Lotus Emira vs Porsche 718

[supersix]

Looks like Lotus is going right after the Porsche 718/Cayman. How do you think it compares?

 

[Rob340R]

Gayman - common , built by VW , boring , generic looks , everyone has one , overgeared in 6 cylinder form. Problematic engines - a friend recently bought a new GT4 and had to get a new engine BEFORE delivery as there were a batch with bad conrods!

Emira - rare , supercar looks , ultra reliable V6 capable of simple upgrades, usual Lotus superior dynamics and wow they look good .. did I mention that , plus great community and events for Lotus here in Oz

that’s my choice made

 

[eclat2emira]

Gayman - common , built by VW , boring , generic looks , everyone has one , overgeared in 6 cylinder form. Problematic engines - a friend recently bought a new GT4 and had to get a new engine BEFORE delivery as there were a batch with bad conrods!

Emira - rare , supercar looks , ultra reliable V6 capable of simple upgrades, usual Lotus superior dynamics and wow they look good .. did I mention that , plus great community and events for Lotus here in Oz

that’s my choice made

Sold!

 

[Thedailyemira]

Gayman - common , built by VW , boring , generic looks , everyone has one , overgeared in 6 cylinder form. Problematic engines - a friend recently bought a new GT4 and had to get a new engine BEFORE delivery as there were a batch with bad conrods!

Emira - rare , supercar looks , ultra reliable V6 capable of simple upgrades, usual Lotus superior dynamics and wow they look good .. did I mention that , plus great community and events for Lotus here in Oz

that’s my choice made

I find that when I meet Lotus people, they are super nice and willing to chat, I know a lot of Porsche owners and there is such a mix in the groups, id have to say 50% of them are arrogant and the other half are actual enthusiasts. Im also hating the whole exclusivity club with Porsche to buy a GT car, they have turned into a ferrari type dealer so thats put me off the brand a little lately which has been tough because I've always strived towards owning a 911, either a Turbo or more in the recent 5 years a GT3.
Ive always loved Lotus, but the spartan interior has put me off in the past, Im impressed by the Emira package and look forward to being part of the Lotus community in Melbourne and attending the odd track day.

 

[Rotary Wolf]

Cross shopping the Emira with the Porsche

718 Spyder

 

[PaulP]

I find that when I meet Lotus people, they are super nice and willing to chat, I know a lot of Porsche owners and there is such a mix in the groups, id have to say 50% of them are arrogant and the other half are actual enthusiasts. Im also hating the whole exclusivity club with Porsche to buy a GT car, they have turned into a ferrari type dealer so thats put me off the brand a little lately which has been tough because I've always strived towards owning a 911, either a Turbo or more in the recent 5 years a GT3.
Ive always loved Lotus, but the spartan interior has put me off in the past, Im impressed by the Emira package and look forward to being part of the Lotus community in Melbourne and attending the odd track day.

I had always aspired to a 911 - was actually shopping 911 vs. taycan last month or so but the attitude of dealers soured me. Sorry but I'm not looking to join some I'm better than you social club I just want to buy a beautiful and fun car. Canceled my 911 inquiry and here I am with a deposit for my first lotus.

As to the 718, I've never driven one and I'm told they drive beautifully, but looking at them just does nothing for my soul. I have found over the years when I buy a car that doesn't speak to me it gets resold quickly. My current 4 series I went and test drove and ordered (for European delivery) the day I saw a review on Tv about it, I just fell in love immediately.

Same exact feeling for this Lotus - love at first sight. Something special about that.

 

[Paul845]

I had always aspired to a 911 - was actually shopping 911 vs. taycan last month or so but the attitude of dealers soured me. Sorry but I'm not looking to join some I'm better than you social club I just want to buy a beautiful and fun car. Canceled my 911 inquiry and here I am with a deposit for my first lotus.

As to the 718, I've never driven one and I'm told they drive beautifully, but looking at them just does nothing for my soul. I have found over the years when I buy a car that doesn't speak to me it gets resold quickly. My current 4 series I went and test drove and ordered (for European delivery) the day I saw a review on Tv about it, I just fell in love immediately.

Same exact feeling for this Lotus - love at first sight. Something special about that.

I've been trying for years to get into a GT4 but to no avail. Bought two Porsches now from the same dealer and still no joy, so thats me done with them.
I've always liked the lotus brand but never took the plunge as I see them more as track cars and all my cars previously and going forward have and will be daily drivers. The Emira now ticks that box as well. Drove a couple of Caymans and yes, dynamicaly they are superb but that flat four engine is just not a nice sound or feeling. Had a couple of hours in the new 911 992 4S and it is something else.
The Emira is literally drop dead gorgeous and pretty much as close to a super car as I'll ever get to, so they've now got my money and I'll hunker down for the long wait!

 

[George Theodore Lymberaki]

Gayman - common , built by VW , boring , generic looks , everyone has one , overgeared in 6 cylinder form. Problematic engines - a friend recently bought a new GT4 and had to get a new engine BEFORE delivery as there were a batch with bad conrods!

Emira - rare , supercar looks , ultra reliable V6 capable of simple upgrades, usual Lotus superior dynamics and wow they look good .. did I mention that , plus great community and events for Lotus here in Oz

that’s my choice made

Fully agree

 

[klho001]

Next week should be interesting when Porsche reveals this concept at IAA2021. Many believe it's the - or could be the basis for- next cayman/boxster, whether in hybrid or EV guise...(ICE unlikely)

 

[VL3X]

Caymans are great cars, but they are everywhere. I would never consider a Cayman an "exotic" but I would certainly feel comfortable referring to an Emira as an exotic.

The Caymans will certainly be a bit more refined and have slightly better build quality... and better dealer support and a larger aftermarket offering... however, the Emira will likely be more reliable long term (at least the V6 engine), geared a bit better (shorter) than the 4.0 GTS and GT4, and looks wayyyy better and has a better community (as far as I can tell).

I was shopping for a 981 GT4 for a couple years before the Emira was unveiled.. prices skyrocketed this past year and the Emira is a no brainer in this price range (as long as they keep it reasonable and don't start creeping over ~95k).

 

[mr_joshua]

This past weekend I started watching a million Cayman GT4 reviews online to try and get a better feel of what to expect from the Emira. At first I was a little put off by the Emira's stated 0-60 as "less than 4.5s" but while watching the Carwow review of the Cayman GT4, he couldn't get the 0-60 below 4.3 even after several runs and warming up the tires. I've read and heard the Cayman is a brilliant drivers car and have every reason to believe that coming from Porsche. I must say though, the GT4 looks like a 15 yo was asked to design a 911 - and accordingly added wings and sharp skewps and imprinted "GT4" all over the place. The Emira just screams... "class". And if the performance is on par (or hopefully exceeds) with that of the GT4, it's one hell of a package.

 

[Pegasi]

I had been trying to talk myself into the Cayman GT4. The main draw was my understanding that it was an easy car to track in that you didn't need to do anything to it. I have never tracked a car but I no longer work on them so all I wanna do is drive now. I have been thinking Cayman GT4 for about 6 months now. I just saw the Lotus (online) Saturday (two days ago) for the first time. Put my deposit down today. I do plan on tracking it a little and don't mind working on it at all. Funny how a car can move you.

 

[Rotary Wolf]

This is a rendering of the replacement Porsche Cayman / Boxster coming around 2023 / 24

 

[Rotary Wolf]

This is a rendering of the replacement Porsche Cayman / Boxster coming around 2023 / 24

Must admit I would consider a Emira convertible as it would suit our weather here in Queensland

 

[PaulP]

This is a rendering of the replacement Porsche Cayman / Boxster coming around 2023 / 24

Ugg the square lines are not to my taste at all.

 

[irishboy77]

This is a rendering of the replacement Porsche Cayman / Boxster coming around 2023 / 24

it's nice... similar look to the R8. still prefer the Emira though!

 

[DJS]

I actually just got out of my 911 992 and sold it for more than I paid for it over a year ago due to the crazy used car prices. I think the V6 FE Emira actually sits perfectly between the 718 cayman and the 911 992 and I’m not sure there is another competitor in this bracket. This time next year Lotus will be doing the same road show with their new all electric SUV I would expect a lot of interest in this car so get your deposits ready

 

[pcarguy]

So I am a very happy owner of a 718 Cayman GTS4.0. Most enjoyable car I've owned. Also own a Panamera Turbo, and a 911 TTS on the way this spring.
I had an order for a Spyder but I determined it wouldn't get up my driveway, and while I was prepared to have to live with physically inserting a key into the ignition (no "Porsche Entry & Drive" available in GT cars), I realized the GTS4.0 was the car I really wanted..
Gearing: yes its long gearing but I've learned to love it, easily the car I've enjoyed "driving fast" the most, I find myself downshifting quite a lot from 4->3 and 3->2. Heck, if I do a 180 turn at 20mph, I downshift to 1st. It's a marvelous car. It's not the fastest sports car out there, but I love love love the sensation of cornering in that thing. And perhaps oddly, I appreciate the "under the radar" nature of the Cayman. I think the beauty of it is very subtle and doesn't turn heads like a Ferrari.
The 718 Cayman is what brought me to Lotus. Always wanted an Elise but didn't want to deal with a used one. I'm very excited to get into the Emira. I have to believe the driving experience is at least on par in sporty driving.
I'm just hoping the Emira scratches a couple itches I have for the Lotus brand, something slightly more exotic, and in dark green!
So to answer your question, yes, the Emira does seem terribly similar to the Cayman, but I suspect that's a good thing. And is probably why I have an order for one.

 

[DrNio13]

In the Swiss market Porsche offers 2+2 years of guarantee, if i remember correctly, and you can optionally extend it to a Porsche approved after that. In my opinion that is the main drawback of the Emira at the moment (only 3 years guarantee).

Also, Caymans don't have modern interior, so the bar is too low in my opinion. AMG models or Audi RS models have much better interior than Caymans, in my opinion ofc.

Edit: Apart from the guarantee, Emira looks super fresh and exotic. I am very excited to switch to Lotus. I was on the market for a Porsche

 

[First Lotus]

I've sat in a lot and driven a few less Porsches. GT4, GT3, turbo s, endless 911s. Don't ask em what 'dot X' they are... They're all the same to me. But I have always found the interior (especially the seats) exceptional in all of them. I don't expect the emira to be in the same league tbh. I am buying an emira for reasons that porsche could never overcome... The emira is unique and individual. There are simply too many Porsches out there for me to want to own one. If the emira is even 80% of the level of the porsche interior, I for one will be a very happy man.