I wont go in to ease of service with dealer networks or perceived future values.
Occasion: Apart from not turning heads like an Emira, and not being as ‘exclusive,’ driving the car just doesn’t give you the same butterflies, or it didn’t give me them at least. I am not a guy who has a background of supercars/ super sports/ high end sports, whatever you want to call it, but even I didn’t feel all that special in the Porsche. Again, not just from visuals, but almost from the ease of the drive. You feel as though almost anyone could get in and drive, which is fantastic engineering on Porsche’s part when you think about it.
Price: In my area, GT4s and Spyders are going for 130-145k ish. Emira is 95-105k ish, depending on a bunch of factors at the moment.
Verdict: The GT4 is a superior car, no questions asked. It edges out the Emira in almost every way. I would probably say it was the best car I have ever driven (not been in, but driven). I wish I didn’t like it so much, as it is making it a hard choice. At risk of coming off as stupid, the problem is that the car is too good. I found myself doing less work, being less engaged, and almost at ease. The GT4 is crazy capable, way more so than I am, to a point where it was almost boring after a bit… boring is an unfairly harsh word to use. Obviously, it wasn’t boring… just less of a “wow.” Again, I am not desensitized to these cars and I am relatively inexperienced with them. I did not feel at ease in the R8, and I did not feel relaxed in a C8 (even though I didn’t enjoy it). I did not experience the same thrill and desire to push harder, nor the butterflies or special feeling that the Emira gave me, which is hard to describe with words. I was having a ton of fun, but I didn’t come away with the same smile I had gotten from other cars, even way less powerful ones.
If these cars were the same price, I would buy a GT4. If they gave me the same sense of occasion, I would pay 140k for a GT4. As it stands now, even with the Lotus price hikes up to 105k, I don’t think it makes sense to pay an extra third of the price for less engagement. After all, I have worked hard to earn money to spend in this niche market for a car to drive, not a car that makes it easy. That said, Lotus is on thin ice for me… with the option of having a car now instead of in a year, if they bump this price up much further, they are losing me to a phenomenal car. Even saying this, I still have not made up my mind 100%.
GT4 test drive conditions were a bit wet and not warm, on cup 2s, and city/highway. Manual Transmission. I don’t think there is any crazy new information in this review, so if you want to skip, the only brand new-ish things that may help you understand the cars without driving is in the ‘feel’ and 'verdict' section that I wrote.
The link to my Emira review, if anyone cares: https://www.emiraforum.com/threads/...mer-test-drives-thread.2080/page-4#post-59465
Visuals: Much like the Evora/ GT, it is hard to photograph the GT4, as in my opinion it never quite looks as good as when you see it in person. Proportions are really great, and the profile of the Spyder they had looks even better to me. That said, it still does not look as nice as an Emira, in person or in photos. On the drive, it drew much less attention until the engine wound up than the Emira did. On the road, pretty much everyone snapped to look at the Emira, and only a couple did with the GT4. That could be good or bad, depending on your goals.
Getting in/ Interior: This will be different for LHD vs RHD, but the pedal configuration in the GT4 is laid out much more nicely than in a LHD Emira. Getting in and out is much harder in a GT4, as it is lower to the ground and the bucket seats are fairly aggressive. Immediately, the Porsche feels better around your body than the Emira, more on that later.
This may be controversial, but the analog and needle display and lack of big chunky display sticking out of the dash was much more my style. The Porsche felt more put together, but also more bare. I prefer the interior of the GT4.
Handling: People aren’t kidding when they say this is as good as an electric steering setup can be. There was less feedback from road vibrations, but I would venture to say that even though I was pushing it wayyy less than I was able to push the Emira, it directed where you wanted it to slightly better. This was likely a result of the Emira I tested being on sports suspension with goodyears, but I could definitely feel the front end start to give way (which in a sense is good that I received that feedback before ending up in a wall). There was none of that in the GT4. Exactly where you put it, and pretty much with identical immediacy between the cars.
Confidence: The GT4, maybe ironically, is an easier and more intuitive car to drive. Kind of crazy how approachable it is, actually. I was genuinely hoping that I would get out and think it was wayyy to intense to be a daily, but that just wasn’t the case. The rev matching feature is nice for when youre adapting to the vehicle, but I would ultimately turn it off.
Sound: The GT4 sounds better, and for longer in the rev band, period. It does not feel neutered like the Emira exhaust does.
Gearing: This is a big point for everyone on this forum… you can hit about 80 mph in 2nd gear. I will say I never went above 3rd, apart from a mis-shift into 5th. However, unlike the Emira, it pulls throughout the range with a pretty massive powerband (in terms of longevity), so just because you can be in second gear, doesn’t mean you will suffer if you shift around from first to third. You don’t have to shift near redline to get sufficient pull for a thrill, which is a bit unlike the Emira. Tall gears were not nearly the detriment I was told (and frankly I was hoping) they would be.
Feel: I am putting this separate from handling because I think it is an important distinction. I will do my best to describe this. In an Emira, you feel extremely connected to the road, but you feel like you are sitting in the car. In a GTS and GT4, you don’t feel as connected to the road, but you feel like you’re one with the car. You almost wear the Porsche and it does the work for you with insane ease. The Emira makes you work for it, you move the car based on what the road is telling you. The GT4 moves you with precision.
Suspension: Sports on an Emira and GT4 sports (adjustable) were both completely fine even on crappy roads for me – but I am younger than the average person here and have a history of cars with teeth-rattling suspension. That said, there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that the GT4 suspension would blow an Emira’s away on a track with either spec.
The GT4 is very low, and front axle lift is not an option. This alone may be a reason I am unable to own one, give the approach angle leading to my neighborhood.
Engine: The 4.0 feels like it is doing what it is designed to do and is not holding anything back, and as I am sure anyone who has driven the Emira near redline can say, it feels like it has just a bit more to give. These are both cars that could get you arrested easily at 10/10ths. However, as I am sure you all know, you will have many more opportunities to drive the Emira harder than you would a GT4.
Visibility: Slightly better view out the back in the Porsche, much much better view out the sides in the Lotus. The windshield in the GT4 also makes you feel like you can see less ahead of you, and feels less open than the Emira’s.
Used vs New: You cannot spec a new GT4 anymore, so you are stuck picking from a pool of pre-owned ones. For a car this price, you may want to have it exactly how you’d want, which you can do with an Emira. On the other hand, a pre-owned Porsche is something you can own today, and interest rates are only going up. Additionally, even a pre-owned Porsche comes with a better warranty than a brand new Lotus. I wont go in to ease of service with dealer networks or perceived future values.
Occasion: Apart from not turning heads like an Emira, and not being as ‘exclusive,’ driving the car just doesn’t give you the same butterflies, or it didn’t give me them at least. I am not a guy who has a background of supercars/ super sports/ high end sports, whatever you want to call it, but even I didn’t feel all that special in the Porsche. Again, not just from visuals, but almost from the ease of the drive. You feel as though almost anyone could get in and drive, which is fantastic engineering on Porsche’s part when you think about it.
Price: In my area, GT4s and Spyders are going for 130-145k ish. Emira is 95-105k ish, depending on a bunch of factors at the moment.
Verdict: The GT4 is a superior car, no questions asked. It edges out the Emira in almost every way. I would probably say it was the best car I have ever driven (not been in, but driven). I wish I didn’t like it so much, as it is making it a hard choice. At risk of coming off as stupid, the problem is that the car is too good. I found myself doing less work, being less engaged, and almost at ease. The GT4 is crazy capable, way more so than I am, to a point where it was almost boring after a bit… boring is an unfairly harsh word to use. Obviously, it wasn’t boring… just less of a “wow.” Again, I am not desensitized to these cars and I am relatively inexperienced with them. I did not feel at ease in the R8, and I did not feel relaxed in a C8 (even though I didn’t enjoy it). I did not experience the same thrill and desire to push harder, nor the butterflies or special feeling that the Emira gave me, which is hard to describe with words. I was having a ton of fun, but I didn’t come away with the same smile I had gotten from other cars, even way less powerful ones.
If these cars were the same price, I would buy a GT4. If they gave me the same sense of occasion, I would pay 140k for a GT4. As it stands now, even with the Lotus price hikes up to 105k, I don’t think it makes sense to pay an extra third of the price for less engagement. After all, I have worked hard to earn money to spend in this niche market for a car to drive, not a car that makes it easy. That said, Lotus is on thin ice for me… with the option of having a car now instead of in a year, if they bump this price up much further, they are losing me to a phenomenal car. Even saying this, I still have not made up my mind 100%.
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