Emira performance - disappointing?

[MYFASTEFE]

Sure. As long as there are no curves.

I say the same thing to tesla guys lol

 

[Foxy87]

And I guess you have driven one extensively and found this out yourself?
“Public tracktimes” are a poor measure to rely on.

Hmmm no, actually track times are a pretty good indicator for handling…

yes, I have driven one and I liked it very much, but much more for the overall experience/feeling (Sound, Looks, transmission, engine responsiveness) and not especially for its handling. Turn in didnt feel very sharp but I guess you could modify this with a few suspension tweaks.

I said it a few times and Iwill say it again: The emira was a lot of fun to drive and I will probably get one in the near future, because I rarely do track days and it is plenty fast on public roads. Doesnt change the fact that the track times so far are poor. No need to get offended by that.

 

[drjazzsk]

agreed. I don't understand the outcry by some for just stating our opinions. I found on my drive of the car that was underpowered...period. And the stats don't lie. Especially once you look at the competition. Car needs more low end power. The get up and go is not as good as it should be. This is just one aspect of the car of course. Many other things factor into buying one. I for one am hoping a higher performance variant (ie R or S) comes out to address this.

 

[Jan]

V6 numbers:

Performance​

0 - 50 kph	1.6 s
0 - 80 kph	3.4 s
0 - 100 kph	4.5 s
0 - 130 kph	8.7 s
0 - 180 kph	13.6 s
0 - 200 kph	17.0 s
0 - 250 kph	35.9 s
0 - 30 mph	1.4 s
0 - 40 mph	2.5 s
0 - 50 mph	3.3 s
0 - 60 mph	4.3 s
0 - 70 mph	5.3 s
0 - 80 mph	6.9 s
0 - 90 mph	8.4 s
0 - 100 mph	10.3 s
0 - 110 mph	12.4 s
0 - 120 mph	14.6 s
0 - 130 mph	18.3 s
0 - 140 mph	22.7 s
0 - 150 mph	28.3 s
Est. 1/8 mile	9.0 s @ 94.4 mph
1/4 mile	12.7 s @ 111.0 mph

Has anybody seen these number for the i4?

 

[David s]

Hmmm no, actually track times are a pretty good indicator for handling…

Really? The why don`t we get Louis Hamilton to do a track day in one and see what "track time" he sets. The track time you talk about is pointless unless the name of the driver is included. What you should be saying(if you are trying to get an understanding of the car you are talking about) is, "Louis Hamilton only managed a 1:37 around brands hatch in a Lotus emira"

Not offended. I`m tried of reading some of the crap people who are non owner put up. Uniformed and unintelligent. Sorry to offend.

 

[Simba]

I guess you missed the youtube pod on the drag race between the supra, BMWM2, Mustang and the Emira. The emira was quickest of the bunch on the 0-60MPH at 4.1 sec.

Those were all manual cars. The DCT supra is faster than the 6 speed emira and most likely faster than the auto emira, but its still a supra at the end of the day...

 

[luciddaydream]

I have a 992 GTS with PDK and its incredibly fast.
But the Emira seems to have more power like at a stop light.
I HATE the lag that the 992's seem to have. I like being right in gear and ripping it.

I think the Emira seems to pull very nicely. Its more like my old 991 Carrera S manual.
Maybe its just being in gear instead of PDK.

 

[seriously]

I have a 992 GTS with PDK and its incredibly fast.
But the Emira seems to have more power like at a stop light.
I HATE the lag that the 992's seem to have. I like being right in gear and ripping it.

I think the Emira seems to pull very nicely. Its more like my old 991 Carrera S manual.
Maybe its just being in gear instead of PDK.

Encouraging but surprising. I would expect the 992 GTS to feel faster almost everywhere after boost kicks in which is low. Perhaps at a stand still with heavy throttle the emira does better but after that I would expect the GTS to walk. The PDK is lightnig fast and keeps the turbo on spool. Hope I’m wrong!

 

[anothersportscar]

I have a 992 GTS with PDK and its incredibly fast.
But the Emira seems to have more power like at a stop light.
I HATE the lag that the 992's seem to have. I like being right in gear and ripping it.

I think the Emira seems to pull very nicely. Its more like my old 991 Carrera S manual.
Maybe its just being in gear instead of PDK.

Well I've just moved from an Emira V6 manual after a whole bunch of problems to a PDK 992 GTS. The slight initial lag is the PDK. I'm not a traffic light racer (have done a fair bit of UK circuit racing though) but the 911 is a massive leap in performance terms.

After my 10 month Emira experience my observations would be :-

The hard cut is slightly low and too agressive, its a bit frustrating, the engine likes to be revved, its clear there is more power there than lotus has allowed customers to use but valve bounce is a known issue so I assume Lotus has gone slightly cautious with the rpm limit in favour of reliability. I'd estimate with a 7200 limit you'd get 420-430bhp which would make a huge difference to how the car feels as you'd get to enjoy the best bit for just a little longer and be higher in the power band in the next gear.

The car isn't particularly light, combine that with the linear power delivery and the Emira doesn't feel as punchy as you might want.

The gearbox isn't the best, at the high end of the rev range it's baulky, particularly moving up to second and third gear when pressing on. Having said that the gearbox in mine wasn't as crisp as the demo car I drove so there must be some significant variance there. Lotus strip the crated Toyota boxes at the factory and rebuild them. The linkage was adjusted while mine was at the dealers but it didn't help.

It's a personal thing but I felt the Emira even with the sport chassis was a bit too soft, especially on the front, easily rectified with new dampers and springs if that's the way you want to go.

Personally I'd try to get weight out of the car initially then consider a remap and some cylinder head work to get reliable performance.

If Lotus produce an R or an S with 420-430bhp, more track focussed chassis and lose 60-100kg then that would be a great car. Probably the last great Lotus.

 

[Hell4Leather]

With all do respect, opinions of people who are not owners and not ordering an Emira don't carry much weight compared to Emira owners / depositors / enthusiasts.

You are guests in our house. Remember that!

I've never seen a car forum with so much negative outside commentary as the Emira but it's actually flattering. People who slam it at any opportunity but can't get the car off their mind because there's nothing like it and theyre suffering from fear of missing out. And guess what, they will miss out.

I would never go to another brands forum just to slam a vehicle that didn't meet my ridiculous standards as I have no business there. Such a sad thing for people to do.

I have had a deposit down for 2 years. I test drove both the manual and automatic. They were both underwhelming. I passed on the three pedal because the footwell is just too cramped for my clown feet and it would not have been enjoyable. The auto, although slightly quicker was still not super impressive. Would I like a little more snap on the acceleration , yes but it’ll cost another $60k to get it so we’ll call this an “entry level”. Still buying the car but I’m not such a fan boy that I overlook the obvious.

 

[KCMO68_510]

I guess I don't get the point of deciding this cars performance based on 0-60 times or Butt Dyno feelings. If you wanted specific performance in those areas I agree there are better cars.

If you want characteristics that matter on canyon roads or a race course then you will likely be far more happy with your purchase.

The GT4 car shows that this is a phenomenal platform to build a track car from. And if you don't want to build it out, that probably means the platform is already fantastic for those canyon roads.

Personally, I'd rather have the Emira that provides an experience you can't get elsewhere vs a car that's only selling point is a raw number that I'll likely rarely ever use. Fantastic drivers car or 0-60... which matters more to you...

 

[KAR120C]

I guess I don't get the point of deciding this cars performance based on 0-60 times or Butt Dyno feelings. If you wanted specific performance in those areas I agree there are better cars.

If you want characteristics that matter on canyon roads or a race course then you will likely be far more happy with your purchase.

The GT4 car shows that this is a phenomenal platform to build a track car from. And if you don't want to build it out, that probably means the platform is already fantastic for those canyon roads.

Personally, I'd rather have the Emira that provides an experience you can't get elsewhere vs a car that's only selling point is a raw number that I'll likely rarely ever use. Fantastic drivers car or 0-60... which matters more to you...

Well said!

Gas engines are not just lumps of metal that always produce a rated horsepower and torque. They produce a max hp or max torque at or within a certain range of engine speed and at wide open throttle. That power is usually only producible on a dyno or on track. On public roads, including the winding back roads, a car that’s actually producing even 400hp is probably destined for the ditch almost immediately. We typically are driving far below the max output, relying on finesse to navigate the turns quickly.

On the fun roads, a 400hp Emira, driven in the correct power band, has no issue competing with cars of much higher hp and torque ratings, unless there are long straights. But, I don’t count long straights as fun roads, so YMMV.

 

[Speedluvver]

Well I've just moved from an Emira V6 manual after a whole bunch of problems to a PDK 992 GTS. The slight initial lag is the PDK. I'm not a traffic light racer (have done a fair bit of UK circuit racing though) but the 911 is a massive leap in performance terms.

After my 10 month Emira experience my observations would be :-

The hard cut is slightly low and too agressive, its a bit frustrating, the engine likes to be revved, its clear there is more power there than lotus has allowed customers to use but valve bounce is a known issue so I assume Lotus has gone slightly cautious with the rpm limit in favour of reliability. I'd estimate with a 7200 limit you'd get 420-430bhp which would make a huge difference to how the car feels as you'd get to enjoy the best bit for just a little longer and be higher in the power band in the next gear.

The car isn't particularly light, combine that with the linear power delivery and the Emira doesn't feel as punchy as you might want.

The gearbox isn't the best, at the high end of the rev range it's baulky, particularly moving up to second and third gear when pressing on. Having said that the gearbox in mine wasn't as crisp as the demo car I drove so there must be some significant variance there. Lotus strip the crated Toyota boxes at the factory and rebuild them. The linkage was adjusted while mine was at the dealers but it didn't help.

It's a personal thing but I felt the Emira even with the sport chassis was a bit too soft, especially on the front, easily rectified with new dampers and springs if that's the way you want to go.

Personally I'd try to get weight out of the car initially then consider a remap and some cylinder head work to get reliable performance.

If Lotus produce an R or an S with 420-430bhp, more track focussed chassis and lose 60-100kg then that would be a great car. Probably the last great Lotus.

Glad you have found a car that you like and sorry to hear of the problems - I do agree with the limiter.. but the Emira is so much more of an event than a 911, and I reckon will be just as quick across country even with less performance

 

[luciddaydream]

Encouraging but surprising. I would expect the 992 GTS to feel faster almost everywhere after boost kicks in which is low. Perhaps at a stand still with heavy throttle the emira does better but after that I would expect the GTS to walk. The PDK is lightnig fast and keeps the turbo on spool. Hope I’m wrong!

The GTS would destroy it on a highway, but, for cities the Emira has more of that pep that I want.

The GTS is also tuned so its a complete animal, but, honestly, its a bit boring to me unless I am going on a long road trip and need to pass a lot of people at 130mph.

911's are also so bloated nowadays -- drives me nuts.

 

[KAR120C]

Performance doesn’t matter to buyers? I’d argue it’s what creates buyers. If the Emira was all Aces out of the shoe then why is there a modification thread? Tuners, and a host of others about squeezing another 40 or so HP out of the V6?

I don't think there would be 1000+ actual buyers in North America if they were losing sleep over the Emira's performance. Yeah they might want more, so they'll go out and buy a modification. What they won't be doing is pissing in everyone elses rice crispies because Lotus didn't make a car exactly to their desires.

 

[Hell4Leather]

I don't think there would be 1000+ actual buyers in North America if they were losing sleep over the Emira's performance. Yeah they might want more, so they'll go out and buy a modification. What they won't be doing is pissing in everyone elses rice crispies because Lotus didn't make a car exactly to their desires.

Many, including me, were looking for something a bit closer to the at least the 410 as a jumping off point. It’s reasonable to start in the middle of the previous model’s iteration and move upwards from there.

 

[CoryC]

No, I deposited like a year ago. I want this automobile to be awesome but it’s not shaping up that way. Why the absolute F is it so damn slow.

From someone that just got theirs, you have to experience the car to understand. Stats are one thing, the experience of this car is something altogether different. This isn't going to be the fastest car, 0-60 on the road, but the engagement of the steering and manual transmission along with the wonderful noise right behind your head is what its all about. Combine that with the looks and attention of an Italian supercar 4 times as expensive and the exclusivity of knowing you'll pass 50 Porsche GT3s in the wild before you see another Emira and the draw becomes clear. The car does not feel "slow" by any means, and the engagement is fantastic. Naturally this is all subjective, but this is precisely why I absolutely love this car vs anything else that has been put out by nearly anyone in a very long time.

 

[lynchy73]

Frankly the Emira does look much more than it is, but that’s just down to the great design and the fact it’s a mid engine configuration, which typically only comes at a higher price point. There is no fakery about it, it’s just a great looking car. Maybe I’m kidding myself, but to me it looks better than most “real supercars”.

My I4 Emira drives amazingly well, sounds great and is genuinely fast. A few months into my trouble free ownership and It still feels special every time I take it out. It’s more than enough on the street and when the time comes it should be possible to get another 50 to 100 more horses with an ECU remap and maybe some minor tweaks here and there.

Nobody is forcing anyone to buy an Emira, if you don’t like it, get something you do like and enjoy that. There is always going to he something bigger, better, faster, more special, but so what, life isn’t a pissing and whining contest, better to enjoy the ride and be happy for what you have.

 

[David s]

Frankly the Emira dies look much more than it is, but that’s just down to the great design and the fact it’s a mid engine configuration, which typically only comes at a higher price point. There is no fakery about it, it’s just a great looking car. Maybe I’m kidding myself, but to me it looks better than most “real supercars”.

That`s what owners of the 246 Dino said when the bought them in early 1970s....""looks better than what they are". Bit different tune to what they are singing today. Not some of the whiners here saying that the Vettes have more power, or the 911 is quicker to 60MPH, etc. People love the Dino today and back then for what they were/are, and how they make them feel.
If you want more HP, then just buy it.

 

[digilotus]

Hi folks, Lets stay on topic please and avoid making things personal.
I have deleted personal and off-topic posts.