Emira Review Index [I4 FE]

Creating a new thread and index for Emira I4 FE reviews which are scheduled for release on 8th August.
Please let me know of any missing review links and I'll update the index accordingly.

Reviewer	Type	Direct Link
Harry's Garage (Harry Metcalfe)	Video Review
Road and Track	Article	The AMG-Powered 2024 Lotus Emira Gets a Perfect Engine and an Imperfect Transmission To get the perfect engine for the Emira, Lotus had to take an imperfect transmission. It loses the manual and gets an automatic, sealed by AMG and not up to par. www.roadandtrack.com
AUTOCAR	Article	Lotus Emira I4 review | Autocar Sports car maestros’ final combustion model gains an AMG four. It’s an unexpected marriage, but an inspired one? www.autocar.co.uk
EVO	Article	Lotus Emira i4 2023 review – the final combustion-engined Lotus | Evo The AMG-engined Emira i4 is the last new internal combustion engined Lotus sports car, and it's one of the best www.evo.co.uk
Motor1	Article	2023 Lotus Emira I4 First Drive Review: AMG Power Meets British Poise Two fewer cylinders and a turbo replace Lotus’ hallmark V6 in a new take on the Emira. Cheaper, and only a little down on power, is it the pick of the range? www.motor1.com
TopGear	Video and Article	Lotus Emira i4 review: British sports car with an AMG hot hatch heart Reviews 2023 | Top Gear So this is the cheaper Lotus Emira for people who can’t stretch to the V6? It’s the entry-level car in terms of cylinders (four, not six), and power (360bhp, down from 400). But the new Lotus Emira i4 is not a cheap and cheerful door to Lotus ownership. Right now Lotus will only sell you a... www.topgear.com
Car and Driver	Article	First Drive: 2024 Lotus Emira 2.0 Brings Back the Four-Cylinder Lotus With its AMG-sourced 2.0-liter four-cylinder, the 2024 Emira hews to the Lotus tradition of getting more from less. www.caranddriver.com
Auto Express	Article	New Lotus Emira i4 2023 review | Auto Express We get behind the wheel of the last combustion Lotus ever. Is the new 4-cylinder Emira a worthy send-off? www.autoexpress.co.uk
PistonHeads	Article	2023 Lotus Emira i4 First Edition | PH Review The most powerful four-cylinder Lotus ever is also the final combustion model - a fitting farewell? www.pistonheads.com
The Smoking Tire	Video Review
Auto Daily	Article	2024 Lotus Emira i4 Review - Automotive Daily This is the last new internal combustion engined Lotus sports car. The last in a line that started with the Seven, captured the world’s imagination with the www.autodaily.com.au

 

[digilotus]

Road and Track article out.

 

[Rudolph]

* * * * *
To control the i4 engine heat Lotus located an electric "fan" to force extra cooling over the engine bay as well as a heat sensor just over the turbo to monitor its temperature.
I am not fully conviced that the i4 will not suffer from engine heat problems when aggressively driven........

 

[Cutting42]

* * * * *
To control the i4 engine heat Lotus located an electric "fan" to force extra cooling over the engine bay as well as a heat sensor just over the turbo to monitor its temperature.
I am not fully conviced that the i4 will not suffer from engine heat problems when aggressively driven........

I would guess the fan is there to cool when there is no air movement such as in traffic or after a run and you have stopped.

 

[Lotustoronto]

From R&T - Matt Farah..... Very interesting.

"Like the V-6 variant, the Emira AMG is available in both “Sport” and “Touring” trim. The setups are unique based on the new rear geometries and lighter weight - the AMG comes in at a lithe 3,180 lbs DIN (curb weight with 90% fuel capacity). According to Lotus the four-cylinder is a bit firmer than the six in both trims, with “Touring” set up to the same stiffness as “Sport” in the six. After having spent five days road tripping the countryside in a V-6 Touring, we’re driving an AMG Sport on track and on the country roads near Hethel today, and the stiffer setup is notable (and, to me, less desirable), particularly with track-ready Michelin Cup2 tires. Long story short, we’d prefer the Touring for either engine you order."

Overall I am surprised.... Looks like the i4 isn't winning over has many journalists as I had thought.

 

[ToonFan]

From R&T - Matt Farah..... Very interesting.

"Like the V-6 variant, the Emira AMG is available in both “Sport” and “Touring” trim. The setups are unique based on the new rear geometries and lighter weight - the AMG comes in at a lithe 3,180 lbs DIN (curb weight with 90% fuel capacity). According to Lotus the four-cylinder is a bit firmer than the six in both trims, with “Touring” set up to the same stiffness as “Sport” in the six. After having spent five days road tripping the countryside in a V-6 Touring, we’re driving an AMG Sport on track and on the country roads near Hethel today, and the stiffer setup is notable (and, to me, less desirable), particularly with track-ready Michelin Cup2 tires. Long story short, we’d prefer the Touring for either engine you order."

Overall I am surprised.... Looks like the i4 isn't winning over has many journalists as I had thought.

Matt's review was always going to be tough. He's a die-hard manual in a sports car person. His complaint about the shifting was directed at AMG. His review reinforced my decision that my I4 choice was the right one for me.

 

[Cutting42]

Matt's review was always going to be tough. He's a die-hard manual in a sports car person. His complaint about the shifting was directed at AMG. His review reinforced my decision that my I4 choice was the right one for me.

To be fair Harry mentioned manual shifting was not the best part as well.

Oh and I am i4 and still convinced I made the right choice.

 

[Dragoon]

After watching Harry's video I am back in the V6 camp.

 

[kitkat]

After watching Harry's video I am back in the V6 camp.

I find myself agreeing with Harry for once. Daily or almost daily pick the i4, if you’re choosing this car to drive it purposefully pick the v6.

 

[kitkat]

Have read all the articles now and I’m honestly a little surprised people didn’t like it more. The majority of them come back to one sticking point — it’s too much money to spend for an i4 turbo.

Trying to ignore the cost — the only thing that would concern me is what Harry and one of the magazines mentioned, the timing between tach display, manual shift selection, and shift execution time leaves a bit to be desired.

I’m also a little bit surprised but understand the business agreement with Mercedes that Lotus isn’t currently allowed to further modify the engine or ecu.

 

[VL3X]

I liked Harry's video and for a second I tried to justify owning my current supercharged V6 Evora GT and picking up an i4 Emira to daily. 😂 I quickly realized that's totally unreasonable for my situation.. But I did think Harry and son's review was very positive. I grew up with turbo cars and always loved the induction noises. My only issue with the i4 is the price. No 4 cylinder is going to sell well in North America at ~$100k.. I don't care how good it looks.

 

[digilotus]

I hope Chris Harris did a review of the I4.

 

[digilotus]

Car and Driver: "The inline-four is also louder than the V-6, with an exhaust note that turns gravelly at higher speeds and wider throttle openings, overlaid by plenty of induction noise and whistle from the turbocharger."

Could be a real entertainer if you like the whoosh sound of a turbo!

 

[GetawayDriving]

Here’s my problem with the i4: It might be better than the V6 in daily commuting but it’s not the best option for daily commuting. So now I have a car that isn’t the best at either thing I might use it for. Frankly if I lose the engagement of the V6 noise and the manual transmission, I’d just rather go electric.

 

[valentinewang]

After read & watched every articles and videos. I still think i4 emira is the first choice in China， i4 emira drive away price around CNY 1million. Although 718 GTS 2.5T starts from 89.5k，but drive away price need to pay around 1.1million after optional cost indeed.

Three questions，

1. How to fix the shifting gear box for about review contents in these articles？ is it the program problem or mechanical problem？
2. Why no one show the hethel track data review，such as the lap time，maximum G or 0-1 acceleration record？
3. Lots of them just copy the car data from official website which noticed ”target performance”……

 

[idleuser]

Not surprised since the I4 turbo is what I imagined it be. There is just something about a shifting a manual car that adds to the drama and experience.

 

[Hethel Merman]

An interesting comparison would be between the i4 and the V6 Auto.

 

[GlobalPilot777]

Not surprised since the I4 turbo is what I imagined it be. There is just something about a shifting a manual car that adds to the drama and experience.

The same shifting in the v6 auto was documented by me aswel after test driving it.. very bad feedback, no click feeling and hardly feel if you have shifted.. shame this is on the i4 the same. To me the shifter had the be on the steering colum like the exige and larger shift pedals..

 

[CraigO]

* * * * *
To control the i4 engine heat Lotus located an electric "fan" to force extra cooling over the engine bay as well as a heat sensor just over the turbo to monitor its temperature.
I am not fully conviced that the i4 will not suffer from engine heat problems when aggressively driven........

Both standard features on the A45S. Not special to the Emira or it's mid engine position.

 

[Green]

Both standard features on the A45S. Not special to the Emira or it's mid engine position.

The difference is where the engine is located. It will not cool as well in the Emira.

 

[valentinewang]

The same shifting in the v6 auto was documented by me aswel after test driving it.. very bad feedback, no click feeling and hardly feel if you have shifted.. shame this is on the i4 the same. To me the shifter had the be on the steering colum like the exige and larger shift pedals..

My friend who both test i4 and v6 AT said，i4 shifting gear box much clever than AT， the article usually compare the benz-DCT with PDK， it’s unfair！ Someone need to compare the emira i4 with a45 instead pdk.