📓 Journals Finally, soon no more (a vivid red story)

[seriously]

Deposit placed in February 2022. Forgot about it. Remembered in August 2023 that I had placed an order and got an allocation for an FE2.0 Vivid Red.

Picked up this morning. I’m happy to report that it surpassed my expectations. The color in person is wow. Shade, artificial light, full sun- it’s amazing.

I drove home through traffic and terrible roads. Good to test the sports suspension and cup2s.

My day 1 impressions below.

1. Car is spacious for a two seater, view out front is outstanding.

2. Very happy to report that the gear shift is awesome. Very precise, short with very little play at all. It will take some getting used to but I like it.

3. No problems with the toe box, but it is off center. Don’t care.

4. Clutch point is low. Very easy to be smooth under throttle, harder when driving slow and trying to shift fast. Will need to get used to it.

5. Brakes are interesting. Not sensitive but the initial brake is strong. A lot of room to ease off the brake. It’s not on and off. It’s on and then you can back off the brake pressure and modulate really well! Pretty cool.

6. Steering and chassis I don’t know yet- didn’t get to really get a feel with all the traffic. However the car feels ready to pounce in any direction.

7. Suspension is harsher than I expected but the roads were terrible. I’m reminded why cars like the M3 are incredible in their own way.

8. The sound was the most surprising part. I’ve heard videos but in person it is so good. So much mechanical action and intake, engine, supercharger, exhaust sounds… you can hear it all. It’s a little much but creates a lot of drama. I was not expecting to be so impressed here having watched so many videos. I bet if this was not a Toyota engine but a “lotus” developed engine people would praise it so much more. Artificial shade IMO.

9. Was also surprised that I found the stereo underwhelming. Sound stage was way too forward, but after boosting bass, a huge improvement not just in sound balance but soundstaging. I have thoughts and will play around with it.

10. I was surprised that I didn’t like the seats. Not very supportive and too much cushion in the back. I never really have issues with seats. These were not great.

Overall, I’ve barely got to know the car and haven’t even pushed it much. I was offered a dark verdant at FE1.0 pricing and am glad I passed for this vivid red. I can’t get over how good it looks in person. I think I was so excited today that I’m exhausted now.

More to come as I get to know her. So far all the faults are forgiven in light of what the car does well already…

 

[eriegz]

Deposit placed in February 2022. Forgot about it. Remembered in August 2023 that I had placed an order and got an allocation for an FE2.0 Vivid Red.

Picked up this morning. I’m happy to report that it surpassed my expectations. The color in person is wow. Shade, artificial light, full sun- it’s amazing.

I drove home through traffic and terrible roads. Good to test the sports suspension and cup2s.

My day 1 impressions below.

1. Car is spacious for a two seater, view out front is outstanding.

2. Very happy to report that the gear shift is awesome. Very precise, short with very little play at all. It will take some getting used to but I like it.

3. No problems with the toe box, but it is off center. Don’t care.

4. Clutch point is low. Very easy to be smooth under throttle, harder when driving slow and trying to shift fast. Will need to get used to it.

5. Brakes are interesting. Not sensitive but the initial brake is strong. A lot of room to ease off the brake. It’s not on and off. It’s on and then you can back off the brake pressure and modulate really well! Pretty cool.

6. Steering and chassis I don’t know yet- didn’t get to really get a feel with all the traffic. However the car feels ready to pounce in any direction.

7. Suspension is harsher than I expected but the roads were terrible. I’m reminded why cars like the M3 are incredible in their own way.

8. The sound was the most surprising part. I’ve heard videos but in person it is so good. So much mechanical action and intake, engine, supercharger, exhaust sounds… you can hear it all. It’s a little much but creates a lot of drama. I was not expecting to be so impressed here having watched so many videos. I bet if this was not a Toyota engine but a “lotus” developed engine people would praise it so much more. Artificial shade IMO.

9. Was also surprised that I found the stereo underwhelming. Sound stage was way too forward, but after boosting bass, a huge improvement not just in sound balance but soundstaging. I have thoughts and will play around with it.

10. I was surprised that I didn’t like the seats. Not very supportive and too much cushion in the back. I never really have issues with seats. These were not great.

Overall, I’ve barely got to know the car and haven’t even pushed it much. I was offered a dark verdant at FE1.0 pricing and am glad I passed for this vivid red. I can’t get over how good it looks in person. I think I was so excited today that I’m exhausted now.

More to come as I get to know her. So far all the faults are forgiven in light of what the car does well already…

I'm so appreciative of all the Vivid & Magma Red owners who chose yellow calipers.

 

[Eagle7]

Deposit placed in February 2022. Forgot about it. Remembered in August 2023 that I had placed an order and got an allocation for an FE2.0 Vivid Red.

Picked up this morning. I’m happy to report that it surpassed my expectations. The color in person is wow. Shade, artificial light, full sun- it’s amazing.

I drove home through traffic and terrible roads. Good to test the sports suspension and cup2s.

My day 1 impressions below.

1. Car is spacious for a two seater, view out front is outstanding.

2. Very happy to report that the gear shift is awesome. Very precise, short with very little play at all. It will take some getting used to but I like it.

3. No problems with the toe box, but it is off center. Don’t care.

4. Clutch point is low. Very easy to be smooth under throttle, harder when driving slow and trying to shift fast. Will need to get used to it.

5. Brakes are interesting. Not sensitive but the initial brake is strong. A lot of room to ease off the brake. It’s not on and off. It’s on and then you can back off the brake pressure and modulate really well! Pretty cool.

6. Steering and chassis I don’t know yet- didn’t get to really get a feel with all the traffic. However the car feels ready to pounce in any direction.

7. Suspension is harsher than I expected but the roads were terrible. I’m reminded why cars like the M3 are incredible in their own way.

8. The sound was the most surprising part. I’ve heard videos but in person it is so good. So much mechanical action and intake, engine, supercharger, exhaust sounds… you can hear it all. It’s a little much but creates a lot of drama. I was not expecting to be so impressed here having watched so many videos. I bet if this was not a Toyota engine but a “lotus” developed engine people would praise it so much more. Artificial shade IMO.

9. Was also surprised that I found the stereo underwhelming. Sound stage was way too forward, but after boosting bass, a huge improvement not just in sound balance but soundstaging. I have thoughts and will play around with it.

10. I was surprised that I didn’t like the seats. Not very supportive and too much cushion in the back. I never really have issues with seats. These were not great.

Overall, I’ve barely got to know the car and haven’t even pushed it much. I was offered a dark verdant at FE1.0 pricing and am glad I passed for this vivid red. I can’t get over how good it looks in person. I think I was so excited today that I’m exhausted now.

More to come as I get to know her. So far all the faults are forgiven in light of what the car does well already…

Take some time to use the seat adjustment features. You can stiffen up the back support quite a bit. I've finally got mine where they're actually quite comfortable.

 

[morphious]

I'm so appreciative of all the Vivid & Magma Red owners who chose yellow calipers.

I chose yellow with red calipers, does that count?

 

[eriegz]

I choose yellow with red calipers, does that count?

Awesome, I was just about to ask you! (since you posted only a front shot of your new car) Yellow-with-red crew represent!

 

[seriously]

I'm so appreciative of all the Vivid & Magma Red owners who chose yellow calipers.

Happy to be of service

 

[cdn_alien]

10. I was surprised that I didn’t like the seats. Not very supportive and too much cushion in the back. I never really have issues with seats. These were not great.

I have a similar experience. I love the Recaros in the Evora, and even like the seats in the Elise, despite not having any adjustments at all. But in the Emira, I find the seat back in the lumbar area is pushing in all the wrong places. Mind you, I only have 600 miles on the car, and still making adjustments to find a more comfortable position.

I find moving the seat closer definitely made an improvement, along with just a little lumbar. Next, I hope to increase the recline to see if it takes away that jab in the lower back area.

 

[LuckysDad]

The seats are my biggest complaint.
Sciatic pain, lower back pain, shoulder fatigue, no lateral support.
They're esthetically beautiful but flat and hard.
I'm actually having my upholsterer reform the foam to fit me next week.

 

[Blackthought_]

The seats are my biggest complaint.
Sciatic pain, lower back pain, shoulder fatigue, no lateral support.
They're esthetically beautiful but flat and hard.
I'm actually having my upholsterer reform the foam to fit me next week.

Take some pics of the before and after! Didn’t know this was possible to do. Assuming they need to add more leather or alcantara?

 

[SteveFromNY]

Deposit placed in February 2022. Forgot about it. Remembered in August 2023 that I had placed an order and got an allocation for an FE2.0 Vivid Red.

Picked up this morning. I’m happy to report that it surpassed my expectations. The color in person is wow. Shade, artificial light, full sun- it’s amazing.

I drove home through traffic and terrible roads. Good to test the sports suspension and cup2s.

My day 1 impressions below.

1. Car is spacious for a two seater, view out front is outstanding.

2. Very happy to report that the gear shift is awesome. Very precise, short with very little play at all. It will take some getting used to but I like it.

3. No problems with the toe box, but it is off center. Don’t care.

4. Clutch point is low. Very easy to be smooth under throttle, harder when driving slow and trying to shift fast. Will need to get used to it.

5. Brakes are interesting. Not sensitive but the initial brake is strong. A lot of room to ease off the brake. It’s not on and off. It’s on and then you can back off the brake pressure and modulate really well! Pretty cool.

6. Steering and chassis I don’t know yet- didn’t get to really get a feel with all the traffic. However the car feels ready to pounce in any direction.

7. Suspension is harsher than I expected but the roads were terrible. I’m reminded why cars like the M3 are incredible in their own way.

8. The sound was the most surprising part. I’ve heard videos but in person it is so good. So much mechanical action and intake, engine, supercharger, exhaust sounds… you can hear it all. It’s a little much but creates a lot of drama. I was not expecting to be so impressed here having watched so many videos. I bet if this was not a Toyota engine but a “lotus” developed engine people would praise it so much more. Artificial shade IMO.

9. Was also surprised that I found the stereo underwhelming. Sound stage was way too forward, but after boosting bass, a huge improvement not just in sound balance but soundstaging. I have thoughts and will play around with it.

10. I was surprised that I didn’t like the seats. Not very supportive and too much cushion in the back. I never really have issues with seats. These were not great.

Overall, I’ve barely got to know the car and haven’t even pushed it much. I was offered a dark verdant at FE1.0 pricing and am glad I passed for this vivid red. I can’t get over how good it looks in person. I think I was so excited today that I’m exhausted now.

More to come as I get to know her. So far all the faults are forgiven in light of what the car does well already…

Agree with the braking. Day two of driving and I’ve already gotten used to the modulation and it feels smoother.

The steering and chassis, along with it being my first mid engine car- wow. Can’t believe this is the experience I have been missing all my life. Even during break in, it’s such an engaging experience, esp with the 6 speed. Clutch is easy to modulate, and everything just feels so balanced.

 

[SteveFromNY]

I have a similar experience. I love the Recaros in the Evora, and even like the seats in the Elise, despite not having any adjustments at all. But in the Emira, I find the seat back in the lumbar area is pushing in all the wrong places. Mind you, I only have 600 miles on the car, and still making adjustments to find a more comfortable position.

I find moving the seat closer definitely made an improvement, along with just a little lumbar. Next, I hope to increase the recline to see if it takes away that jab in the lower back area.

I agree with this also. I’ve only driven about 70 miles the past 2 days and I can feel my sciatica flaring up. I haven’t played with the adjustments yet so let’s see.

 

[seriously]

I have a similar experience. I love the Recaros in the Evora, and even like the seats in the Elise, despite not having any adjustments at all. But in the Emira, I find the seat back in the lumbar area is pushing in all the wrong places. Mind you, I only have 600 miles on the car, and still making adjustments to find a more comfortable position.

I find moving the seat closer definitely made an improvement, along with just a little lumbar. Next, I hope to increase the recline to see if it takes away that jab in the lower back area.

It definitely felt like it’s pushing in all the wrong directions. Then I figured out you could reduce the lumbar which was fully extended. However when you deflate it, there is still some default padding that just feels odd. Then the seat pads are super long to where my entire thigh is resting on the seat. I’m thinking… what the hell…are English people built that different? So I’m still playing with the whole thing. Recline, height. I appreciate ANY tips to get this right. Honestly the middle of the seat is jabbing my back. I don’t understand it at all. But I still love the car

 

[seriously]

Agree with the braking. Day two of driving and I’ve already gotten used to the modulation and it feels smoother.

The steering and chassis, along with it being my first mid engine car- wow. Can’t believe this is the experience I have been missing all my life. Even during break in, it’s such an engaging experience, esp with the 6 speed. Clutch is easy to modulate, and everything just feels so balanced.

Mid engine cars have a unique driving dynamic. Under hard braking before a turn you will be pulled to a stop vs having significant nose dive with a front engine car. It’s just an amazing feeling. A little harder to master than front engine I think but a LOT of fun in the twisties.

 

[LuckysDad]

There's a thread pertaining to the seats. https://www.emiraforum.com/threads/seats.4656/
They seem to be a common gripe.
I actually bought a sciatic pillow and it helped A LOT.
Another user posted they had one inch of foam added to the bottom cushion that seemed to help.
He posted a couple photos. Came out pretty good imo.

 

[seriously]

Took my first trip to the local twisties. Good times! Some new observations.

1. Somehow the audio is performing better? I turned up the volume on my phone and played pandora through CarPlay, EDM type music, it sounded fine. I don’t know why but I’ll take it.

2. The chassis felt VERY solid. Usually I think “rigid” like the parts of the frame don’t flex too much, but this felt a bit more like a single block. Perhaps this is the bonded aluminum chassis at play.

3. I found a more comfortable seating position! At the recommendation of another poster I raised the front of the seat, lowered the rear and reclined my seat. I looked like the little AC race car guy and the seat felt much better. It’s a much more racecar like seating position than I’m used to.

4. The seats are woefully inadequate for sideways momentum. Get any sort of hard cornering or switchbacks and the seat is not really holding you in at all. Combined with the solid chassis, I expect carbon buckets or the like would transform the driving experience. I actually like how the seats look. For now I’ll try to seatbelt locking trick and see how far I can get with that…

5. Love the shifter. This is real rifle bolt feeling, different than any other manual I’ve tried and it’s fun.

6. Clutch engagement point still feels low. I’m sure I’ll get used to it but I wonder if it can be adjusted.

7. I can’t stop looking at this car. It’s embarrassing.

I’m planning a 4 day NorCal rod trip with a focus on driving roads. Look forward to testing the long distance and canyon carving abilities. I’ll be fully broken in by the time I get back.

 

[netsinah]

7. I can’t stop looking at this car. It’s embarrassing.

Please take this "seriously" (lol):

I'm opening up the first chapter of the "Embarrassed Vivid Red Emira Club" (aka: EVREC) since I too share your problem/addiction/fetish (take your pick). I'd suggest regular meetings where all Vivid Red Emira owners get together a minimum of twice/week to "drool over" (oooooops) I mean re-TOOL over our mutual craving/fixation/compulsion (take your pick) to see if we can successfully combat this ever-growing and totally unavoidable harmful focus that's bound to jeopardize whatever jobs/marriage/any other relationships (take your pick) we have or might aspire to in the future. Is there a possible class-action against Lotus??? Any class-action attorneys/lawyers/barristers & solicitors (take your pick) in the house? Sigh.

 

[seriously]

Please take this "seriously" (lol):

I'm opening up the first chapter of the "Embarrassed Vivid Red Emira Club" (aka: EVREC) since I too share your problem/addiction/fetish (take your pick). I'd suggest regular meetings where all Vivid Red Emira owners get together a minimum of twice/week to "drool over" (oooooops) I mean re-TOOL over our mutual craving/fixation/compulsion (take your pick) to see if we can successfully combat this ever-growing and totally unavoidable harmful focus that's bound to jeopardize whatever jobs/marriage/any other relationships (take your pick) we have or might aspire to in the future. Is there a possible class-action against Lotus??? Any class-action attorneys/lawyers/barristers & solicitors (take your pick) in the house? Sigh.

Sign me up before it's too late.

 

[netsinah]

Sign me up before it's too late.

Don't kid yourself...it's ALREADY too late...

 

[DPB]

The first step is admitting you have a problem… I’m definitely in need of help.

 

[squish]

Took my first trip to the local twisties. Good times! Some new observations.

1. Somehow the audio is performing better? I turned up the volume on my phone and played pandora through CarPlay, EDM type music, it sounded fine. I don’t know why but I’ll take it.

2. The chassis felt VERY solid. Usually I think “rigid” like the parts of the frame don’t flex too much, but this felt a bit more like a single block. Perhaps this is the bonded aluminum chassis at play.

3. I found a more comfortable seating position! At the recommendation of another poster I raised the front of the seat, lowered the rear and reclined my seat. I looked like the little AC race car guy and the seat felt much better. It’s a much more racecar like seating position than I’m used to.

4. The seats are woefully inadequate for sideways momentum. Get any sort of hard cornering or switchbacks and the seat is not really holding you in at all. Combined with the solid chassis, I expect carbon buckets or the like would transform the driving experience. I actually like how the seats look. For now I’ll try to seatbelt locking trick and see how far I can get with that…

5. Love the shifter. This is real rifle bolt feeling, different than any other manual I’ve tried and it’s fun.

6. Clutch engagement point still feels low. I’m sure I’ll get used to it but I wonder if it can be adjusted.

7. I can’t stop looking at this car. It’s embarrassing.

View attachment 46114

View attachment 46115

I’m planning a 4 day NorCal rod trip with a focus on driving roads. Look forward to testing the long distance and canyon carving abilities. I’ll be fully broken in by the time I get back.

I want to know how you got a pic at Cook’s that didn’t include a hundred motorcycles…