New Schmee Video

[Pegasi]

Is it just me or it seems like both Harry (Harry's garage) and these folks seem a little underwhelmed by the performance of this car?

I wondered about this. But to me, these reviews where they invite the "press" are always kind of neutral. Maybe they don't want to seem like they are over hyping the car while they are standing in the face of Lotus staff.

 

[EM33RA]

I wondered about this. But to me, these reviews where they invite the "press" are always kind of neutral. Maybe they don't want to seem like they are over hyping the car while they are standing in the face of Lotus staff.

These guys have been in everything under the sun from the finest Hypercars to people movers. A 4 second car ain’t going to wow them from a performance perspective. I’m in line for an Emira and it’s performance won’t wow me either, but the overall package and stunning looks do.

Neither should it matter, you can have a 10 second Audi RS3 with less than 8k in mods, doesn’t mean much except for the owner that loves it the way I see it.

 

[TomE]

On the topic of Sport vs Touring is there any consideration to resale value?

Could there be a cost to one or the other in post FE releases?

Is one or the other even going to be a consideration to an FE buyer down the road considering how limited they’ll be?

Unlike Manual vs Automatic where some folks can’t even drive a stick…

I live in Chesterfield so the peaks are on my doorstep and there are some bad roads granted, but then there are some good roads. You will always doubt your decision no matter what suspension you get - wish i could have gone sports , or would touring have been more comfier on this road. I'm of the opinion that if people aspire to the sportiest Porsches with sports suspension then surely the same is true for Lotus. And lets be honest unless you have a really soft sprung car you are going to feel the bumps. How gutted would you feel if you found out sports suspension was a £1000 option on a base car but touring was free

I’d caution you not to try and read across from another manufacturer’s strategy, such as Porsche. Lotus really want people to spec the suspension that suits their usage and that’s why both are the same cost on the V6 First Edition. The component counts and costs are the same, so the only reason to price it differently on Base Edition will be perception not cost or drivability. About 60% of Emiras so far have been specified with Touring, so there will be similar numbers of both setups second hand and clearly demand for both.

The roll you see in the video is designed in and, as Dan says, is to give the driver another cue about speed and corner force. Lotus will have designed it (like the Evora) to roll a certain amount and then stiffen up. So you get the physical indication of cornering but then it doesn’t wallow. This is actually a much better experience for a regular driver, as it helps you understand the physics of the car. They do describe how amazing the front end grip and handling appears to be.

When Jean Marc Gales became CEO of Lotus he insisted the Elise couldn’t be sold with a Touring suspension and had to be Sport only, because it was a sports car. They gave him an unlabelled car to use for a few weeks. After he’d raved about the handling they pointed out it was “only Touring” and both options stayed on sale, with Touring selling more than Sports.

On Monday I borrowed an Evora GT410 Sport (equivalent to Emira Sport suspension) to run for a couple of hours back to back with my Evora S (same as Touring). I remain convinced that Touring is the better setup for fast driving on UK mixed surface roads and long distance road trips plus the occasional track day.

Sport is OK on the road but even on a well-surfaced but undulating road the extra stiffness is apparent. It’s a level of extra jigging that I’d find annoying on a long trip on highways or single carriageways. And my passenger didn’t like it. Cross-country and pressing on, the Sport sometimes broke traction on rough, off-camber or pot holed roads, so although the driving feel is slightly more direct it’s actually a bit more frustrating. On public roads where you can’t drive 10/10ths (or even 8/10ths) I don’t think you’re getting much advantage with Sports and quite a few compromises.

But to some extent we’re splitting hairs. If you only drove Sport you’d be happy with it. And if you had Touring and never knew about Sport you’d be very happy too. Owners of Evora S generally don’t say “I wish it had stiffer suspension” and Evora 410 owners don’t complain about crashiness and their fillings falling out.

 

[Pegasi]

The roll you see in the video is designed in and, as Dan says, is to give the driver another cue about speed and corner force. Lotus will have designed it (like the Evora) to roll a certain amount and then stiffen up. So you get the physical indication of cornering but then it doesn’t wallow. This is actually a much better experience for a regular driver, as it helps you understand the physics of the car. They do describe how amazing the front end grip and handling appears to be.

I am not disagreeing with this explanation as I don't have the expertise being a beginner track driver. But my understanding is that being able to corner a car is all about understanding how it's weight will shift (among other things but you get my point). Meaning when the car weight shifts that is an opportunity to loose grip because weight is shifting from one side of the car to another and from back to front while under lateral G forces.

This weight shift that Lotus has built in I am sure is the best in the industry but they can't get around physics. It seems that the only way for this being a better experience for regular drivers is because they will go slower or do I not understand something???

 

[kbhoz]

I have ordered touring - if it is not to my liking then I will get new shocks (or other components) later on as the US aftermarket will flood us with options.
Does anyone know if the ApplePly/ Android Auto is wireless?

 

[FederGigant]

I am not disagreeing with this explanation as I don't have the expertise being a beginner track driver. But my understanding is that being able to corner a car is all about understanding how it's weight will shift (among other things but you get my point). Meaning when the car weight shifts that is an opportunity to loose grip because weight is shifting from one side of the car to another and from back to front while under lateral G forces.

This weight shift that Lotus has built in I am sure is the best in the industry but they can't get around physics. It seems that the only way for this being a better experience for regular drivers is because they will go slower or do I not understand something???

Weight will shift either way regardless of the roll, but if the car rolls a bit more, it‘s easier for you to feel how the weight shifts and how the car behaves, so it‘s easier to drive near it‘s limits and gives you more room to play.

 

[TXEMIRA]

I’m nervous just getting her in my garage. Forget about the track!

 

[Leonard]

Having watched the Schmee and Harry videos back to back. The Sport suspension car looks faster and more direct. The body roll of the touring car transitioning from loaded up to straightening up looked excessive. This is why I like my trick magnaride or valved suspension systems, best of all worlds.
If the sports suspension isn't actually a superior damper rather than just revised damper and spring rate, why is it a more expensive option?

 

[ADC]

Having watched the Schmee and Harry videos back to back. The Sport suspension car looks faster and more direct. The body roll of the touring car transitioning from loaded up to straightening up looked excessive. This is why I like my trick magnaride or valved suspension systems, best of all worlds.
If the sports suspension isn't actually a superior damper rather than just revised damper and spring rate, why is it a more expensive option?

Well... it isn't more expensive... yet.

If swapping springs and dampers (and bushes, and ARBs, and... ) after the fact isn't ruinously expensive, I think I'm game to chance it with the firmer setup, even on Britain's decidedly average roads. I really appreciated @TomE 's great yarn about touring probably being the smart choice for a mostly-road car (for the UK), but I've always been a bit of a contrary bugger, and I do wonder if The Jiggles (TM) is part of what makes a sports car feel sporty...

That said, I couldn't stand how granite-hard my (pre fancy magnetic dampers) Audi was riding over poor surfaces, and swapped in softer Eibach springs (countered by ARBs as thick as your arm ) and Koni dampers, because day-to-day roadholding matters...

Dammit... now I'm back to where I started. NFI. < cries >

 

[Tonyshepp]

Car Magazines review, on YouTube of the Evora 410 Sport says though the ride has lost a bit if suppleness with the sports suspension it would put a lot of normal cars to Shame how well it rides...... Just saying..

 

[Pegasi]

Weight will shift either way regardless of the roll, but if the car rolls a bit more, it‘s easier for you to feel how the weight shifts and how the car behaves, so it‘s easier to drive near it‘s limits and gives you more room to play.

Ok, I still agree but this further confirms my spec. Sports suspension. No roll for me.

 

[Leonard]

Car Magazines review, on YouTube of the Evora 410 Sport says though the ride has lost a bit if suppleness with the sports suspension it would put a lot of normal cars to Shame how well it rides...... Just saying..

More praise for the 410 Sport suspension