What things annoy you on Emira?

[Russc]

The seats, not dropping low enough

 

[Stevie I wonder]

The red "fighter jet"cover really annoyed me,as it just looked so out of place in my car with the yellow calipers and yellow stitching,so I repainted it to suit...much better!

 

[Rorie]

Overall the Emira I just got has been excellent. Homelink worked better than my Porsche. Manual transmission shifts really well. Engine power is pretty good once off the mark. KEF was surprisingly good given all the comments about it. KEF is way better than my Mini Harmon Karden. Only issues I have had is some wind noise from the driver's side window. The trunk at times getting stuck (I just put pressure on it and use the unlock button and that works). And I noticed when it rains, and you open the trunk, most of the water lands on the super charger but some does dribble into the boot/storage.

The headrests are too large, and start to dig into my shoulder blades. Doing "breast reduction" on them in the spring to make it more comfortable. For now I just try to recline the seat in order to not feel the headrest.

But given this is a Lotus, really little to complain about. Car drives wonderfully. Gets lot of attention as it is just beautiful. And price was excellent given its competitors. Lotus got it right with the Emira.

 

[Rorie]

The red "fighter jet"cover really annoyed me,as it just looked so out of place in my car with the yellow calipers and yellow stitching,so I repainted it to suit...much better!

Drove 16k miles in 4 months.

actually annoying:
-trunk sometimes opens when the car is on. I always have to turn the car off. Not sure what’s going on with it
-carplay crashes on roadtrips or just crashes in general (fix is just to get gas so the car resets on/off)
-lagging screens and input lag
-no tire temps (even tho its the same sensor as the supra that has temps)
-any tow hook or license plate on the front throws the driver front sensor
-auto highbeams (even tho they have the hardware for it already installed on the car. 2026 has it)

would be nice:
-360 camera
-blind spot assist
-parking brake moved to the center next to gear shift
-temps don't have an option to make it accurate
-limited trunk storage because of heat
-wheel buttons not touch buttons (can be replaced. aftermarket)
-Proximity unlock door/trunk (I understand the security need but it would be nice just to have it default off with a warning when you turn it on. or at least have it timed where after x hours it doesn't work)
-Auto Brake Hold (this is software update they can easily add. in tour on red lights just engage the parking brake. you can just do this at each red light but would be nice to have automated)
-customize modes
-customize track dash to show tire pressure when navigating
-adaptive cruse control (only miss it when there is traffic and 2026 has it)
-LSD option for autos (there is aftermarket for both v6 and even i4 now)
-rear tow hook?
-usb in glove box
-wireless charging somewhere (aftermarket fix)
-easier way to open the front
-remote hold button to roll windows up or down
-remote start
-lotus app to track: gas/millage/car-gps/key/unlock/press to start
-better cooling (fixed in 2026 models)

I am quite surprised they did not offer:

-360 camera
-blind spot assist

I mean how much more weight would that be? And rear visibility is not terrible because the mirrors are excellent. But even so, blind spot and 360 would have been really nice to have.

 

[Rorie]

Top of the seat only comes up to my neck. Extremely awkward.
Seats have way too much "fluff" and the bolstering crap.
Seating position makes my knees touch under the dash / steering sometimes.

I hear you. I am going to get the headrests reduced, like breast reduction, LOL, in the spring. Below is a pic of what they should look like once made smaller. Any good car interior shop should be able to do this. For now, I just recline the seat back more so my neck and back are not feeling the headrest so much.

 

[Rorie]

Love the car. But wish...

-Seats would move back automatically whenever you open doors to aid entry/exit. I currently use memory settings to do this.
- Parking brake located near gear shift instead of under the dash.
- Wish there were dedicated 'next track' 'prev track' buttons on the wheel instead of having to scroll to the media section and then doing it.
- Wish the volume knob could move side-to-side for next track / prev track.
- Not sure why the seat belts are twisted weird
- Wish android auto google maps could be displayed on driver display

I agree. No idea why seat belts are twisted. I thought at first it was a mistake but then read everyone else has that. Not a huge deal but a bit of a head scratcher.

 

[Rorie]

The trunk door. It stuck all the time.

Yes. When it sticks, I press down on the trunk, and use the unlock button and that seem to open the trunk.

 

[Steve Tillett]

The seats, not dropping low enough

I have the solution for that. At least 100 mm lower.
I have had a courtesy car this last couple of days so I am back on the OEM seats and not only do you sit too high but the bouncing up and down on the soft cushion is horrendous.

 

[LotsOfTriumphsUsuallySexy]

Nothing really annoys me with the Emira, but it would be nice if Apple CarPlay connected more reliably. That said, my controversial #1 wish is that it had been a BEV. I firmly believe that if anyone could make an engaging, fun BEV, it would be Lotus. Worth remembering that the original Tesla Roadster is lighter than the Emira and it's a riot.

 

[Steve Tillett]

Nothing really annoys me with the Emira, but it would be nice if Apple CarPlay connected more reliably. That said, my controversial #1 wish is that it had been a BEV. I firmly believe that if anyone could make an engaging, fun BEV, it would be Lotus. Worth remembering that the original Tesla Roadster is lighter than the Emira and it's a riot.

I had that problem, it would never connect unless I turned Bluetooth off and on again and I was blaming the car. It turned out to be my iPhone 15 and when I upgraded it it started to connect OK. Not perfect but much better.

 

[Jinba ittai]

Nothing really annoys me with the Emira, but it would be nice if Apple CarPlay connected more reliably. That said, my controversial #1 wish is that it had been a BEV. I firmly believe that if anyone could make an engaging, fun BEV, it would be Lotus. Worth remembering that the original Tesla Roadster is lighter than the Emira and it's a riot.

The BEV was supposed to be the type 135 coming after the Emira. I agree it would have been a great car and I am disappointed it got cancelled. However I’m glad the Emira was made as their last ICE sports car.

 

[Six Speed Stephen]

The arm rest on the door is uncomfortable. My elbow digs into the leather and it’s not cushioned enough. I’m thinking about reupholstering it with more padding

 

[Frimley111R]

The BEV was supposed to be the type 135 coming after the Emira. I agree it would have been a great car and I am disappointed it got cancelled. However I’m glad the Emira was made as their last ICE sports car.

The BEV was supposed to be the type 135 coming after the Emira. I agree it would have been a great car and I am disappointed it got cancelled. However I’m glad the Emira was made as their last ICE sports car.

God I'm not. Many have tried to make an EV handle well and have only succeeded in making an EV handle well for an EV. There's little you can do when there is so much mass. The Tesla roadster probably felt like a tank compared to the Elise. Plus, as we're seeing, no-one wants and electric sports car. Just see how many people order a new Boxster/Cayman in full EV spec compared to hybrid.

 

[Jinba ittai]

God I'm not. Many have tried to make an EV handle well and have only succeeded in making an EV handle well for an EV. There's little you can do when there is so much mass. The Tesla roadster probably felt like a tank compared to the Elise. Plus, as we're seeing, no-one wants and electric sports car. Just see how many people order a new Boxster/Cayman in full EV spec compared to hybrid.

Agreed there doesn’t seem to be a lot of demand for a BEV sports car. That fact probably has a lot to do with Lotus cancelling it. I’m with LotsOfTriumphs that if anyone could do it right, it’s Lotus. Their target weight was 3500 lbs or 300lbs over the Emira. With the increased power (69hp) over the Emira and central battery position I was optimistic it was going to be pretty good.

 

[Milk242]

I am quite surprised they did not offer:

-360 camera
-blind spot assist

I mean how much more weight would that be? And rear visibility is not terrible because the mirrors are excellent. But even so, blind spot and 360 would have been really nice to have.

They do offer blindspot on the 2026, I’m hoping some enterprising person figures out how to retrofit it.

 

[LotsOfTriumphsUsuallySexy]

Agreed there doesn’t seem to be a lot of demand for a BEV sports car. That fact probably has a lot to do with Lotus cancelling it. I’m with LotsOfTriumphs that if anyone could do it right, it’s Lotus. Their target weight was 3500 lbs or 300lbs over the Emira. With the increased power (69hp) over the Emira and central battery position I was optimistic it was going to be pretty good.

I don’t think it has been proven that there is no demand for an electric sports car. I agree that there is little demand for the _current_ crop of them; they are mostly all overpriced, slow, and/or ugly. I love the Evija but $2M is just absurd. In China there are a lot of interesting developments, fx xiaomi su7 ultra is fantastic performance for the price and it’s not too ugly IMO. Another interesting and super cheap one is SC-01, and there are so many examples. Heck even the Nazi vaporware Roadster 2.0 looks fantastic and has a huge following of deposit payers. No demand? I hope Type 135 gets revived. I’m not in love with the type 1 concept though.

 

[Johnson]

Complaining about the Emira is like complaining about dating a supermodel. There are going to be things you don’t like, but just look at her…

 

[jamesgareth]

Here is my list.

huh? There are two speakers in the back behind those rear grills AND there is a sub-woofer. It still ain't the best system in the world but you're wrong about what you said there.

 

[Medic518]

Complaining about the Emira is like complaining about dating a supermodel. There are going to be things you don’t like, but just look at her…

I have a friend who used to point out really beautiful girls and say "Trust me, there is someone out there that is tired of f****** her..." Point being, sure she looks good, but....

I will say that I am in 100% percent violent agreement with you.

Your post just reminded me of him saying that every trip to the pub, usually after some girl shot him down.

 

[SimonT]

Is this what you are after?

From the manual:

Keyfob Buttons
Locking: Pressing the button locks
both doors, tailgate and fuel filler
flap. The alarm is also armed, see
page 56.
Press and hold to close all door
windows simultaneously.
Unlocking: Pressing the button
unlocks the doors, tailgate and
fuel filler flap. The alarm is also
deactivated, see page 57.
A longer press opens all door
windows simultaneously.

Please, who reads the manual?