TopGear opinion piece about the Emira steering wheel

[digilotus]

"It’s all very… un-Lotus. The marketing department was allowed to rule the steering wheel committee, and they’ve made a complete dog’s dinner of it."

Opinion: Lotus should reinvent the Emira’s wheel

One small change would make a big difference to the promising new Lotus

www.topgear.com

 

[Leonard]

Im assuming because of the integrated controld this is going to be all but impossible to swap out (if deemed required)
Is anyone aware of other cars that have the same infotainment, but controlled from a different wheel that may be able to be retrofitted?

 

[Tonyshepp]

Im assuming because of the integrated controld this is going to be all but impossible to swap out (if deemed required)
Is anyone aware of other cars that have the same infotainment, but controlled from a different wheel that may be able to be retrofitted?

If its Android Automotive you should just be able to speak to it to enable functions - set cruise at 70, turn volume up etc without the need of the wheel - in theory depends what functions are integrated i guess.

 

[Nick in Sydney]

Couldn't agree more. I've always felt the steering wheel is one of the weakest parts of Emira's interior design. It looks like exactly what it is: a Geely parts-bin special.

 

[Tonyshepp]

Surely after years of prototype driving the engineers would say hey this steering wheel is awful. Did the Evo long trip review say the wheel was crap, the old top gear video said it had a thick rim but didnt say it was impractical.. Only a test drive can confirm suitability to the driver.

 

[virtualmacho]

I would think passenger seat eject would be hardwired into the steering wheel controls. Too risky for voice activation.

 

[Leonard]

If its Android Automotive you should just be able to speak to it to enable functions - set cruise at 70, turn volume up etc without the need of the wheel - in theory depends what functions are integrated i guess.

I guess all be good as long as controling ECU can cope with the wheel connection being 'cut off' All normally codeable

 

[Leonard]

Surely after years of prototype driving the engineers would say hey this steering wheel is awful. Did the Evo long trip review say the wheel was crap, the old top gear video said it had a thick rim but didnt say it was impractical.. Only a test drive can confirm suitability to the driver.

The EVO review mentioed it was pretty bad and too thick. Hopefully the std leather one is a little smaller in diameter as is often the case.

 

[Tommyboy1986]

I like the wheel and also love the interior of my Xc90 so I’m intrigued to know what sort of wheel you guys would prefer ??

 

[Tonyshepp]

The EVO review mentioed it was pretty bad and too thick. Hopefully the std leather one is a little smaller in diameter as is often the case.

There's only so many touchpoints in a car for a driver, door handle , seat steering wheel gear knob etc. I'm still surprised that no one in Lotus said this wheel is dire we need to ditch it, even from peer pressure to keep it.

 

[Nick in Sydney]

 

[mjw930]

There’s no way to swap it out presently without throwing errors. That doesn’t mean someone can’t solve the problem and if they really want to emulate Porsche their “despoke” division should do exactly as suggested and create a “club sport” version. I’m sure they could get the requisite ransom Porsche does, anywhere from $1500 to $7000. https://www.suncoastparts.com/category/981g2spyderintknob250.html

 

[Leonard]

I like the wheel and also love the interior of my Xc90 so I’m intrigued to know what sort of wheel you guys would prefer ??

A round one, that isnt too thick

As far as I can ascertain the Emira one is as it is simply so you can read the digitsal display OK. But then arguably you could put whatever you want on the display as its digital, but wouldnt be best use of the full screen

Im not actually too bothered about this but an overly thinck wheel can be a cause for frustration

 

[DJS]

Nothing wrong with the steering wheel looks perfect to me, FFS it's a steering wheel what next.

 

[Evotion]

What a lot of bollocks. Realy"!??!?? All that for some clickbait.



Yes, it might not completely be to everyone's taste or feel but a lot of us have held it and people who have driven it have told me it is absolutely fine.

It just winds me up when a small percentage thing is mentioned to diminish the strength of the overall package.

"This doesn’t happen in cars where the steering wheel rotates in a fixed circle. Like, just off the top of my head, a Porsche Cayman GTS 4.0. "

Umm. Another clear 'Buy the Cayman" statement. Yes, the Cayman is likely the better car, for most people, given it is a known package but why do we, in this country, always try to knock our top brands for the slightest thing rather than sing about the great stuff, whilst briefly mentioning the other stuff not so good.

Thanks- feel better now.

 

[frazzer]

this is why you need a steering committee

 

[mjw930]

They also got their departments wrong, marketing didn’t spec the wheel, design did.

 

[Leonard]

What a lot of bollocks. Realy"!??!?? All that for some clickbait.



Yes, it might not completely be to everyone's taste or feel but a lot of us have held it and people who have driven it have told me it is absolutely fine.

It just winds me up when a small percentage thing is mentioned to diminish the strength of the overall package.

"This doesn’t happen in cars where the steering wheel rotates in a fixed circle. Like, just off the top of my head, a Porsche Cayman GTS 4.0. "

Umm. Another clear 'Buy the Cayman" statement. Yes, the Cayman is likely the better car, for most people, given it is a known package but why do we, in this country, always try to knock our top brands for the slightest thing rather than sing about the great stuff, whilst briefly mentioning the other stuff not so good.

Thanks- feel better now.

It gets mentioned in regards to BMW Alcantara M Sport wheels all the time. Folk even have them retrimmed and the padding taken out

 

[Evotion]

Yeah, I get that some people will have a preference for a particular shape, diameter, depth and material but my point is mostly about have they not got anything else to say?

Why can't they focus on the new Lotus stitching quality, the cool, sporty feeling of the gear knob, though I'd rather they focus on how the whole car experience adds up to far more than the sum of its parts.

 

[VL3X]

I just read this article too and it is concerning. Rory seemed to have no complaints with the wheel as he whipped it around the track.

Also, what's this about it being impossible to swap out? Typically aftermarket steering wheels are an easy install and the center part with the airbag and buttons remains the same... and the wheels are usually slightly reshaped.