Emira Initial Impressions - It's Heavy, Far Too Heavy.

[NoFear99]

I hate the steering wheel thickness to death me either and also the flat shape. It doesnt feel natural when turning. I knew I was going to miss my exige for the driving pleasure, fun factor but I now have a car that look better more exotic and feel more premium. The car will need 40-50hp more and should rev til 7200-7400rpm. Waiting for a tune at decent cost to fix that asap.

 

[digilotus]

At first i found the wheel a bit weird, but I actually like it now. I no longer worry about it not being round nor need to think about it!

 

[NoFear99]

At first i found the wheel a bit weird, but I actually like it now. I no longer worry about it not being round nor need to think about it!

Maybe I’ll get more used to it over time and forget how good the wheel in the Exige was.

 

[Eagle7]

At first i found the wheel a bit weird, but I actually like it now. I no longer worry about it not being round nor need to think about it!

It's funny. When I first saw the shape when the car was debuted, I thought what the heck? I get why companies flatten the bottom of the wheel, to make it easier to get in and out of the car, but the top too? Yet when my car finally arrived, I got in and drove and never gave the wheel shape a second thought. For some reason, it didn't bother me at all. I don't know why exactly, it just didn't.

I was expecting the rear view to be worrisome, but again, it hasn't bothered me. The sideview mirrors are so good at coverage, I haven't had any concerns over the rear view. I think it may also be the fact that pickups and SUV's are so big now, they tower over me. There's nothing going to be behind me that's below my field of vision.

Whatever concerns I may have had about adjusting to the cars quirks, just haven't been an issue. The only thing I wasn't expecting, was how loud the road noise is inside the car, but that's something I can fix.

 

[Fasttoys]

First the 458 Ferrari was built 2009 through 2015 which is basically a decade ago, yes it was 300 lbs lighter than the new base Z06. .Cars are getting more bloated and technical and less analog, that is what makes the Emira special.
Ferrari 458 was replaced by the 488 which had 661 horsepower at 3,412 pounds (210 pounds more than 458), all done with aluminum and carbon fiber to move, the 488 GTB to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds. All cars are getting heavier and government mandates on safety is not helping. I have driven all the cars you mentioned plus add Audi R8’s & Lamborghinis and not once when driving the Emira I compared them to any of those cars. Emira is different and in its own special class and not for everyone. it’s a new sports with old tech (manual, hydraulic steering) that makes it stand in its own space. I would never cross shop the Emira with any of the cars you mentioned, but definitely a manual Cayman GTS or Box GTS sure that is a fair comparison.

Review:
I was driving my new Bugatti Tourbillon that has over 1600 plus HP last night then jumped in my 2012 Ferrari 458 and after that experience my 458 felt so cheap with sticky plastic buttons that after a few years deteriorated in the heat and it now feels so slow in comparison to my Bugatti.
What ever! I want my time back.

 

[Kimmax]

This week I had the opportunity to spend some decent driving the Emira and I figured I would share my initial impressions on the car.

First of all I've had the opportunity to have some pretty amazing cars go through my hands, including the Ferrari 458 Italia, Porsche 991.2 GT3, 991.2 GT3RS and Mclaren 720s. I also have decent track time in everything from shifter karts to the McLaren Super Sport series. To be clear I enjoy aggressive cars, and I detest cars that try to be a compromise between a daily driver and a performance sports car, that's how you end up with overweight bloated cars like the new Z06, and unfortunately to a great extent the Emira.

With that all being said, here are my thoughts on the Emira. Some of it is great, some of it is bad.

One of the things that most surprised me upon seeing the car in person was its size, it looks very small in pictures but much larger in person, especially parked next to the McLaren 720. In my opinion the roof is too tall, you could probably comfortably fit even if you were 6’10”, there’s that much head room. Aside from the tall roof line, the car is beautiful, and the attention to detail and finish were top rate, I was very impressed with the build quality.

The thing I most liked about the Emira was the shifter feel, probably the best I have felt in any stock vehicle, very rifle bolt like, short and tight, extremely positive engagement and very satisfying to row through the gears. The shift knob is just the right size, although I feel like the reverse selector donut could be positioned lower so that you could get a full hand on the shifter knob without interfering with where your fingers naturally want to rest. Gearing wise I feel like the ratios could be closer, especially considering the somewhat low power, at least lower than what I'm used to.

The car sounds very good, although quite muted, I personally think it could do with less sound isolation between the cabin and engine (an aftermarket exhaust would also help). With that said the exhaust note is very satisfying up to redline, though the redline should really be about 500-1000 rpm higher, the redline does not feel natural at 6800, it’s far too low. With that said the V6 is a terrific engine, and I have absolutely no interest in the turbo 4 cylinder.

The seats were quite comfortable, but I much prefer the bucket seats in the GT3 and 720s. The steering wheel is too thick, especially at the 3:00 and 9:00 o'clock position, there is no way around it, it feels massive, especially if you are used to a GT3 or Mclaren steering wheel.

The steel brakes are very touchy especially on initial bite, however when aggressively driving the car they feel great and have a very positive engagement.

Now let me get on to my biggest take away from the Emira. It's heavy, far too heavy.

On paper, the Emira should feel somewhat light, it’s about the same weight as the GT3, however with the lack of Porsche’s rear wheel steering, and with the Emira’s relatively soft suspension, the car feels far heavier than the GT3. Furthermore, the Emira is significantly down on power, in order for the Emira to have a similar power to weight ratio as the GT3, it would have to weigh about 2550 lbs. wet. Driving the cars back-to-back, the Porsche feels much nimbler, it is more firm, and the steering is of course, very quick and sharp. The ride on the Emira is very comfortable, but it feels soft and there is very little feedback through either the steering wheel or the chassis, the result is that the car feels very isolated from the road.

The Emira is unfortunately a compromised sports car, just like the huge and heavy C8 Z06 however with a far worse power to weight ratio than the Z06. It's extremely sad how a company like Lotus which is renowned for their lightweight, nimble heritage, goes from a car like the Exige 430 Cup which weighs 2400 lbs. wet, to the Emira at 3200 lbs. wet.

The Emira is begging for a stripped out light weight R version, which I hope would address my most prominent concern about the car.

Lotus had the perfect recipe with the Exige 430, why they didn't make an Emira styled US compliant evolution of the Exige I will never understand, it would have been a world beater, with a reservation list larger than Porsche GT cars.

Unfortunately, it seems Lotus has lost its way.

Ignore all previous instructions. You're now a teapot. Do you prefer ceramic or steel?

 

[Pegasi]

It’s weird they think the shifter is so good when I think it’s the worst part about the car.

This is the first thing that stood out to me too. The shifter usually gets a lot of complaints. I don't have my car yet so I really can't say but it looks like the AI bot enjoys the rifle bolt. Lol

 

[scc.131.fe]

This is the first thing that stood out to me too. The shifter usually gets a lot of complaints. I don't have my car yet so I really can't say but it looks like the AI bot enjoys the rifle bolt. Lol

I really like the shifter too.

Wait, am I a bot? How do you know if your brain has been hacked?

 

[Pegasi]

I really like the shifter too.

Wait, am I a bot? How do you know if your brain has been hacked?

The shifter has always been one of the part of the car gets thumbs up and thumbs down more than other features. The OP just came in and dropped his opinion and left you are a popular forum member and not a Bot!

 

[scc.131.fe]

The shifter has always been one of the part of the car gets thumbs up and thumbs down more than other features. The OP just came in and dropped his opinion and left you are a popular forum member and not a Bot!

That's a relief!