Wow - I might be going to the I4 Darkside

[BoardwalkLotus]

The Turbo is pretty intoxicating. The noises it makes, the eagerness of the extra torque, it's an extremely compelling package.

What is your ideal spec? We have the largest selection of turbo cars at the moment, maybe we have what you're looking for.

 

[Andrew25]

There’s no need to feel guilty there’s nothing wrong with a dct gorgeous car as the i4, really. Just don’t keep on thinking “but it’s not manual”, and trust your instinct! Loved it? Go for it.

 

[seriously]

It's SO strange how this decision point is almost identical to the Cayman. Turbo 4 vs. Flat 6. The turbo 4 is faster and easily tunable. The flat 6 sounds MUCH better and is more "pure". Nearly the same situation.

I think the Lotus situation has less negatives for the i4 because it has the same RPM limits as the v6 and while the exhaust sound is not good, all of the induction, whooshing and off throttle sounds are plenty dynamic. And you get a DCT with the i4 which if you're going to go auto anyways, is clearly the preferred transmission over torque converter auto.

 

[Kalel]

There’s no need to feel guilty there’s nothing wrong with a dct gorgeous car as the i4, really. Just don’t keep on thinking “but it’s not manual”, and trust your instinct! Loved it? Go for it.

It’s weird though isn’t it that the guilt is there. I’m a save the manual guy and it’s not “cool” to prefer the DCT.

But, I do.

 

[MickOpalak]

“Cool” is a state of mind.

 

[Andrew25]

It’s weird though isn’t it that the guilt is there. I’m a save the manual guy and it’s not “cool” to prefer the DCT.

But, I do.

I feel you, but things don’t have to be all black or white. We can be certain of something that *could*, after all, work differently than what we think if put in another context. Also, we tend to worry too much about what other people think. Manual and dct are both cool if put in the right context. It’s totally fine if you had a huge smile on your face. You’re not changing your mind about manual, you’re evolving your idea of the dct.

 

[Elise111s]

Have a V6M and got to drive a Turbo SE while my car was in for some work. I was slightly apprehensive that I would find the i4 better and would want to make the change.

I needn’t have worried. The sound was bland and the drive remote and numb. Guess I’m just a manual kind of guy. I’ve previously had R35 GTR and 12C and found them similarly disappointing on the road.

 

[AZemira-i4]

I like the “Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team” slip!! That’s what is spinning in my head when I take out my i4.

 

[Joe S]

This hits so home for me……..struggled for 4 months on what platform to buy. Coming out of an Evora S for 8 years (great car) I was hyper sold on the V6……….but, I kept getting this little voice in my head saying “try the new setup”….
Well, 60 days and 700 trouble free miles in, and me and my I4 are thrilled to be together! Good luck with your journey.

 

[geoffbland]

I drove both V6M and an i4 on my test drive. Going in I thought 100% manual - no way would I like the automatic. After the test drive, I was really not sure anymore. Loved how the i4 can keep it right in the turbo sweet spot whilst pushing on. I did go for the V6M in the end, more for tradition than anything else, I think I probably made the right choice for me. If I were to describe the difference without writing a full-on monologue; i4 is "Wow! Fun!", V6M is "Wooh! Awesome!".

 

[Dude]

I think whatever transmission you decide, all of us would still welcome the new Emira owner to the community!

 

[paulecar]

Agreed, and once you switch out the OEM paddle shifters with the aftermarket carbon fiber ones. The Emira definitely feels more supercar like. Best mod I made to my i4 yet.

Which paddles were they? The ones on the GRP site? Are they an easy install? (I don't even have my car yet and I'm checking out the mods - this is gonna get expensive..)

 

[Blundamous]

I think whatever transmission you decide, all of us would still welcome the new Emira owner to the community!

Absolutley, as long as its not the i4 ;-D

 

[Wusah]

Which paddles were they? The ones on the GRP site? Are they an easy install? (I don't even have my car yet and I'm checking out the mods - this is gonna get expensive..)

They were the aftermarket carbon fiber paddle shifters (Normal not the extended ones) from Aerie. From what I've read from the forum it's an easy pop off the airbags and then plug and play. But I didn't want to risk doing it myself so I brought it to my dealer and they installed it for me for $600. In hindsight, totally worth it. Small price to pay for the enhanced enjoyment to an already phenomenal car.

 

[Medic518]

I was told at the first service that I had 4 available, and it was on the service receipt. Since that time I have seen another update published, and confirmed with Lotus dealer.

Finally found some time to drop my i4 Emira off for the updates - took two days, and I was told 7 total updates (yellow). Also found out that Lotus engineering is STILL trying to resolve the false indictor fault issue. I was given the same update in March '25, so 4 months later still no resolution (red).

Shifting is drastically improved, both getting into gear and actually shifting gears. Acceleration seems to be more responsive, may just be my perception. Head unit sounds a touch better, again that may just be my perception (but they didn't seem to notice the wire snip while running the updates - i.e. no errors). The head unit also seems to be much quicker and more responsive - CarPlay automatically/instantly (wirelessly) loads as soon as the head unit is fully loaded, and no drop outs at all on a 2 hour trip.

Shot of service activities attached. As a side note, its funny how they include "customer states" on several of the entries - If you say so, I remember being told I needed updates, I don't remember stating a thing..

 

[Medic518]

...carbon fiber paddle shifters from Aerie.

The ones on the GRP site?

They are the same - JQ Werks (MadTrace). I think Aerie just offers both Normal and Extended lengths, where as GRP just has the Normal length.