My bad, I forgot which button did it (since mine never crashes anymore lol). It’s the phone hang up button. Hold it for like 30 seconds until the middle screen reboots
Emira vs MC20
- Thread starter miss demeanor
- Start date
I was in a similar situation.
The same day I saw the Emira in real life was also the same day I saw the MC20, both were available at a car exhibition.
First, I was all over the Emira looking and admiring the details, but once I saw afterwards the MC20, it got my attention.
Look and feel, I would say the MC20 is way better. It is also more exotic. I would stop and stare at the car just admiring all the little special design details in the MC20.
One year later, I bought the Emira.
While I still believe the MC20 is a superior car compared to the Emira (price also reflects the same), I found the Emira was a better choice if you want to abuse it on streets or on tracks. Somehow, you feel less guilty. As a brand I was more interested in Lotus and the heritage than Maserati. It is also as special on the streets and can certainly fill the joy of driving gap. And I paid way less to get it.
The same day I saw the Emira in real life was also the same day I saw the MC20, both were available at a car exhibition.
First, I was all over the Emira looking and admiring the details, but once I saw afterwards the MC20, it got my attention.
Look and feel, I would say the MC20 is way better. It is also more exotic. I would stop and stare at the car just admiring all the little special design details in the MC20.
One year later, I bought the Emira.
While I still believe the MC20 is a superior car compared to the Emira (price also reflects the same), I found the Emira was a better choice if you want to abuse it on streets or on tracks. Somehow, you feel less guilty. As a brand I was more interested in Lotus and the heritage than Maserati. It is also as special on the streets and can certainly fill the joy of driving gap. And I paid way less to get it.
I love the looks of the MC20. The exhaust note is a snoozer.
Oddly, the common gripes about the Emira point to it being the spiritual successor to old-school sports cars.
Imperfect build quality, compromise on some ergonomics, not as isolated from road and wind noise as it should be, and a few parts here and there that have been made to work rather than bespoke. All for a reasonable price that, with saving and planning, is ultimately attainable for someone making a comfortable living.
The refinement of other sports cars has improved drastically since even the 90s, but frankly Corvettes, Porsches, and even Ferraris have gotten less raw. Better, but less raw. The imperfections of the Emira make it oddly more like a true sports car.
I say this having never driven vintage Porsches, Ferraris, or Corvettes, so take my opinion for what it is!
Oddly, the common gripes about the Emira point to it being the spiritual successor to old-school sports cars.
Imperfect build quality, compromise on some ergonomics, not as isolated from road and wind noise as it should be, and a few parts here and there that have been made to work rather than bespoke. All for a reasonable price that, with saving and planning, is ultimately attainable for someone making a comfortable living.
The refinement of other sports cars has improved drastically since even the 90s, but frankly Corvettes, Porsches, and even Ferraris have gotten less raw. Better, but less raw. The imperfections of the Emira make it oddly more like a true sports car.
I say this having never driven vintage Porsches, Ferraris, or Corvettes, so take my opinion for what it is!
My thoughts exactly
After selling my Emira, I was obsessed with the MC20 just on looks alone, but ended up with a McLaren Artura which I think looks better and is just a violently fast car that is absolutely glued to the tarmac if that matters. But yes, some issues that were all resolved, but still a pain. Sold it and now back searching for my next waste of money - maybe another Emira????
Power and general techy wise the Emira shouldn't even be in the same discussion relative to an MC20. Looks, yes!
Power and general techy wise the Emira shouldn't even be in the same discussion relative to an MC20. Looks, yes!
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Try a Blackwing
Don't want to hijack this thread, but I'd love to hear more about your experiences with the Artura after having owned (and sold again lol) your Artura (in another thread, perhaps?).
I like my Emira, but some things starting to grate on me, so am thinking of selling it. Also thinking of accepting possibly giving up on my manual trans for only the 2nd time in 25 years, so Artura, MC20, Vantage, maybe R8 V10, maybe even C8 Z06 are on my list (looking under $200K, under 20 years old [looking at you, Ferrari]).
My guess is that those all drop a notch in the toss-a-bility department. The relatively small size of the Emira makes it kinda perfect in those regards, so I worry that slightly-to-considerably larger cars like the ones mentioned above will lose a lot of that (even the McLaren?), and it's really difficult to find ways to adequately test any of those.
The Artura was awesome but finicky and I did have to transport to my dealership which was a long ways, a few times. McLaren covered that cost to their credit however. In the end it seemed pretty well sorted, but no perfect by any stretch. I was always a tad paranoid to drive it. But the driving experience was AMAZING, I didn't have any supercar experience and 700Hp is just wild. (I can't get my head around these 1000 HP cars available now - what the hell?)
Handling was precise and contrary to a lot of comments I thought it sounded awesome. A fantastic car, but I am back to the Emira because of the new drivetrain (4 cyl DCT) which I love even as compared to the V6 manual i had. I am a F1 fan and hearing a car rip thru the gears without hardly a pause is very cool to me. I also like the aftermarket mods available on the Emiras to play with. In the McLaren world those sorts of things require a swiss bank account.
So of the cars you listed I would do the Artura in a heartbeat, but like I just posted in another thread, be prepared for some drama now and then. Hopefully you are near a good dealer. Still love the looks of an MC20 though!
Handling was precise and contrary to a lot of comments I thought it sounded awesome. A fantastic car, but I am back to the Emira because of the new drivetrain (4 cyl DCT) which I love even as compared to the V6 manual i had. I am a F1 fan and hearing a car rip thru the gears without hardly a pause is very cool to me. I also like the aftermarket mods available on the Emiras to play with. In the McLaren world those sorts of things require a swiss bank account.
So of the cars you listed I would do the Artura in a heartbeat, but like I just posted in another thread, be prepared for some drama now and then. Hopefully you are near a good dealer. Still love the looks of an MC20 though!
I'm kinda in the same boat! I like the Emira, but it's definitely not something I plan to keep long-term. It's just not that nice to drive I guess? It's got weird noises and clicks, and I'm not all that thrilled with the shifting feel. If feels more like a $60k car than a $110k car. But it looks like a $200k car, so I'm not upset about it. But yeah, I've thought about what's next and it might be an MC20 or a Vantage, or maybe just a 911 T.
Ah yes, the endless search for the perfect car. Since we have a nearly 700HP C8 E-Ray in the garage, as well as a 600HP Porsche 911 Turbo S, I can positively attest to the fact that I badly missed lightness, smaller size, manual transmission, and "toss-ability." I'm enjoying driving the Emira more than the other two these days.
There is no such thing as the "perfect car."
There is no such thing as the "perfect car."
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I totally apologize to the OP for now having thoroughly hijacked their thread LOL. But I have to ask @Foosh now: Having both a C8 and an Emira at the same time, I'm curious of your opinion there, too
Does C8 feel... I dunno... as big as it is? Is the change of sensation drastic? I realize you have battery weight to contend with, too, but curious overall.
As some background: I had a C7 right before moving to an Evora GT. From the GT I went into a 2020 Vantage, and then from that into a 911 991.2 (just a base with a tune). The C7 and Vantage were bigger than C8, of course, but the Vantage felt especially big, even compared to C7. It was kind of ... I dunno... "hulking". That C7 really did shrink itself at speed. Anyway, I bought the 911 after I rented a 991.2 S on a trip whilst I owned the Vantage. By comparison, the 911 felt like a nimble dancer compared to the Vantage. Since you know 911 (though you have massively more power than I had), you're well aware of how it (And its rear engine layout) feels compared to our Emiras (and how much more nimble the Emira feels).
The C8 E-Ray and 911 Turbo S both feel considerably larger, and they are in terms of both size and weight. They are also considerably faster and both have seemingly endless grip since they are both AWD plus rear wheel steering on the Turbo S. Honestly, I think the E-Ray is a better car than the Turbo S, but you get the feeling that it's doing all the work by itself, and all I have to do is steer. There is substantially less feedback from both.
By contrast, the Emira is the king of feedback as Lotus suspensions have always delivered. It telegraphs everything it's doing to the driver, and you have to work to drive it well, especially with a manual transmission. I think that's the reason I love it so much.
By contrast, the Emira is the king of feedback as Lotus suspensions have always delivered. It telegraphs everything it's doing to the driver, and you have to work to drive it well, especially with a manual transmission. I think that's the reason I love it so much.
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See? This is something I like about my MC20. It actually sounds sophisticated instead of just loud for loud's sake. And I think the sound fits the car. But I also have other cars that fit the "loud" bill, so when I'm looking for that, it's available. I will say though, the super loud exhausts get old after a bit, and I never grow tired of the MC20.
Yep, sounds is very subjective but I am not in the just make it loud crowd either. Quality over quantity...
I can't comment on the MC20 directly, but the Artura V6 was routinely bashed for poor sound quality also, but man I loved it. Deep rumble and a nice downshift burbles as opposed to firecrackers going off.
The nice thing about the Artura was the pure electric mode so when you wanted to not be noticed at all, you are pure stealth.
I can't comment on the MC20 directly, but the Artura V6 was routinely bashed for poor sound quality also, but man I loved it. Deep rumble and a nice downshift burbles as opposed to firecrackers going off.
The nice thing about the Artura was the pure electric mode so when you wanted to not be noticed at all, you are pure stealth.
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C8 E-Ray also has a pure stealth mode, but it only has a 3-mile range at under 15 mph. That's fine for leaving parking garages or suburban neighborhoods without annoying people.
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