Emira Review Index [V6 FE]

For those looking for the latest Emira V6 FE reviews scheduled to be released today, I've self-volunteered to maintain a quick reference index here.
Please let me know of any missing articles and I'll update accordingly.

Reviewer	Type	Direct Link
Edmunds	Article	New Lotus Emira Is Worth the Wait | Edmunds The 2022 Lotus Emira, powered by a supercharged 3.5-liter V6, is both the end and the beginning of an era as the automaker transitions to a world of fully electrified supercars and crossovers. www.edmunds.com
Harry's Garage (Harry Metcalfe)	Video Review	Harry drives the Sports and Tour suspension back to back on the same road and shares his thoughts.
Schmee150 (Tim Burton)	Video Review	Published 21st June Bought the Right Car?! LOTUS EMIRA V6 FIRST DRIVE The countdown is on! The folks at Lotus have delivered an Emira V6 First Edition to @TheShmuseum in a near-identical spec to my inbound car, to take for a fi... www.youtube.com
Carwow (Mat Watson)	Video Review	Lotus Emira review - and my BANNED test! Looking to sell your car? Then you've come to the right place. carwow is the free, easy way to change your car online. Check it out here: https://bit.ly/Buy-... www.youtube.com
TopGear	Articles and Video	Published 3rd July Chris Harris talks about the Lotus Emira Chris Harris On… The All-New Lotus Emira | Top Gear Series 32 “I’d feel a bit scared if I were a McLaren or an Aston Martin at the moment” Chris Harris chats to Top Gear Magazine’s Jack Rix about the all-new Lotus Emira... youtu.be Published 20th June Lotus Emira Review 2023 | Top Gear The last ever petrol-powered Lotus looks fantastic and drives with precision, but not quite as much emotion as we might’ve hoped www.topgear.com The big sportscar test: Lotus Emira vs Porsche Cayman vs Alpine A110 www.topgear.com
AutoTrader (Rory Reid)	Video Review	NEW Lotus Emira: The Last REAL Lotus? | 4K Rory reviews the new Lotus Emira, Lotus' last ever petrol sports car. Soon the company will transition to electric cars, but for this last hurrah the Emira p... www.youtube.com
Evo	Article and Video Review	2023 Lotus Emira review – strong showing for Porsche Cayman GTS rival | Evo The first new Lotus for a generation, and the last to be petrol powered, shows great promise but needs some polish www.evo.co.uk
CAR	Article and Video Review	Published 22nd July Lotus Emira vs Porsche Cayman GTS vs Alpine A110 group test review CAR magazine UK compares the Lotus Emira sports car with the Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 and Alpine A110 S www.carmagazine.co.uk Lotus Emira (2023) review: new 2.0-litre engine driven The brand new Lotus Emira, tested on road and track by CAR magazine. www.carmagazine.co.uk Lotus Emira vs Cayman 718 GTS vs Alpine 110s
Autocar	Article and Video Review	Lotus Emira V6 First Edition 2022 UK first drive | Autocar Most important Lotus in decades heralds a new era and sees out an old one, being the firm's last petrol sports car www.autocar.co.uk
Pistonheads	Article	2022 Lotus Emira | PH Review The Emira is one step closer to production-ready. And the good news (mostly) keeps coming www.pistonheads.com
KHTV	Video Review
The Drive	Article	2023 Lotus Emira First Drive Review: Lotus Grows Up, and Just in Time The Lotus Emira is the last of its kind, the final gas-powered car from the legendary company. And what a thrilling sendoff it is. www.thedrive.com
AutoExpress	Article	New Lotus Emira V6 First Edition review | Auto Express We hit road and track in the new Lotus Emira - the model that redefines the brand as a sports car maker www.autoexpress.co.uk Pictures: New Lotus Emira 2022 review - pictures | Auto Express Pictures of the new Lotus Emira www.autoexpress.co.uk
WhichCar	Article	2022 Lotus Emira review: V6 First Edition, international launch Lotus wants to compete with daily-driver premium sportscars like the Cayman and its new Emira V6 First Edition is a big step in the right direction www.whichcar.com.au
CarBuyer	Article	Lotus Emira coupe review | Carbuyer “The Emira marks a big step on in terms of design and quality for Lotus, and it’s great to drive” www.carbuyer.co.uk
Hagerty	Article	Lotus Emira first drive review: Will the fab four become the famous five? | Hagerty UK Is the Emira good enough to turn the fab four – Elite, Elan, Esprit, Elise – into the famous five? Read Andrew Frankel's review to find out. www.hagerty.co.uk
Road and Track	Article	Published 1st September Lotus Emira Road and Track Drive The Lotus Emira Is One of the Greats Lotus's final combustion-engined sports car starts a new era for the English automaker, and a prime example of what a well-funded Lotus can build. www.roadandtrack.com The 2023 Emira Is an All-Time High For Lotus The Emira comes from a bygone era. www.roadandtrack.com
Goodwood	Article	First Drive: Lotus Emira 2022 Review | GRR The Emira is the final combustion-engined Lotus, and it might finally be a match for the Porsche Cayman... www.goodwood.com
The Intercooler	Podcast	Reasonably good post-embargo Emira discussion on The Intercooler. Apple Podcasts Web Embed embed.podcasts.apple.com
Motortrend	Article	2023 Lotus Emira First Drive Review: The Porsche Substitute Don’t want a Porsche Cayman? Try this. www.motortrend.com
Drive	Article	2022 Lotus Emira review: International first drive With a reborn and reinvigorated Lotus looking to a new and very different future, is the Emira the first excuse-free Lotus? www.drive.com.au
AFR	Article	Lotus takes on Porsche with its $185,000 Emira This is a street car for buyers who appreciate luxury and great looks – although with a claimed top speed of 290km/h, it’s no slouch on the racetrack. www.afr.com
Parkers	Article	Lotus Emira Review (2024) Lotus Emira (2024) in-depth review. Read our experts' views on the engine, practicality, running costs, overall performance and more. www.parkers.co.uk
CarExpert	Article	2023 Lotus Emira review: First drive We drive the last Lotus without electrification around Mount Panorama to see if it's a worthy contender to the Porsche 718 Cayman. www.carexpert.com.au
Caffeine & Machine	Article	Caffeine & Machine Hitting the Alps in the summer, chasing the #cultofmachine in the brand spanking new Lotus Emira. Soul food at its best, delivered in spades across the myriad of special alpine roads littering the... www.facebook.com Photos on Instagram: Caffeine&Machine on Instagram: "Hitting the Alps in the summer, chasing the #cultofmachine in the brand spanking new Lotus Emira. Soul food at its best, delivered in spades across the myriad of special alpine roads littering the region. It would be 1,055 likes, 8 comments - caffeineandmachine on June 13, 2022: "Hitting the Alps in the summer, chasing the #cultofmachine in the brand spanking new Lotus Emira. Soul food at its best, delivered in spades across the myriad of special alpine roads littering the region. It would be so easy to... www.instagram.com
The Sunday Times Driving	Article	Lotus Emira V6 2022 on-track review: Lotus's last petrol car is more than significant ... it's good This isn't going to be one of our usual reviews, because our test drive of the new Lotus Emira wasn't usual, either, having experienced just three and a half laps behind the wheel around Goodwood Motor Circuit,. www.driving.co.uk
Car and Driver	Article	2023 Emira Is a Grown-Up Lotus The last gas-powered Lotus also may be the first you don't have to make excuses for. www.caranddriver.com
The Sun	Article	I've driven the Lotus Emira - you can use it every day and it's saving BRITAIN THERE’S only one type of person who wouldn’t fall in love with the Lotus Emira. Those Twitter-dwelling keyboard warriors who think they know more about cars than everyone else. I’ve seen a few comm… www.thesun.co.uk
AutoCar UK	Article	Published 2nd July Lotus Emira vs Porsche 718 Cayman | Autocar Lotus’s new sports car is a great car in its own right - but can it hold its own against the class leader? www.autocar.co.uk

 

[SlavaUkraini]

According to the Lotus guy who arranges the press cars I spoke too at the roadshow at B&C, they benchmarked against the Cayman GT4 and M2 as well as the Evora (don't remember models) at Hethel and they engineered it to come out on top, he'd driven all of them. But I guess this could mean a lot of things including what kind of driver they are targeting - or simply wishful thinking. He also suggested there was no perceptible difference between 400hp and 416hp. .

GT4? As it stands now, it will be lucky to beat the GTS. Maybe he meant engineered in the looks department to beat the GT4.

 

[kitkat]

There’s a lot of this on here - he’s suddenly the most trustworthy and best reviewer there is. I guess it’s just coincidence that his is the most positive review AND he has a car on order - which FYI if anything makes him more biased not less.

Agreed. This is just confirmation bias plain and simple.

 

[Evotion]

Sounds about right.
"The engine is still the de-tuned engine from Evora"
Well, only from the last versions which were/are a lot more expensive than the Emira so I actually don't think it is a fair comparison. The very last 430HP versions were £25k - 30k more expensive!!

 

[CoryC]

Did we though?
We were constantly told that it was a new model, even though we all knew it was an evolution of the Evora. We were also repeatedly told that it would outperform the Evora (and did outperform the Evora around Hethel, what were they benchmarking it against as again I had presumed the last run of Sport cars) as well as offer Porsche like levels of comfort (in not so many words)
This one car replaces ALL of Lotus's previous sports car models. So I for one expected it to be dynamically superior to the last run of Evoras of which it is comparable/an evolution of.

I'm not sure this doesn't outperform Evora in the way the statement was meant to be taken. Evora had a decade+ run, and I believe the FE Emira that debuts will far outperform that car on the whole (we hope!) but to hold that comparison only to the last iteration, track focused Emira GT I don't believe is in the spirit of the statement by Lotus. Only time will tell...

 

[Eagle7]

Something to keep in mind is what Lotus was facing/thinking when they specced and chose to build this car. At that time, they had NO IDEA it would be received like this. They were NOT expecting a sales landslide, so were undoubtedly trying to stay within a realistic budget for it, while focusing on the future of their electric portfolio.

It's easy to look back now and say what they should or shouldn't have done, but at the time choosing the Toyota engine/trans combo was a reasonable decision. It still is if you want a good, solid, proven, reliable powertrain. They spent their time and money on looks, comfort and the chassis improvements, all of which they could carry over to the electric models.

 

[jmn444]

I don't know if it's across the board, but the ford mustang dropped 10 hp from 2021 to 2022, so I suspect there are some emissions issues causing oems to back off a bit.

Hopefully the cat delete will wake it up a little audibly and power wise.

 

[Eagle7]

The C8 dropped 15 hp when Chevy added the particulate filter. The new regulations I believe require that filter for MY 2023 forward. Since everybody is closing out their ICE production, that's not likely to improve.

 

[CoryC]

I don't know if it's across the board, but the ford mustang dropped 10 hp from 2021 to 2022, so I suspect there are some emissions issues causing oems to back off a bit.

Hopefully the cat delete will wake it up a little audibly and power wise.

I've heard different things on Lotus being VERY quick to note vehicles as exempt from factory warranty coverage when mods are discovered by the factory... naturally any tunes, or major upgrades would have that outcome, but for the Evora owners out there... does Lotus have any issue with a cat delete?

 

[jmn444]

I've heard different things on Lotus being VERY quick to note vehicles as exempt from factory warranty coverage when mods are discovered by the factory... naturally any tunes, or major upgrades would have that outcome, but for the Evora owners out there... does Lotus have any issue with a cat delete?

valid point, i would think it's easily reversible prior to taking it in at least though...

 

[p.rob]

for all those worries about the seats, anybody read this from the MotorTrend Article?

Our Magma Red First Edition is one of the last preproduction Emiras off the new assembly line at Hethel, in the east of England, where Lotus has built road cars since 1966. It's pretty much production-spec apart from the seats, which will have more padding and tighter-fitting leather when customer deliveries start, and the infotainment system graphics, the design of which was being finalized as we arrived.

2023 Lotus Emira First Drive Review: The Porsche Substitute

Don’t want a Porsche Cayman? Try this.

www.motortrend.com

 

[Leonard]

I'm not sure this doesn't outperform Evora in the way the statement was meant to be taken. Evora had a decade+ run, and I believe the FE Emira that debuts will far outperform that car on the whole (we hope!) but to hold that comparison only to the last iteration, track focused Emira GT I don't believe is in the spirit of the statement by Lotus. Only time will tell...

Maybe so, but that was how it was taken wrongly or rightly. I certainly wouldn't have thought that they were comparing the performance to the launch Evora of 2009! Or even the 400, simply what would be the point...

 

[xen]

Something to keep in mind is what Lotus was facing/thinking when they specced and chose to build this car. At that time, they had NO IDEA it would be received like this. They were NOT expecting a sales landslide, so were undoubtedly trying to stay within a realistic budget for it, while focusing on the future of their electric portfolio.

It's easy to look back now and say what they should or shouldn't have done, but at the time choosing the Toyota engine/trans combo was a reasonable decision. It still is if you want a good, solid, proven, reliable powertrain.

This was painfully obvious to anyone who actually understood how the business works, you baulked at the suggestion of budgets being the reason for compromises in the car (the engine, transmission and chassis being clear examples)

They spent their time and money on looks, comfort and the chassis improvements, all of which they could carry over to the electric models.

The electric models are based on a different platform to the Emira. I very much doubt there will be any carry over as you've suggested.

 

[NickR]

Is there a link? Which magazine?

EVO magazine. Not the online article. HC has done 3000 miles in it

 

[freefall_junkie]

for all those worries about the seats, anybody read this from the MotorTrend Article?

2023 Lotus Emira First Drive Review: The Porsche Substitute

Don’t want a Porsche Cayman? Try this.

www.motortrend.com

for all those worries about the seats, anybody read this from the MotorTrend Article?

2023 Lotus Emira First Drive Review: The Porsche Substitute

Don’t want a Porsche Cayman? Try this.

www.motortrend.com

Glass half full: great that Lotus are showing attention to detail and seem keen to get the seats bang on.

Glass half empty: WTF are they still fannying around with the seats when customer cars should be getting delivered next month.

 

[Hedge]

Without glossing over everything else you have said this is an issue for me though. I dont want to wait 2, 3 or 4 years to compare a run out Emira with a run out of a previous Lotus model that came out in 2009...
I have argued against the naysayers on here that have said that the Emira is not moving the game on enough from the Evora. But I think based on what I have seen so far (and its early days) they are probably correct. The base Emira should have been at least as fast and as dynamically capable as the run out Evora. No doubt someone will do that test soon and that will be more interesting than how it compares to a GT4

Having reflected over the last 24 hours, and in addition to the lack of anything being actually assembled at the factory still (I was going to do the factory tour tomorrow but what’s the point of bugger all is going on and I’ll go again to collect the car anyway), I’m probably going to end up deferring my car.

It is one of the first 200. But with my summer schedule and nothing being built yet, I will almost certainly not be able to collect until mid/end of September.

Fingers crossed I’ll get it before July 22, then I’ll be able to use it for one road trip the following day and that would be it until September. And maybe I’ll fall in love with it.

But, as someone else has said, maybe holding off for a base AMG Emira in the lightest spec (very easily & safely tuneable) is actually the way forward, saving £ in the process.

 

[EspritGuy]

Having slept on everything from yesterday, today I realised all that matters is does it feel as if it will still meet MY expectations.

1. Will it feel to me like a modern day Esprit (007 car was a boyhood dream and test drove one in my 30s)
Answer = yes. Biased or not, Harry's remark that it is the Lotus he had always wanted made total sense to me. I could almost stop here. It's not about ease of turn in or gear change. It's a chance to own a great looking modern day Lotus.

2. Will it make me smile more than a Porsche (I am a serial Ducati buyer pre-Audi ownership, to me Porsche can be equated to Honda for being the best at engineering but sometimes a bit anodyne for those minded to make passion-based purchasing decisions)
Answer = yes. Most of the reviews said the Emira will be rewarding to drive when you have worked it out, it took me 10 years to click with a Ducati on track but the challenge was 100% enjoyable and makes the ownership experience special compared to jumping in/on something and drive/ride at 9 or 10/10ths.

3. Will I truly enjoy every drive be a bit of an occasion (toys should always make you smile in my opinion)
Answer = yes . I'm sure this is true of a Porsche too, if they float your boat, they just don't do it for me as outlined above.

I empathise with those that were expecting/hoping for 5 star reviews. I felt a bit delated at points yesterday. If you are still vexed today all I'd say is revisit why you really wanted one. If it ticks the boxes get ready to enjoy a great (if not class-leading car.) And if not, that's ok. Find something else that does and enjoy that instead.

That's a commendable perspective. It's been said Lotus is monitoring this forum and certainly dissected the recent Emira reviews. In the spirit of 'continuous improvement,' wouldn't you expect them to tweak what they can as they prepare to initiate customer builds? If not within Phase one, then phase 2? Or in the run-up to the Base Edition release? Yesterday was a litmus test it would be foolish to ignore. We all want them to get it right. Areas of focus have been flagged.

 

[xen]

Having reflected over the last 24 hours, and in addition to the lack of anything being actually assembled at the factory still (I was going to do the factory tour tomorrow but what’s the point of bugger all is going on and I’ll go again to collect the car anyway), I’m probably going to end up deferring my car.

It is one of the first 200. But with my summer schedule and nothing being built yet, I will almost certainly not be able to collect until mid/end of September.

Fingers crossed I’ll get it before July 22, then I’ll be able to use it for one road trip the following day and that would be it until September. And maybe I’ll fall in love with it.

But, as someone else has said, maybe holding off for a base AMG Emira in the lightest spec (very easily & safely tuneable) is actually the way forward, saving £ in the process.

A few reviewers have suggested this might be the option to go for... for the 'GT' market, I agree.

 

[xen]

That's a commendable perspective. It's been said Lotus is monitoring this forum and certainly dissected the recent Emira reviews. In the spirit of 'continuous improvement,' wouldn't you expect them to tweak what they can as they prepare to initiate customer builds? If not within Phase one, then phase 2? Or in the run-up to the Base Edition release? Yesterday was a litmus test it would be foolish to ignore. We all want them to get it right. Areas of focus have been flagged.

If they were and have chosen thus far not to make any changes to their communication - even seeing all the misinformation the vacuum has created then I really wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[SJR202]

Not entirely relevant but I was at a track when the GR Yaris landed as a pre prod car for a magazine car test, it was deemed disappointing but several features were not enabled, the gear linkage was pre prod & had a number of other things not right with it. It moved forward into the next round on the basis the prod car was due to be in the UK a week later and ended up finishing 4th overall.
Dont give up guys, if 400hp isnt enough maybe its not the right car, but I've never felt on UK roads my 987 Boxster Spyder needs more power (320hp) or from a cross country blast in a Civic Type R (306hp) it needed more, they're more than the sum of their numbers. I've had an S1 Elise 20 years ago (118hp) , my first ever sports car and straight line not very quick, but the ingredients were beautiful and to this day I remember some of the best drives I've ever had in it.

 

[boozyjay]

I'm not sure if this has been posted, but Top Gear Magazine has the Alpine A110 first, 9 out of 10, Lotus Emira 2nd, also 9 out of 10, and Cayman GTS 4.0 3rd, on 8 out of 10.