Emira Criticisms vs. My Experience

[Pegasi]

Fan boy is not necessarily a bad thing but if you lose all sight of reality, then that is not good at all. You still need to be honest with yourself. But yes one should be a fan of the brand and champion it when possible. Porblem is Lotus has been an abject failure when it comes to this. Not one person in here can honestly say they are happy with the company as a whole. There is much room for improvement.

My deposit is still in, hoping for a base i4 but many things weigh on my mind as the closest dealer is 1.5 hours away and it is my DD. This dealer also doesn't have loaners so this also makes things more difficult. Anyhow, hope more of these issues get sorted as the possibilities are huge with the Emira.

Fair enough. I always like to separate the DD people from the weekend people. If you are a DD with a dealer 1.5 hours away, IMO, you are free to grind and be cautious all you want. And I am not being sarcastic. This is a weekend car for me so I can just take everything in stride. Dealer is local. Here is hoping your I4 is a screamer with no issues!

 

[netsinah]

My Emira is a DD and the closest dealer is 3 hours (1-way) away. My winter all-wheel drive vehicle is on top of a 4-post lift, parked until the snow is about to hit, and a hassle to unpark, both time and insurance-wise. So buying the Emira was a “leap of faith”, tempered somewhat by the dealer agreeing to pick it up and trailer it from/to my home, for any warranty claim, but that doesn’t give me a substitute vehicle to drive in the meantime, like most other new car manufacturers I’ve dealt with. I’m ++ pleased I’ve had no problems with my Emira and (easy for me to say, right now) even if I did, I may still find the enjoyable drive, worth the hassle but admittedly, up to a point. I ‘d hate any “lemon”, regardless of manufacture.

That said, I was a BMW fan for many years and owned several, including a 2005 M3 cabriolet stick, which was wonderful on the track with its 50/50 balance. But I had nothing but problems with my 740iL, both during and especially after its warranty expired. So much so, I’ll never buy another BMW. Too bad, because I find BMW is a mixture of luxury and sport, but more sport with its drive, which I prefer.

My current “winter beater” is a Mercedes E550 and after 8 years and about 150,000 km, it’s been a great car. I find Mercedes or at least this one, to also be a mixture of luxury and sport but with more emphasis on luxury, compared to the 740 BMW. But I’d buy another Mercedes, based on my experience over the past 8 years. Finally and if you’re still reading this (lol) I replaced the spark plugs on my 550 (hardest spark plug job I’ve done, and I’ve done many) and spoke with the Mercedes service manager at the time. He’d previously been the service manager at a BMW dealership. When I mentioned my displeasure with BMW’s reliability, he described replacing about 1 new BMW engine per month under warranty and sending them back to Germany for analysis, compared to only about 1 per year, with Mercedes. An interesting comparison and something to keep in mind if you see Lotus with problems. It’s not the only one.

 

[drjazzsk]

Fair enough. I always like to separate the DD people from the weekend people. If you are a DD with a dealer 1.5 hours away, IMO, you are free to grind and be cautious all you want. And I am not being sarcastic. This is a weekend car for me so I can just take everything in stride. Dealer is local. Here is hoping your I4 is a screamer with no issues!

Thx! Yeah sure hoping for the same as well. I've always had semi unique cars so I'm used to some of the things that come with that but this car has me being a little more cautious. Especially the no loaner issue as that's going to get very difficult, especially if something is taking weeks to sort out. Then again it may be absolutely perfect! No issues etc. Either way it's a leap of faith. Anyhow, time will tell ultimately.

 

[emirahl]

Do not give up, it is worth the pain!

 

[Carig5A]

Fan boy is not necessarily a bad thing but if you lose all sight of reality, then that is not good at all. You still need to be honest with yourself. But yes one should be a fan of the brand and champion it when possible. Porblem is Lotus has been an abject failure when it comes to this. Not one person in here can honestly say they are happy with the company as a whole. There is much room for improvement.

My deposit is still in, hoping for a base i4 but many things weigh on my mind as the closest dealer is 1.5 hours away and it is my DD. This dealer also doesn't have loaners so this also makes things more difficult. Anyhow, hope more of these issues get sorted as the possibilities are huge with the Emira.

I understand your concerns ie dealer 1.5 hrs away, your DD and no loaner. That would also be hard for me to decide. Regardless, I hope you make the right decision, best of luck!

 

[Climber]

Wow , that Motor Trend review is brutal and shameful (for Lotus). Sadly if it weren't for the steering and looks the car is seen as a dud. Come on Lotus get your act together!!! The more I see posts and reviews of these ongoing issues the more I want to pull my deposit.

Have had 3 Porsches all had some issues, but loved the dam things.
I have had my lotus since march +5,000 miles. One issue and it was fixed in a reasonable amount of time.
Three things
1. Looks amazing no Porsche compares.
Below 1/2 million. Only McLaren & Ferraris . Had it parked next to a Lamborghini & Aston Martin the Emira got more attention and photos taken.,

2. The drive Porsche feels like the Honda of expensive sports cars. Lotus is an exotic in every sense of the word.

3. Cars are like women some are beautiful and a select few are unforgettable .

I saw all the shit posted about the Emira and here I am feeling truly lucky to be able to have one.

Most people stop at “ but “ pull your deposit and get something else.

 

[seriously]

2. The drive Porsche feels like the Honda of expensive sports cars. Lotus is an exotic in every sense of the word.

Modern Porsches are easy to drive and easy to drive fast. A pro or con depending on how you look at it. Emira in comparison does feel exotic and something to figure out.

 

[NorCalEmira]

Porsche has had its share of problems too. The M96 and M97 flat six-cylinder engines used in 911s, Boxsters, and Caymans between 1997 and 2008 frequently experience IMS bearing failure. I sold my 2014 GT3 because I didn't want to own it out of warranty after the well documented engine failures in 991.1 GT3's. Porsche did extend the warranty for 10 years on these cars in response but they also replaced quite a few engines and went through multiple redesigns of the cam followers in later GT3 cars. The only issue I've had so far with my Emira is the SOS fault notification but we'll see how it performs over time. I'm reassured by the Toyota driveline but issues can still crop up with any car. Most of what I've read about with the Emira has been addressed with software updates. Love the car!

 

[Genosite]

6500miles, daily driver, only one issue related to hasty electronic patch they had to do to sell them in March. Returned to have a steering wheel lock sensor replaced, it’s been without fault since. Its reliability is on par with my 911’s, better than my boxster, same as Aston Martin, better than Ferrari. It’s on par with my bmws, except one that was a very bad model year. Service is very reasonable and our dealer does provide some limited rental fleet which is extremely helpful. Lotus of Dallas has made this an excellent experience so far and hopefully like on most forums the problems talked about are basically way over represented.

 

[DCNSX]

Wow , that Motor Trend review is brutal and shameful (for Lotus). Sadly if it weren't for the steering and looks the car is seen as a dud. Come on Lotus get your act together!!! The more I see posts and reviews of these ongoing issues the more I want to pull my deposit.

FWIW - I have about 2000 miles on mine and zero issues.

 

[Marco07]

Hey guys, first time poster, long time lurker – pretty much since I ordered the car 35 months ago. I read a lot of criticisms of the car over that time and many were concerning. Now that I’ve had the car for 1 month / 2500 km, I wanted to go over which ones I think are actually concerns for those who are still waiting for their cars. Everyone’s use is different, and to some degree the cars are different, so of course YMMV. Sorry for the novel.

“The steering wheel is bad”. The shape is different, but you quickly adjust and now I don’t mind it at all. The thickness is good.

“The seats are too high”. I have no issue with the height. It feels plenty low to me. I’m 5’9”

“The seats need more padding” I have no issue here and I’ve done 4-5 hr drives. I am 39 and I don’t have a history of back pain.

“The brakes generate too much dust” Confirmed, this one is real. I clean the wheels and they look dirty again after 50 km. I have ceramic coated the wheels and calipers. That doesn’t prevent them from getting dirty, but it’s probably a bit easier to wipe the dust off. I will likely move to the red stuff pads once the stock pads are worn out

“The pedal position/spacing is bad” The offset position felt weird to me at the start, but I don’t notice it anymore. I like that the pedals are tight, but I could see it being a problem with wide shoes. I’m often wearing flip flops during Canadian driving season – I set them aside and drive in bare feet (not necessarily recommending).

“the KEF system is garbage” There is something weird about the stereo. It’s like the volume control for the mid and upper range is very linear. However, the bass is almost zero until about 40% volume. If you like to listen to music at a reasonable level, you will likely think it sounds tinny. If you like to blast your music, you will probably think it sounds great – especially if you listen to bass-forward music.

“the shifter doesn’t feel good” I actually think it’s great. Maybe it’s is a cable adjustment issue, but mine felt very good and easy to shift from the factory. A slight criticism is that I don’t like the play when the shifter is in gear. Mine does not move side to side at all, but can wiggle about 1/2” forward and back while in gear. I installed the GRP short shifter thinking that play was coming from the stock rubber grommet, however it didn’t make a difference. I am keeping it because I like the shorter throw (even if it didn’t really need it). The additional force required due to reduced leverage is not a concern.

“the transmission doesn’t like to be rushed” I can confirm that redlining first gear and slamming into second often doesn’t go well – I’d say a missed shift or grinding gears 30% of the time. I don’t have the issue in any of the other gears and I don’t have it with a slower or lower RPM shift. I have learned to go easy on it. Some may say you shouldn’t be slamming the gears anyway, but I think a car like this should be able to handle that type of driving. Per recommendations on this forum, I am going to add Archoil 9100 to the transmission fluid, but I am not optimistic it will actually make much difference.

“it’s underpowered” This discussion has been so played out I’m not sure I need to go there. My feeling is that if you are chasing speed/track times, there are faster cars for less money. Buy this car if you prioritize driver engagement/enjoyment. From that perspective I think the power is more than enough. If you’re into performance mods and aren’t concerned with residuals, I get that too. More power isn’t going to make the experience worse.

“car won’t start” There seems to be 2 issues people are having: one where the ignition just clicks and one where the car turns over but doesn’t start. I haven’t had the latter and can’t speak to it, other than to agree with others on the forum that it sounds like a fuel pressure issue. I had the first issue at 600km. As recommended by others, I got out, locked the car, unlocked and the problem went away. Since then, I have waited 20s for the infotainment system to load before attempting to start the car and it has not happened again.

“the trunk gets stuck” I can confirm that if you have objects in the trunk putting upward pressure on the lid it will get stuck. It has happened to me about 5 times. The solution is to push down on the trunk while hitting unlock and then remove some objects.

“the trunk gets too hot” I don’t find this is an issue with 30 min drives / trips to the grocery store. On 2-3 hr drives it gets hot. Think black car parked in the sun. I attempted to improve this by putting Second Skin behind the trunk panel next to the engine and under the trunk mat. I didn’t make a difference. That’s likely operator error as it should have been installed outside the trunk, but that seemed like a lot of work.

“the infotainment is laggy” I’ve had no problems. When I first go the car, I struggled with the radio presets and finding things, but I’m onto it now.

“the drive mode selector shouldn’t have to be hit twice” This doesn’t bother me at all.

“the clutch feel is poor” I’ve not experienced this at all.

“the brakes are very touchy” I did struggle with this a lot at the start. I’m not sure if they are getting better now or if I am.

“this car gets too much attention” I have had people take pictures in parking lots, ask questions at gas stations, and even someone who followed me into my driveway to talk about it. I’m not someone who normally talks to strangers or likes a lot of attention. However, as many people have advised on this forum, I put on a smile and answer every question. The people are generally very excited and if you don’t match that level of enthusiasm and friendliness, I could see it confirming negative stereotypes about owners of high-end cars. If you don’t view this as a negative, it won’t be. I’ve had all positive interactions.

Other thoughts:

-the high beams are the best of any car I’ve driven. I do find the blue high beam indicator doesn’t catch my eye next to the blue tour mode background. I often put it into sport at night so there is more contrast and I’m less likely to high beam people.

-I’ve not seen anyone else mention it, but there is a weird function with the cruise control button where you can set a max speed. I accentually set it to 50kph one time and briefly thought I had broken something when it wouldn’t go faster

-I like that the cruise control doesn’t cancel with the clutch. I frequently downshift ahead of passing someone and I don’t necessarily want to slow down.

-I know Lotus handing is legendary, but I wasn’t really sure what to expect. The biggest thing I notice is that steering doesn’t load up in corners. The car feels eager to turn in because there’s no resistance in the steering wheel. I’ve heard some say that makes it more difficult to feel when you’re at the limits of adhesion and I could see that. Currently I’m not comfortable enough to try and break out the tail end anyways. Prior to this my fun car was a supercharged 10AE Miata, so this is a bit of an upgrade in terms of speed and performance. I passed 22 years and 300 000km with that car this summer. I hope I can have a similar run with the Emira, but that may be wishful thinking. Overall I’m very pleased with the car and I think it’s a relative value.

I have been keeping a low profile because I thought I was the only one that doesn't have much, if anything, to raise as a negative. This is an excellent appraisal and aligns with my own thoughts so thank you for taking the time to write and post it.

Is Emira perfect? No
Is Emira fantastic and good value for money? Yes

However...I haven't had a single issue with my 2022 car (V6 Manual) apart from a power steering pump which seems to work perfectly but the local dealer says it needs changing under warranty when they can get one in. No paint bubbling. No boot or AC issues. No window or locking issues. I am sure that if I had experienced ANY of those (especially the paintwork) I would be royally p**sed off.

Keep faith in these cars because I think they are going to be sought after.

 

[crestima]

I have been keeping a low profile because I thought I was the only one that doesn't have much, if anything, to raise as a negative. This is an excellent appraisal and aligns with my own thoughts so thank you for taking the time to write and post it.

Is Emira perfect? No
Is Emira fantastic and good value for money? Yes

However...I haven't had a single issue with my 2022 car (V6 Manual) apart from a power steering pump which seems to work perfectly but the local dealer says it needs changing under warranty when they can get one in. No paint bubbling. No boot or AC issues. No window or locking issues. I am sure that if I had experienced ANY of those (especially the paintwork) I would be royally p**sed off.

Keep faith in these cars because I think they are going to be sought after.

I'm not sure how updated the poll is at this point, but you're actually not an exception, as indicated by the thread entitled "USA Emira Owners - Issue Severity Poll". It indicated that over 90% of us have not experienced serious problems with our Emiras.
You have to expect that complaints are generally more forthcoming in forums, such as this one, as members vent their bad experience frustrations and seek help to find out the source and guidance to fix their mechanical problems. Like you, I'm lucky to be part that that 90%+, but I do feel bad for the other 9% or so.

 

[nickorette]

All of the common problems with the car mentioned above, I also didn't really see as problems, and started to question the journalistic integrity of a lot of reviews that were so negative about the cars.

I had one issue with the HVAC controller, which was replaced under service bulletin, but other then that the car has been perfect. It's been my most problem-free new car purchase, and that includes Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, RAM, and Mercedes.

 

[Briggo]

I have an Emira V6 First Edition manual manufactured Dec 22 and just completed 8k miles and used as a daily driver.

I have had the following done under warranty -
Windscreen wiper motor replaced (fast speed issue). Seatbelts replaced (due to jamming). A-pillar tethers replaced.
Power steering pump replaced (dealer noticed it leaking at first service).
Both doors recently replaced due to paint blistering. Interestingly, this did not appear in the first year of use.
Various warning lights appearing/disappearing but sorted after software updates.

All work has been completed to my satisafction and I absolutely love the car despite the frustrating number of items requring attention.

Air con is currently hit and miss so may need to replace the HVAC unit.

 

[Jinba ittai]

I have an Emira V6 First Edition manual manufactured Dec 22 and just completed 8k miles and used as a daily driver.

I have had the following done under warranty -
Windscreen wiper motor replaced (fast speed issue). Seatbelts replaced (due to jamming). A-pillar tethers replaced.
Power steering pump replaced (dealer noticed it leaking at first service).
Both doors recently replaced due to paint blistering. Interestingly, this did not appear in the first year of use.
Various warning lights appearing/disappearing but sorted after software updates.

All work has been completed to my satisafction and I absolutely love the car despite the frustrating number of items requring attention.

Air con is currently hit and miss so may need to replace the HVAC unit.

You’re a trooper to remain positive after all that.

 

[Sandalwood]

You’re a trooper to remain positive after all that.

Thanks to the early delivery folks for wading through the issues so we late deliveries could have trouble-free cars!

 

[Hell4Leather]

“the KEF system is garbage”

It wasn’t long until I realized that the total car volume was set at 50% from factory. Not the volume you change when music is playing but the system volume you change in vehicle settings. Makes a huge difference, especially when it comes to taking a phone call.

 

[neonate]

V6 Auto. One month old. 1000 miles done. Joy to drive so far.
Few spirited Fall drives- No issues. Surpassed all expectations.
Thing is- it makes every little drive so special without silly shenanigans.
Seats are perfect for a 5' 8"/170 lbs frame
KEF- Adjusted those 3 settings. Better than my Audi
Carplay- syncs every time I start the car
Well worth the wait....

 

[Hell4Leather]

V6 Auto. One month old. 1000 miles done. Joy to drive so far.
Few spirited Fall drives- No issues. Surpassed all expectations.
Thing is- it makes every little drive so special without silly shenanigans.
Seats are perfect for a 5' 8"/170 lbs frame
KEF- Adjusted those 3 settings. Better than my Audi
Carplay- syncs every time I start the car
Well worth the wait....

You have trouble with the clock not being correct each time you restart? Mine always changes by 1 or 2 hours every time I get in.

 

[neonate]

You have trouble with the clock not being correct each time you restart? Mine always changes by 1 or 2 hours every time I get in.

I do. Difference of one hour now, after daylight changing time. I just look at carplay screen ( left upper corner) for time