I might be accused of being biased given I own an Emira, but for what its worth I try to find every available opportunity to go for a drive and give it a squirt through the twisties or back streets. It turns heads every single time and never fails to put a smile on my dial. After parking it back in the garage, I get an itch 5mins later to take it out for a drive again. It's just so much fun!
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The great big "all the customer test drives" thread
- Thread starter Lotus64
- Start date
Nick in Sydney
Emira Fanatic
Ditto. I'm absolutely loving my Emira. I've owned Porsches for years (most recently a 911 GTS), and the Emira is a breath of fresh air.
It's an event every time you get in the Emira. But don't get one if you're uncomfortable with people staring and pointing.
Got to finally "SEE", "FEEL", and "DRIVE" both of these beauties yesterday. Huge shoutout to Gator Motorsports of Indianapolis for the heads up and most importantly to Tony(and Jonathan)for the epic test drives in both the manual and auto(V6) variants back to back. It's remarkable how both are so excellent yet so very different experiences. Since I have an I4 on order with them, I still don't know what that car experience will be but considering the car itself is the same, I can only imagine it being equal but different.
How did the manual shifting of the automatic feel? Some others were a little bothered by the feel of the paddles since there was no click when shifting.
Great question, terrible answer: I didn't even bother. Never touched the screen, turned on the audio. I was so caught up in finally seeing the cars in person and actually getting to drive them both, all of the minutiae got completely forgotten. Spent 30 plus minutes in the manual as I drove it first; used tour and sport. The auto was fun and engaging- I expect the I4 will be similar but probably better. Tony must have thought me a right nob for not trying to go through all the settings myself as he did the switching from tour to sport to track. The paddles are low on the wheel based on how you sit in the car. I've got paddles in my Clubman and my C7 corvette and i rarely bother with them. Sport mode in those cars seems to do the trick for me personally. I don't even regret not trying the paddles if I'm honest. Just driving these cars was a treat. I drove down from Michigan the 240 miles in my corvette so that i could experience how the two cars are same/different. I chose wisely to pursue the Emira over the C8. Cayman could not do- My brother has a 991.2 T so I have that to "borrow" if I need a change.
I went over to Gator Weds. morning and got about 1.5 hours split between the 2 cars. I had driven their demo cars a couple of times before, but this gave me time to specifically walk down the list of some questions I had.
Getting to drive the Sport and Touring back to back was enlightening. There isn't too much difference. I'm glad I chose the sport as it's only marginally harsher but feels better connected. But, if I was going to use the Emira as a true daily driver I would choose the Touring package.
I'm a hardcore manual guy. But I had a good time in the automatic. Two things were apparent to me with the automatic. 1) If I were to leave it in purely automatic mode, I'd always have it in Track mode to keep the revs up and in a better gear. 2) Paddle shifting. Normal cruising (Sport for instance) without much throttle has a nice gentle shift that feels like a normal car. But if you are on the throttle heavy regardless of rpm, it cracks off really fast shifts as soon as pull the paddles. I went through the upshift sequence keeping the rpms above 4500 and the shift was as fast as you can snap your fingers and a nice kick in the back. This car shifted fast enough under load that the few milliseconds you'd gain with the dual clutch would (IMO) be pretty meaningless on the road.
Oh, and the automatic had that yellow steering wheel center stripe thing. It annoyed me the entire time I drove the automatic. I never look at the wheel or my hands while driving, especially on track. That stripe kept drawing my attention to the wheel instead of the road. I can't imagine a scenario while driving where you need to look at a stripe to tell the position of your wheel. To each his own.
Getting to drive the Sport and Touring back to back was enlightening. There isn't too much difference. I'm glad I chose the sport as it's only marginally harsher but feels better connected. But, if I was going to use the Emira as a true daily driver I would choose the Touring package.
I'm a hardcore manual guy. But I had a good time in the automatic. Two things were apparent to me with the automatic. 1) If I were to leave it in purely automatic mode, I'd always have it in Track mode to keep the revs up and in a better gear. 2) Paddle shifting. Normal cruising (Sport for instance) without much throttle has a nice gentle shift that feels like a normal car. But if you are on the throttle heavy regardless of rpm, it cracks off really fast shifts as soon as pull the paddles. I went through the upshift sequence keeping the rpms above 4500 and the shift was as fast as you can snap your fingers and a nice kick in the back. This car shifted fast enough under load that the few milliseconds you'd gain with the dual clutch would (IMO) be pretty meaningless on the road.
Oh, and the automatic had that yellow steering wheel center stripe thing. It annoyed me the entire time I drove the automatic. I never look at the wheel or my hands while driving, especially on track. That stripe kept drawing my attention to the wheel instead of the road. I can't imagine a scenario while driving where you need to look at a stripe to tell the position of your wheel. To each his own.
I'd never considered this before, but that makes sense! For all of our complaining that manual cars weren't getting the coloured stripe, maybe it will turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
I have a red stripe on my carbon fiber R8 wheel and it does not bother me at all. Individual issue I would say.
Attachments
Thanks for the write up and that is pretty awesome to spend that much time with them!!
Re the stripe, I have it on my Z06 and initially I would look at it as I've never had a car with it before. But within a week I forgot about and on track never was distracted. I suspect it will be a non issue
I got a V6 Auto - all black leather with no
stripe - very happy with it.
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Same here. I personally find wheel stripes distracting. I want to see the road not a brightly coloured stripe on the wheel in front of my eyes. I'm not racing where i need to visually see the wheel orientation where such a stripe actually has some value.
Hi all, this is my first post here.
Having read most of the reviews here, I reviewed the Emira from a different point of view today. Lots of comparisons here have been vs. the Porsche Cayman. I will compare the Emira to my two current weekend toys which are front engine cars with different engine and transmission setups. A Maximum of 3 points to get per category.
First one is a Mazda MX-5 RF 2.0 184ps with a manual shifter and a naturally aspirated engine:
The second one is a BMW M2 Competition 3.0 410ps Twin Turbo S55 Engine with DCT:
The test car is a magma red Emira V6 First Edition with manual transmission, sport suspension and Cup 2s:
Exterior:
This is a very subjective one and I personally enjoy looking at all 3 cars. On the MX-5 or M2C I will find spots which I do not like. The Emira actually does not have a single spot or angle I could imagine changing something. It just has superb super car looks. Luckily the color set up (red / black) looks similar to my MX-5. The Mazda soul crystal red beats the Lotus magma red by far. I love the Mazda paint, even though it is a standard Mazda colour. Emira 3/3, MX-5 2/3, M2C 1/3.
Interior:
The MX-5 has a nice styling and simple interior with poor materials. The M2C has the classic 2 series cockpit enriched with M stuff and Alcantara. The quality of the BMW is exceptional. The Emira interior surprised me. Best material, best looks (minimalistic and modern). It is such a lovely place to sit. Emira 3/3, M2C 2/3, MX-5 1/3
Seats:
My MX-5 has the standard leather sport seats (no Recaros) and my M2C has the optional M bucket seats. Looking at the seats of the Emira at pictures, I would assume them not to be very sporty. I was proven wrong. I liked the seats a lot today. Even with much less side bolstering compared to the M2C, they held me better (maybe because of the Alcantara). Furthermore, they are very comfy and make the ride easy and relaxed even with sport suspension. Looks cant compete with the M2C buckets but I still would rate the Emira seats 3/3, M2C 2/3, MX-5 1/3.
Dials:
I am a big fan of manual dials which both the MX-5 and the M2C have. I still liked the visualization in the Emira, especially in track mode. I also had no issues touching the buttons on the steering wheel while driving. The dials are very minimalistic and focused. I couldn’t try if there is any lag showing the rpm while reaching red line (wanted to be careful with the demo car). But I would prefer the MX-5 centered rev counter over the two others. MX-5 3/3, M2C 2/3, Emira 1/3.
Steering:
Both the MX-5 and the M2C have electric power steering. While the MX-5 is not adjustable and feels more natural, the M2C has 3 modes to change heaviness of the steering. The Emira steering is much more direct und so much more natural than the other twos. I also liked the steering wheel with flat bottom and flat top a lot. It is less chunky than in the BMW and much more grippy than in the MX-5. Suited perfectly for me. Emira 3/3, MX-5 2/3, M2C 1/3.
Suspension:
Very difficult to judge after a 60 min test drive. The suspension is as firm as in the M2C. Maybe even a bit firmer which has been compensated by the great seats. The body role is almost none. That´s better than in the M2C which might be because of mid engine setup (difficult to compare). The M2C also has very little body role and an amazing suspension. The MX-5 is a completely different setup and the chassis moves all over the place. I would rate the Emira 3/3 even though it is close to the M2C 2/3 and the MX-5 1/3.
Transmission:
The DCT in the M2C is amazing. I drive this car only with paddle shifting and it is super fun. It is worth mentioning even though comparison does not take place here. I also liked the shifting in the Emira. It is even shorter than in the MX-5 with a slightly stronger clutch. The clutch feels fine for me, just may be a bit annoying when stucking in traffic. But so is the MX-5. I still think it cant beat the MX-5 shifting experience which is addicting. I could just drive this car slowly and enjoy only using the shifter all day long. I also missed some downshifts from 3rd to 2nd in the Emira because the gears are so close to each other. MX-5 2/2, Emira 1/2.
Engine:
It was exciting to compare a naturally aspirated engine with a turbo charged and a supercharged one. The MX-5 has an amazing engine and revs are a lot of fun. Especially because they happen quite fast and are building the power in such a nice and seamless way. The M2C on the other hand is a beast with its S55 Engine from the M3/M4. The M2C feels so much faster than the Emira, not sure if it actually is (not by the numbers). The supercharged one of the Emira wasn´t as exciting as the two others for me. I do not feel the same naturally power build as in the MX-5 while it hasn´t any of the punch the M2C has. This has been a little disappointment for me as I expected the V6 to be more exciting in the Emira. MX-5 3/3, M2C 2/3, Emira 1/3.
Sound:
The MX-5 has a great naturally engine sound but almost nothing coming from the exhaust. The sound in the BMW feels artificial from inside (tuned sound via the speakers), even though it sounds quite interesting from outside with all the burbles. The Emira sounds amazing. Not sure if I am a big fan of the supercharger whine compared to the MX-5 engine sound but the exhaust is very exciting. It is also a lot louder than the M2C. Emira 3/3, M2C 2/3, MX-5 1/3.
Conclusion:
Points Emira: 21/26
Points M2C: 14/24
Points MX-5: 16/26
Will I keep my reservation? That´s a difficult one. The Emira is by far the most exciting of the 3 by the looks and a lovely place to sit in it. Is it more exciting to drive? I would say those 3 are different and not comparable. If the engine didn´t disappoint me, it had been an easy choice. People have been talking a lot about the cheap price of the Emira for what you get. I agree for the super car looks. But the MX-5 MSRP shows you can get a very exciting car for less than half the price.
Excited about your opinion!
Having read most of the reviews here, I reviewed the Emira from a different point of view today. Lots of comparisons here have been vs. the Porsche Cayman. I will compare the Emira to my two current weekend toys which are front engine cars with different engine and transmission setups. A Maximum of 3 points to get per category.
First one is a Mazda MX-5 RF 2.0 184ps with a manual shifter and a naturally aspirated engine:
The second one is a BMW M2 Competition 3.0 410ps Twin Turbo S55 Engine with DCT:
The test car is a magma red Emira V6 First Edition with manual transmission, sport suspension and Cup 2s:
Exterior:
This is a very subjective one and I personally enjoy looking at all 3 cars. On the MX-5 or M2C I will find spots which I do not like. The Emira actually does not have a single spot or angle I could imagine changing something. It just has superb super car looks. Luckily the color set up (red / black) looks similar to my MX-5. The Mazda soul crystal red beats the Lotus magma red by far. I love the Mazda paint, even though it is a standard Mazda colour. Emira 3/3, MX-5 2/3, M2C 1/3.
Interior:
The MX-5 has a nice styling and simple interior with poor materials. The M2C has the classic 2 series cockpit enriched with M stuff and Alcantara. The quality of the BMW is exceptional. The Emira interior surprised me. Best material, best looks (minimalistic and modern). It is such a lovely place to sit. Emira 3/3, M2C 2/3, MX-5 1/3
Seats:
My MX-5 has the standard leather sport seats (no Recaros) and my M2C has the optional M bucket seats. Looking at the seats of the Emira at pictures, I would assume them not to be very sporty. I was proven wrong. I liked the seats a lot today. Even with much less side bolstering compared to the M2C, they held me better (maybe because of the Alcantara). Furthermore, they are very comfy and make the ride easy and relaxed even with sport suspension. Looks cant compete with the M2C buckets but I still would rate the Emira seats 3/3, M2C 2/3, MX-5 1/3.
Dials:
I am a big fan of manual dials which both the MX-5 and the M2C have. I still liked the visualization in the Emira, especially in track mode. I also had no issues touching the buttons on the steering wheel while driving. The dials are very minimalistic and focused. I couldn’t try if there is any lag showing the rpm while reaching red line (wanted to be careful with the demo car). But I would prefer the MX-5 centered rev counter over the two others. MX-5 3/3, M2C 2/3, Emira 1/3.
Steering:
Both the MX-5 and the M2C have electric power steering. While the MX-5 is not adjustable and feels more natural, the M2C has 3 modes to change heaviness of the steering. The Emira steering is much more direct und so much more natural than the other twos. I also liked the steering wheel with flat bottom and flat top a lot. It is less chunky than in the BMW and much more grippy than in the MX-5. Suited perfectly for me. Emira 3/3, MX-5 2/3, M2C 1/3.
Suspension:
Very difficult to judge after a 60 min test drive. The suspension is as firm as in the M2C. Maybe even a bit firmer which has been compensated by the great seats. The body role is almost none. That´s better than in the M2C which might be because of mid engine setup (difficult to compare). The M2C also has very little body role and an amazing suspension. The MX-5 is a completely different setup and the chassis moves all over the place. I would rate the Emira 3/3 even though it is close to the M2C 2/3 and the MX-5 1/3.
Transmission:
The DCT in the M2C is amazing. I drive this car only with paddle shifting and it is super fun. It is worth mentioning even though comparison does not take place here. I also liked the shifting in the Emira. It is even shorter than in the MX-5 with a slightly stronger clutch. The clutch feels fine for me, just may be a bit annoying when stucking in traffic. But so is the MX-5. I still think it cant beat the MX-5 shifting experience which is addicting. I could just drive this car slowly and enjoy only using the shifter all day long. I also missed some downshifts from 3rd to 2nd in the Emira because the gears are so close to each other. MX-5 2/2, Emira 1/2.
Engine:
It was exciting to compare a naturally aspirated engine with a turbo charged and a supercharged one. The MX-5 has an amazing engine and revs are a lot of fun. Especially because they happen quite fast and are building the power in such a nice and seamless way. The M2C on the other hand is a beast with its S55 Engine from the M3/M4. The M2C feels so much faster than the Emira, not sure if it actually is (not by the numbers). The supercharged one of the Emira wasn´t as exciting as the two others for me. I do not feel the same naturally power build as in the MX-5 while it hasn´t any of the punch the M2C has. This has been a little disappointment for me as I expected the V6 to be more exciting in the Emira. MX-5 3/3, M2C 2/3, Emira 1/3.
Sound:
The MX-5 has a great naturally engine sound but almost nothing coming from the exhaust. The sound in the BMW feels artificial from inside (tuned sound via the speakers), even though it sounds quite interesting from outside with all the burbles. The Emira sounds amazing. Not sure if I am a big fan of the supercharger whine compared to the MX-5 engine sound but the exhaust is very exciting. It is also a lot louder than the M2C. Emira 3/3, M2C 2/3, MX-5 1/3.
Conclusion:
Points Emira: 21/26
Points M2C: 14/24
Points MX-5: 16/26
Will I keep my reservation? That´s a difficult one. The Emira is by far the most exciting of the 3 by the looks and a lovely place to sit in it. Is it more exciting to drive? I would say those 3 are different and not comparable. If the engine didn´t disappoint me, it had been an easy choice. People have been talking a lot about the cheap price of the Emira for what you get. I agree for the super car looks. But the MX-5 MSRP shows you can get a very exciting car for less than half the price.
Excited about your opinion!
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Thanks for the unique review! I appreciate these sort of real world reviews comparing the Emira to something other than a Porsche (even if your 1/2/3 rating style is a bit confusing
).I have an M2CS and agree, the Emira FE V6 is about 50% less exciting than my CS M engine. Power, torque, revs, way better in M engine. Emira doesn't like to rev fast but in the Evora GT/410/430 it revs higher and sounds even better. For seats, the CS or even a retrofit of the G80 M3/4 seats into the Comp will transform your seating opinion.
Emira is a flow car. With the double wishbones, I put it in the same category as Miata and Exige/Elise for small car, Emira and Cayman (McPherson struts) for mid size and Mercedes GT-R for large car with high power.
Otherwise I agree with your review. Good template!
I got a second test drive scheduled for next week! Gonna be like Smokey and the Bandit this time.
Auto, V6, Touring, Ice Grey. So I get to experience Ice Grey which is part of my spec.
If you want to know anything other than when cars are arriving in North America, let me know. Lol
Auto, V6, Touring, Ice Grey. So I get to experience Ice Grey which is part of my spec.
If you want to know anything other than when cars are arriving in North America, let me know. Lol
Did you ever get answers to this?
Comparison of Ice Grey to the white leather in Tesla or Silverstone in BMW (in case you have seen those).
I assume you're also attending the Festival of Speed Sunday? I'm test driving next week as well.
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