Emira Criticisms vs. My Experience

Jinba ittai

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Hey guys, first time poster, long time lurker – pretty much since I ordered the car 35 months ago. I read a lot of criticisms of the car over that time and many were concerning. Now that I’ve had the car for 1 month / 2500 km, I wanted to go over which ones I think are actually concerns for those who are still waiting for their cars. Everyone’s use is different, and to some degree the cars are different, so of course YMMV. Sorry for the novel.

“The steering wheel is bad”. The shape is different, but you quickly adjust and now I don’t mind it at all. The thickness is good.

“The seats are too high”. I have no issue with the height. It feels plenty low to me. I’m 5’9”

“The seats need more padding” I have no issue here and I’ve done 4-5 hr drives. I am 39 and I don’t have a history of back pain.

“The brakes generate too much dust” Confirmed, this one is real. I clean the wheels and they look dirty again after 50 km. I have ceramic coated the wheels and calipers. That doesn’t prevent them from getting dirty, but it’s probably a bit easier to wipe the dust off. I will likely move to the red stuff pads once the stock pads are worn out

“The pedal position/spacing is bad” The offset position felt weird to me at the start, but I don’t notice it anymore. I like that the pedals are tight, but I could see it being a problem with wide shoes. I’m often wearing flip flops during Canadian driving season – I set them aside and drive in bare feet (not necessarily recommending).

“the KEF system is garbage” There is something weird about the stereo. It’s like the volume control for the mid and upper range is very linear. However, the bass is almost zero until about 40% volume. If you like to listen to music at a reasonable level, you will likely think it sounds tinny. If you like to blast your music, you will probably think it sounds great – especially if you listen to bass-forward music.

“the shifter doesn’t feel good” I actually think it’s great. Maybe it’s is a cable adjustment issue, but mine felt very good and easy to shift from the factory. A slight criticism is that I don’t like the play when the shifter is in gear. Mine does not move side to side at all, but can wiggle about 1/2” forward and back while in gear. I installed the GRP short shifter thinking that play was coming from the stock rubber grommet, however it didn’t make a difference. I am keeping it because I like the shorter throw (even if it didn’t really need it). The additional force required due to reduced leverage is not a concern.

“the transmission doesn’t like to be rushed” I can confirm that redlining first gear and slamming into second often doesn’t go well – I’d say a missed shift or grinding gears 30% of the time. I don’t have the issue in any of the other gears and I don’t have it with a slower or lower RPM shift. I have learned to go easy on it. Some may say you shouldn’t be slamming the gears anyway, but I think a car like this should be able to handle that type of driving. Per recommendations on this forum, I am going to add Archoil 9100 to the transmission fluid, but I am not optimistic it will actually make much difference.

“it’s underpowered” This discussion has been so played out I’m not sure I need to go there. My feeling is that if you are chasing speed/track times, there are faster cars for less money. Buy this car if you prioritize driver engagement/enjoyment. From that perspective I think the power is more than enough. If you’re into performance mods and aren’t concerned with residuals, I get that too. More power isn’t going to make the experience worse.

“car won’t start” There seems to be 2 issues people are having: one where the ignition just clicks and one where the car turns over but doesn’t start. I haven’t had the latter and can’t speak to it, other than to agree with others on the forum that it sounds like a fuel pressure issue. I had the first issue at 600km. As recommended by others, I got out, locked the car, unlocked and the problem went away. Since then, I have waited 20s for the infotainment system to load before attempting to start the car and it has not happened again.

“the trunk gets stuck” I can confirm that if you have objects in the trunk putting upward pressure on the lid it will get stuck. It has happened to me about 5 times. The solution is to push down on the trunk while hitting unlock and then remove some objects.

“the trunk gets too hot” I don’t find this is an issue with 30 min drives / trips to the grocery store. On 2-3 hr drives it gets hot. Think black car parked in the sun. I attempted to improve this by putting Second Skin behind the trunk panel next to the engine and under the trunk mat. I didn’t make a difference. That’s likely operator error as it should have been installed outside the trunk, but that seemed like a lot of work.

“the infotainment is laggy” I’ve had no problems. When I first go the car, I struggled with the radio presets and finding things, but I’m onto it now.

“the drive mode selector shouldn’t have to be hit twice” This doesn’t bother me at all.

“the clutch feel is poor” I’ve not experienced this at all.

“the brakes are very touchy” I did struggle with this a lot at the start. I’m not sure if they are getting better now or if I am.

“this car gets too much attention” I have had people take pictures in parking lots, ask questions at gas stations, and even someone who followed me into my driveway to talk about it. I’m not someone who normally talks to strangers or likes a lot of attention. However, as many people have advised on this forum, I put on a smile and answer every question. The people are generally very excited and if you don’t match that level of enthusiasm and friendliness, I could see it confirming negative stereotypes about owners of high-end cars. If you don’t view this as a negative, it won’t be. I’ve had all positive interactions.

Other thoughts:

-the high beams are the best of any car I’ve driven. I do find the blue high beam indicator doesn’t catch my eye next to the blue tour mode background. I often put it into sport at night so there is more contrast and I’m less likely to high beam people.

-I’ve not seen anyone else mention it, but there is a weird function with the cruise control button where you can set a max speed. I accentually set it to 50kph one time and briefly thought I had broken something when it wouldn’t go faster

-I like that the cruise control doesn’t cancel with the clutch. I frequently downshift ahead of passing someone and I don’t necessarily want to slow down.

-I know Lotus handing is legendary, but I wasn’t really sure what to expect. The biggest thing I notice is that steering doesn’t load up in corners. The car feels eager to turn in because there’s no resistance in the steering wheel. I’ve heard some say that makes it more difficult to feel when you’re at the limits of adhesion and I could see that. Currently I’m not comfortable enough to try and break out the tail end anyways. Prior to this my fun car was a supercharged 10AE Miata, so this is a bit of an upgrade in terms of speed and performance. I passed 22 years and 300 000km with that car this summer. I hope I can have a similar run with the Emira, but that may be wishful thinking. Overall I’m very pleased with the car and I think it’s a relative value.
 
Great overview, and thanks for specifically mentioning that the short shift kit didn't alter your fwd-aft lever play. I'll probably ask the dealer to adjust the shift cable (maybe in a year when his guys have had practice!)
 
10/10 for your first post; keep up the good work!

One thing I'll add which is a real change for me and others have already mentioned it: the A/C on the Emira is about the best/coldest I've experienced in any vehicle, or certainly any vehicle after the manufacturers changed it from Freon to a so-called more environmentally-friendly refrigerant.
 
Nice post. I have put about 257 miles on my car so far. Staying in Tour mode and keeping it under 4K RPM. In those conditions the only thing I have done is reduce the bass setting on the KEF. This is my first mid engine small car and the damn thing is just so much fun. Pulling into the gas station, running on the freeway, through some mountain curves. It's just fun. I respect and love people with a strong background with cars who have driven them hard and tracked them. For me, I just like learning how to drive any particular car. The Emira doesn't shift like my STI, so I love learning how to shift the Lotus. There is no good and bad to me, just different. My middle name is Garage Queen and the Emira is the ultimate. In the end for me it's looks looks looks. Car is gorgeous.
 
Hey guys, first time poster, long time lurker – pretty much since I ordered the car 35 months ago. I read a lot of criticisms of the car over that time and many were concerning. Now that I’ve had the car for 1 month / 2500 km, I wanted to go over which ones I think are actually concerns for those who are still waiting for their cars. Everyone’s use is different, and to some degree the cars are different, so of course YMMV. Sorry for the novel.

“The steering wheel is bad”. The shape is different, but you quickly adjust and now I don’t mind it at all. The thickness is good.

“The seats are too high”. I have no issue with the height. It feels plenty low to me. I’m 5’9”

“The seats need more padding” I have no issue here and I’ve done 4-5 hr drives. I am 39 and I don’t have a history of back pain.

“The brakes generate too much dust” Confirmed, this one is real. I clean the wheels and they look dirty again after 50 km. I have ceramic coated the wheels and calipers. That doesn’t prevent them from getting dirty, but it’s probably a bit easier to wipe the dust off. I will likely move to the red stuff pads once the stock pads are worn out

“The pedal position/spacing is bad” The offset position felt weird to me at the start, but I don’t notice it anymore. I like that the pedals are tight, but I could see it being a problem with wide shoes. I’m often wearing flip flops during Canadian driving season – I set them aside and drive in bare feet (not necessarily recommending).

“the KEF system is garbage” There is something weird about the stereo. It’s like the volume control for the mid and upper range is very linear. However, the bass is almost zero until about 40% volume. If you like to listen to music at a reasonable level, you will likely think it sounds tinny. If you like to blast your music, you will probably think it sounds great – especially if you listen to bass-forward music.

“the shifter doesn’t feel good” I actually think it’s great. Maybe it’s is a cable adjustment issue, but mine felt very good and easy to shift from the factory. A slight criticism is that I don’t like the play when the shifter is in gear. Mine does not move side to side at all, but can wiggle about 1/2” forward and back while in gear. I installed the GRP short shifter thinking that play was coming from the stock rubber grommet, however it didn’t make a difference. I am keeping it because I like the shorter throw (even if it didn’t really need it). The additional force required due to reduced leverage is not a concern.

“the transmission doesn’t like to be rushed” I can confirm that redlining first gear and slamming into second often doesn’t go well – I’d say a missed shift or grinding gears 30% of the time. I don’t have the issue in any of the other gears and I don’t have it with a slower or lower RPM shift. I have learned to go easy on it. Some may say you shouldn’t be slamming the gears anyway, but I think a car like this should be able to handle that type of driving. Per recommendations on this forum, I am going to add Archoil 9100 to the transmission fluid, but I am not optimistic it will actually make much difference.

“it’s underpowered” This discussion has been so played out I’m not sure I need to go there. My feeling is that if you are chasing speed/track times, there are faster cars for less money. Buy this car if you prioritize driver engagement/enjoyment. From that perspective I think the power is more than enough. If you’re into performance mods and aren’t concerned with residuals, I get that too. More power isn’t going to make the experience worse.

“car won’t start” There seems to be 2 issues people are having: one where the ignition just clicks and one where the car turns over but doesn’t start. I haven’t had the latter and can’t speak to it, other than to agree with others on the forum that it sounds like a fuel pressure issue. I had the first issue at 600km. As recommended by others, I got out, locked the car, unlocked and the problem went away. Since then, I have waited 20s for the infotainment system to load before attempting to start the car and it has not happened again.

“the trunk gets stuck” I can confirm that if you have objects in the trunk putting upward pressure on the lid it will get stuck. It has happened to me about 5 times. The solution is to push down on the trunk while hitting unlock and then remove some objects.

“the trunk gets too hot” I don’t find this is an issue with 30 min drives / trips to the grocery store. On 2-3 hr drives it gets hot. Think black car parked in the sun. I attempted to improve this by putting Second Skin behind the trunk panel next to the engine and under the trunk mat. I didn’t make a difference. That’s likely operator error as it should have been installed outside the trunk, but that seemed like a lot of work.

“the infotainment is laggy” I’ve had no problems. When I first go the car, I struggled with the radio presets and finding things, but I’m onto it now.

“the drive mode selector shouldn’t have to be hit twice” This doesn’t bother me at all.

“the clutch feel is poor” I’ve not experienced this at all.

“the brakes are very touchy” I did struggle with this a lot at the start. I’m not sure if they are getting better now or if I am.

“this car gets too much attention” I have had people take pictures in parking lots, ask questions at gas stations, and even someone who followed me into my driveway to talk about it. I’m not someone who normally talks to strangers or likes a lot of attention. However, as many people have advised on this forum, I put on a smile and answer every question. The people are generally very excited and if you don’t match that level of enthusiasm and friendliness, I could see it confirming negative stereotypes about owners of high-end cars. If you don’t view this as a negative, it won’t be. I’ve had all positive interactions.

Other thoughts:

-the high beams are the best of any car I’ve driven. I do find the blue high beam indicator doesn’t catch my eye next to the blue tour mode background. I often put it into sport at night so there is more contrast and I’m less likely to high beam people.

-I’ve not seen anyone else mention it, but there is a weird function with the cruise control button where you can set a max speed. I accentually set it to 50kph one time and briefly thought I had broken something when it wouldn’t go faster

-I like that the cruise control doesn’t cancel with the clutch. I frequently downshift ahead of passing someone and I don’t necessarily want to slow down.

-I know Lotus handing is legendary, but I wasn’t really sure what to expect. The biggest thing I notice is that steering doesn’t load up in corners. The car feels eager to turn in because there’s no resistance in the steering wheel. I’ve heard some say that makes it more difficult to feel when you’re at the limits of adhesion and I could see that. Currently I’m not comfortable enough to try and break out the tail end anyways. Prior to this my fun car was a supercharged 10AE Miata, so this is a bit of an upgrade in terms of speed and performance. I passed 22 years and 300 000km with that car this summer. I hope I can have a similar run with the Emira, but that may be wishful thinking. Overall I’m very pleased with the car and I think it’s a relative value.
Great stuff! Your post is most welcome as I anticipate getting my car next month and whatever tips I get are helpful . Thank you
 
Nice post. I have put about 257 miles on my car so far. Staying in Tour mode and keeping it under 4K RPM. In those conditions the only thing I have done is reduce the bass setting on the KEF. This is my first mid engine small car and the damn thing is just so much fun. Pulling into the gas station, running on the freeway, through some mountain curves. It's just fun. I respect and love people with a strong background with cars who have driven them hard and tracked them. For me, I just like learning how to drive any particular car. The Emira doesn't shift like my STI, so I love learning how to shift the Lotus. There is no good and bad to me, just different. My middle name is Garage Queen and the Emira is the ultimate. In the end for me it's looks looks looks. Car is gorgeous.
You don't have to, or should you keep it under 4K RPM all the time, just don't sustain higher RPM's. It's good for the engine to see some higher RPM's and harder throttle throughout the break in period.
 
Great observations, I agree with them all. I've enjoyed my car very much.

Unfortunately some cars do have issues. I just read the current Motor Trend, and they have all kinds of issues with the car they tested which is a shame.
 
Hey guys, first time poster, long time lurker – pretty much since I ordered the car 35 months ago. I read a lot of criticisms of the car over that time and many were concerning. Now that I’ve had the car for 1 month / 2500 km, I wanted to go over which ones I think are actually concerns for those who are still waiting for their cars. Everyone’s use is different, and to some degree the cars are different, so of course YMMV. Sorry for the novel.

“The steering wheel is bad”. The shape is different, but you quickly adjust and now I don’t mind it at all. The thickness is good.

“The seats are too high”. I have no issue with the height. It feels plenty low to me. I’m 5’9”

“The seats need more padding” I have no issue here and I’ve done 4-5 hr drives. I am 39 and I don’t have a history of back pain.

“The brakes generate too much dust” Confirmed, this one is real. I clean the wheels and they look dirty again after 50 km. I have ceramic coated the wheels and calipers. That doesn’t prevent them from getting dirty, but it’s probably a bit easier to wipe the dust off. I will likely move to the red stuff pads once the stock pads are worn out

“The pedal position/spacing is bad” The offset position felt weird to me at the start, but I don’t notice it anymore. I like that the pedals are tight, but I could see it being a problem with wide shoes. I’m often wearing flip flops during Canadian driving season – I set them aside and drive in bare feet (not necessarily recommending).

“the KEF system is garbage” There is something weird about the stereo. It’s like the volume control for the mid and upper range is very linear. However, the bass is almost zero until about 40% volume. If you like to listen to music at a reasonable level, you will likely think it sounds tinny. If you like to blast your music, you will probably think it sounds great – especially if you listen to bass-forward music.

“the shifter doesn’t feel good” I actually think it’s great. Maybe it’s is a cable adjustment issue, but mine felt very good and easy to shift from the factory. A slight criticism is that I don’t like the play when the shifter is in gear. Mine does not move side to side at all, but can wiggle about 1/2” forward and back while in gear. I installed the GRP short shifter thinking that play was coming from the stock rubber grommet, however it didn’t make a difference. I am keeping it because I like the shorter throw (even if it didn’t really need it). The additional force required due to reduced leverage is not a concern.

“the transmission doesn’t like to be rushed” I can confirm that redlining first gear and slamming into second often doesn’t go well – I’d say a missed shift or grinding gears 30% of the time. I don’t have the issue in any of the other gears and I don’t have it with a slower or lower RPM shift. I have learned to go easy on it. Some may say you shouldn’t be slamming the gears anyway, but I think a car like this should be able to handle that type of driving. Per recommendations on this forum, I am going to add Archoil 9100 to the transmission fluid, but I am not optimistic it will actually make much difference.

“it’s underpowered” This discussion has been so played out I’m not sure I need to go there. My feeling is that if you are chasing speed/track times, there are faster cars for less money. Buy this car if you prioritize driver engagement/enjoyment. From that perspective I think the power is more than enough. If you’re into performance mods and aren’t concerned with residuals, I get that too. More power isn’t going to make the experience worse.

“car won’t start” There seems to be 2 issues people are having: one where the ignition just clicks and one where the car turns over but doesn’t start. I haven’t had the latter and can’t speak to it, other than to agree with others on the forum that it sounds like a fuel pressure issue. I had the first issue at 600km. As recommended by others, I got out, locked the car, unlocked and the problem went away. Since then, I have waited 20s for the infotainment system to load before attempting to start the car and it has not happened again.

“the trunk gets stuck” I can confirm that if you have objects in the trunk putting upward pressure on the lid it will get stuck. It has happened to me about 5 times. The solution is to push down on the trunk while hitting unlock and then remove some objects.

“the trunk gets too hot” I don’t find this is an issue with 30 min drives / trips to the grocery store. On 2-3 hr drives it gets hot. Think black car parked in the sun. I attempted to improve this by putting Second Skin behind the trunk panel next to the engine and under the trunk mat. I didn’t make a difference. That’s likely operator error as it should have been installed outside the trunk, but that seemed like a lot of work.

“the infotainment is laggy” I’ve had no problems. When I first go the car, I struggled with the radio presets and finding things, but I’m onto it now.

“the drive mode selector shouldn’t have to be hit twice” This doesn’t bother me at all.

“the clutch feel is poor” I’ve not experienced this at all.

“the brakes are very touchy” I did struggle with this a lot at the start. I’m not sure if they are getting better now or if I am.

“this car gets too much attention” I have had people take pictures in parking lots, ask questions at gas stations, and even someone who followed me into my driveway to talk about it. I’m not someone who normally talks to strangers or likes a lot of attention. However, as many people have advised on this forum, I put on a smile and answer every question. The people are generally very excited and if you don’t match that level of enthusiasm and friendliness, I could see it confirming negative stereotypes about owners of high-end cars. If you don’t view this as a negative, it won’t be. I’ve had all positive interactions.

Other thoughts:

-the high beams are the best of any car I’ve driven. I do find the blue high beam indicator doesn’t catch my eye next to the blue tour mode background. I often put it into sport at night so there is more contrast and I’m less likely to high beam people.

-I’ve not seen anyone else mention it, but there is a weird function with the cruise control button where you can set a max speed. I accentually set it to 50kph one time and briefly thought I had broken something when it wouldn’t go faster

-I like that the cruise control doesn’t cancel with the clutch. I frequently downshift ahead of passing someone and I don’t necessarily want to slow down.

-I know Lotus handing is legendary, but I wasn’t really sure what to expect. The biggest thing I notice is that steering doesn’t load up in corners. The car feels eager to turn in because there’s no resistance in the steering wheel. I’ve heard some say that makes it more difficult to feel when you’re at the limits of adhesion and I could see that. Currently I’m not comfortable enough to try and break out the tail end anyways. Prior to this my fun car was a supercharged 10AE Miata, so this is a bit of an upgrade in terms of speed and performance. I passed 22 years and 300 000km with that car this summer. I hope I can have a similar run with the Emira, but that may be wishful thinking. Overall I’m very pleased with the car and I think it’s a relative value.
I'm exactly with you on every point.

Well, on second thought, I don't completely share your feelings on shift speed because I am a paranoid and deliberate shifter who usually double-clutches downshifts and always slowly shifts up. But I can see how, yes, the car should accept a quick 1-2 shift.
 
I agree with every point except seat height, but I’m 6 ft tall. Would like to be ~2 inches lower.
 
Great content. I agree with the vast majority of your feedback, with the exception the trunk heat, which I find to get very hot, even within 15 minutes of driving. Then again, you're in Canada where perhaps higher temps are more tolerated than here in south Florida where I am. Many thanks for your first post and keep them coming.
 
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10/10 for your first post; keep up the good work!

One thing I'll add which is a real change for me and others have already mentioned it: the A/C on the Emira is about the best/coldest I've experienced in any vehicle, or certainly any vehicle after the manufacturers changed it from Freon to a so-called more environmentally-friendly refrigerant.
Only when it works ! !!! Out of my 15,000 km it did NOT work for 8,000 km. Still not fixed.
 
Great observations, I agree with them all. I've enjoyed my car very much.

Unfortunately some cars do have issues. I just read the current Motor Trend, and they have all kinds of issues with the car they tested which is a shame.
Wow , that Motor Trend review is brutal and shameful (for Lotus). Sadly if it weren't for the steering and looks the car is seen as a dud. Come on Lotus get your act together!!! The more I see posts and reviews of these ongoing issues the more I want to pull my deposit.
 
Rubbish.
There are always some issues with new cars (458 fire, anyone? 991 engine failures?).
I always laugh when non owners threaten to cancel their order based on some internet rubbish.
Go on. Cancel. Your loss.
LOL. Such a petulant rant. Just because I'm not a fan boy and don't keep excusing everything with " Oh well its a Lotus" to write off everything, doesn't make it less valid. And what exactly is internet rubbish? These aren't isolated complaints.
 
It is indeed unfortunate Motor Trend received 2 Emira’s to test that had problems. The third Emira supplied to them worked well and they were very pleased with its performance and how it lived up to the “Lotus drive experience” but they were left to comment on the “British car build-quality reputation”.

There are many Emira owners who’ve had zero problems and I’m one of them, with just over 5,000 “daily driver” very satisfying and ++fun km.

In general and reading the initial owner comments, it looks like Lotus had more production issues when the Emiras were first released, then worked out most of the kinks, with many of them solved by software updates. I see that to explain why more recent owners like me seem to fare better.

But there continue to be glitches such as emirahl above and his A/C issue.

With the prevalence of social media where people can easily post about their vehicle experiences, and with many inclined to vent when problems are encountered, these issues get amplified. I noticed this on the Corvette C8 forums, especially when it was first released in 2020 and GM was working out early production issues. I was fortunate to get a 2020 and its only problem was a partially burnt out headlight, which was quickly replaced under warranty. GM’s Corvette production is massive, compared to the Emira, with GM spending massive amounts on QC, yet still having to overcome new model glitches.

Put another way, GM produced just over 20,000 first production year C8’s, and had most (not all) of the kinks worked out by then. That ignores all their rigorous pre-production testing, which I suspect would have far outstripped anything Lotus did for the Emira. Lotus hasn’t even made 20,000 Emira’s over these past years, so it hasn’t had the “real-use feedback” GM received after the first C8 model year. Hopefully that continued feedback will do nothing but improve the Emira quality.

In the meantime, anyone contemplating an Emira purchase will have to decide if the “driver engagement” is worth the possibility of glitches, or if they’re more comfortable going to a brand that’s more commonly seen on the road, with a reputation of better reliability, but a totally different driving experience.

I have friends who love their Porsche, but some who’ve had nothing but problems with them, yet faithfully put up with them due to loyalty to the brand and their driving preferences. Despite producing much higher numbers of Porsche compared to the Emira, Porsche 911’s (for example) have had their more problematic model years:


So Lotus is not the only manufacturer with problems but I suspect it’s QC issues are partially explained by its low production numbers.

I had a 2020 C8 and loved it, so purchased a fully loaded 2023 C8 as my next sport car. But I far prefer the Emira drive to the C8, despite its reduced HP (HP not being my driving focus, nor all the "bells and whistles"), so it was the right choice for me. Reading reviews that praise the Lotus drive, as many do, like the last mixed Motor Trend review, can never replace actually driving an Emira, comparing it to another vehicle of interest you drive around the same time, then deciding between them. That said, I was pleased when I test drove the Emira for the first time for a half hour...but it's only after driving it for many months and using all driving modes, on different roads, and comparing it to the C8's I drove daily for over 2 years, that I've been able to make an accurate comparison between them. Perhaps something to keep in mind, when relying on test drives for any vehicle decision.

Fortunately, we have many vehicles to choose from but unfortunately for ICE fans like me, our choices are dwindling, even moreso if you’re wanting a manual transmission. My (now somewhat meandering…sorry for that) 3 cents.
 
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LOL. Such a petulant rant. Just because I'm not a fan boy and don't keep excusing everything with " Oh well its a Lotus" to write off everything, doesn't make it less valid. And what exactly is internet rubbish? These aren't isolated complaints.
Never understood the fan boy thing. Don't you want to be a fan boy of a brand you intend to buy? Yes, I am irrationally in favor of all things Lotus. Being able to be obsessed and biased over stuff that really doesn't matter but is fun & exciting is the spice of life.

Do not cancel your deposit it will be worth it. The only possible exception to this is if you live far from a dealer. But that holds for any low volume high performance car.
 
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Thanks for the kind responses. Holding back during that run-in period is tough, but it is worth the wait. I absolutely love the sound and character of the engine in sport and track modes. I agree that the AC is outstanding. Also, seat height may be an issue if you are 6’+. And trunk temperatures are a bigger problem in warmer climates.

I agree there are significant reliability issues with some of the cars. I think it’s likely that the North American cars have fewer issues due to lessons learned in other markets. I also think any car forum is going to have a sampling bias that makes issues seem more prevalent. However, I don’t see many Motor Trend articles like that and I wouldn’t dismiss it. It’s good to be a fan of your car, but not to have biases. I’d say research and understand the reality of what you’re getting into and if you still want it – follow your heart. Buying a sports car is not a rational decision anyways.

I like this question-answer thing about which sports car should you buy? Answer- the one you want. It really is as simple as that. I think a Porsche or a Corvette is likely more reliable than an Emira, but who cares when I don’t want those cars?

The Miata got me hooked on the lightweight analogue concept 20 years ago. I wanted the ultimate Miata, so I figured I’d save up for an Elise. Then school and living expenses got in the way. When the Evora came out, I figured I’d get one of them instead but wedding and house expenses got in the way. When the Emira came out I told myself the timing is bad with kids and business expenses, but someday I will get a Lotus. Then they said it would be their last manual ever and here I am.

Although I have had zero reliability issues, it has only been 2500 km. Fingers crossed I will continue to be one of the lucky ones.
 
Never understood the fan boy thing. Don't you want to be a fan boy of a brand you intend to buy? Yes, I am irrationally in favor of all things Lotus. Being able to be obsessed and biased over stuff that really doesn't matter but is fun & exciting is the spice of life.

Do not cancel your deposit it will be worth it. The only possible exception to this is if you live far from a dealer. But that holds for any low volume high performance car.
Fan boy is not necessarily a bad thing but if you lose all sight of reality, then that is not good at all. You still need to be honest with yourself. But yes one should be a fan of the brand and champion it when possible. Porblem is Lotus has been an abject failure when it comes to this. Not one person in here can honestly say they are happy with the company as a whole. There is much room for improvement.

My deposit is still in, hoping for a base i4 but many things weigh on my mind as the closest dealer is 1.5 hours away and it is my DD. This dealer also doesn't have loaners so this also makes things more difficult. Anyhow, hope more of these issues get sorted as the possibilities are huge with the Emira.
 
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Honestly, my Lotus experience has been far better than my recent Kia experience. Ordered a Telluride for my wife during COVID. 9 months later the dealer said that the car is in, but the price has gone up $5000 CAD and I can accept or they will sell it to the next person in line for even more. I told them I have a signed sales contract with a firm price. They said look at the fine print – if they don’t deliver in 90 days the contract is void and it is a new negotiation. I wanted to walk away on principle, but that would have angered my wife and made them more money.

Contrast that with Lotus – they told me a price, they honoured the price and basically said “I don’t know” to everything else for 3 years. Not great communication, but at least it’s honest. And the car is great, so I actually am happy with the company. Is there room for improvement? Absolutely.

I’m 3 hrs away from my dealer, but the Emira is not my primary vehicle. I would be concerned if it was.
 
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It just occurred to me there was a price increase early on after Matt Windle said there wouldn't be, so maybe a poor example. At a dealer level, they made it clear to me they weren't committing to a price until they could be sure.
 

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