Emira Review Index [I4 FE]

Creating a new thread and index for Emira I4 FE reviews which are scheduled for release on 8th August.
Please let me know of any missing review links and I'll update the index accordingly.

Reviewer	Type	Direct Link
Harry's Garage (Harry Metcalfe)	Video Review
Road and Track	Article	The AMG-Powered 2024 Lotus Emira Gets a Perfect Engine and an Imperfect Transmission To get the perfect engine for the Emira, Lotus had to take an imperfect transmission. It loses the manual and gets an automatic, sealed by AMG and not up to par. www.roadandtrack.com
AUTOCAR	Article	Lotus Emira I4 review | Autocar Sports car maestros’ final combustion model gains an AMG four. It’s an unexpected marriage, but an inspired one? www.autocar.co.uk
EVO	Article	Lotus Emira i4 2023 review – the final combustion-engined Lotus | Evo The AMG-engined Emira i4 is the last new internal combustion engined Lotus sports car, and it's one of the best www.evo.co.uk
Motor1	Article	2023 Lotus Emira I4 First Drive Review: AMG Power Meets British Poise Two fewer cylinders and a turbo replace Lotus’ hallmark V6 in a new take on the Emira. Cheaper, and only a little down on power, is it the pick of the range? www.motor1.com
TopGear	Video and Article	Lotus Emira i4 review: British sports car with an AMG hot hatch heart Reviews 2023 | Top Gear So this is the cheaper Lotus Emira for people who can’t stretch to the V6? It’s the entry-level car in terms of cylinders (four, not six), and power (360bhp, down from 400). But the new Lotus Emira i4 is not a cheap and cheerful door to Lotus ownership. Right now Lotus will only sell you a... www.topgear.com
Car and Driver	Article	First Drive: 2024 Lotus Emira 2.0 Brings Back the Four-Cylinder Lotus With its AMG-sourced 2.0-liter four-cylinder, the 2024 Emira hews to the Lotus tradition of getting more from less. www.caranddriver.com
Auto Express	Article	New Lotus Emira i4 2023 review | Auto Express We get behind the wheel of the last combustion Lotus ever. Is the new 4-cylinder Emira a worthy send-off? www.autoexpress.co.uk
PistonHeads	Article	2023 Lotus Emira i4 First Edition | PH Review The most powerful four-cylinder Lotus ever is also the final combustion model - a fitting farewell? www.pistonheads.com
The Smoking Tire	Video Review
Auto Daily	Article	2024 Lotus Emira i4 Review - Automotive Daily This is the last new internal combustion engined Lotus sports car. The last in a line that started with the Seven, captured the world’s imagination with the www.autodaily.com.au

 

[virtualmacho]

Bring them a dyno.

Or 380 horses and some rope.

 

[valentinewang]

Do we know if HP is 360 or 400?
End the debate, please.

Maximum ：405Hp

 

[Nova]

The car looks like it was bogged down at the start. Not enough brake torquing?

 

[EMIRADILEMMA]

Another video, looks to be in China. Anyone knows why the i4 sounds like something is loose when he revs it? It's around the 30sec mark?

 

[VL3X]

Anyone knows why the i4 sounds like something is loose when he revs it? It's around the 30sec mark?

That's turbo waste gate flutter. Apparently the i4 makes A LOT of turbo nosies.

 

[Andy H]

Another video, looks to be in China. Anyone knows why the i4 sounds like something is loose when he revs it? It's around the 30sec mark?

He starts manually shifting the i4 at around 6mins. I don't detect any significant delays between his inputs and the up and down shift execution.

 

[Nova]

He starts manually shifting the i4 at around 6mins. I don't detect any significant delays between his inputs and the up and down shift execution.

I noticed exactly the opposite. The downshift at 6:07 takes some time to execute. He clicks the paddle and his hand moves away completely before the engine even responds. I'd say it was almost a second for the shift to complete.

 

[Pegasi]

I noticed exactly the opposite. The downshift at 6:07 takes some time to execute. He clicks the paddle and his hand moves away completely before the engine even responds. I'd say it was almost a second for the shift to complete.

I don't see any delay either. Correct me if I am wrong, but at 6:07 the transmission will not downshift until the vehicle speed reduces enough to handle the lower gear so it won't redline.

 

[Andy H]

I don't see any delay either. Correct me if I am wrong, but at 6:07 the transmission will not downshift until the vehicle speed reduces enough to handle the lower gear so it won't redline.

Agreed. He tries too soon and it prevents the first downshift. A second or two later he tries again after losing some revs and it obliges. The revs appear to be quite close to the red line after the shift.

 

[kitkat]

There's definitely a decent delay in some situations, and most of the reviewers have mentioned it.

 

[Nova]

Agreed. He tries too soon and it prevents the first downshift. A second or two later he tries again after losing some revs and it obliges. The revs appear to be quite close to the red line after the shift.

It's the second shift at about 6:11 I'm referring to. His first input was ignored, but the second shift happened quite slowly. Using YouTube Interval Timer (Yes, such a thing exists) here's what's evident from the video, using 00:000 (second:millisecond) as the starting point:

00:000 - left shift paddle press, right before his finger visibly starts to lift away
00:317 - Gear indicator changes from 3 to 2
00:550 - Engine starts to audibly increase in RPM
00:750 - Engine starts to visibly increase in RPM
01:050 - Engine RPM reaches maximum (clutch fully locked)

Now, it's possible that the ECU delayed the downshift in order to avoid hitting the redline, but there was still quite a bit of delay between the gear indicator changing and the engine starting to respond. There is another downshift at 6:40 that happens at lower engine speeds and is only slightly faster:

00:000 - paddle press
00:283 - Gear indicator changes from 4 to 3
00:533 - Engine starts to audibly increase in RPM
00:683 - Engine starts to visibly increase in RPM
00:983 - Engine RPM reaches maximum (clutch fully locked)

There is a 2-3 upshift at 6:30

00:000 - paddle press
00:083 - Gear indicator changes from 2 to 3
00:117 - Engine starts to audibly decrease in RPM
00:250 - Engine starts to visibly decrease in RPM
00:517 - Engine RPM reaches minimum (clutch fully locked)

So it seems that upshifts are faster, if I had to guess, I would say everything is done in about a third of a second. The computer is probably not taking as much time to assess the current RPM/Speed to gauge if the shift is safe to perform. Even if we take out the display update delay, which is probably in the 150ms range for engine info, the downshifts are still taking 800-900ms to complete.

 

[Andy H]

It's the second shift at about 6:11 I'm referring to. His first input was ignored, but the second shift happened quite slowly. Using YouTube Interval Timer (Yes, such a thing exists) here's what's evident from the video, using 00:000 (second:millisecond) as the starting point:

00:000 - left shift paddle press, right before his finger visibly starts to lift away
00:317 - Gear indicator changes from 3 to 2
00:550 - Engine starts to audibly increase in RPM
00:750 - Engine starts to visibly increase in RPM
01:050 - Engine RPM reaches maximum (clutch fully locked)

Now, it's possible that the ECU delayed the downshift in order to avoid hitting the redline, but there was still quite a bit of delay between the gear indicator changing and the engine starting to respond. There is another downshift at 6:40 that happens at lower engine speeds and is only slightly faster:

00:000 - paddle press
00:283 - Gear indicator changes from 4 to 3
00:533 - Engine starts to audibly increase in RPM
00:683 - Engine starts to visibly increase in RPM
00:983 - Engine RPM reaches maximum (clutch fully locked)

There is a 2-3 upshift at 6:30

00:000 - paddle press
00:083 - Gear indicator changes from 2 to 3
00:117 - Engine starts to audibly decrease in RPM
00:250 - Engine starts to visibly decrease in RPM
00:517 - Engine RPM reaches minimum (clutch fully locked)

So it seems that upshifts are faster, if I had to guess, I would say everything is done in about a third of a second. The computer is probably not taking as much time to assess the current RPM/Speed to gauge if the shift is safe to perform. Even if we take out the display update delay, which is probably in the 150ms range for engine info, the downshifts are still taking 800-900ms to complete.

You've gone hardcore forensic I see

Those numbers don't scream instant response for sure! I guess it's only by driving it ourselves that we can find out how bad it feels. The other concern from the recent review is the "dim-witted" behavior in auto. Does it hold the right gear to stay on boost in sport and does it shift down under breaking so it's ready to go after?

 

[simonb]

I see it is titles 366hp i4, so the China market 400hp i4 may be a myth

 

[PsymonR]

For comparison, A45S POV, some manual upshifts shortly after 1:46. To me there is a perceptible delay between hearing the click of the paddle and hearing the engine note change (and is similar to my wife's A35). Definitely doesn't seem instant, so perhaps expecting instant in the Emira is unrealistic in the first place... Could be interesting to repeat your timings on @Nova.

 

[valentinewang]

short video for my test driving

 

[M3DOC]

For comparison, A45S POV, some manual upshifts shortly after 1:46. To me there is a perceptible delay between hearing the click of the paddle and hearing the engine note change (and is similar to my wife's A35). Definitely doesn't seem instant, so perhaps expecting instant in the Emira is unrealistic in the first place... Could be interesting to repeat your timings on @Nova.

Is your wife's car turned? I can only hope that the Emira I4 shifts as fast as your Merc. I didn't see/hear the Chinese I4 shift anywhere close to your car.

 

[EyeFour Eemeerah!]

Color combo only a mother could love. Retched.

 

[valentinewang]

I see it is titles 366hp i4, so the China market 400hp

i4 may be a myth

The youtube vedio is not original uploader，the original vedio shows the 405ps in the first of vedio.

 

[PsymonR]

Is your wife's car turned? I can only hope that the Emira I4 shifts as fast as your Merc. I didn't see/hear the Chinese I4 shift anywhere close to your car.

My wife's car is just a stock A35.
To me, the manual upshifts in both videos seem similar, though I do find it easier to judge the delay in the A45S video due to the audible click of the paddle which the Emira doesn't have.

 

[Nova]

For comparison, A45S POV, some manual upshifts shortly after 1:46. To me there is a perceptible delay between hearing the click of the paddle and hearing the engine note change (and is similar to my wife's A35). Definitely doesn't seem instant, so perhaps expecting instant in the Emira is unrealistic in the first place... Could be interesting to repeat your timings on @Nova.

LOL, I'll try.

There is an upshift at 6:30, I can't see the transmission gear but I'm guessing it's the 2-3 shift.

00:000 Paddle press, the upshift indicator goes away almost immediately.
00:200 Engine audibly begins to reduce in RPM
00:333 Engine begins to visibly reduce in RPM
00:500 Engine stops decreasing in RPM

Downshift at 2:52

00:000 Paddle press, can't see any immediate indication of anything
00:450 Engine audibly begins to increase in RPM
00:567 Engine begins to visibly increase in RPM
00:767 Engine stops increasing in RPM

Not quite as bad as the Emira, but downshifts certainly are taking longer than upshifts.