❔ QUESTION Newbie Questions

[drjazzsk]

Hey all! New here. I've only recently started my new car search and came across the Emira. I've been reading through posts and trying to learn as much as I can about it. For those that DD it, how has it been? I'm in So cal, and the 2 dealers here are about 1.5-2 hrs away, so not convenient for any service or issues that might come up. That concerns me a little bit, especially given that it's not a mass produced car. I'm used to my cars being flat bedded in for service but the one place said the cost is on customer. I wonder if it's a warranty issue if they cover that or an update needed etc? I haven't been able to find online what comes with the FE vs the base (the base configurator isn't online). I got a chance to test drive one today. It was a FE V6, touring suspension in seneca blue. Black pack as well. It's almost exactly how I would have specked it. I must say the pics don't do it justice and I thought the pics online looked pretty amazing. It has an even more exotic look in person and it's lower than the pics make it look as well. What I was a little dismayed with was the engine performance and sound. It could use about a 100 hp bump to make it where it should be (perhaps a variant down the road). It for sure is sporty but not a rocket in speed. I didn't get a chance to take it on twisties/curves at high speeds but the power build seemed to come late and not up front. A couple other smaller things like seats were a little stiff and not side bolstered enough, no front lift, no blind spot monitor or parking sensors (or at least I didn't notice them). Ride was comfortable. It does give you that special feeling driving it. I'm a bit torn on whether to order one, although sales rep said it would be 1-2 years to get one. For those that bought in so cal, did you go through Eurocar or Galpin? Eurocar wants 10k dep, galpin 2.5k. I think Galpin wants a 10k markup on any FE, Eurocar not sure. Also since regular service wont be convenient, anyone know of good so cal places for basic lotus service? Anyhow, just trying to gauge people opinions or advice on some of these issues. Thanks in advance!

 

[Speedy Emira]

Hey all! New here. I've only recently started my new car search and came across the Emira. I've been reading through posts and trying to learn as much as I can about it. For those that DD it, how has it been? I'm in So cal, and the 2 dealers here are about 1.5-2 hrs away, so not convenient for any service or issues that might come up. That concerns me a little bit, especially given that it's not a mass produced car. I'm used to my cars being flat bedded in for service but the one place said the cost is on customer. I wonder if it's a warranty issue if they cover that or an update needed etc? I haven't been able to find online what comes with the FE vs the base (the base configurator isn't online). I got a chance to test drive one today. It was a FE V6, touring suspension in seneca blue. Black pack as well. It's almost exactly how I would have specked it. I must say the pics don't do it justice and I thought the pics online looked pretty amazing. It has an even more exotic look in person and it's lower than the pics make it look as well. What I was a little dismayed with was the engine performance and sound. It could use about a 100 hp bump to make it where it should be (perhaps a variant down the road). It for sure is sporty but not a rocket in speed. I didn't get a chance to take it on twisties/curves at high speeds but the power build seemed to come late and not up front. A couple other smaller things like seats were a little stiff and not side bolstered enough, no front lift, no blind spot monitor or parking sensors (or at least I didn't notice them). Ride was comfortable. It does give you that special feeling driving it. I'm a bit torn on whether to order one, although sales rep said it would be 1-2 years to get one. For those that bought in so cal, did you go through Eurocar or Galpin? Eurocar wants 10k dep, galpin 2.5k. I think Galpin wants a 10k markup on any FE, Eurocar not sure. Also since regular service wont be convenient, anyone know of good so cal places for basic lotus service? Anyhow, just trying to gauge people opinions or advice on some of these issues. Thanks in advance!

It all depends on what you want it for. As a fast road car with occasional track use it’s great but if you want a mainly track car go for a GT4. I have fell into the trap many time getting all the track focused upgrades only to ruin the fast road driving on non perfect roads. Was surprised just how comfortable the ride is considering its capability round the bends. On twisty back roads the limit is not the hp it’s the capability of the driver. Of course everyone wants more power but the 460hp 7200 rpm JUBU upgrade isn’t too costly.
Looks wise nothing touches it in the sports category.
Every time I drive it the experience gets better as I learn how far I can take it and at what speed.
I’m really happy with choosing the Emira over the Cayman or F-Type. One thing I can say is there is no perfect car unless money is no object but this hits 9/10 areas for me.

 

[drjazzsk]

It all depends on what you want it for. As a fast road car with occasional track use it’s great but if you want a mainly track car go for a GT4. I have fell into the trap many time getting all the track focused upgrades only to ruin the fast road driving on non perfect roads. Was surprised just how comfortable the ride is considering its capability round the bends. On twisty back roads the limit is not the hp it’s the capability of the driver. Of course everyone wants more power but the 460hp 7200 rpm JUBU upgrade isn’t too costly.
Looks wise nothing touches it in the sports category.
Every time I drive it the experience gets better as I learn how far I can take it and at what speed.
I’m really happy with choosing the Emira over the Cayman or F-Type. One thing I can say is there is no perfect car unless money is no object but this hits 9/10 areas for me.

Thanks for the response. For me it will be a DD only, no track time, but some occasional spirited driving. Most of the cars I've had have been north of 500hp, even for DD. Kinda overkill but makes the commutes fun! Never been a Porsche fan as I want something more unique. I need to look into the JUBU upgrade but in general I avoid any mods as I DD and don't want dealer telling me my mod caused an issue if something goes wrong, especially as a DD. Totally agree on looks...very exotic look for 1/3 the price. They really knocked it out of the park with the looks. It surely hits a lot of what I'm looking for...sporty, exotic, and unique. I worry about the servicing issue as the closest place is 1.5 hrs away and there are no loaners. So that is a bit of a downer. Have you had any issues needing to go to the dealer for? If mine is truly going to be another year out, perhaps as a 2025 version there will be blind spot monitoring (which I felt was needed when driving it) and a front lift. I don't miss having to worry about driveways/bumps etc and having to go 45 degrees out to avoid scrapes etc. Thx again for your insight.

 

[FlyNavy01]

The Emira has ~5 inches of ground clearance in the front and ~5.5 in the rear, similar to any modern sedan like Honda Accord or Tesla Model 3. It does have more front overhang to be sure, but it's probably the least in need of a front lift of any $75k+ sports car I've driven. I highly doubt it will get a lift; it adds unnecessary complexity, weight, and expense for a car like this.

ADAS functionality should still be coming in future model years if you're interested in that. I think I speak for many of us when I say I'm quite glad the first editions will not include it. Much of what entices us to the Emira is the fact that it's one of the few remaining cars that can still provide a mostly old school, analog driving experience without all the modern annoyances. If you want more tech, power, or other driving assistance features, there are much better choices out there, and with stronger dealer networks as well. I understand your attraction to the uniqueness of the Emira, particularly given its looks, but fortunately for us enthusiasts it is still a driver's car first... at least for a little while longer.

 

[drjazzsk]

The Emira has ~5 inches of ground clearance in the front and ~5.5 in the rear, similar to any modern sedan like Honda Accord or Tesla Model 3. It does have more front overhang to be sure, but it's probably the least in need of a front lift of any $75k+ sports car I've driven. I highly doubt it will get a lift; it adds unnecessary complexity, weight, and expense for a car like this.

ADAS functionality should still be coming in future model years if you're interested in that. I think I speak for many of us when I say I'm quite glad the first editions will not include it. Much of what entices us to the Emira is the fact that it's one of the few remaining cars that can still provide a mostly old school, analog driving experience without all the modern annoyances. If you want more tech, power, or other driving assistance features, there are much better choices out there, and with stronger dealer networks as well. I understand your attraction to the uniqueness of the Emira, particularly given its looks, but fortunately for us enthusiasts it is still a driver's car first... at least for a little while longer.

Thx for the reply. Having had low cars before, this just felt lower when driving and the need to be very careful with certain approaches/driveways, curbs etc. can be somewhat mitigated with a lift. It's not a big deal tbh, but it would have been nice.
ADAS: I think I read it had a lot of these already on the car...the only glaring omission was the blind spot, which was significant when driving. I can appreciate wanting a very bare bones car but I'm not sure I understand not wanting all the safety possible, which in many cars can be turned off if wanted. It certainly is a drivers car and great looking one!

 

[Time2Fly]

For my part I really hope ADAS gets turned on. It's really helpful, particularly when backing up in a lot. Too often cars just zip through despite seeing people trying to back up. It's saved me a ton in my Miata.

 

[drjazzsk]

For my part I really hope ADAS gets turned on. It's really helpful, particularly when backing up in a lot. Too often cars just zip through despite seeing people trying to back up. It's saved me a ton in my Miata.

Completely agree...Its saved me several times. Given the driving position and the blind spots with this car, it would make sense. Perhaps they add it later. I don't recall, does the car have parking sensors? I don't recall seeing them.

 

[Time2Fly]

I don't remember seeing them either.

 

[Bilbao-Emira]

Completely agree...Its saved me several times. Given the driving position and the blind spots with this car, it would make sense. Perhaps they add it later. I don't recall, does the car have parking sensors? I don't recall seeing them.

Parking sensors all over. Plus the reverse camera

 

[Jimblob]

I’m 90 mins from my nearest dealer in UK. Reliability has been great for me.

The first time I went back to the dealer was to swap the windows for non-privacy pack (Lotus error)… the second time was around 6 months after delivery for some recall work…

The next time was for its annual service

I think on general roads for 95% of my hornets the tour suspension is great… when really pushing hard you can feel the front not being quite as planted as you’d want - nothing scary it just pushes wide in a gentle predictable manner and I’m not sure if sport fixes that anyway…

Great car. And for the money! Beautiful… I still love it as much as I did the first day a year in.

 

[drjazzsk]

Parking sensors all over. Plus the reverse camera

I was just looking at the pics I took of the car I test drove and I'm fairly certain I see sensors front and back. When I backed up the camera didn't come on and not once did the sensors turn on. Perhaps they were turned off? Aren't these same sensors used to aid the blind spot systems in cars?

 

[drjazzsk]

I’m 90 mins from my nearest dealer in UK. Reliability has been great for me.

The first time I went back to the dealer was to swap the windows for non-privacy pack (Lotus error)… the second time was around 6 months after delivery for some recall work…

The next time was for its annual service

I think on general roads for 95% of my hornets the tour suspension is great… when really pushing hard you can feel the front not being quite as planted as you’d want - nothing scary it just pushes wide in a gentle predictable manner and I’m not sure if sport fixes that anyway…

Great car. And for the money! Beautiful… I still love it as much as I did the first day a year in.

That's great feedback! Thx. The reliability is super important to me as a DD. I drove the touring with the auto transmission and it was really nice. Oddly when I search in the US for the Emira on the various car sites all it seems to list are manual cars. Either no one in the US ordered an auto or perhaps they are being made later similar to the i4? What's even more odd is the test car was an auto...which is what I want. I got lucky with the test car. SA said it was heading back in 2 weeks (I assume to corporate hq).

 

[Bilbao-Emira]

I was just looking at the pics I took of the car I test drove and I'm fairly certain I see sensors front and back. When I backed up the camera didn't come on and not once did the sensors turn on. Perhaps they were turned off? Aren't these same sensors used to aid the blind spot systems in cars?

Trust me, I´ve been using it since March last year. Both parking sensors and reverse camera work great. Blind spot is not featured in V6 FE

 

[drjazzsk]

Does anyone know what’s on a base V6 vs the FE? I dont see this info on the webpage and neither dealership seems to know either. It’s almost as if it’s some sort of secrete. The configurator doesn’t allow one to option out the base to see what the options are or the prices. The whole thing is bizarre.

 

[Beardedbradley]

Does anyone know what’s on a base V6 vs the FE? I dont see this info on the webpage and neither dealership seems to know either. It’s almost as if it’s some sort of secrete. The configurator doesn’t allow one to option out the base to see what the options are or the prices. The whole thing is bizarre.

There is a small piece of info on Lotus site, but nothing great. If you click on each icon it drops down

 

[drjazzsk]

There is a small piece of info on Lotus site, but nothing great. If you click on each icon it drops down View attachment 36047

When I’ve looked at that before it all looks the same. There doesn’t seem to be a difference between the base and FE. I need to look at it again but it looked the same before.

 

[drjazzsk]

btw perhaps this info exists somewhere but why is the i4 DCT and the v6 isn't? DCT's are great in sports cars...super smooth shifts for us going for automatics.

 

[K_Squared]

btw perhaps this info exists somewhere but why is the i4 DCT and the v6 isn't? DCT's are great in sports cars...super smooth shifts for us going for automatics.

The v6 is mated to the Aisin torque converter automatic (I think also sourced indirectly from Toyota that comes along with the V6) whereas the DCT in the i4 is from AMG. I imagine it probably would've been a lot of work and difficult to use the 8 speed DCT with the V6 but I can't state the specific reasons why.

 

[drjazzsk]

The v6 is mated to the Aisin torque converter automatic (I think also sourced indirectly from Toyota that comes along with the V6) whereas the DCT in the i4 is from AMG. I imagine it probably would've been a lot of work and difficult to use the 8 speed DCT with the V6 but I can't state the specific reasons why.

I had read about the Aisin for the v6 somewhere. I’m not familiar if other Lotus cars have ever used dct. Either way it’s odd to me to have different transmissions. Wonder how the dct compares to the aisin? Shift times etc. I really liked my prior car with a dct. Was very impressive. I suspect adapting it for the v6 was more than they wanted to tackle but it would have been worth it.

 

[seriously]

@drjazzsk where/which dealer did you do the test driver with? Was it a manual?