So I got to take a test drive.... :)

[Maurice R]

Same applies down the chain to the Elise/Exige. And then we simply get a go kart.

It's all relative. If one suffers from FOMO, reads every review out there and want instant gratification...Emira seems not to be the best choice.

Nothing beats a go kart for sheer exhilaration and adrenaline rush.
I raced 250cc WKF for many years.
Body cannot handle the beating up anymore

 

[Next Decade]

It will come "soon"

I really shot myself in the foot on this one lol. Had to get past several recent unexpected events.

Now, the time driven hype and anticlimactic ideas (mentioned above) make me question worthwhile of everything.

 

[NicolasB]

I really shot myself in the foot on this one lol. Had to get past several recent unexpected events.

Now, the time driven hype and anticlimactic ideas (mentioned above) make me question worthwhile of everything.

Don't worry about it; we're good here.

 

[Zardoz]

I would assume that this demo car is making the rounds at Lotus dealers in the US? Can anyone confirm this?
If so, is there a schedule of where it is expected to go & when?

 

[Maurice R]

I would assume that this demo car is making the rounds at Lotus dealers in the US? Can anyone confirm this?
If so, is there a schedule of where it is expected to go & when?

Car was in TX for test drives.
Was told on Saturday it was going back to Michigan to be serviced. Then going to othe dealerships for drives.
Was not where or the dates.
Try contact your dealership, they should be able to let you know when they are getting it.

 

[RENDERMAN]

Advertised 0-62mph is 4.3s for the manual. I think 0-60 is either 4.1 or 4.2s. But achieving this in the real world will be a clutch burner and need ideal conditions.

A more realistic figure will be 4.5-4.7s. The auto IPS with launch control will provide much more consistent (and much faster) 0-60 times than the manual.

That's why I'm getting the I4, I'm going to beat ya'll

 

[VL3X]

Car was in TX for test drives.
Was told on Saturday it was going back to Michigan to be serviced. Then going to othe dealerships for drives.
Was not where or the dates.
Try contact your dealership, they should be able to let you know when they are getting it.

Needs service already? 😳

 

[Maurice R]

Needs service already? 😳

Apparently so. Some minor issues and too many people doing the test drive.
I even saw one genius who had never driven a manual stalling and then jerk, jerk, jerk before he even got off the dealer lot. Was laughing so hard, my bad but it was funny.
Thought Lotus rep was going to have a heat attack.

 

[TomAce]

I now had a chance to test-drive the Emira and it was a blast to drive!

Observations:

Steering wheel first feels a little weird but you get used to it very quickly. Alcantara feels very good, first time for me and I’m glad I chose the Alcantara wheel.

Seats: They feel quite comfortable actually, I first thought they were bolstered a little too hard. But driving was ok, lateral support could be better, but Alcantara keeps you in place.

Placing of the pedals in the LHD is very centered I would say, it's the opposite direction of that in my M2's seating position, but no real issue for me, after some minutes you don't notice it anymore.

Gear changing is also better than I felt when I first tried to shift, it’s really good, but the shift action has to be deliberate.

Seats and shifting were my main concerns in advance. That’s fine for me now.

Engine power is ok, it’s a totally different power delivery though if you are used to Turbo-engines. Throttle response is quite crisp, especially on-off throttle, big advantage against Turbo-engines.

Weird though is the rev limit of approx. 6800rpm, you just feel that the engine wants clearly to go beyond that limit and that’s the reason you have no good natural feeling for the rev limiter to be honest. That needs to be sorted out later on, I guess Komo-Tec will have an answer for that finally.

This Emira was equipped with the Sport suspension and it’s brilliant. It’s so compliant that I personally can’t think of ever needing the Tour suspension (keep in mind the streets in Germany seem to be much nicer than in UK).

It has so much grip with the Cup 2’s, it just grips and is very confidence inspiring so you want to explore more and more of it.

It’s a real grown-up car, no toy I would say. In comparison to the Alpine A110 is true, it’s more planted and not so playful, but it’s nevertheless quite engaging. And you have a stick. And you also feel the car want to rotate if you lift the throttle.

Sound inside of the cabin is also nice. You really hear that supercharger-whine and in Sport you also hear the V6 sound, but it all comes from behind. For all of you who are not familiar with mid-engined cars.

All in all I will say the want is strong.

And then the looks. My god, it’s so stunning and all the people staring at you when you come along. It’s like driving an UFO.

It’s really special.

 

[VL3X]

I now had a chance to test-drive the Emira and it was a blast to drive!

Observations:

Steering wheel first feels a little weird but you get used to it very quickly. Alcantara feels very good, first time for me and I’m glad I chose the Alcantara wheel.

Seats: They feel quite comfortable actually, I first thought they were bolstered a little too hard. But driving was ok, lateral support could be better, but Alcantara keeps you in place.

Placing of the pedals in the LHD is very centered I would say, it's the opposite direction of that in my M2's seating position, but no real issue for me, after some minutes you don't notice it anymore.

Gear changing is also better than I felt when I first tried to shift, it’s really good, but the shift action has to be deliberate.

Seats and shifting were my main concerns in advance. That’s fine for me now.

Engine power is ok, it’s a totally different power delivery though if you are used to Turbo-engines. Throttle response is quite crisp, especially on-off throttle, big advantage against Turbo-engines.

Weird though is the rev limit of approx. 6800rpm, you just feel that the engine wants clearly to go beyond that limit and that’s the reason you have no good natural feeling for the rev limiter to be honest. That needs to be sorted out later on, I guess Komo-Tec will have an answer for that finally.

This Emira was equipped with the Sport suspension and it’s brilliant. It’s so compliant that I personally can’t think of ever needing the Tour suspension (keep in mind the streets in Germany seem to be much nicer than in UK).

It has so much grip with the Cup 2’s, it just grips and is very confidence inspiring so you want to explore more and more of it.

It’s a real grown-up car, no toy I would say. In comparison to the Alpine A110 is true, it’s more planted and not so playful, but it’s nevertheless quite engaging. And you have a stick. And you also feel the car want to rotate if you lift the throttle.

Sound inside of the cabin is also nice. You really hear that supercharger-whine and in Sport you also hear the V6 sound, but it all comes from behind. For all of you who are not familiar with mid-engined cars.

All in all I will say the want is strong.

And then the looks. My god, it’s so stunning and all the people staring at you when you come along. It’s like driving an UFO.

It’s really special.

View attachment 9858

Excellent! Glad you finally got to drive one. Looking forward to my turn in a few days. 🤞🏼

 

[Eagle7]

So far so good. All the forum members who've driven the production model seem to be impressed (except for emiras pain). Looks like a genuine winner!

 

[Leonard]

So far so good. All the forum members who've driven the production model seem to be impressed (except for emiras pain). Looks like a genuine winner!

I'm hoping Komotec get a car ASAP so we can see what's possible in regards to chassis and engine set up. That would definitely help quel a few demons 😈

 

[Eagle7]

I'm hoping Komotec get a car ASAP so we can see what's possible in regards to chassis and engine set up. That would definitely help quel a few demons 😈

Yes, but only for those few who are demon possessed....

 

[Leonard]

Yes, but only for those few who are demon possessed....

My only real concerns at this point are seats (sure I can live with them), Rev range which everyone comments on and understeer, again which everyone comments on.
Hoping a simple geo set up will sort the understeer and a remap will unlock 410bhp+ and the elusive 7200rpm.
Obviously we 'all' need to sort the 3rd decat out as well as part of the above to sort out the slight reduction in noise. For those of us that are that way inclined of course 😉👹

 

[eriegz]

Yes, but only for those few who are demon possessed....

Damn, Eagle is on fire today! Any more burns and you'll have to change your name to "Phoenix7"! 😆

 

[TomAce]

My only real concerns at this point are seats (sure I can live with them), Rev range which everyone comments on and understeer, again which everyone comments on.
Hoping a simple geo set up will sort the understeer and a remap will unlock 410bhp+ and the elusive 7200rpm.
Obviously we 'all' need to sort the 3rd decat out as well as part of the above to sort out the slight reduction in noise. For those of us that are that way inclined of course 😉👹

Well, this seems to be the journey you're about to take when getting a Lotus. You'll end up modifying it sooner or later.

Well, at least I'm that kind of person I suppose.

What you get with the Emira FE V6 is truly engaging grown-up car which probably is best compared to the Evora 400 regarding weight and power. The spiced up variants GT410 and further have already been treated with weight saving measures that do not apply to the First Edition and it remains to be seen if there ever will be those variants for the V6 to be honest.

But you already have the car and can then later on decide which route to take. And it's also nice to be here and see the progress, the first companies to make aftermarket solutions for the 3rd cat delete for example.

At the moment I think the sport suspension is the sweet spot for me, there is no need to lower it, of course 10-15mm would be perfect, but ride and handling is great as it is. It's so compliant, it rides so well that my M2 with M-Performance suspension just cannot keep up with, it's harder although I already have an daily setup with softer compression and rebound . It gets evident when you drive them back to back on the same roads. It just doesn't feel so composed as the Emira does. You just feel that there are no compromises regarding the suspension because it's the core DNA from Lotus that is incorporated in the chassis.

I recall a video from savagegeese when they tried to describe the feeling they have driving the Cayman GT4 (981) and ended up with: "It feels somehow like a Lotus does." Biggest compliment ever.

I just thought about why Lotus is putting their tank right in the middle, behind / beneath the seats. This must have a reason as this probably will have the least effect on driving behaviour when nearly empty or fully filled. It's these details that only come to my mind when comparing it to a Porsche with a fuel tank in front of you (think of 90L of fuel) which will have an effect if driven in anger.

And it's the same with my VX220 Turbo, same recipe. Same position of the fuel tank. And nearly same recipe for the whole chassis. It just feels familiar to me when watching the video of how the Emira is built. There is so much racing pedigree that's still in the product as there is still the team behind it.

A true Lotus. For the drivers.

 

[RENDERMAN]

Agreed but it's all personal preference. I opted for black pack on my Seneca. I think it looks sleeker and lower. But it also has to do with wheels. Solid blue with full silvers IMO is a beautiful and bright combo, but I like how the black pack flows with the black and diamond wheels. Either way it's one of the most beautiful vehicles ever made IMO.. Just wearing different dresses. 😉

View attachment 9338

That's a spooky image, is that you VL3X? if so, I would put 666 just below the first edition badge from the police album Ghost in the machine! I actually had that on a Camaro back in the 80s