7 weeks in and over 1,000 miles completed on all roads in most weather conditions. The simple summary is I am very happy with the car. It performs to a very high standard on all roads from B roads to motorways. The steering and handling are fantastic and inspire plenty of confidence. The brakes are strong and the gearbox is better than what I remember from my Evora quite a few years ago and the Emira I drove on the track experience at Hethel last summer. The engine is familiar from Evora’s and very linear in its power delivery. Down a good B or A road it is plenty fast enough and the whole package hangs together well. Mine has the Sport suspension with Goodyears and for me it is a very good choice and doesn’t feel harsh in any normal road conditions. There is little or no body roll. Absorbs road imperfections well with little noise in the cabin and comfortable on the motorway. I have seen comments on wind noise but nothing to speak of as far as I’m concerned.
The interior and connectivity are a massive step up on any previous Lotus and plenty good enough. Things like heated seats great in the cold weather. Touch wood I’ve had no major problems - 1 warning light came on day 1 (ambient temperature sensor code) but cleared and has not appeared again.
I have run the car in carefully, gradually extending it more and more and that will hopefully help it long term - feels pretty good right now.
I got the car detailed and ceramic applied (aside from areas for PPF) by Richard Tipper of Perfection Detailing - highly recommended. Richard thought the standard paint finish from the factory was very good aside from some areas on the gloss black which he sorted. I also had PPF put on the whole front and the lower black sills by Tom at Ultimate Automotive near Banbury - Tom did a great job and recommended too. For me that’s a good balance of ceramic and PPF and will protect the car long term.
Ultimately I Think it is the best looking car the right side of £200k and I wouldn’t swap it for anything else anywhere near its price. The only tough choice I see is when my i4 order is ready in ??August/September. Genuinely no idea which one I will keep. Will it be 100% reliable like a mass produced japanese car - probably not - it is a low volume new car by a niche brand but hopefully it will prove good enough and nothing puts a smile on my face like my Emira.
The interior and connectivity are a massive step up on any previous Lotus and plenty good enough. Things like heated seats great in the cold weather. Touch wood I’ve had no major problems - 1 warning light came on day 1 (ambient temperature sensor code) but cleared and has not appeared again.
I have run the car in carefully, gradually extending it more and more and that will hopefully help it long term - feels pretty good right now.
I got the car detailed and ceramic applied (aside from areas for PPF) by Richard Tipper of Perfection Detailing - highly recommended. Richard thought the standard paint finish from the factory was very good aside from some areas on the gloss black which he sorted. I also had PPF put on the whole front and the lower black sills by Tom at Ultimate Automotive near Banbury - Tom did a great job and recommended too. For me that’s a good balance of ceramic and PPF and will protect the car long term.
Ultimately I Think it is the best looking car the right side of £200k and I wouldn’t swap it for anything else anywhere near its price. The only tough choice I see is when my i4 order is ready in ??August/September. Genuinely no idea which one I will keep. Will it be 100% reliable like a mass produced japanese car - probably not - it is a low volume new car by a niche brand but hopefully it will prove good enough and nothing puts a smile on my face like my Emira.
