So, having been the proud owner of a Lotus Emira for the grand sum of 4 days, thought I would start a bit of a thread to talk about my experiences with what I can only describe as one of the most beautiful automobiles ever designed and built…
Factory Pickup:
As soon as I knew that factory pickup was an option, and given we are lucky enough to live relatively close (around 3 hours' drive), it was always something we were going to do.
When we arrived, there were lots of Emiras outside awaiting transport (I would estimate something around 100 to 150 vehicles), the vast majority of which were fully covered. There was a good mix of colours, left and right hand drive, some with LOTUS NYO badging (so for Chinese market) and some with the amber reflectors on the front lights (so destined for NA).
We had done a factory tour last year, when production was still ramping up. This time, it was very clear that they were a LOT busier and they are clearly producing more cars now. There were both V6's and I4's being built, and both RHD and LHD.
We did get to see a few different things, but overall was much the same as before, with all the same 'stations' on the line. I highly recommend as well worth doing the factory tour, even if not linked to a car collection, if you can.
Lunch was provided when we arrived, but it was just in the staff canteen. We also got a £50 voucher to spend in the shop - We were going to get some bits anyway, so a bit of 'money off' was a nice little welcome surprise.
Having bought a few new cars over the years, this was by far the best experience, and we were really made to feel special. Kudos to Scott and Sam (and David in the shop).
Overall initial impressions:
Appreciate that our colour choice might be somewhat polarising, but we absolutely LOVE IT in person. The Emira is already a head-turning car, so in Seneca blue with red leather interior, it really stands out - It is a true 'Superman' spec! Also love the red callipers with the black alloys.
After 'unveiling' the car, we were all just in a bit of awe for a few moments, didn't really know what to look at first. Spent a good few minutes having a look around. Beautiful. There is some orange peel in the paint, but I was expecting that, having seen quite a few new Emiras at dealers over the past year or so, but not super bad in my opinion, but I do understand why some people find the orange peel effect a bit of a challenge on new cars (and this is certainly not just a Lotus thing).
Seats:
The seats are overall comfortable, with one caveat - The headrest sticks out too much and is too low (yes I am tall, at 6ft 2in), to such an extent that I feel in touching the top of my shoulders… I can live with it (I knew about this from my very first test drive, and it wasn't enough to put me off), but I am seriously considering taking the car to a car interior upholsterer and having the headrests reduced, some foam removed and leather re-sown as appropriate - I will be having a serious think about this.
My wife is 5ft 4in, so it is important in any car we get that the seats have plenty of adjustment, and the Emira seats certainly do, and the memory function really helps when switching between the two of us.
Interior:
LOVE the red leather!! Honestly, I know it isn't to everyone's taste, but for me I think it really sets the car off as something a bit special. Only observation I have is that the red leather does highlight some of the 'gaps' where some of the various parts join (dash to door gaps especially), which are less noticeable in the black interiors.
The alcantara headlining is lovely - the sun visors are even fully covered (which is not always the case in some other cars) - and they are the right shape and size to be fully useful.
The carpeting is not great quality if I am being critical - I have certainly seen and felt better in other cars - Mostly noticeable on the sills, so may look to do something there at some point (some carbon fibre sill covers perhaps).
There is PLENTY of room inside the car, leg room, head room, seat fore-aft adjustment, also plenty of shoulder room between the seats - It doesn't feel like you are rubbing shoulders with your passenger.
Controls are all nice to use (we have a Volvo XC-90, so there is a familiarity there).
The various lights on the overhead panel are too bright and a little distracting - I have some LightDims at home (stick on semi-transparent plastic) that I will probably place over the top of the lights to dim them down a bit.
Oh, and I have the little stowage net in the passenger footwell.
Infotainment:
This is going to need a bit of getting used to, I think. Seems to work well, nice and responsive, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay have worked fine so far too. The radio in particular seems to be a bit clunky - Wasn't able to figure out how to get any DAB stations on the drive home; had to sit in the car a couple days later and figure it all out… only for all of the stations I had saved as favourites to mysteriously disappear when I then added driver profiles.. Eurghhh, it shouldn't be this difficult, really it shouldn’t! I have re-saved a few favourites now, will have to see if they remain.
KEF Audio:
Honestly, for me, it is perfectly fine - Honestly, perfectly fine. I do tend to drive my sportier cars quite often with no music, preferring to hear the engine/mechanical noises of the machine around me - But I have tried the radio on a couple of drives now and it is perfectly good enough for me - Haven't had to go anywhere near max volume at all. Audiophiles can fill their boots with whatever upgrades they feel necessary, but if you are anything like me, and it is just there for a bit of distraction when on longer drives, I cannot see any need for any sort of 'upgrades' at all.
Steering Wheel Look & Feel:
Love the look of the steering wheel, but isn't as 'easy' to use as a standard circular wheel for sure - Will take a little bit of getting used to, but don't foresee any issues. I was also more aware of the thickness variation around the wheel - Is noticeably more thick at the 3 and 9 positions compared to the rest of the rim, which is noticeable when moving hands around the wheel during tight turns, etc.
I really wish the steering wheel was heated though, have had heated steering wheels in a few cars now, and once you have had it, you really do miss it in the winter months!
Steering Wheel Controls:
As suspected would happen, I have accidentally brushed the touch controls on the steering wheel a couple of times already - I will have to be conscious of hand placements when driving this car, and will perhaps be considering the change to the physical buttons only controls on the wheel, but will see how we get on.
Engine:
Difficult to say too much just yet, as am still very early on in the break-in, so still keeping it below 4k RPM. However, even at that low range, the car clearly has some urgency - In Tour, with very little throttle (say around just 10% to 20% throttle), the car will push forward with some gusto… Cannot wait to really be able to open it up on full throttle.
You can really hear the engine noise from within the cabin - The turbo 'whoosh' is a full-on jet engine sound! The only negative for me is a slight ticking sound from the engine - I have been told that these engines can make such noises naturally (possibly from the injectors), and maybe I am being overly sensitive to it, but am thinking I may try and hear a few more, perhaps go for a test drive in a dealer demo and see if it sounds the same. I can live with it if it is 'normal', just want to make sure I don't have any underlying early engine problems (dash read-out reports the engine oil level is fine).
Gearbox:
Lots has been said in various reviews about a 'delay' to the gear changes with the DCT box, but in my initial drives, keeping under 4k RPM, I have not experienced any unexpected delays when using the paddles. I honestly can't see this becoming a problem when I start to increase the engine revs after break-in.
Just one note, there was some initial clunking coming from the drivetrain within the first few miles, especially when coming to a complete stop at the first couple of junctions/roundabouts, but this settled down pretty quickly during the initial drive home, so I am putting this down to everything just initially bedding in.
The process of having to pull/push the gear lever twice (firstly to go into neutral, then a second time to go into gear) is a strange design choice and slightly annoying, but will no doubt get used to it pretty quickly.
Continued...
Factory Pickup:
As soon as I knew that factory pickup was an option, and given we are lucky enough to live relatively close (around 3 hours' drive), it was always something we were going to do.
When we arrived, there were lots of Emiras outside awaiting transport (I would estimate something around 100 to 150 vehicles), the vast majority of which were fully covered. There was a good mix of colours, left and right hand drive, some with LOTUS NYO badging (so for Chinese market) and some with the amber reflectors on the front lights (so destined for NA).
We had done a factory tour last year, when production was still ramping up. This time, it was very clear that they were a LOT busier and they are clearly producing more cars now. There were both V6's and I4's being built, and both RHD and LHD.
We did get to see a few different things, but overall was much the same as before, with all the same 'stations' on the line. I highly recommend as well worth doing the factory tour, even if not linked to a car collection, if you can.
Lunch was provided when we arrived, but it was just in the staff canteen. We also got a £50 voucher to spend in the shop - We were going to get some bits anyway, so a bit of 'money off' was a nice little welcome surprise.
Having bought a few new cars over the years, this was by far the best experience, and we were really made to feel special. Kudos to Scott and Sam (and David in the shop).
Overall initial impressions:
Appreciate that our colour choice might be somewhat polarising, but we absolutely LOVE IT in person. The Emira is already a head-turning car, so in Seneca blue with red leather interior, it really stands out - It is a true 'Superman' spec! Also love the red callipers with the black alloys.
After 'unveiling' the car, we were all just in a bit of awe for a few moments, didn't really know what to look at first. Spent a good few minutes having a look around. Beautiful. There is some orange peel in the paint, but I was expecting that, having seen quite a few new Emiras at dealers over the past year or so, but not super bad in my opinion, but I do understand why some people find the orange peel effect a bit of a challenge on new cars (and this is certainly not just a Lotus thing).
Seats:
The seats are overall comfortable, with one caveat - The headrest sticks out too much and is too low (yes I am tall, at 6ft 2in), to such an extent that I feel in touching the top of my shoulders… I can live with it (I knew about this from my very first test drive, and it wasn't enough to put me off), but I am seriously considering taking the car to a car interior upholsterer and having the headrests reduced, some foam removed and leather re-sown as appropriate - I will be having a serious think about this.
My wife is 5ft 4in, so it is important in any car we get that the seats have plenty of adjustment, and the Emira seats certainly do, and the memory function really helps when switching between the two of us.
Interior:
LOVE the red leather!! Honestly, I know it isn't to everyone's taste, but for me I think it really sets the car off as something a bit special. Only observation I have is that the red leather does highlight some of the 'gaps' where some of the various parts join (dash to door gaps especially), which are less noticeable in the black interiors.
The alcantara headlining is lovely - the sun visors are even fully covered (which is not always the case in some other cars) - and they are the right shape and size to be fully useful.
The carpeting is not great quality if I am being critical - I have certainly seen and felt better in other cars - Mostly noticeable on the sills, so may look to do something there at some point (some carbon fibre sill covers perhaps).
There is PLENTY of room inside the car, leg room, head room, seat fore-aft adjustment, also plenty of shoulder room between the seats - It doesn't feel like you are rubbing shoulders with your passenger.
Controls are all nice to use (we have a Volvo XC-90, so there is a familiarity there).
The various lights on the overhead panel are too bright and a little distracting - I have some LightDims at home (stick on semi-transparent plastic) that I will probably place over the top of the lights to dim them down a bit.
Oh, and I have the little stowage net in the passenger footwell.
Infotainment:
This is going to need a bit of getting used to, I think. Seems to work well, nice and responsive, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay have worked fine so far too. The radio in particular seems to be a bit clunky - Wasn't able to figure out how to get any DAB stations on the drive home; had to sit in the car a couple days later and figure it all out… only for all of the stations I had saved as favourites to mysteriously disappear when I then added driver profiles.. Eurghhh, it shouldn't be this difficult, really it shouldn’t! I have re-saved a few favourites now, will have to see if they remain.
KEF Audio:
Honestly, for me, it is perfectly fine - Honestly, perfectly fine. I do tend to drive my sportier cars quite often with no music, preferring to hear the engine/mechanical noises of the machine around me - But I have tried the radio on a couple of drives now and it is perfectly good enough for me - Haven't had to go anywhere near max volume at all. Audiophiles can fill their boots with whatever upgrades they feel necessary, but if you are anything like me, and it is just there for a bit of distraction when on longer drives, I cannot see any need for any sort of 'upgrades' at all.
Steering Wheel Look & Feel:
Love the look of the steering wheel, but isn't as 'easy' to use as a standard circular wheel for sure - Will take a little bit of getting used to, but don't foresee any issues. I was also more aware of the thickness variation around the wheel - Is noticeably more thick at the 3 and 9 positions compared to the rest of the rim, which is noticeable when moving hands around the wheel during tight turns, etc.
I really wish the steering wheel was heated though, have had heated steering wheels in a few cars now, and once you have had it, you really do miss it in the winter months!
Steering Wheel Controls:
As suspected would happen, I have accidentally brushed the touch controls on the steering wheel a couple of times already - I will have to be conscious of hand placements when driving this car, and will perhaps be considering the change to the physical buttons only controls on the wheel, but will see how we get on.
Engine:
Difficult to say too much just yet, as am still very early on in the break-in, so still keeping it below 4k RPM. However, even at that low range, the car clearly has some urgency - In Tour, with very little throttle (say around just 10% to 20% throttle), the car will push forward with some gusto… Cannot wait to really be able to open it up on full throttle.
You can really hear the engine noise from within the cabin - The turbo 'whoosh' is a full-on jet engine sound! The only negative for me is a slight ticking sound from the engine - I have been told that these engines can make such noises naturally (possibly from the injectors), and maybe I am being overly sensitive to it, but am thinking I may try and hear a few more, perhaps go for a test drive in a dealer demo and see if it sounds the same. I can live with it if it is 'normal', just want to make sure I don't have any underlying early engine problems (dash read-out reports the engine oil level is fine).
Gearbox:
Lots has been said in various reviews about a 'delay' to the gear changes with the DCT box, but in my initial drives, keeping under 4k RPM, I have not experienced any unexpected delays when using the paddles. I honestly can't see this becoming a problem when I start to increase the engine revs after break-in.
Just one note, there was some initial clunking coming from the drivetrain within the first few miles, especially when coming to a complete stop at the first couple of junctions/roundabouts, but this settled down pretty quickly during the initial drive home, so I am putting this down to everything just initially bedding in.
The process of having to pull/push the gear lever twice (firstly to go into neutral, then a second time to go into gear) is a strange design choice and slightly annoying, but will no doubt get used to it pretty quickly.
Continued...
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