Who has had a Test Drive , score from 1 to 10

[Lotustoronto]

For me, without an ever-ending list and without going into suspension settings and the flakes in the metallic paint.. here is how I would base my opinion. Not saying everyone else should use the same factors, but I do think people should think what their 10 is, irrelevant of price, and go down from there.

This for me would be my ten
1. A car with go kart like feel and steering, pure return on input, so exciting that you dont want to stop driving it, not even to let your partner pee...or not even to let your partner go with you - think caterham / atom / BAC mono
This needs to balance with ride quality, absorbing bumps, not like a rolls royce or an S class, but a solid 5 series for example.
= hence for me an 8 here... it rides well and comfy, decent combination.

2. Interior quality - come on, a 9 here is your lambo if you like that kind of thing, or your latest porsche 911 if you want a bit more down to earth, but it has to be high quality and a design thats not just thrown together with the centre screen stuck on the dash as an after thought. *remember, we are going for 10's not whats expected in this price bracket.
= maximum a 6... its way off a 911, its a sporty volvo from 3 4 years ago

3. Design - for me a ferrari roma is a 9 (and yes I detest...strong word, ferraris, but I appreciate the design, or the Aston Martin DB10 (the car the vantage should always have been!).
= 8... again, its NOT the best looking car out there, I would take a DB10, if it existed, in a heart beat, the roma makes it look like a toy car, BUT the Emira makes the Alpine look like a contorted roller coaster of a design, and makes the 718 look 8 years old... irony.

4. Sound - has to be a GT3 / Ferrari V12 / Audi V10 / Aston V12 ... there are many approximating 10 that mean the V6 has an impossible job to get there.
= 7...a V6 cant compare, but again, thats the point... 10 would be if it did.

5. Power - Yes you can have too much of a good thing, but I think many of us feel todays sport cars weighing 1500 kilos should have around 450 - 500. More is a waste on roads, but its like a gym at a hotel, you wont use it, but its nice to know its there. I could have used a cruder example.....
= 6.5 ... its not powerful enough for me to think, ohhh best take it easy...or oh, I can catch that car in front easy.. again, its not comparing to a GTS, its comparing to a gt3, whatever your 10 would be.

6. Gear change - for me, a shortened through MX5 box, for many of the hand made cars, westfield / caterham is a 9 and no porsche gets close in my mind, not even the gt3.
= 6 ... no where near porsche's and way off MX5s modified for sportier cars... remains to be seen if final cars improved over regular evora / exige. but its never going to be a 10/9/8

Hence, this is why I make it a 7.5 at best and I dont feel stingy at all.
If we start making excuses for our ratings, thinking, "but it only costs xxxx$, its a lotus not a ferrari, its only had 2 years development, its british, resources" and all the other excuses, then it's impossible, we can all just say 10 and be done with it.
A car reviewer doesnt rate a Daewoo (never spelt that before) with all these considerations.... they give it a 5/10 as its not got merc interiors, or ferrari power, or italian design.... Again, this is the Doug way and we should be consistent...or not.... just an idea

Thats my sunday morning logic..take it or.....have a coffee and bagel..

You need to take price into consideration. Otherwise it's just another ranking like this vid:

 

[emiraspain]

You need to take price into consideration. Otherwise it's just another ranking like this vid:

well yes it is just like that video, outclassed by better cars...... simple no? otherwise we all give it a 10.

when i rate my g/f and i do it to her face, none of this behind your back rubbish, i go through her attributes.... and compare them to the ideal.... brain, not working at NASA, even in the canteen, so 6, legs, not quite like daisy off dukes of hazard insured for a milliion $ (yes im almost that old), so 8...... breasts operated, so pretty much perfect, 10.... face, also operated and didnt end well, 4......
and the list goes on...
I dont take into account how much I have to pay her to be my g/f do I? you see....
She's left me now.... not sure why....

haha

 

[Leonard]

well yes it is just like that video, outclassed by better cars...... simple no? otherwise we all give it a 10.

when i rate my g/f and i do it to her face, none of this behind your back rubbish, i go through her attributes.... and compare them to the ideal.... brain, not working at NASA, even in the canteen, so 6, legs, not quite like daisy off dukes of hazard insured for a milliion $ (yes im almost that old), so 8...... breasts operated, so pretty much perfect, 10.... face, also operated and didnt end well, 4......
and the list goes on...
I dont take into account how much I have to pay her to be my g/f do I? you see....
She's left me now.... not sure why....

haha

You beat me to it. I was going to say something similar.......... 😳

 

[emiraspain]

You need to take price into consideration. Otherwise it's just another ranking like this vid:

I know where you are coming from, Toronto, nice place to come from, when Doug gives a doug score, I used to think it was stupid giving a score to a hypercar on boot space.... makes no sense.... and giving a score on power to a mini type car....
But in the end I agree with him..... coolness is independent of money.... and all other things have to be too otherwise the basis is constantly moving.
In the case that you would like, we only compare it to its class.... ie alpine/718 gts/ nothing else really....
Its a tough one, but Im sticking to my guns...these 9's and 9.55s etc are off scale, outliers ..... No care with an engine thats 15 years old and not heavilly developed can simply be that good.....
of course everything is relative, expectations are too.... but then its impossible if everyone has different bases..
Ok anyway, it doesnt matter in the end, it only matters what each person thinks of course and how it makes them feel. A caterham NA makes me feel like a 10, but luggage and practicality take it down from there.... surely.....

All a bit of fun...

 

[emiraspain]

You beat me to it. I was going to say something similar.......... 😳

you dont have a g/f...... yet...... I still think you have a chance with R8 girl....

 

[Lotustoronto]

well yes it is just like that video, outclassed by better cars...... simple no? otherwise we all give it a 10.

when i rate my g/f and i do it to her face, none of this behind your back rubbish, i go through her attributes.... and compare them to the ideal.... brain, not working at NASA, even in the canteen, so 6, legs, not quite like daisy off dukes of hazard insured for a milliion $ (yes im almost that old), so 8...... breasts operated, so pretty much perfect, 10.... face, also operated and didnt end well, 4......
and the list goes on...
I dont take into account how much I have to pay her to be my g/f do I? you see....
She's left me now.... not sure why....

haha

The difference is you're not "buying" your GF..... hmmmm, wait a minute. I do recall a by the hour service or something @emiraspain ?? I'll just drop this rating system, it's starting to go into a different direction and I am feeling we won't be rating cars a few more posts forward hahaha.

 

[emiraspain]

The difference is you're not "buying" your GF..... hmmmm, wait a minute. I do recall a by the hour service or something @emiraspain ?? I'll just drop this rating system, it's starting to go into a different direction and I am feeling we won't be rating cars a few more posts forward hahaha.

I resent that..I buy all my g/fs///// how else is someone like me going to get one....

 

[TRX250EX]

I know where you are coming from, Toronto, nice place to come from, when Doug gives a doug score, I used to think it was stupid giving a score to a hypercar on boot space.... makes no sense.... and giving a score on power to a mini type car....
But in the end I agree with him..... coolness is independent of money.... and all other things have to be too otherwise the basis is constantly moving.
In the case that you would like, we only compare it to its class.... ie alpine/718 gts/ nothing else really....
Its a tough one, but Im sticking to my guns...these 9's and 9.55s etc are off scale, outliers ..... No care with an engine thats 15 years old and not heavilly developed can simply be that good.....
of course everything is relative, expectations are too.... but then its impossible if everyone has different bases..
Ok anyway, it doesnt matter in the end, it only matters what each person thinks of course and how it makes them feel. A caterham NA makes me feel like a 10, but luggage and practicality take it down from there.... surely.....

All a bit of fun...

I like your view about the car, some said why it's not "car of the year" sort of car and I kept saying for ages since first time I saw the car and started it, the engine + Gearbox combo!!!

It's a Lotus but that Lotus we know about is outdated in 2020s...... It's competitors kept developing their engine by getting better and better so power/feel/sound they left Emira way behind.

Cayman R engine vs Cayman GT4RS will show advancement in engine tech, now take a Lotus Evora to Emira is there really huge advancement?

Hence despite ordering V6, I want to see an Emira track focused using I4 engine than V6, it have more chances with M139/DCT combo than current V6/Manual.

 

[Eagle7]

Let's see... compared to the Evora, has almost the same performance, but with a much nicer interior that's more useful, looks better, built better, and £20,000 cheaper! To me, that's a pretty good deal.

 

[RENDERMAN]

Agreed. For me, an 8. Was hoping for a little more theater. Noticed a couple of fit and finish items that were sub-par, but I think that’s more as I was driving a demo, rather than customer car.

Dude, a Lotus is like a Mig Mac, if it doesn't fall apart while eating, is just not Authentic...

 

[Cachaco131]

I like your view about the car, some said why it's not "car of the year" sort of car and I kept saying for ages since first time I saw the car and started it, the engine + Gearbox combo!!!

It's a Lotus but that Lotus we know about is outdated in 2020s...... It's competitors kept developing their engine by getting better and better so power/feel/sound they left Emira way behind.

Cayman R engine vs Cayman GT4RS will show advancement in engine tech, now take a Lotus Evora to Emira is there really huge advancement?

Hence despite ordering V6, I want to see an Emira track focused using I4 engine than V6, it have more chances with M139/DCT combo than current V6/Manual.

But Porsche is not coming from a long history of financial trouble. Seems to me every car should come with a brief booklet explaining how it's almost a miracle these cars are actually happening. A 100m investment is peanuts, you'd need a lot more to compete with Porsche, launch new engines, etc.

The average consumer may not care about this. I personally enjoy that this is not the German car that can be seen everywhere and usually driven by those who are rather unaware of the the piece of engineering they own.

 

[Eagle7]

So it seems pretty consistent that those who want acceleration and power are underwhelmed by the Emira. That's not the fault of the Emira as much as it's a symptom of expectations that aren't in alignment with what a Lotus is. A Lotus is a momentum car. The long gas pedal travel and the linear acceleration is exactly what you want in a momentum car. It allows for finesse; fine movements and applications of power to maintain momentum in the twisties. It's not a stab and stomp type of car; Lotus has never produced cars like that. Muscle cars, Corvettes, Porsches, Ferraris, McLarens, etc. have that kind of performance profile. If that's what you're expecting from the Emira, you're going to be disappointed.

You'll be able to get the Emira to 430 hp with an aftermarket tune, maybe even from Lotus themselves as part of their performance shop, but it still won't feel like a high-powered muscle car. The i4 will probably be a bit better in that regard, but the real performer is going to be the electric sports car.

For a base price of £60k, Lotus has delivered quite a car. It's interesting that people have to go up above £100k to find cars they say are better and have better engines/performance.

 

[vision]

So it seems pretty consistent that those who want acceleration and power are underwhelmed by the Emira. That's not the fault of the Emira as much as it's a symptom of expectations that aren't in alignment with what a Lotus is. A Lotus is a momentum car. The long gas pedal travel and the linear acceleration is exactly what you want in a momentum car. It allows for finesse; fine movements and applications of power to maintain momentum in the twisties. It's not a stab and stomp type of car; Lotus has never produced cars like that. Muscle cars, Corvettes, Porsches, Ferraris, McLarens, etc. have that kind of performance profile. If that's what you're expecting from the Emira, you're going to be disappointed.

You'll be able to get the Emira to 430 hp with an aftermarket tune, maybe even from Lotus themselves as part of their performance shop, but it still won't feel like a high-powered muscle car. The i4 will probably be a bit better in that regard, but the real performer is going to be the electric sports car.

For a base price of £60k, Lotus has delivered quite a car. It's interesting that people have to go up above £100k to find cars they say are better and have better engines/performance.

Are you living on a different planet! £60K is long gone.

 

[Cachaco131]

So it seems pretty consistent that those who want acceleration and power are underwhelmed by the Emira. That's not the fault of the Emira as much as it's a symptom of expectations that aren't in alignment with what a Lotus is. A Lotus is a momentum car. The long gas pedal travel and the linear acceleration is exactly what you want in a momentum car. It allows for finesse; fine movements and applications of power to maintain momentum in the twisties. It's not a stab and stomp type of car; Lotus has never produced cars like that. Muscle cars, Corvettes, Porsches, Ferraris, McLarens, etc. have that kind of performance profile. If that's what you're expecting from the Emira, you're going to be disappointed.

You'll be able to get the Emira to 430 hp with an aftermarket tune, maybe even from Lotus themselves as part of their performance shop, but it still won't feel like a high-powered muscle car. The i4 will probably be a bit better in that regard, but the real performer is going to be the electric sports car.

For a base price of £60k, Lotus has delivered quite a car. It's interesting that people have to go up above £100k to find cars they say are better and have better engines/performance.

Agree. Still not sure why a large percentage of the crowd here hasn't bought a Camaro/corvette or similar, and tuned it to 1000 hp.

 

[Leonard]

Agree. Still not sure why a large percentage of the crowd here hasn't bought a Camaro/corvette or similar, and tuned it to 1000 hp.

I dont want big power, I did however expect the same or more than the outgoing car (let's not go over that again) Yes its only little but I think the loss of 15bhp and the lowered redline is a real shame and will change the character of the car for the worse. If I wanted low down grunt and a lower redline I'd have bought the i4

 

[Kwarstler]

Well I have driven one and it was everything I expected and more! Emotionally it was a 10! It was so engaging, confidence inspiring and fun that I didn’t care about anything else at that moment in time! I’ve driven other cars, but nothing of the caliper of this group. For me the wife wants me to give up 2 wheels (motorcycle) and I’m willing to but in exchange for 4 (Emira). Is price a factor? Sure - I have 3 kids to put through college and that’s a priority for me. But I could buy a C8 and on paper it probably exceeds all handling and performance numbers of the Emira. But at the end of the day I will not love the C8. It’s a Chevy. They are a dime a dozen in the States. The Emira I can love and keep loving! If it doesn’t give you that feeling, it never will - buy something else. But for me, it checks the boxes and I’m all in at this point. You truly have to drive it to fully understand it. If it checks your box, it’s a winner. If not, move on. For me it will be my weekend car - country twisties, straight aways and local diners. I will park it till the next weekend.

 

[emiraspain]

Agree. Still not sure why a large percentage of the crowd here hasn't bought a Camaro/corvette or similar, and tuned it to 1000 hp.

well hang on a minute..or even 2...
I used to drive my bright yellow westfield around Bogota and the surrounding countryside, with all the girls smiling at me... naturally it was me and not the strange car they'd never seen before, they were smiling at... The car had 179HP, but with the high altitude of Bogota you could assume maybe 160Hp at best, less oxygen around to mix with the cheap crap gasoline.
I always felt that car needed another 30 Hp...and it would have been perfect. Back in the UK I bought one with 250 Hp, but not NA, instead with a turbo, and just that extra 70Hp was too much, in fact it ruined the car. Now I have on order the NA 220HP caterham....roll on next summer! I feel that will be the sweet spot and not the 310HP version which does not cost so much more.... but not my choice.
So why am I saying this, simple.... those who have driven the car, or not, and say they do indeed want a bit more HP or expected it, well they or that doesn't mean they want another 200, or 400 HP etc, realistically another 50/75 would probably be enough and based on where the Evora left off 430Hp, its what people expected... thats reasonable isn't it?

And then this whole, Lotus isn't about power and speed, its about lightness etc..... well I dont believe it to be the case any more if ever. Its more a case that they simply have never had access to the resources or the engines to give them the power they would perfectly well like. The Esprit increased in power as soon as they could get it to and they lied about their numbers upon release, why do that if they didnt car about it? Initially thanks to Bell and C. adding the turbo, and finally adding a big V8... Again, why a V8 if power was not important.... They were well behind the ball without it, thats why.... 10 years behind, like the Evora was... And besides, the Emira is no flyweight, its not light at all and no real effort has been taken to make it light, so in that sense its not a "real" lotus anyway.

Even the Elise has doubled in power over its life cylce and the Evora has done everything it can to get as much power as possible out of the outdated toyota engine, so once again, Lotus are as much about power as Porsche, its just they dont have the resources Porsche do to deliver it..... yet. The AMG engine will no doubt get them to the 450 and finally maybe 500 Hp some of us think will suit the car, but Lotus are trying to make a cash cow out of the base model plus extras with its 380/ 360 / 400 HP i4 & V6 models.. They have made a 400 hp, less drastic, more Mrs Mullins down to the golf club car first, before they make the car I think they really want to make. I'm willing to bet my wife on it..... certainly not my life....
Im happy with it with for the moment to have 400hp, but would prefer more... would also prefer a red line higher and bucket seats.... but when the "hot" one comes... then I can decide it ifs what I want.... However, can a 4cyl engine really be as good... do I want flappy padels, can the red line get much higher..... will it then cost GT3 money and have a horrible huge spoiler ... yes, it will as this porosity nonsense is just that, nonsense. The downforce it currently has is less than my bag of shopping, once I've emptied it out into the cupboard and left it outside on a breezy day.

time for dinner

 

[TRX250EX]

But Porsche is not coming from a long history of financial trouble. Seems to me every car should come with a brief booklet explaining how it's almost a miracle these cars are actually happening. A 100m investment is peanuts, you'd need a lot more to compete with Porsche, launch new engines, etc.

The average consumer may not care about this. I personally enjoy that this is not the German car that can be seen everywhere and usually driven by those who are rather unaware of the the piece of engineering they own.

No one saying what you saying is not correct but rating Emira high just for sake of what you said will be lying to ourselves, we have to be realistic, Emira have shortcomings hence I said it's not car of the year sort of car.

I won't be here if it wasn't a car worth buying, but the V6/Manual combo letting it down to be one of greats today.

Some said it's like Evora but better Interior/tech/refinement, well this is what is expected from any car that's replacing the older anyway, doesn't mean it's best car in the world and should be rated 10.

If we look at 2022 year if I rate Evora I might give it 7/10, Emira? 8/10.

Is this improvement? Of course it's as it should be anyway, but engine/gearbox not only didn't improve but also like some mentioned might be even worse, hence I4 to me might be the car that goes beyond 9/10 if they get sound tuning right, although I doubt since Mercedes didn't do it, but Lotus overachieved with this V6 for the past years that makes me confident that M139 will do well in Emira.

 

[Magma]

"Well I have driven one and it was everything I expected and more! Emotionally it was a 10! It was so engaging, confidence inspiring and fun that I didn’t care about anything else at that moment in time! I’ve driven other cars, but nothing of the caliper of this group. For me the wife wants me to give up 2 wheels (motorcycle) and I’m willing to but in exchange for 4 (Emira). Is price a factor? Sure - I have 3 kids to put through college and that’s a priority for me. But I could buy a C8 and on paper it probably exceeds all handling and performance numbers of the Emira. But at the day I will not love the C8. It’s a Chevy. They are a dime a dozen in the States. The Emira I can love and keep loving! If it doesn’t give you that feeling, it never will - buy something else. But for me, it checks the boxes and I’m all in at this point. You truly have to drive it to fully understand it. If it checks your box, it’s a winner. If not, move on. For me it will be my weekend car - country twisties, straight aways and local diners. I will park it till the next weekend."



@Kwarstler Can you tell us about your test drive route? To have it "inspire confidence and be engaging" you must have gotten a better test drive route than some others on here which involved neighborhoods and speed bumps for the most part.

 

[Pops68]

Focusing on the sum of the parts, and how I felt after the test drive: I was all smiles and full of dopamine. As I've gotten older, I've lost excitement about cars in general and became a little jaded. The Emira has me feeling like a kid again. Speaks to the car enthusiast in me by looking cool and sounding good, yet speaks to the driver enthusiast in me by feeling like a go cart. It's something I can enjoy every time I encounter it and fully master as opposed to something with limits too lofty or dangerous to regularly access. It exceeds at its core mission. Price is taken into consideration.

9.75

That's terrific news as it is exactly what this old guy is looking for too.. As I've said elsewhere, I thought my sports car days were over when I sold my c6z06. Nope can't shake the bug!