The great big "all the customer test drives" thread

Elisesquared said:

Some say it's fast, some say it's slow. Some say the shifter sucks, some say it's great. Some say the clutch is light, some say it's heavy. Some like the steering wheel, some don't. And on and on...

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There's the objective and the subjective. These reviews each have both components.

• Emira does 0-60 in approx. 4.2 and 5-60 in 4.7. Before driving the car, the user would already know if that's sufficiently fast or slow.
• The shifter has no play in the gates and feels mechanical / tactile. If one prefers smoother, easier gearshifts, they won't like it.
• There are clutches that are far lighter and far heavier than the Emira. I don't have spring rates to back that claim, but the opinion of light or heavy likely comes down to how much one is used to operating the left calf
• Whether 32XX lbs is heavy or not comes down to the driver's expectations.

I had my 15 minute test drive today. It was on damp roads so I didn’t test the handling much but was able to hit the rev limiter and test the traction control on a couple of turns.

Since we are all speaking on subjective terms I will try to compare it to the Evora GT I drove last summer. Overall it felt like a less visceral and moderately slower version of the Evora. The suspension was softer, the engine wasn’t quite as angry sounding, and it definitely didn’t have as much acceleration. I also hit the fuel cutoff (rev limiter) shockingly quickly and earlier than I was expecting.

The shifter felt pretty similar and the clutch was lighter. It still had the analog feel of the Evora, which was enjoyable. When the back end came out, the traction control wasn’t very intrusive which I can appreciate. It’s a car that feels surprisingly intuitive to drive. I immediately felt comfortable in it, even with the slightly offset pedal box (to the right).

I enjoyed hearing the engine/induction/supercharger noise behind my head.

I was surprised by the height of the seat. I’m 5’-10” and had only about 3 fingers of room between my head and headliner. The seat was at its lowest setting, although there’s a chance I hadn’t fiddled with it enough.

Photo of the pedal box below. I didn’t have any issues getting my feet to fit. I have size 10.5 feet.

Eagle7 said:

I wonder if someone had messed with the EQ settings. It almost sounds like (no pun intended) that the subwoofer wasn't connected. I contacted KEF customer service about the settings, and got a reply that they're reaching out to the engineering and design teams to get answers.

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Can you also tell KEF that their brand is getting negative feedback from Emira end-users? Maybe they can do something about it.

itsagoose said:

I had my 15 minute test drive today. It was on damp roads so I didn’t test the handling much but was able to hit the fuel cutoff and test the traction control on a couple of turns.

Since we are all speaking on subjective terms I will try to compare it to the Evora GT I drove last summer. Overall it felt like a less visceral and moderately slower version of the Evora. The suspension was softer, the engine wasn’t quite as angry sounding, and it definitely didn’t have as much acceleration. It also hit the fuel cutoff shockingly early.

The shifter felt pretty similar and the clutch was lighter. It still had the analog feel of the Evora, which was enjoyable. When the back end came out, the traction control wasn’t very intrusive which I can appreciate. It’s a car that feels surprisingly intuitive to drive. I immediately felt comfortable in it, even with the slightly offset pedal box (to the right).

I enjoyed hearing the engine/induction/supercharger noise behind my head.

I was surprised by the height of the seat. I’m 5’-10” and had only about 3 fingers of room above my head and headliner. The seat was at its lowest setting, although there’s a chance I hadn’t fiddled with it enough.

Photo of the pedal box below. I didn’t have any issues getting my feet to fit. I have size 10.5 feet.

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What do you mean by "hit the fuel cutoff"?

itsagoose said:

I had my 15 minute test drive today. It was on damp roads so I didn’t test the handling much but was able to hit the fuel cutoff and test the traction control on a couple of turns.

Since we are all speaking on subjective terms I will try to compare it to the Evora GT I drove last summer. Overall it felt like a less visceral and moderately slower version of the Evora. The suspension was softer, the engine wasn’t quite as angry sounding, and it definitely didn’t have as much acceleration. It also hit the fuel cutoff shockingly early.

The shifter felt pretty similar and the clutch was lighter. It still had the analog feel of the Evora, which was enjoyable. When the back end came out, the traction control wasn’t very intrusive which I can appreciate. It’s a car that feels surprisingly intuitive to drive. I immediately felt comfortable in it, even with the slightly offset pedal box (to the right).

I enjoyed hearing the engine/induction/supercharger noise behind my head.

I was surprised by the height of the seat. I’m 5’-10” and had only about 3 fingers of room above my head and headliner. The seat was at its lowest setting, although there’s a chance I hadn’t fiddled with it enough.

Photo of the pedal box below. I didn’t have any issues getting my feet to fit. I have size 10.5 feet.

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Wish I had reference point to Evora GT, the dealership had a couple when I put my Emira deposit July 2021 and I realized later I should call the dealership and see if I can take one out so I get an idea of how the Lotus is, at that point a few weeks or so had passed and the cars had sold.

I’m not sure if this gets forgotten about in comparisons with the Evora but remember it’s also a more expensive car, so should that get taken into consideration the same way as making a compassion to the GT4?

That being said, given the similarities to the Emira should we conclude that the Evora has 5% more HP and is lighter and therefore has 10% more performance, and is tuned to be a little firmer and louder? With the Emira you get a better interior and a way better looking car. Personally if the price and exterior of the two cars were identical and I had a choice between the Emira interior or 10% more performance it would be a close decision. A no brainer if planning to track the car. I know when a new model comes out we should assume everything is upgraded so I guess the added weight without a proportionate increase in power is disappointing to some and I get that and it’s human nature to want more and likely a priority if tracking the car. But if I didn’t have the Evora speed difference to compare to and feel that the Emira is enough, it’s just such a better package when you consider significantly better interior and exterior at a lower price. I assume there will be a GT version at some point that will bring the Emira up the performance of the Evora GT and probably be at that price.

eriegz said:

What do you mean by "hit the fuel cutoff"?

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I assume rev limiter, I couldn’t get past 5-6K RPM in 1st without going way over the speed limit

I test drove an Evora GT prior to test driving the Emira. Not back to back on the same day but a few months earlier.

The brand new Evora crapped out after a mile or so and we limped back to the dealership. I would say by that benchmark the Emira made a very good showing.

eriegz said:

What do you mean by "hit the fuel cutoff"?

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I hit the 6,800 redline and the engine cut fuel. It happened quicker than I was expecting probably because I’m not used to digital dashes and 6,800 redlines.

So I "visited" the car just now, didn't get to drive it but I had a couple takeaways. First at 5'9" and size 10EEEEEEE feet (extra wide sketchers) there was zero problem with pedal placement and the seating position was awesome with everything exactly where you would want it. The shifter was precise and fairly short and the clutch was Goldie Locks perfect, not too hard, not too soft, just right.. The interior looked and smelled top-notch. It was dark and I liked the look of the cluster and the lighted cup holders. I think what made me most happy was the ease of getting in and out of the car! By comparison my c6 Corvette required a bit more contortion and faith that when you plopped your butt down in the seat you wouldn't bang your head on the roofline. And there is no comparison with the Emira and say a Pantera or Lambo. So now I wait.....and wait some more but I am re-invigorated about this car, it's stunning and fits like a glove..

Emira report: it was dumping rain so I didn't get a chance to really test the driving dynamics. And the route kinda sucked, going through residential areas. All the input controls are fantastic, the steering is hyper-precise and has tons of feedback. Brakes are great. Shifter feels perfect, nice and mechanical, no slop or rubberiness. On the downside, the car lacks torque; I think you really have to wring its neck to get power out of it. Exterior is even better than in pictures, and it looks awesome in pictures. Interior is a pleasant surprise, nice cohesive design and all the materials are good. Repurposed Volvo switchgear is fine, infotainment is fine. I could see myself ditching the seats for something racier (and lighter) but they're basically fine. I'm still in!

Also the wipers worked just fine, and the headlights look good when the car is coming toward you. The transmission rattle was very subtle compared to my C5 (which sounds like a bunch of gravel in a coffee can right behind you). Torque was disappointing compared to the vette. Actually my wife’s SQ5 feels faster off the line. But it’s such a lovely machine! Maybe there’s a way to shed a few pounds or squeeze a little more power from it.

dgrace said:

Also the wipers worked just fine, and the headlights look good when the car is coming toward you. The transmission rattle was very subtle compared to my C5 (which sounds like a bunch of gravel in a coffee can right behind you). Torque was disappointing compared to the vette. Actually my wife’s SQ5 feels faster off the line. But it’s such a lovely machine! Maybe there’s a way to shed a few pounds or squeeze a little more power from it.

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Yeah that torque is certainly disappointing... Especially coming from the turbo world.

Elisesquared said:

Some say it's fast, some say it's slow. Some say the shifter sucks, some say it's great. Some say the clutch is light, some say it's heavy. Some like the steering wheel, some don't. And on and on...

At least everyone agrees that the steering feel is amazing and that the car looks great. Just goes to show how cars are like music. It just all depends on your tastes, influences, etc. I say that makes for a pretty interesting car, and one that should be respected.

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I think it's very important to consider someone's frame of reference and context of the comments. A GT2 RS owner would find the Emira slow. An Elise owner would find the Emira less immediate. A Rolls Royce owner would find the Emira's materials cheap. Etc. On the positive side, I've heard a Ferrari owner saying the Emira was as fun as his Ferrari. Then there are people who are coming from cars that are not sports cars at all, so there's a diff set of expectations there too.

Lotus64 said:

I agree that there is lotus magic in the suspension tuning. I do think the comparison to BMW / Audi / Merc has some weight though. The tautness, firmness and well controlled body motions draw valid comparison to the way other German makers have historically tuned their vehicles. Yet there is an unexpected suppleness in the lotus that accompanies the firmness. It's absorbs impacts better than the other setups.

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To me, the similarity is only at a high level that a German saloon car is comfortable yet not sloppy. The comparison ends there for me though just based on how Lotus accepts roll and dive and then seemingly tries to make the shock characteristics more responsive. I'm not engineer, so hard for me to write into words and it of course depends which saloon we're talking about.

vantage said:

I think it's very important to consider someone's frame of reference and context of the comments. A GT2 RS owner would find the Emira slow. An Elise owner would find the Emira less immediate. A Rolls Royce owner would find the Emira's materials cheap. Etc. On the positive side, I've heard a Ferrari owner saying the Emira was as fun as his Ferrari. Then there are people who are coming from cars that are not sports cars at all, so there's a diff set of expectations there too.

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Exactly. Which is why all of these reviews should be taken with a grain of salt. Just evaluate the car for yourself when you drive it.

If anything, I just find the reviews fun to read since we don't have any other Emira content. It's almost like reading fan fiction.

Long time lurker, 3rd post…

Was able to have a short test drive (Wednesday November 2, 2022) courtesy of Eurocar in Orange County, CA. In addition, there was a reception in the early evening where the car was available on the showroom floor to view. The car was a V6/6-speed in Hethel Yellow w/black pack, black wheels, privacy glass, alcantara w/grey stitch, sports suspension w/Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2’s.

By way of introduction and frame of reference, I have owned Ford, BMW, VW, Mazda, Volvo, Toyota, Acura, Audi, MINI, Chevrolet, Fiat, Cadillac and Tesla over my many years but for this crowd the relevant references would be a 1986 VW GTI 5-speed, a 1990 Mazda Miata 5-speed, a 1991 Acura NSX 5-speed and a 2005 MINI Cooper S 6-speed. I have driven a couple of Porsches (a previous generation Boxter and a late-2000s 911 Targa - both manuals - neither one spoke to me but I understand their appeal), a Lamborghini Diablo (talk about awkward ergonomics!) and ridden in a Ferrari F355 Challenge car on the track (out at Willow Springs). No real personal experience with megabuck sports cars other than seeing them around town or at the local cars and coffee which in Southern California can bring some heavy artillery. My office is in Newport Beach at Fashion Island so super/hyper cars are all over the place. My current daily drivers are a 2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance (1-speed!) and a 2014 Cadillac ELR (long story!).

The test route was around a light industrial area on the backside of John Wayne Airport. Light traffic with a couple of speed bumps and dips to deal with but mostly roads in good repair. With no highway segment on offer I did not reach 5th or 6th gear. The car had just over 1000 miles on it and I was asked not to redline the engine. I could not see the pedals but once my feet found them there were no issues at all (size 11M dress shoes) I did not find the clutch dramatically heavier or lighter than I remember from any of the the other sticks I have owned and found the take-up to be easy to modulate. Once I got used to the throttle response I had no issues.

Shift action was great, a little longer throw than the Miata’s snick-snick, short throw box but smoother; way better than the MINI which never impressed me as smooth or quick (but it worked just fine) and while it’s been years since I had the NSX, I would say the Emira had a shorter throw and a slightly smoother feel. I didn’t hear or experience any grinding/noises from the transmission. I drove with the windows up with nothing on the stereo. I didn’t try to rush the shifts but had no complaints with the gearbox and believe most owners would gel with the setup pretty quickly.

With respect to steering feel, it was exceptional but relative to the NSX it was definitely lighter. The NSX did not have power steering in the early cars (automatics had hydraulic steering but not the manual cars) and so the steering was heavy in parking lots but once you were moving it was great and had amazing feel. The Emira delivers that feel but with the hydraulic setup it’s lighter at parking lot speeds. Super easy to place the car. No play or slop in the steering. The Tesla by comparison is precise but lacking in tactile feedback.

Throttle response was great (we were in sport mode the entire time) and the engine noise was lovely. The car felt close coupled and super responsive and once I got the hang of it, it felt like a dance partner who knows how to follow and who is light on their feet. In time, I could see that light, precise inputs would be rewarded and the Emira is very much as presented- a driver’s car.

The cockpit felt close coupled but roomy enough for its intended mission. Visibility was great and the mirrors, when adjusted so you could just catch the rear flanks of the car at the inner edge of the mirror, essentially eliminated the rear 3/4 blinds spots. The Emira’s materials felt great - stitching, seams, switchgear - all as nice as anything I’ve ever owned. It certainly doesn’t compare to the high-end, custom or bespoke interiors of the Ferrari/Porsche/Aston/Bentley/RR/Lambo inventory that Eurocar had on display in its showroom but at this price point I wouldn’t expect it to. Frankly, a lot of those interiors, while clearly executed at the very highest levels of craftsmanship, can still lack a cohesive design language. Just because they are bespoke and expensive doesn’t mean they connect with my design sensibilities.

The 2014 Cadillac ELR we own (bought used for $35k to replace a totaled Chevy Volt) has essentially the CTS-V interior of the day with hand stitched leather, alcantara headliner and trim, real carbon fiber and olive wood inserts and blue LED accent lighting. I’m not a big Cadillac fan (this is our first, only and likely last) but the interior is pretty nice for a production car that sold when new for $75K. The Emira is certainly a step above that in design concept, finishing and attention to detail. Everything was solid to the touch with no squeaks, rattles or issues present in the example I drove. I really appreciate the design choices and interior presentation of the Emira (love the Esprit influence in the way the door cards sweep up to the dash). It’s comfortable and smartly finished without being over the top and certainly appropriate for the price point. Any minor ergonomic issues (charging your phone) will be addressed by the owner as they settle into the car. This will be my daily driver and I’m looking forward to spending time in the car.

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When we finished the drive, the Lotus rep, without prompting (thanks Tom!) played some music via Apple CarPlay through the Spotify app at a level that was louder then I would typically play my car stereo. It was cranking out plenty of bass and while Spotify is a lossy/compressed service which was being streamed to the KEF via Bluetooth (also a lossy CODEC) I heard plenty of clarity, imaging and output. Spotify has a built in adjustable EQ so maybe the rep had tweaked it but as a closet audiophile and live sound reinforcement tech for more than 40 years my sense is that with a quality source and adjustment to taste (EQ and input level matching) the system will be more than adequate. KEF has an enviable reputation in the audiophile community and I wouldn’t take their involvement in the project lightly. The Uni-Q drivers used in the Lotus are well regarded and I doubt we’ve been given a less than genuine implementation in the Emira. I would love to know if one of the USB jacks can serve as an audio input directly from an external device which would give us the best shot of maximizing the input source quality (TIDAL/Qobuz anyone?) but very few cars do these days (no matter the price point) and I wouldn’t criticize KEF or Lotus for not including what is a fairly esoteric request in the factory system. Most folks love the convenience of streaming via bluetooth.

With the request not to redline the engine and the limiting test route, I can’t comment on maximum power output but the power seemed linear with plenty of grunt in any gear that I found myself in. The MINI was supercharged and the pull from down low in the Emira reminded me of that kind of power delivery but remember the MINI was a 1.6 liter I-4 with all of 168 HP. The Emira is more than two-and-a-half times the displacement and output and it felt plenty quick for the street, even in its unbroken-in form. The Performance Model 3 is stupid fast and while it’s lots of fun, it is a completely different experience. Not better or worse - just different. The 20” Michelin Pilot Sport 4S OEM tires along with AWD and the sport suspension allow the Tesla to cover ground quickly with very little drama. While slower than the Tesla, the Emira is faster (and felt faster) than any other car I’ve owned including the NSX. That said, the Emira is a sports car and the Tesla is a sedan. The Emira feels purpose built for carving up mountain roads (or if you live anywhere in SoCal - carving up traffic on the 405!) with the chassis stiffness, suspension tuning, laser sharp steering, and compliant ride (even with the sport suspension) contributing to a truly fun and involving experience. I can’t think of anything at this (or any other) price point that I would rather own. As an enthusiast I can appreciate lots of cars but when it comes down to something I would want to live with, this ticks all the boxes; gorgeous design, driving engagement, thoughtfully curated for its mission by the team at Lotus and reasonably obtainable. My only concern is that I’m not handsome enough to be seen in such a car. I suppose if my beautiful wife can over look that shortfall, maybe the Emira will.

Final thoughts: I placed my deposit July 15th, 2022 at Eurocar/Lotus of OC. At the time I knew I was late to the game and my sales rep let me know the earliest I might expect a car was early 2024. I asked where I was in the cue at the event and was told that they are approaching 100 reservations at this store but that the floodgates really opened up recently after the YouTube coverage started to pour in. Now, apparently, I am in the first half of the depositors. Another depositor/guest at the event said he was 24th on the list and that 12 cars have already been ordered in the dealers’ first allocation. He was told they were expecting a larger allocation in the next round so he should be included in the next group with a projected delivery in May/June next year. I was too late for an FE allocation. With a reasonable ramp at Hethel maybe I can order early next year for a fourth quarter delivery. That is of course if I don’t see the AMG/DCT reviews first and decide to switch gears (no double pun intended). Current spec would be V6/MT, Nimbus Grey, no black pack, silver forged alloys, touring/Goodyears (though the sports/Cup 2 setup felt great, certainly no worse than the Tesla or the NSX and way more compliant than the MINI for sure), red brakes, black leather, no privacy glass - all subject to change of course. Hope to see the Osmium silver, Atlantis Blue and Meridian Blue before I have to finalize a spec. The base configurator can’t come soon enough for me - hours of fun! I’ve added a some photos of the test drive but will try to add some more to the the Hethel Yellow thread when I can. I’m swamped at the moment but wanted to share this while it was fresh in my mind. Any questions - feel free to ask!

There are a lot of driver anecdotes with great credentials. Compared to the journalist feedback, the test drives here have emphasized driver engagement vs the competition and none have really mentioned the downsides of understeer and at-the-limit behavior. I'm wondering if the journalist drives and feedback may not be fully valid for customer usage on the roads because journalists may've been focused on driving at 8-10 / 10ths. I could imagine that driving that intensely would make driver engagement a bit of a wash among all cars at that intensity, and it's not super realistic to get to that limit without the test resources/locations/blockages that journalists have access to.

But the driver anecdotes have been mostly short term test drives and ownership so far. We will have to see how the feedback looks once more people live with the Emira for a longer amount of time.

Loved the test drive and car! It really blows my mind that someone could test drive and not like it. My only guess would be that it was not the car you were actually looking for.

I talked with six people that test drove today and they all loved it!