Design 101: comparing the Ferrari 308

[eclat2emira]

I‘m looking forward to this. I think the obvious is that the 488 is a bit too “cab forward” — the tail seems too heavy and far from the glasshouse.

The Emira isn’t without some faults. Comparing it to the 308, it looks thick around the middle, and a bit stubby. I’m not sure why… the top sill heights look about the same as the 488. Perhaps the short nose and consequent sharp drop off?

Some good observations there, I think the upward sweep of the side window is partly to blame for the perceived stubiness (when compared to 308 and 488) - it leads to more body-coloured visual mass around the cabin area of the Emira, adding perceived bulk, whereas larger glasshouses reduce apparent bulk.

The Emira cabin will I'm sure have greater volume for the overall size of the car compared to the other two - great packaging but can thicken the car around the middle. The GMA T.50 suffers from this - look at the size of egg-shaped "core" of the car which is the cabin - although miraculously that accommodates 3 people!

 

[eclat2emira]

The Emira isn't as stretched out as the 488, so it looks a bit different with body colored sills, but it's not a bad look by any means. I wonder if the base models are going to have the lower black pack area body colored, and the lower black pack will be a cost option just like the upper black pack is?

View attachment 2982

This beautifully illustrates how much visual mass is removed from the car by the lower black pack - the Emira starts to look a bit thick around the middle without it.

This is a tried and tested styling ploy which leans out and visually lengthens the car - and it works!

 

[eclat2emira]

Agreed, and here's the thing... most cars, especially good looking ones, usually look better in person than they do in photos. If the Emira looks this good in photos from any angle, what are the final production versions going to look like out on the street in the flesh?

This car is definitely going to be a head-turner.

Totally agree, exactly my impression when I saw it in the flesh. Can't wait to see it in a colour that isn't Seneca though! Nothing against Seneca - just need a fresh perspective.

 

[Auto Smiler]

You see, I think that looks 10x better. But I realise and accept I'm probably in the minority here...

Also worth mentioning (as this is a Ferrari comparison thread) that although it may be a little stretched out, the 488 packages a relatively massive 230 litres of space in the front boot. That's vs 145 litres in a Porsche 911.

I agree. Had there been an option to delete the lower black pack, I would have ticked it. I guess we're in the minority.

 

[Eagle7]

Since they have a lower and upper black pack, and we know the upper one is a cost option, I'm wondering if the lower one is too? If that's the case, then the base model would have the lower black pack areas in body color.

Here's what the car looks like with the lower black pack areas in body color:

 

[eclat2emira]

Since they have a lower and upper black pack, and we know the upper one is a cost option, I'm wondering if the lower one is too? If that's the case, then the base model would have the lower black pack areas in body color.

Here's what the car looks like with the lower black pack areas in body color:

View attachment 2987

Nicely done but not for me. The detail inside the front vents all gets a bit busy and you lose the nice simple graphic of the opening. Plus it all adds visual mass, which the Emira can't really carry as it is already more towards the stocky rather than lean in physique!

 

[JPS_67]

The Emira would have replaced my 911 as daily driver, and would have got a lot of use on the track. There were a number of things I wasn't happy about with the Emira when I went to see it at B&C, so I dropped out and bought an Elise instead for the track (which is fabulous!) and am keeping the 911 (which also has body-coloured sills!).

Can you tell us a bit more what number of things you did not like about the Emira?

 

[Wolfram]

Can you tell us a bit more what number of things you did not like about the Emira?

As always, this is down to my personal taste, but I hated the Emira's interior. I'm a tech entrepreneur so you might think I'd like new tech all over my cars, but I think the 'stuck on' centre screen looks tacky and really want a more tactile set of controls that feels.... special. I found the Emira interior very bland.

Again, I realise I'm probably in the minority here, and many would think there are too many buttons and controls here and would prefer a touch screen with menus, but this is how the Ferrari 488 does it.

Granted, there's not much for the passenger to look at, but everything is cowled around the driver and it feels undoubtedly special every time you get in. Big central rev counter. Left TFT screen is car stats (tyre pressure monitor, temperatures, lap timer etc.) controlled by the two knobs and three buttons under the left air vent. Right hand side is your ICE and satnav, contols under the right vent. All drive mode selection etc. is right there on the steering wheel. It's just all intuitive, falls neatly under your hands and you don't ever have to take your eyes off the road and fumble with a central touch screen. Hidden on the back of the steering wheel are volume up down and voice command on the left and ICE track controls on the right.

Porsche is a bit more conventional, but similarly functional: again you have plenty of tactile controls, (real buttons on the steering wheel and the drive mode selector bottom right of wheel hub) the centre screen is at least integrated into the interior design and it retains some of the analog feel from the dials. It's also very well built.

In comparison I'm afraid the Emira just left me cold...

I buy my cars to drive, not so much to look at, so it's really important that the interior - where I spend my time - is tactile and makes me feel special. I'm afraid the Emira's just isn't, and was enough to completely put me off the car.

But I do understand that what the majority want now is touch screens and touch pads, and buttons are out. But it's not for me. I bought an Elise instead which I love.

 

[Daz]

As always, this is down to my personal taste, but I hated the Emira's interior. I'm a tech entrepreneur so you might think I'd like new tech all over my cars, but I think the 'stuck on' centre screen looks tacky and really want a more tactile set of controls that feels.... special. I found the Emira interior very bland.

Again, I realise I'm probably in the minority here, and many would think there are too many buttons and controls here and would prefer a touch screen with menus, but this is how the Ferrari 488 does it.
View attachment 2988
Granted, there's not much for the passenger to look at, but everything is cowled around the driver and it feels undoubtedly special every time you get in. Big central rev counter. Left TFT screen is car stats (tyre pressure monitor, temperatures, lap timer etc.) controlled by the two knobs and three buttons under the left air vent. Right hand side is your ICE and satnav, contols under the right vent. All drive mode selection etc. is right there on the steering wheel. It's just all intuitive, falls neatly under your hands and you don't ever have to take your eyes off the road and fumble with a central touch screen. Hidden on the back of the steering wheel are volume up down and voice command on the left and ICE track controls on the right.

Porsche is a bit more conventional, but similarly functional: again you have plenty of tactile controls, (real buttons on the steering wheel and the drive mode selector bottom right of wheel hub) the centre screen is at least integrated into the interior design and it retains some of the analog feel from the dials. It's also very well built.

View attachment 2990

In comparison I'm afraid the Emira just left me cold...

View attachment 2989

I buy my cars to drive, not so much to look at, so it's really important that the interior - where I spend my time - is tactile and makes me feel special. I'm afraid the Emira's just isn't, and was enough to completely put me off the car.

But I do understand that what the majority want now is touch screens and touch pads, and buttons are out. But it's not for me. I bought an Elise instead which I love.

I can appreciate where your coming from, and agree with you to a certain extent. I, however, do like a more minimalist look but the only thing I don’t like about the Emira is the’push pad’ type steering wheel. I’d rather of had buttons like on the Porsche wheel

 

[Honeywell]

I dislike that Ferrari interior. Its like something Homer Simpson woukd design or a teenage boy. Far too busy.

 

[Tonyshepp]

More and more manufacturers are going minimalistic on their interiors, Tesla, Polestar, Ford. It’s seemingly what the market wants, clean lines. I’m undecided about the interior really, don’t care too much for tech features as long as I can get to the basics quickly. I’m not sure on the touchpad buttons either, I’d prefer actual buttons you pressed.

 

[Eagle7]

You're comparing the interior of the Emira to a car that costs 3 1/2 times as much? That's hardly a fair comparison. However to me the Ferrari interior looks like something somebody in the 80's thought the future would look like, but it doesn't look futuristic to me at all. I actually like the Porsche interior better. The Porsche interior doesn't look particularly futuristic to me either, but it does look better organized and somewhat cleaner than the Ferrari interior.

The Emira interior is on the plain side if you're comparing it to those other cars, but it also looks a lot sleeker and more futuristic. Is it perfect? No. One thing I would change if it was me, is I would like to see a sleeker center console; the silver surround in particular. I would have done something that flowed right into the cup holders visually. I would have used that beautiful long curve that's on the rear haunch of the car as the inspiration.

I would make the silver surround on the infotainment screen, be a matte gunmetal black. I would also have come up with some kind of sheltering hood like the instrument pod has, to help shield the screen from reflective glare.

Those are just a couple of things, but they're not deal breakers. When I'm driving, I'm not looking at the interior or the infotainment screen; I'm looking at the road. The 4 things in the interior I'll be engaging with the most will be the steering wheel, the gas pedal, the clutch and the shift lever; all of which will be satisfyingly analog.

 

[Eagle7]

Alfa Romeo just rolled out their new Tonale, and here's a shot of the interior. Hmm.... that looks kind of familiar... now where have I seen that style layout before??

 

[KJD]

Since they have a lower and upper black pack, and we know the upper one is a cost option, I'm wondering if the lower one is too? If that's the case, then the base model would have the lower black pack areas in body color.

Here's what the car looks like with the lower black pack areas in body color:

View attachment 2987

I’m thinking that it’s more likely the base model without the lower black pack will just have unpainted, cheap black plastic on those bits.
Paint costs money, even gloss black, so it’ll be a cost option.

 

[TXEMIRA]

I’m thinking that it’s more likely the base model without the lower black pack will just have unpainted, cheap black plastic on those bits.
Paint costs money, even gloss black, so it’ll be a cost option.

#ForTheUncertain

 

[Johnson]

As always, this is down to my personal taste, but I hated the Emira's interior. I'm a tech entrepreneur so you might think I'd like new tech all over my cars, but I think the 'stuck on' centre screen looks tacky and really want a more tactile set of controls that feels.... special. I found the Emira interior very bland.

Again, I realise I'm probably in the minority here, and many would think there are too many buttons and controls here and would prefer a touch screen with menus, but this is how the Ferrari 488 does it.
View attachment 2988
Granted, there's not much for the passenger to look at, but everything is cowled around the driver and it feels undoubtedly special every time you get in. Big central rev counter. Left TFT screen is car stats (tyre pressure monitor, temperatures, lap timer etc.) controlled by the two knobs and three buttons under the left air vent. Right hand side is your ICE and satnav, contols under the right vent. All drive mode selection etc. is right there on the steering wheel. It's just all intuitive, falls neatly under your hands and you don't ever have to take your eyes off the road and fumble with a central touch screen. Hidden on the back of the steering wheel are volume up down and voice command on the left and ICE track controls on the right.

Porsche is a bit more conventional, but similarly functional: again you have plenty of tactile controls, (real buttons on the steering wheel and the drive mode selector bottom right of wheel hub) the centre screen is at least integrated into the interior design and it retains some of the analog feel from the dials. It's also very well built.

View attachment 2990

In comparison I'm afraid the Emira just left me cold...

View attachment 2989

I buy my cars to drive, not so much to look at, so it's really important that the interior - where I spend my time - is tactile and makes me feel special. I'm afraid the Emira's just isn't, and was enough to completely put me off the car.

But I do understand that what the majority want now is touch screens and touch pads, and buttons are out. But it's not for me. I bought an Elise instead which I love.

I like your thinking @Wolfram. I‘ve always disliked the “iPad on the dashboard” thing… it just seems like lazy design. My feeling is that Lotus were given a list of Geely interior parts and were told to arrange them. Probably a bit limiting.

Like you, I really like the Ferrari layout. Has a sense of theatre, much like the latest Lambos, while keeping a lot of the analogue. You’d definitely feel like you’re driving something special each time you get in.

 

[eclat2emira]

As always, this is down to my personal taste, but I hated the Emira's interior. I'm a tech entrepreneur so you might think I'd like new tech all over my cars, but I think the 'stuck on' centre screen looks tacky and really want a more tactile set of controls that feels.... special. I found the Emira interior very bland.

Again, I realise I'm probably in the minority here, and many would think there are too many buttons and controls here and would prefer a touch screen with menus, but this is how the Ferrari 488 does it.
View attachment 2988
Granted, there's not much for the passenger to look at, but everything is cowled around the driver and it feels undoubtedly special every time you get in. Big central rev counter. Left TFT screen is car stats (tyre pressure monitor, temperatures, lap timer etc.) controlled by the two knobs and three buttons under the left air vent. Right hand side is your ICE and satnav, contols under the right vent. All drive mode selection etc. is right there on the steering wheel. It's just all intuitive, falls neatly under your hands and you don't ever have to take your eyes off the road and fumble with a central touch screen. Hidden on the back of the steering wheel are volume up down and voice command on the left and ICE track controls on the right.

Porsche is a bit more conventional, but similarly functional: again you have plenty of tactile controls, (real buttons on the steering wheel and the drive mode selector bottom right of wheel hub) the centre screen is at least integrated into the interior design and it retains some of the analog feel from the dials. It's also very well built.

View attachment 2990

In comparison I'm afraid the Emira just left me cold...

View attachment 2989

I buy my cars to drive, not so much to look at, so it's really important that the interior - where I spend my time - is tactile and makes me feel special. I'm afraid the Emira's just isn't, and was enough to completely put me off the car.

But I do understand that what the majority want now is touch screens and touch pads, and buttons are out. But it's not for me. I bought an Elise instead which I love.

Clean, sleek and simple wins the day for me, easier on the eye and easier to keep clean. I do get the appeal of all the buttons - it's quite dramatic and can have a strong tactile appeal when well engineered in the right materials (which I'm sure the Ferrari ones are!)

The key with tech is how it works and that is often most heavily influenced by the GUI - Graphical User Interface. This is the visual part of how we engage and interact with software and systems and is what Apple do so well. So the real acid test for The Emira's screens will be how simple and intuitive they are to navigate.

If Lotus have successfully combined clean lines, simplicity and effective GUI I'll be very happy indeed.

 

[ADC]

Clean, sleek and simple wins the day for me, easier on the eye and easier to keep clean. I do get the appeal of all the buttons - it's quite dramatic and can have a strong tactile appeal when well engineered in the right materials (which I'm sure the Ferrari ones are!)

The key with tech is how it works and that is often most heavily influenced by the GUI - Graphical User Interface. This is the visual part of how we engage and interact with software and systems and is what Apple do so well. So the real acid test for The Emira's screens will be how simple and intuitive they are to navigate.

If Lotus have successfully combined clean lines, simplicity and effective GUI I'll be very happy indeed.

I respect @Wolfram 's position (from a similar thread in the past) but I'm in the same camp in that I prefer an uncluttered and unfussy look, but still like to have physical buttons / knobs for key features like climate control or sound system volume.

I also agree that keeping the GUI of the digital parts of the system equally clean and unfussy and responsive to input at all times is going to be important to keeping that feel.

 

[eclat2emira]

I respect @Wolfram 's position (from a similar thread in the past) but I'm in the same camp in that I prefer an uncluttered and unfussy look, but still like to have physical buttons / knobs for key features like climate control or sound system volume.

I also agree that keeping the GUI of the digital parts of the system equally clean and unfussy and responsive to input at all times is going to be important to keeping that feel.

Agree with all of that - including personal preference. Love the ones they've chosen to keep analogue and the reasons why.

 

[TomE]

Lotus hired a new team for the Emira HCI, headed by an ex-McLaren designer. They pitched their ideas in competition with the Geely studio and won. They have had access to capabilities and kit from across the whole group. There’s apparently a lot of thought gone into simplicity and ease of use. And importantly, things you need to use often while driving are on physical switches, knobs and buttons that you can locate and use without taking your eyes off the road.

Looking forward to seeing how it works in practice. There’s a good section on the prototype in one of the Schmee videos visiting Hethel.