Last Minute Auto Wobble…Is i4 the right choice?

Emira2023

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Hello all,

I have been an avid reading of the forum after taking the plunge mid August last year. Originally set on a V6 Auto but reading about the box I got ‘put off’ and decided to switch to an i4.

The ADAS not coming until (maybe?) i4 release also made a difference - this will be a long term car so getting it speced for a daily was a factor.

Now wondering if I will miss the V6 sound and if the i4 will be missing that ‘special sauce’. I also don’t think I can live with a manual - had a cayman loaner with a manual box and it seemed heavy going for me personally after driving ZF & PDK autos for years.

Any input on this welcomed…talk some sense into me! Maybe the i4 will be best but I have nagging doubts and know the V6 sounds amazing. Had 6 cylinders for the last 12 years and don’t want to miss that noise if the i4 isn’t close.

Bottom line - is the V6 auto a compromise and should I go i4 for the dual clutch…?

Thanks for keeping me entertained on the forum whilst I wait for my shadow-black pack-diamond cut-black leather Emira.
 

Jonhklee

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I am waiting for i4, but still waiting for how the M139 sounds in the Emira. The only sound we heard so far is from the V6; some reports suggests the i4 is throaty too - but unconfirmed.

The AMG cars with M139 used to sound good (on the inside anyway) before a change in EU regs needing to add PPF to the exhaust (so time will tell).
The DCT is a very effective unit from what I can see and the M139 can easily be mapped. Manuals are the enthusiast choice and certainly last of the lot….
For me, the base spec V6 could still tempt me away from i4 - really depends on price point and how the i4 sounds
 

PaperLawyer

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I've been i4 since I placed my desposit in July of last year. However, last week I decided the car isn't going to be my daily driver and that there will inevitably be faster i4 variants, if maximum speed on the track is wanted (and I will almost certainly not track mine - I much preferred driving a hired caterham over my beloved S2000). I'm buying the car as a "last of the breed" purchase and ultimately the V6 is on borrowed time - so I changed my order to the V6 last week. Ultimately it was a weigh up (for me) of 10/10ths speed vs. aural enjoyment and gear changing tactility on the road. Oh, and it meant budget creep (again!) which I decided to suck up.
 
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Emira2023

Emira2023

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I am waiting for i4, but still waiting for how the M139 sounds in the Emira. The only sound we heard so far is from the V6; some reports suggests the i4 is throaty too - but unconfirmed.

The AMG cars with M139 used to sound good (on the inside anyway) before a change in EU regs needing to add PPF to the exhaust (so time will tell).
The DCT is a very effective unit from what I can see and the M139 can easily be mapped. Manuals are the enthusiast choice and certainly last of the lot….
For me, the base spec V6 could still tempt me away from i4 - really depends on price point and how the i4 sounds
There is a start up of an i4 mule on the ‘Lotus : A New Dawn’ video that did the rounds a while back. Not sure how close to the final sound that would have been though…
 

JimH

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I'm going from V6 IPS Evora (with all of the software updates so it's a pretty good transmission in any case, and it has auto-blip in sport mode!) to i4 FE Emira - I'm happy with auto boxes/flappy paddles for normal road use and have had several VAG DCT cars (VW and Cupra) in the past which have been great - hopefully the Mercedes DCT will be as good (and it has 8 gears)!

I'm confident that Lotus will have tuned their bespoke i4 exhaust to make the best of the 4-pot M139 sound.

You also get "more torques" and a 0-60 time so close to the V6 as makes no real-world difference, as well as a lower centre of gravity and, probably, slightly less weight as the rear subframe is alloy for the i4. Maybe even a better view in the rear view mirror without the Supercharger in the way too!

The fact that the price, the first-year road tax (UK) and fuel consumption (probably) will all be lower are bonuses too, but not my main reasons for choosing i4.

Cue the V6 manual brigade "gearbox and sound" comments below..... ;)
 
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Emira2023

Emira2023

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I've been i4 since I placed my desposit in July of last year. However, last week I decided the car isn't going to be my daily driver and that there will inevitably be faster i4 variants, if maximum speed on the track is wanted (and I will almost certainly not track mine - I much preferred driving a hired caterham over my beloved S2000). I'm buying the car as a "last of the breed" purchase and ultimately the V6 is on borrowed time - so I changed my order to the V6 last week. Ultimately it was a weigh up (for me) of 10/10ths speed vs. aural enjoyment and gear changing tactility on the road. Oh, and it meant budget creep (again!) which I decided to suck up.
I think a test drive is the only real way of deciding ultimately…I guess we will just have to hold on until the demo cars are available and see…although I doubt a V6 Auto will be available early on, let alone an i4…
 
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Emira2023

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I think a test drive is the only real way of deciding ultimately…I guess we will just have to hold on until the demo cars are available and see…although I doubt a V6 Auto will be available early on, let alone an i4…
Thanks for all the comments…still in two minds…heart says i4, head says V6 manual…there are worse decisions to have to make though!
 

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I think a test drive is the only real way of deciding ultimately…I guess we will just have to hold on until the demo cars are available and see…although I doubt a V6 Auto will be available early on, let alone an i4…
There will be V6 Auto demo cars at the same time as the V6 Manual demo cars, around late June/early July. The i4 demo cars will be later by about 3-5 months, but hopefully some journalist reviews before then.
 

Eagle7

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As far as sound, I know the first batch of V6 FE's won't have to have the gas particulate filter, but unless I'm mistaken I think everything afterwards, especially the i4's do have to have them?

When Chevy brought the first euro-spec Z51 C8 over to the U.K., I believe it was Car & Driver that did a road test, and the car had the required filter on it. It lowered the hp from 495 to 480, and definitely had an effect on the exhaust, giving it a muted effect.
 

Jonhklee

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As far as sound, I know the first batch of V6 FE's won't have to have the gas particulate filter, but unless I'm mistaken I think everything afterwards, especially the i4's do have to have them?

When Chevy brought the first euro-spec Z51 C8 over to the U.K., I believe it was Car & Driver that did a road test, and the car had the required filter on it. It lowered the hp from 495 to 480, and definitely had an effect on the exhaust, giving it a muted effect.
That’s actually a good point - so FE V6 will sound different to BE V6?
 

Eagle7

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That’s actually a good point - so FE V6 will sound different to BE V6?
It probably will unless Lotus can somehow change the exhaust to compensate, but that might not be possible. So far from what I've seen and read, the filter does change the sound of the exhaust.
 

NickR

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I think a test drive is the only real way of deciding ultimately…I guess we will just have to hold on until the demo cars are available and see…although I doubt a V6 Auto will be available early on, let alone an i4…
A V6 auto will be. My local dealer is getting one in June if you wanted to test drive it
 

TomE

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Will that depend on the destination country?
I'm pretty sure it doesn't vary by country. I've not asked that specific question, but did ask "which cars will have a particulate filter and which will not".
 

First Lotus

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That's right, no filter on the V6 FE but will be on the i4 FE and Base Edition cars.
Do you know for sure if it's not on ALL V6 FE? I've had an email saying to expect mine in summer 23 and I'd hate to be disappointed with the sound compared to other FEs
 

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I was told there was no filter fitted to the V6 FE - no caveats or conditions with the answer given to me.
 

Eagle7

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No particulate filters for the US?
Not for the V6 FE. Regulations and requirements are tightening in the U.S. too, so the ICE vehicles in the future will probably have to have those here as well. This may be one of the reasons why U.S. auto manufacturers are dropping their ICE models and going all electric now, to avoid having to spend the money on ICE technology which only has a few more years left (from a manufacturing standpoint) anyways.
 

switchlanez

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So has it been explicitly stated this canned response from Lotus reps no longer holds true for US BE V6?

There is NO Petrol Particulate Filter on the V6 engine, it has three Cats though now, same as the US spec. The I4 AMG engine DOES have a PPF plus catalytic convertor.

I googled for any updates on gasoline particulate filter (GPF) US regulations and couldn't find any. Couple articles as recent as April 2022 stating US doesn't require GPFs and compares data to China and EU. And this:

Gasoline particulate filters are not expected to be widely adopted in North America, where particle emissions are regulated through mass-based PM limits only. The US Tier 3 PM limit of 3 mg/mi, as well as the 2025 California LEV III limit of 1 mg/mi will likely be met through in-cylinder control technologies.

I'd like to know if law has changed recently but can't find it.
 

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