The great big "all the customer test drives" thread

[Lotus64]

It’s definitely not as raw as the gt.
Handling is great I think maybe a little less twitchy and smoother but it was touring suspension
GT is much harder ride which I personally prefer.

Can confirm all this. My GT feels just a bit more raw. Could have a lot to do with my louder exhaust (3rd cat delete) and ~20 extra HP. The Emira I drove was Tour with Goodyear and my GT has the Cup2s. Big difference there.

A more fitting comparison to the rawness of the Evora GT would be the Emira sport, as the Emira sport is noticeably more raw / engaging than the Emira touring.

Also, the Emira has larger front wheels and a greater contact patch than the Evora, which would dilute the transient responses even if everything else stayed the same between the two models. An Evora GT on wider 20s would lose some rawness.

 

[Callabrator]

So I was near the DFW dealer today for a work lunch and decided to test drive the Emira again (auto this time). With fresh eyes, I liked more! The interior on this one seemed better screwed together, but that's likely because by my salesman's estimation it's had like 1/2 the number of lifetime test drives compared to the manual. This one was on the sports suspension, which I preferred. My only complaints about it now are that the seats really are not to my liking (don't hold me in at all, and sit too high) and for the straight line speed (and redline) you get, it's expensive.

A nice surprise was the auto transmission was reasonably snappy. Not quite a match for the ZF in my Supra, and def not the 911's PDK, but it's far from bad. I think folks who ordered the auto will be happy with it. That said, I will still get mine in manual.

And speaking of the 911, I was also able to drive a base 911 922 PDK they had in stock back to back with the Emira. The 911 was nice, but didn't get me all fizzy. Maybe because it was black on black, with the basic interior, but it just felt like a pretty nice luxury car...except some of the touch points felt cheap, like the interior door handles in plastic. I know they can be covered in leather or something else, but that comes as part of a package for like +$5k...like everything on a Porsche.

 

[fast_driver]

I just had a chance to test drive a V6 Manual with Touring Suspension. Here’s my thoughts:

Pros:
+looks the business. Just stunning in person!
+sounds excellent, both inside and outside the car
+infotainment is totally fine and feels like a modern car
+stereo is surprisingly good (not that I really care)
+the power is sufficient, and feels about as fast as my Supra.
+the manual is great, although not one you can instantly snap into gear. No real complaints though.

Cons
-no other way to put it other than the seats suck! You sit WAY too high and there is basically 0 bolstering. Worst seats of any sports car I’ve ever sat in. I’d replace them immediately (I’m 6’0 185lbs)
-fit and finish is fine, but nowhere near Porsche. They had a 718 GT4 in their inventory and that feels like a full class up in terms of interior quality. Pushing on various parts of the interior doesn’t have the solid feel you get from a Porsche, or even a BMW.
-the redline is too low. Just as the car got on boil, I hit the limiter.
-shockingly, the steering is merely good, not spectacular. It’s very direct, and has some feel, but I recall the old Evora had better steering. Maybe I'm just expecting too much here?

So at this point, I’m glad that my position in line puts me still ~1 year out so I have time to think about it. I also feel like I’m getting old and opinionated…

Something sounds wrong. Emira uses hydraulic steering, and every journalist or YouTube reviewer rave about the steering feel. There is no way the steering is 'merely good'

 

[Callabrator]

Something sounds wrong. Emira uses hydraulic steering, and every journalist or YouTube reviewer rave about the steering feel. There is no way the steering is 'merely good'

Yeah, I hear you. I’ve watched basically every video on YouTube about the Emira, and most reviews do rave bout the steering. Jason Cammisa is an exception though, which before driving the car, I thought his feelings were…odd…but after driving it, I see what he means. https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxZVElryblEtf7tILkRJJ1IhvBoNHrQLr8?si=hMap-iV8ZnGIgJ2d

It’s worth rewinding a bit and watching the entire Emira segment. Lots of praise for the car.

 

[Pegasi]

Yeah, I hear you. I’ve watched basically every video on YouTube about the Emira, and most reviews do rave bout the steering. Jason Cammisa is an exception though, which before driving the car, I thought his feelings were…odd…but after driving it, I see what he means. https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxZVElryblEtf7tILkRJJ1IhvBoNHrQLr8?si=hMap-iV8ZnGIgJ2d

It’s worth rewinding a bit and watching the entire Emira segment. Lots of praise for the car.

I believe Lotus "softened" the right aspects of the car to make it appeal to the masses and allow people to daily drive it. I think the steering is one of those things that Lotus softened just right so you don't feel like you are fighting the car or that you need to have both hands on the wheel. The extra width of the chassis and the tires I believe helped achieve this when comparing to the Evora.

 

[HeReigns]

After having a deposit since 7/2021 it was great to finally experience the car at Lotus of Scottsdale this morning. I drove a Magma red, manual, touring suspension, ice gray leather, silver wheels. My wife and I drove our 2022 C8 corvette there so we could get a good feel for the difference.

They allowed my wife and I to go out in the vehicle for about 15 minutes which was nice. We put it in track mode, windows down and off we went. Not many roads with curves other than a few round abouts. First thing that stuck out to me was how nice a place to be the interior was. Roomy, classy seemed like decent build quality. I forgot how close and small the pedals were. Took a minute to get comfortable. I love the mechanical feel of the clutch and shifter. It really adds to the experience. It seems like it would take some time to get really good at driving the Emira fast and around turns. I raced up and down Hayden road to see if i got the same feeling as what I got in the Evora Gt I test drove last year. The Emira seems like a more comfortable, softer Evora Gt. The edginess of the Evora Gt seems to be dialed out of it. It felt like about 80% of the Evora Gt from the steering, noise and handling department. So, yes I got most of the feeling that I had in the Evora Gt.

It seems like a perfect road car not really a track car. Maybe it was the touring spec. You get good sound, road feel, fun at fairly legal speeds, great looks and comfort. I really enjoyed it and my wife loved it. She liked the noise of the vehicle at wide open throttle to the 6800 rpm and that she could feel everything that was happening from the passengers seat. I told her with a 3rd cat delete and the sport suspension with the Michelin tires it will be even more enthralling.

When mine arrives I will be doing the 3rd cat delete and the remote to keep the baffles open. Hope fully this test drive holds us over for the next 4 months. On the 25 minute drive home in the C8 it felt a little numb, isolated and kind of like a luxury cruiser compared to the Emira.

 

[ESPREE]

I just took my second Emira test drive... and noticed that the supercharger whine is MUCH quieter on this second one. Anyone else notice this? The first was a V6 manual with sport suspension, and the second was a V6 auto with touring. Both were in "sport" mode when driving.

Not that you can hear it in this vid, but it was a nice-looking Hethel Yellow this time around:
PS: The auto was better than I expected, but the manual is no question the way to go for me!