Evo this month

[Magicman]

So have Evo just washed there hands of the Emira based on that initial pre production drive OR are lotus just not releasing any cars for the press?

Group test this month, Alpine a110R, gt4, new m2 manual.. The gt4 is done, about to go out of production, pretty sure you can't order one. So you'd think in this group the Emira would be far more relevant?

When the you tube journos get them they pretty much live the Emira but it really does seem that it's being kept out of mainstream media.⁷

 

[Nova]

I think they are still feeling a little butt-hurt about the reaction to their last review. So they are taking their marbles and going home. My feelings are hurt. Not!

 

[VL3X]

The major manufacturers know how to treat journalists and roll out the red carpet with their best of the best. Meanwhile Lotus continues to give them pre-prod vehicles with all sorts of stipulations and makes them promise not to do anything crazy like 0-60 tests. 🙄

 

[Nick in Sydney]

I don't think Lotus is bothering with Emira media. They have a two-year order book for Emira . . . why waste time generating more demand they can't supply?

 

[Magicman]

I don't think Lotus is bothering with Emira media. They have a two-year order book for Emira . . . why waste time generating more demand they can't supply?

They told me as much when I collected my car at the factory, all about electric now

 

[Wonza]

I don't think Lotus is bothering with Emira media. They have a two-year order book for Emira . . . why waste time generating more demand they can't supply?

My opinion is they should bother. Not only does it improve the sales but also the brand. If good reviews keep coming in, their new mass market appeal (brand) will improve, better second hand values and future cross model sales. I did have an order in for the Eletre until I experienced all the teething issues with my Emira. So we definitely needs some positive reviews and Lotus better up their game. Let’s start with quality control. NYO Customers in China won’t be as patience as us Brits.

 

[Cachaco131]

My opinion is they should bother. Not only does it improve the sales but also the brand. If good reviews keep coming in, their new mass market appeal (brand) will improve, better second hand values and future cross model sales. I did have an order in for the Eletre until I experienced all the teething issues with my Emira. So we definitely needs some positive reviews and Lotus better up their game. Let’s start with quality control. NYO Customers in China won’t be as patience as us Brits.

I'm not familiar with Chinese consumer habits, customer service and quality demands, but many Chinese products that we import (maybe not very high end stuff) are lacking in both categories. Are local consumers so demanding?

 

[Wonza]

I'm not familiar with Chinese consumer habits, customer service and quality demands, but many Chinese products that we import (maybe not very high end stuff) are lacking in both categories. Are local consumers so demanding?

All customers are demanding tbh and expect some level of quality. But Chinese consumers want to buy into a premium British sports car. I’m just saying they might not be as forgiving if it’s not perfect and switch back to traditional premium brands. Wealthy Chinese consumers usually buy international premium brands, ie not made in China, not all but most.

 

[Nova]

I believe Chinese consumer sentiments depend on the type of product you are buying. For luxury goods, there is strong demand for a pampered buying experience. Given the relatively low cost of labor and ease of producing small gifts, they can really pile on the service side of things to make the customer feel like they are taken care of. It's a different arena for B2B, especially for export. There, the quality is usually not up to snuff because of a poor understanding of foreign consumer expectations. There is also the language and distance barrier.

 

[CDM1855]

The major manufacturers know how to treat journalists and roll out the red carpet with their best of the best. Meanwhile Lotus continues to give them pre-prod vehicles with all sorts of stipulations and makes them promise not to do anything crazy like 0-60 tests. 🙄

Talking of 0-60’s, I finally tried one today in my Auto. Managed 4.45s in full auto mode. I don’t think using the paddles would be quicker. Timed using a RaceBox pro. I am sure it could be done a little quicker with some practice, unlikely to get much below 4.35s. A little quicker than the updated lotus website time.

 

[eriegz]

Talking of 0-60’s, I finally tried one today in my Auto. Managed 4.45s in full auto mode. I don’t think using the paddles would be quicker. Timed using a RaceBox pro. I am sure it could be done a little quicker with some practice, unlikely to get much below 4.35s. A little quicker than the updated lotus website time.

Nice! You should also post that here: https://www.emiraforum.com/threads/actual-0-60-times.2680/post-82692

 

[CDM1855]

Nice! You should also post that here: https://www.emiraforum.com/threads/actual-0-60-times.2680/post-82692

Done

 

[eriegz]

So have Evo just washed there hands of the Emira based on that initial pre production drive OR are lotus just not releasing any cars for the press?

Group test this month, Alpine a110R, gt4, new m2 manual.. The gt4 is done, about to go out of production, pretty sure you can't order one. So you'd think in this group the Emira would be far more relevant?

When the you tube journos get them they pretty much live the Emira but it really does seem that it's being kept out of mainstream media.⁷

View attachment 28963

Let's not forget the time that EVO (or maybe more accurately, Jethro) did Lotus dirty with "that review". I can't remember, did he have even a single positive thing to say about the Emira during that entire video? What a bizarre review, looking back, especially considering all the other high praise the car has received from journalists and owners since then. It's almost like he had some kind of personal vendetta or score to settle. In any case, I've heard of other reviewers (such as Jay Emm) getting banned for much less, so it wouldn't surprise me if EVO are now blacklisted.

 

[kitkat]

Let's not forget the time that EVO (or maybe more accurately, Jethro) did Lotus dirty with "that review". I can't remember, did he have even a single positive thing to say about the Emira during that entire video? What a bizarre review, looking back, especially considering all the other high praise the car has received from journalists and owners since then. It's almost like he had some kind of personal vendetta or score to settle. In any case, I've heard of other reviewers (such as Jay Emm) getting banned for much less, so it wouldn't surprise me if EVO are now blacklisted.

I went back to watch it since it's been a long time. Some nice things to say about looks, pricing, engine sound, and steering. The downsides were aging drivetrain, gear shift and front end grip. I think quite a few other reviews both from the press and test drives here touched on the same things and I don't feel like those are being vilified ... 🤔, but maybe y'all are right and Lotus wants reviews with _only_ high praise.

 

[VL3X]

Let's not forget the time that EVO (or maybe more accurately, Jethro) did Lotus dirty with "that review". I can't remember, did he have even a single positive thing to say about the Emira during that entire video? What a bizarre review, looking back, especially considering all the other high praise the car has received from journalists and owners since then. It's almost like he had some kind of personal vendetta or score to settle. In any case, I've heard of other reviewers (such as Jay Emm) getting banned for much less, so it wouldn't surprise me if EVO are now blacklisted.

Phew.. Yeah, those were some dark days when that review dropped. We were all starved for content and knew the press cars were out. Just waiting daily for some content and then the Evo review dropped. It wasn't all bad until the end. I still can't believe they pulled out a Cayman GT4. Even the editing made it seem ominous.

 

[Porter]

I went back to watch it since it's been a long time. Some nice things to say about looks, pricing, engine sound, and steering. The downsides were aging drivetrain, gear shift and front end grip. I think quite a few other reviews both from the press and test drives here touched on the same things and I don't feel like those are being vilified ... 🤔, but maybe y'all are right and Lotus wants reviews with _only_ high praise.

That wasn't the issue that people took with his review. It was his smarmy dismissal of the car and the brand as "sooooo disappointing... ugh just so disappointing" like he was talking about a recalcitrant child that had misbehaved. It was one of the most condescending narratives that I've ever seen delivered by a journalist in ANY sphere of public media.

If EVO had any functioning editorial oversight whatsoever, they would never have published that review, or they would have edited those comments out of it completely, because it makes the whole magazine look like a pack of undisciplined amateurs rather than a respected automotive journalism house.

Criticism is a thing that is sometimes very appropriate, particularly when it's constructive. But verbal condescension toward an entire company full of hardworking and dedicated people because they didn't meet some lofty and non-specific "expectation"? That treads deeply into the realm of inappropriate and paternalistic snobbery.

 

[kitkat]

That wasn't the issue that people took with his review. It was his smarmy dismissal of the car and the brand as "sooooo disappointing... ugh just so disappointing" like he was talking about a recalcitrant child that had misbehaved. It was one of the most condescending narratives that I've ever seen delivered by a journalist in ANY sphere of public media.

If EVO had any functioning editorial oversight whatsoever, they would never have published that review, or they would have edited those comments out of it completely, because it makes the whole magazine look like a pack of undisciplined amateurs rather than a respected automotive journalism house.

Criticism is a thing that is sometimes very appropriate, particularly when it's constructive. But verbal condescension toward an entire company full of hardworking and dedicated people because they didn't meet some lofty and non-specific "expectation"? That treads deeply into the realm of inappropriate and paternalistic snobbery.

Yeah okay, we definitely didn’t interpret it the same way. That’s all a bit too much for me.

 

[freefall_junkie]

Jethro was guilty of some more brattish behaviour in a recent edition of EVO. He was given a guest drive in an M4 at the Nurburgring 24hrs. Clearly out of his depth, It went badly and he crashed the car. The mechanics managed to repair it and get it back on track, only for one of his co-drivers to bin it a few hours later. His closing comment about the race: "Good riddance". What a way to finish the article. I thought it showed a total lack of gratitude and respect to the the team who had bust a gut on his behalf, and you would think the editor would have pointed this out to him.

 

[Magicman]

I went back to watch it since it's been a long time. Some nice things to say about looks, pricing, engine sound, and steering. The downsides were aging drivetrain, gear shift and front end grip. I think quite a few other reviews both from the press and test drives here touched on the same things and I don't feel like those are being vilified ... 🤔, but maybe y'all are right and Lotus wants reviews with _only_ high praise.

Lack off front end grip is an odd one given my road experience. I can't comment on track but on road it's phenomenal. I've seen 1.5g recorded on tight stuff turning in (not sure how accurate they are). I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable pushing car any harder on the road. There's more than enough front end grip!
It does feel a bit floaty darty old school 911 at times (think 997 era) but you sion get used to that.

 

[eriegz]

I went back to watch it since it's been a long time. Some nice things to say about looks, pricing, engine sound, and steering. The downsides were aging drivetrain, gear shift and front end grip. I think quite a few other reviews both from the press and test drives here touched on the same things and I don't feel like those are being vilified ... 🤔, but maybe y'all are right and Lotus wants reviews with _only_ high praise.

Alright, I went back and re-watched it too. He does indeed say a lot of positive things in the video, you're right. Funny that I didn't remember that, though; I only remembered his "so frustrating" verdict. 😄

But after watching it again, I still don't understand how he arrives at that final verdict. Quoting him, throughout the video he says:

• "the whole drivetrain is basically the same as an Evora"
• "it's such a big step on from the Evora. [...] The feeling is so much better, the quality feels better"
• "For the money — for the first time ever — a Lotus feels like a bargain"

So then why is it "so frustrating"? If you liked the Evora (maybe he didn't), then the Emira should be even better, no?

Maybe his expectations were set too high. Even at the start of the video, he seems to be putting a lot of pressure on Lotus and this car:

• "a new dawn for Lotus, for which we need to make no excuses, no apologies"
• "Lotus HAS to deliver"

So basically, anything short of being an atom-for-atom clone of the Porsche Cayman was always going to disappoint him. And that puzzles me, because at the time that this review was filmed, the entire world already knew that Lotus did NOT spend millions of dollars developing a brand new gearbox and engine just for the Emira, and we all understood (well, not Jethro, apparently) that we were going to get basically the same drivetrain as the Evora, and that logically it would perform about the same as the Evora. This was not some big reveal or deception on Lotus' part. So then why the shock from Jethro that Lotus "didn't fix these parts" (my wording) in the Emira? Nobody (again, except for Jethro) was expecting that they would, so I'm not sure where the miscommunication happened at EVO...