Let's talk about the new bonnet/hood seal

[Leonard]

If Lotus were cheeky then they will leave a setting we can easily modify via ODB2 that enables 7000rpm redline at the expense of (slightly) increased emissions.

That is what it is at end of day and why it bugs me!!!! 🤣

 

[Leonard]

Can I add a black pack rear “LOTUS” to the front there and on the top of the windshield too please?

#ForTheBrandMarketing

Have you seen my Yaris...

 

[TomE]

@TomE, speaking of oil dipsticks...

I couldn't find it in the Emira as yet... do you have a photo of where the engine oil dipstick is?

I HATE electronic oil level indicators with a passion!

It's under an access flap in the engine bay between the engine and the cabin bulkhead - I think it's the right hand one (looking forwards)

 

[~el~jefe~]

I like thigh-gaps and hood gaps.
I think it looks rather sexy.

 

[~el~jefe~]

Have you seen my Yaris...View attachment 6857

oh goodness man. that thing is butt ugly!

cool car though

 

[John 1963]

I'm really not liking what I see from this design change. It's a problem for me, as a customer. Ruins the design of the front of the car in my opinion, and at this point it's all I can see in pictures.

Here, on the stand at Goodwood:
View attachment 6779

And here, on a Nimbus example:
View attachment 6780


It should look like this (below), because this is how it was designed. This rubber seal is not good in my opinion, and the cynic in me guesses it's to fill a gap created by body panels that were delivered significantly out of spec.

View attachment 6784

I don't understand why they didn't keep the gap short like the prototype cars, and simply add a plastic trim element to the rear of the hood at the cowl to adjust the gap there. Fill it with black plastic on the back side, nobody cares there - it hits free air. At the front it's a dramatic style change, and not for the better.


Thanks to those I stole images from, Lots_of_Trouble (from here) and Darren Jones-Molyneux (on FB).

It spoils the look of the front and over time that rubber trim will discolour and stand out even more that plus the gear change being from first impressions on trying on the stand more snatchy than the evora I run makes the car diminish in my eyes

 

[John 1963]

Have you seen my Yaris...View attachment 6857

There’s a car with a proper gear box a joy to use -thinking the emira will with its stiff long travel clutch and gravelly change will make you pick the Yaris every time - the Yaris to drive and save yourself 50 k

 

[Leonard]

There’s a car with a proper gear box a joy to use -thinking the emira will with its stiff long travel clutch and gravelly change will make you pick the Yaris every time - the Yaris to drive and save yourself 50 k

I do need to drive the Emira now and will take it from there. Needs to be useable enough and special enough to have as a weekend car that I enjoy taking out. I haven't dismissed an Exige or 410 Sport etc either yet

 

[Evotion]

I did an online spec for the Yaris GR and contacted Toyota to give me a call as I wanted one.
They never got back to me.. Then I saw my limited edition C63 and bought that instead as my daily fun. Still, I assume there was a waiting list and I could not have just picked one up.

 

[Pav]

It spoils the look of the front and over time that rubber trim will discolour and stand out even more that plus the gear change being from first impressions on trying on the stand more snatchy than the evora I run makes the car diminish in my eyes

Diminish. Interesting word. I had similar feelings about my Emira on the drive back in my Yaris. That's a £33k car and the interior is just better put together even if the materials are relatively basic. The gear change is great. I really want to want the Emira still. Overall I probably still do. But I was underwhelmed with the Emira interior if that's truly close to production, the seats are ok but no more, little things like the HVAC knobs are too easy to wobble with your thumb and forefinger (and Shmee love-him-or-hate-him is 100% right they are way too close to the centre console). I came away thinking it all just felt a bit built to a price, if you look really closely beyond the materials and KEF logo. The Yaris does not feel like that but maybe that's Toyota just having the years of experience etc.

Back to the topic. I wanted to think the bonnet rubber was a non-issue but the fact I could put my finger under one end and flap it about was laughable, this is ONE YEAR since I put my deposit down. They're not making it easy to commit to £80k by sticking a bit of £2 rubber seal on it. That's very 'old Lotus' in my IMHO. It's not an engineering solution. With delivery moved from August to October I am definitely wobbling like that air con control.

 

[Pav]

I did an online spec for the Yaris GR and contacted Toyota to give me a call as I wanted one.
They never got back to me.. Then I saw my limited edition C63 and bought that instead as my daily fun. Still, I assume there was a waiting list and I could not have just picked one up.

I asked the Toyota bod on the stand if they can still be ordered. She said you can put your name down but at the moment they are not taking orders. They 'may build some if enough people want them but they may not' was the line. Then in an almost off the record type of way she pretty much said it's unlikely.

 

[Leonard]

I did an online spec for the Yaris GR and contacted Toyota to give me a call as I wanted one.
They never got back to me.. Then I saw my limited edition C63 and bought that instead as my daily fun. Still, I assume there was a waiting list and I could not have just picked one up.

The Toyota D2C model isn't much better than the Lotus one to be honest. The difference though is they have a more engaged dealer network still and once you place your order you at least get access to a tracker and app to follow your car build process

 

[Leonard]

Diminish. Interesting word. I had similar feelings about my Emira on the drive back in my Yaris. That's a £33k car and the interior is just better put together even if the materials are relatively basic. The gear change is great. I really want to want the Emira still. Overall I probably still do. But I was underwhelmed with the Emira interior if that's truly close to production, the seats are ok but no more, little things like the HVAC knobs are too easy to wobble with your thumb and forefinger (and Shmee love-him-or-hate-him is 100% right they are way too close to the centre console). I came away thinking it all just felt a bit built to a price, if you look really closely beyond the materials and KEF logo. The Yaris does not feel like that but maybe that's Toyota just having the years of experience etc.

Based on all the feedback out there, I was suprised by how good the interior was on the 2021 Evora I sat in. Couldn't really see a problem with it bar the unintegrated infotainment.
I think we just need to wait and see again with Emira until we can sit in and drive actual production cars. I cant see it changing that much though now

 

[kratedisease]

OMG !! how does anyone expect the aftermarket accessory manufacturers to be able to make a living UNLESS Lotus leaves some areas for them to offer aftermarket accessories,..... like a possible color matched rubber piece ????

Yah know, the aftermarket needs to be able to make a living also, offering parts to fix up what the OEM's obviously and INTENTIONALLY left for them to work on !!

Everyone should be thanking Lotus for leaving this black rubber line so that the aftermarket manufacturers can make and sell replacement parts so that they can feed there kids and send them to college !!.

 

[KJD]

It's under an access flap in the engine bay between the engine and the cabin bulkhead - I think it's the right hand one (looking forwards)

View attachment 6906

On the 2GR engine the dipstick is in the yellow circle area. Presume that plastic panel pops off easily for access as the dipstick handle is a few inches down there.

Also, there will have to be a way of checking other fluid levels.

On the Evora 400 they were in the circled areas:
Blue - engine coolant header tank
Red - chargecooler header tank
Green - power steering fluid tank

So logically all that plastic surround needs to come off fairly easily.

 

[TomE]

Slightly up and left of your yellow circled area is the flap (with two recesses) for the dipstick I believe - or the similar flap on the left. The whole dark grey engine surround is easily removed for access.

 

[MCS]

Do you ever get the feeling that some of us may be overthinking things 🤣

 

[emiraspain]

There’s a car with a proper gear box a joy to use -thinking the emira will with its stiff long travel clutch and gravelly change will make you pick the Yaris every time - the Yaris to drive and save yourself 50 k

I understand completely what you are saying... but I completely disagree, with respect.. haha.

The yaris does have a decent shift, not that mechanical... or yes, but mechanical in a plasticy way I would say, good and quite short for that sort of a car. HOWEVER, like a none car enthusiast female friend of mine said once, when a guy came to see my lotus Elise for sale and in the end decided to keep his, "souped" (im hungry) and suspensioned up (school day memories) MX5 special edition instead of buying the lotus, which he later regretted ..

she said.... "at the end of the day, its a mazda"

That says it all for me. GR Yaris is a good car compared to the Yaris.. but inside, it is still a yaris and is a HORRIBLE place to be, full of cheap crappy tacky plastic. Info entertainment from 10 years ago. You sit so high up, I felt I was on harry's farm not harry's garage (that just came to me, quite happy with that one!!!)

It has a manufactured noise and even with the miracle of science and fakeness, its not a shadow on the V6's real noise.
Looking at the two cars externally, well, do I even need to continue with that one...

the ONLY reason I would take they keys to my GR, if I had not sold it asap, would be as its easier to park and if it gets scratched, I wont be as annoyed. ☔ and its good in the wet

 

[digilotus]

Slightly up and left of your yellow circled area is the flap (with two recesses) for the dipstick I believe - or the similar flap on the left. The whole dark grey engine surround is easily removed for access.

I hope the whole engine shroud can be quickly removed and put in storage without it looking unfinished. This would leave the engine more open like in the Evora which is fine by me.

 

[VL3X]

View attachment 6924

This is all I see...