EVO: BMW M2 v Porsche Boxster GTS v Lotus Emira v Alpine A110 v Ford Mustang

[nickorette]

 

[nickorette]

Unsurprisingly, Boxster GTS is first place and A110 is second. Mustang and M2 tied 4th

Boxster was praised for being "hard to fault" "such a rounded package", "best sounding engine.. sweet gearshift.. chasis feels more poised and less busy than the Emira's"

 

[nickorette]

Journalists have lost a ton of credibility with Emira reviews imo. First time I've heard anyone say the steering was too jittery but also non-communicative in corners

 

[Lotustoronto]

I think they are taking price point into consideration. Most expensive car there and it's a Lotus. The driving dynamics should be the best out of the lot, while the M2 and Ford are probably best in a straight line. Alpine has the much more attractive price point and the Boxster GTS being priced UNDER the Emira is not a fight it was going to win. Not in the magazine or on track.

 

[David s]

I stopped reading motoring journals years ago. Opinions and arseholes… we’ve all got one.

 

[SimonT]

For all the problems I've had with the car the steering sure isn't one of them. It goes where you turn immediately, it demands you stay in touch as the slightest movement of the steering wheel means the car moves too. My previous car, a Cayman S, was way more forgiving and required less concentration.

For me it handles more like a go-kart than anything. Price point, far too expensive now I specced mine 2 weeks ago on the Lorus configuration and it came to £106,750. A ridiculous amount when compared to the competition, and the depreciation it suffers.

 

[netsinah]

IMO the Emira steering, if we focus on function and not looks, is its #1 best feature. I had a love-affair a long time ago with a 2005 BMW M3 cabriolet...which handled great on the track due to its 50/50 balance...followed by a love-affair with a 2020 then ++ loaded 2023 C8 Corvette Stingray (FUN on the track, especially with its mid-engine configuration), and rejected a slightly used (about 10,000 km) 2017 Porsche Turbo S which I test drove in between the 2 C8's and seriously thought I'd fall in love with and buy (after all, it's a "Supercar"), but its steering responsiveness wasn't up to my expectations (rear engine weight, I felt the C8 balance better, much to the disbelief of the 25+ year Porsche salesman, who'd never driven a C8 and likely wouldn't be caught dead in one)...which brings me to the Emira: compared to all those, I find its steering the most responsive/fun and better on the track, once again helped out big-time by its mid-engine configuration.

Like SimonT, I agree it's more of a "go-kart" feel, which lives up to its Lotus pedigree and makes it a more "raw fun" sports car, with my connection to it, increased with a manual transmission...just like my 2005 BMW had. The transmission type, is a personal preference for everyone. I certainly acknowledge the smoother and more effortless shifting the C8 had, with its DCT controlled by many computers that think faster than any Formula 1 racer.

That said, the Emira has the odd issue of the steering wheel "clunk" at the extremes, however that happens so rarely and never during "spirited driving", so it's nothing to complain about. Just one person's opinion based upon 20 years of on/off sport car driving (mixed with 10 years of motorcycles), although I certainly bow to others with far more experience in both years, track time, and types of cars driven.

At least the article got it right, when commenting on the Emira's looks. That view is almost universally shared by all reviewers.

 

[geoffbland]

The 718's steering would be better if you wanted to feel insulated from the road surface, to have it all "smoothed out" a bit, to have the steering feel less precise. I can imagine that some drivers would want that and that to some extent is what most Porsches models seem to do well. It's horse for courses really - depends what you want in a car.

 

[SimonT]

The 718's steering would be better if you wanted to feel insulated from the road surface, to have it all "smoothed out" a bit, to have the steering feel less precise. I can imagine that some drivers would want that and that to some extent is what most Porsches models seem to do well. It's horse for courses really - depends what you want in a car.

Spot on. Take your eyes off what's in front of you for a split second and you can be on the wrong side of the road, the Cayman is more forgiving. I used my Cayman S as a daily, the Emira is an event every time you get into it. I can get that event on my 23 yr old GSXR750 without expecting a problem every time I ride it.

 

[geoffbland]

Spot on. Take your eyes off what's in front of you for a split second and you can be on the wrong side of the road,

Not sure what you are saying here? That's not what I was saying at all. In neither an Emira or a Cayman will you suddenly find yourself on the wrong side of the road - unless there's something seriously wrong with the car - or you fell asleep . Both cars have very precise steering, track well and neither suffer from bad bump steer. Just in the Emira you feel more of the road surface, whilst the Cayman smooths that out a bit. To some the Emira feels "busy", to some the Cayman feels "numb".

 

[Read T]

Cammisa had a pretty well described and objective review of the steering and driving dynamics (which overall he really liked) in a Lotus episode of the Carmudgeon show. If I recall correctly, he said the steering feel was great, but maybe could be a little better, and found it at a similar level to porsche's EPS system, which is top of the game (for EPS). And that the Emira seemed very composed over road imperfections.

 

[musky29]

Yeah I don't know, the steering in this car is way better than many cars I've driven. It's not the best, but I wonder if some of that has to do with the tire. I've got the goodyears and I feel like if I had the Cup 2's I wouldn't really want anything more out of the steering.

 

[Black Ice]

Price point, far too expensive now I specced mine 2 weeks ago on the Lorus configuration and it came to £106,750. A ridiculous amount when compared to the competition, and the depreciation it suffers.

I posted some thoughts here in regard to pricing:

Pricing Thoughts....

There's been a lot said about Emira pricing, especially following the latest round of increases and the company's widely reported financial woes. Whilst the price has increased significantly since the original (proposed) launch, I'd argue that in the current market there's simply no way the...

www.emiraforum.com

The Cayman offers exceptional value for money in my opinion, and I think that’s the main issue. Personally I’m not sure the M2 or Mustang GT are truly direct competitors, although I can understand people cross-shopping them. The depreciation point is fair enough however.

It’s interesting reading people’s opinions on the steering. I find it direct but refined, exactly as you’d want from a car such as the Emira. It’s not twitchy or overly sensitive in my opinion, and it’s certainly far less “darty” than our two Fiesta STs which really do only require minimal input to change direction!

 

[Lotus64]

M2, Mustang, Cayman and A110 are far beneath the Emira in style and feedback.

The majority of modern auto journalists do not value driving engagement or spend significant time with the vehicles, rendering their opinions useless to enthusiasts.

Everyday driver, "journalists" who happen to own a Cayman GT4 and Emira V6, both expressed that the Cayman GT4 cannot match the Emira's responsiveness, engagement, fun or sense of occasion.

Emira is a niche product with limited appeal except to the most die hard auto enthusiasts who value the art of driving. That's where it differs from the mainstream M2, Mustang, A110 and Cayman, which all need hotter versions to be taken seriously as the lower models are inadequate for the task. Those cars are all meant to be less responsive and easier to drive, which is preferred by the mainstream.

Meanwhile, even the base emira is immediately in a different league from those pedestrian models with its bonded aluminum construction more reminiscent of a race car than a road car.