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

The prevailing mindset of mainstream auto jornualists .... 🙄
It's the reason why so many don't have any credibility when critiquing the Emira.

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I don't disagree with him, but as a journalist he should say WHY a car is not easy to drive. Is the balance off? are the controls too heavy? is the chassis difficult to read? is it struggling for grip? A car should be engaging but not fight you.

Some cars in my opinion that are a letdown because they're difficult to drive are a 930 or a countach. You have to concentrate so hard on driving with poor ergonomics or the chassis that you can't enjoy the car.

Mind you, I do think the Emira is very easy to drive, but I have yet to take it to the track.
 
“Antony finds the steering exaggeratedly jittery.”
:ROFLMAO: - someone has NEVER driven a Jeep Wrangler. I know, its not a fair comparison, buuuut... I daily a Wrangler, and after driving the Emira for a while (sometimes a couple of days at a time) and then switching back you will really understand what "jittery" and "exaggerated" steering feels like. There is so much play on the Wrangler wheel, and you need to constantly pay attention and "drive" the Jeep or you will be all over the road.. I purposefully taught my kids how to drive using the Wrangler because it MAKES you pay attention..
 
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.

Of course I’m going to agree with this. It’s written by a fellow OS Emira owner, so his opinion must be dead on!

I subscribed to Evo earlier this year, as I really miss Road & Track from when I was a kid. It’s not the same, but finding good general interest print car magazines is getting harder and harder. Hagerty Drivers Club is very good too, in a different way.

The Evo Porsche bias is strong. Very, very strong. I heard about it on the interwebs before I was a subscriber, but now that I have been reading it monthly for several issues, I believe it. They review every possible iteration of Porsche made, including tuner cars.

I have never drive a Cayman or Boxster, and I’m sure that they are great cars. However, the common thread amongst those on this forum and elsewhere that own both an Emira and Cayman/Boxster S/GTS, is that the Emira steals the heart, while the Porsche convinces the mind.

Evo does seem a bit biased against the Emira.
 
Evo does seem a bit biased against the Emira.
There's an awful lot of people biased against the Emira due to Lotus's poor handling of the Emira launch/delivery, quality control and the poor customer service not just for owners but for prospective buyers, dealers, reviewers and the press. Such a shame for probably one of the best cars Lotus have ever made. Everyone raves about the Evora and the Emira is very similar but with a great interior and amazing looks, so when considering just the car itself reviews should be even better.
 
I get that Lotus completely mishandled the pricing. You can’t imply or tell everyone the car is going to be significantly cheaper than it will be once at the dealership and available for purchase.

That being said, the automotive press didn’t crow about the price of the Evora GT, which when similarly optioned and adjusted for inflation, cost as much or more than the Emira.

The Evora GT has a charm of its own- if the Emira hadn’t been built, I would be driving one today. But I don’t understand the pass that car got and gets for price and quality while the Emira gets picked apart under a microscope. I have driven both, and the Emira is a “nicer” car for the money.

It’s like they were happy to pay more for a less-refined, cottage built car with “quirks”. Makes no sense to me.
 
There's an awful lot of people biased against the Emira due to Lotus's poor handling of the Emira launch/delivery, quality control and the poor customer service not just for owners but for prospective buyers, dealers, reviewers and the press. Such a shame for probably one of the best cars Lotus have ever made. Everyone raves about the Evora and the Emira is very similar but with a great interior and amazing looks, so when considering just the car itself reviews should be even better.
Totally agree. I've mentioned this in a couple of different contexts. Unfortunately, even some owners aren't good at conveying where concerns really lay. The reality is Lotus has put out and continues to put out incredible cars with incredible value especially when compared to the cars that keep up that are multiples of their cost (in most cases). People just have to know (and accept) that service and customer care run on a shoestring budget and have to accept what that really means (a non luxury experience). If you can get past that, you will likely enjoy your car a lot more. Also, many people pretend like they have never owned a non-luxury brand. For a guy that grew up with Hondas, Suzuki, and Volkswagen, I can tell you Lotus is not any worse and I personally have had some really good Lotus service experiences including interactions from Corp., that I thought weren't required, but done by them anyway.
 
I get that Lotus completely mishandled the pricing. You can’t imply or tell everyone the car is going to be significantly cheaper than it will be once at the dealership and available for purchase.

That being said, the automotive press didn’t crow about the price of the Evora GT, which when similarly optioned and adjusted for inflation, cost as much or more than the Emira.

The Evora GT has a charm of its own- if the Emira hadn’t been built, I would be driving one today. But I don’t understand the pass that car got and gets for price and quality while the Emira gets picked apart under a microscope. I have driven both, and the Emira is a “nicer” car for the money.

It’s like they were happy to pay more for a less-refined, cottage built car with “quirks”. Makes no sense to me.
Evora sold about 6,100 units in its life cycle over 12 years. Emira has sold 10K+ in 3 years - big difference and I think it shows that the Emira is a "better" car than the Evora was.

The reason car mag's were easier on the Evora than Emira is the difference of when they were launched. Evora was being created in the mid 2000's (launched in '09). 15 years later there is an expectation for increased performance and while it is true that over the first "base" Evora the Emira is a lot quicker, the Evora 400 (same powertrain as Emira) was unveiled in 2015. That's ten years ago. To make this a little clearer;


VehicleHPWeight (lbs)Lbs/HP
Evora 4004003,1207.80
Corvette Stingray4553,2987.25


VehicleHPWeight (lbs)Lbs/HP
Lotus Emira V6400~3,2008.00
2025 Corvette C8495~3,5357.14

The Emira went in the wrong direction over the course of ten years. Even more so when you compare a C7 to a C8 - that is a proper 10 years of evolution in today's car environment. Note; I didn't even use the Evora GT numbers, as that would just be worse.

I don't think it's so much that the Emira is a bad car, it's just that it did not move the needle enough from an Evora 400 that came out 10 years ago. I don't think there is an example of any car evolution that went down in performance over ten years... Yes, I get that the Evora is a difference car than an Emira... but is it really? Or does Lotus want that to be the narrative and the auto journalists aren't bitting.

The Emira is a better car, but not a better sports car. That's why it terms of pricing they left it about the same as the Evora - otherwise I don't think Lotus could sell many Emira's at Porsche 911 price points.
 
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Don't you think a Cayman is a better comparison than a Corvette? I haven't seen a lot of journalists complain about power to weight ratios. The Miata and BRZ/FRS often win praise for their driving dynamics and place in the top of their comparisons despite having lower power to weight than their peer group, so what's different here?

I just think it's just fun to kick Lotus when they're down. After all, the mainstream press was pretty excited about this car when it was released. It's not until now - 3+ years later - that they suddenly have a change of heart. I imagine because Lotus isn't able to buy big advertisements with them, it makes them an easy target. Poor customer service and a small press team/budget probably hurt someone's ego along the way too.
 
Evora sold about 6,100 units in its life cycle over 12 years. Emira has sold 10K+ in 3 years - big difference and I think it shows that the Emira is a "better" car than the Evora was.

The reason car mag's were easier on the Evora than Emira is the difference of when they were launched. Evora was being created in the mid 2000's (launched in '09). 15 years later there is an expectation for increased performance and while it is true that over the first "base" Evora the Emira is a lot quicker, the Evora 400 (same powertrain as Emira) was unveiled in 2015. That's ten years ago. To make this a little clearer;


VehicleHPWeight (lbs)Lbs/HP
Evora 4004003,1207.80
Corvette Stingray4553,2987.25


VehicleHPWeight (lbs)Lbs/HP
Lotus Emira V6400~3,2008.00
2025 Corvette C8495~3,5357.14

The Emira went in the wrong direction over the course of ten years. Even more so when you compare a C7 to a C8 - that is a proper 10 years of evolution in today's car environment. Note; I didn't even use the Evora GT numbers, as that would just be worse.

I don't think it's so much that the Emira is a bad car, it's just that it did not move the needle enough from an Evora 400 that came out 10 years ago. I don't think there is an example of any car evolution that went down in performance over ten years... Yes, I get that the Evora is a difference car than an Emira... but is it really? Or does Lotus want that to be the narrative and the auto journalists aren't bitting.

The Emira is a better car, but not a better sports car. That's why it terms of pricing they left it about the same as the Evora - otherwise I don't think Lotus could sell many Emira's at Porsche 911 price points.

This may be controversial, but I don’t understand is why the V6 is held up as the pinnacle of Emira development to date. Surely the turbo in 400hp guise represents progress, certainly in terms of outright performance?
 
My opinion is that the stock Lotus wheel alignments are part of the reason for its less than stellar reviews. A quick alignment fix to add a bit of front toe-in would likely result in a more “conventional “ feel for the motor journalists.

Ferrari had a similar issue with the 360 Modena; contemporary reviews said it was twitchy and not confidence inspiring. With the F430, the major change was in the alignment. Yes, the springs were slightly softer, but the wishbones and mounting points are otherwise identical. With that subtle change the car was deemed to handle brilliantly.
 
This may be controversial, but I don’t understand is why the V6 is held up as the pinnacle of Emira development to date. Surely the turbo in 400hp guise represents progress, certainly in terms of outright performance?
Sssshh... stop it with your probably correct opinions - you are annoying us dinosaur V6 owners that stubbornly want to play with our gear knobs when driving. 😜
 
I just think it's just fun to kick Lotus when they're down. After all, the mainstream press was pretty excited about this car when it was released. It's not until now - 3+ years later - that they suddenly have a change of heart. I imagine because Lotus isn't able to buy big advertisements with them, it makes them an easy target.
This.

I know this is taboo, but all car rags favor who advertises with them and to some extent, any large car manufacturer (given they have deep pockets). It is absolutely easy to crap all over Lotus, they don't have the resources to respond. It's that simple.
 
Ferrari had a similar issue with the 360 Modena; contemporary reviews said it was twitchy and not confidence inspiring.
I haven't seen a review yet that explains what they mean by "twitchy". I think "twitchy" implies random, unexpected movements - what we actually have is steering that is much more communicative than a car like the Cayman - that's one of the reasons I prefered it over the Cayman on my test drives. There's nothing random or unexpected about the Emira's steering. Feels like lazy journalism to me.
 
"twitchy" from a driver's review perspective usually means prone to tram lining or grippy to slight steering wheel movements. It can definitely be tuned out with additional "toe-in". For anyone interested, more "toe-out" would create a condition where the car is more prone to tram lining.
 
"twitchy" from a driver's review perspective usually means prone to tram lining or grippy to slight steering wheel movements. It can definitely be tuned out with additional "toe-in". For anyone interested, more "toe-out" would create a condition where the car is more prone to tram lining.
Yeah - "twitchy" could imply either tram lining or bump steer, neither of which my Emira does (nor any others I have driven). But if the alignment is out you could definitely get either. It's just such a vague term to use, they could mean anything really.
 

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