Emira Review Index [V6 FE]

    Featured
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. (y)

ReviewerTypeDirect Link
EdmundsArticle
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 ReviewPublished 21st June
Carwow (Mat Watson)Video Review
TopGearArticles and VideoPublished 3rd July
Chris Harris talks about the Lotus Emira

Published 20th June

AutoTrader (Rory Reid)Video Review
EvoArticle and Video Review
CARArticle and Video ReviewPublished 22nd July


Lotus Emira vs Cayman 718 GTS vs Alpine 110s
AutocarArticle and Video Review
PistonheadsArticle
KHTVVideo Review
The DriveArticle
AutoExpressArticle
Pictures:
WhichCarArticle
CarBuyerArticle
HagertyArticle
Road and TrackArticlePublished 1st September
Lotus Emira Road and Track Drive

GoodwoodArticle
The IntercoolerPodcastReasonably good post-embargo Emira discussion on The Intercooler.
MotortrendArticle
DriveArticle
AFRArticle
ParkersArticle
CarExpertArticle
Caffeine & MachineArticle
Photos on Instagram:
The Sunday Times DrivingArticle
Car and DriverArticle
The SunArticle
AutoCar UKArticlePublished 2nd July

 
Last edited:
will go up tomorrow.
Thanks for the link.... Jay holds a lot of clout in the US for his reviews, although he doesn't criticize much. You have to read in-between the lines during his reviews a bit, but the exposure for Lotus is big. If he says anything along the lines of "collectable" or "he may add one to the garage" - this will certainly add to the Emira's waitlist at dealers.

So far all US reviews have been very positive, much more so than UK media outlets had been. I'm sure pre-prod cars add to that a bit. (apart from Doug D's review which I felt was in the middle) Then again, no US review has been on track. Also, they haven't compared the Emira to any supercars like Mclarens or GT4RS or Ferrari's. (which it shouldn't be anyway)
 
Just watched - Besides a few errors in his review (corvette making manuals?, Electrical problems are past?) it was a great review for the Emira. Biggest take away is when he said " The Lotus name belongs among Ferrari & Mclaren" - That is a big statement from a car collector like himself.
 
Jay loved the Evora so no surprise he loved the Emira. Having driven both, I agreed with mostly everything he said. Looking forward to the i4 reviews dropping this afternoon.
 
Just watched - Besides a few errors in his review (corvette making manuals?, Electrical problems are past?) it was a great review for the Emira. Biggest take away is when he said " The Lotus name belongs among Ferrari & Mclaren" - That is a big statement from a car collector like himself.
Quote: 'Get one now because they are going fast, and they go fast,'
 
Really enjoyed the review. It renewed/reinvigorated my excitement for the months ahead. Jay has a nice, subtle way that he reviews cars that gives him some real believability. It's like he's just your neighbor across the street enjoying cars that are made to be enjoyed. Loved it.
 
Thanks for posting the Jay Leno review. I always enjoy his reviews.
 
Spot on Jay review. I'm glad Jay complained about not having round gauges. I really dislike the gauge setup (so far). Although that makes me feel old since I relate. If he noticed no oil pressure gauge he probably wouldve complained about that too.
 
Spot on Jay review. I'm glad Jay complained about not having round gauges. I really dislike the gauge setup (so far). Although that makes me feel old since I relate. If he noticed no oil pressure gauge he probably wouldve complained about that too.

How about no temp gauge in the Evora? 😂 All I got is a blue light when it's still cold and apparently there a red one if she starts to overheat. 😬
 
How about no temp gauge in the Evora? 😂 All I got is a blue light when it's still cold and apparently there a red one if she starts to overheat. 😬
I think that's actually worse. Whats wrong with manufactures not including this stuff? Got to go..kids on my lawn.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ADC
I think that's actually worse. Whats wrong with manufactures not including this stuff? Got to go..kids on my lawn.
Don't forget to re-vulcanize your tires while you're up... saves your knees and back the extra wear and tear of getting up twice!
 
Spot on Jay review. I'm glad Jay complained about not having round gauges. I really dislike the gauge setup (so far). Although that makes me feel old since I relate. If he noticed no oil pressure gauge he probably wouldve complained about that too.
Only thing that made me sad is that Jay is showing his age. Couldn't stop thinking about it.
 
Only thing that made me sad is that Jay is showing his age. Couldn't stop thinking about it.
I thought the same thing. I'm not from that generation, but have a lot of respect for the Boomers. Sad to see.
 
I thought the same thing. I'm not from that generation, but have a lot of respect for the Boomers. Sad to see.
The most disingenuous thing about EVERY SINGLE REVIEW is that there's zero mention of the sh!t show of problems discussed on this forum. Leno gets a pass, he's in it for the fun. But every single automotive journalist that hasn't mentioned the concerns on here is a fraud.

If they didn't do their research and look at what the Emira community is saying they are a fraud.
If they did do their research, saw this forum and didn't report on it, they're a fraud.

I'm like most of you on here. When there's a new review, I drop everything and watch. It usually sucks me in and makes me second guess what I'm debating, but then reality hits when I log back on here and read the thread of the day like today's: "NZ new delivery.......not a great start".

Actual owner experiences should be worth much more to us than a reviewer talking for 20 minutes about how well the car handles on a windy road. Like...duh.

I just want some honesty.
 
The most disingenuous thing about EVERY SINGLE REVIEW is that there's zero mention of the sh!t show of problems discussed on this forum. Leno gets a pass, he's in it for the fun. But every single automotive journalist that hasn't mentioned the concerns on here is a fraud.

If they didn't do their research and look at what the Emira community is saying they are a fraud.
If they did do their research, saw this forum and didn't report on it, they're a fraud.

I'm like most of you on here. When there's a new review, I drop everything and watch. It usually sucks me in and makes me second guess what I'm debating, but then reality hits when I log back on here and read the thread of the day like today's: "NZ new delivery.......not a great start".

Actual owner experiences should be worth much more to us than a reviewer talking for 20 minutes about how well the car handles on a windy road. Like...duh.

I just want some honesty.
Some have mentioned the issues, I am thinking @JayEmm 's review. Throttle House mentioned part of it - at least in the Evora review they did. Chris Harris touched on servicing Lotus' cars vs Porsche.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Max
The most disingenuous thing about EVERY SINGLE REVIEW is that there's zero mention of the sh!t show of problems discussed on this forum. Leno gets a pass, he's in it for the fun. But every single automotive journalist that hasn't mentioned the concerns on here is a fraud.

If they didn't do their research and look at what the Emira community is saying they are a fraud.
If they did do their research, saw this forum and didn't report on it, they're a fraud.

I'm like most of you on here. When there's a new review, I drop everything and watch. It usually sucks me in and makes me second guess what I'm debating, but then reality hits when I log back on here and read the thread of the day like today's: "NZ new delivery.......not a great start".

Actual owner experiences should be worth much more to us than a reviewer talking for 20 minutes about how well the car handles on a windy road. Like...duh.

I just want some honesty.
Your comments are harsh but totally reasonable. To me, in order to be honest as you mention, wouldn't you have to know statistics on all cars delivered? Furthermore, what issues are a nuisance and what issues are serious?

Anyway, I don't want to get out of my depth here because this is my first "ordering a new car" experience. Other people have a lot more experience with this than me. I believe you will be validated in years to come because after a couple of years when this launch business is behind us, people will be more candid in talking about what a crap show this was.
 
Your comments are harsh but totally reasonable. To me, in order to be honest as you mention, wouldn't you have to know statistics on all cars delivered? Furthermore, what issues are a nuisance and what issues are serious?

Anyway, I don't want to get out of my depth here because this is my first "ordering a new car" experience. Other people have a lot more experience with this than me. I believe you will be validated in years to come because after a couple of years when this launch business is behind us, people will be more candid in talking about what a crap show this was.
I think people are just sick and tired of the disingenuity of the review format. Many of these videos reviews have presenters that act like they are playing to a broadcast television camera, when in reality they are posting a video on the internet. The content should be as frank as any Reddit post, but it isn't, it's sanitized and excessively careful and polite.

The thing that I suspect many people would like to see, myself included, is for a respected reviewer to look directly into the camera and say out loud that Lotus is delivering cars to owners that should never have left the factory. Look in the camera and say that from reports from the ownership community, Lotus are utterly dropping the ball in dozens of different ways, from product quality to service response to communication, and that someone in leadership needs to get their act together and take management responsibility. Preferably in a way that places the customer as the most important stakeholder.

In the absence of some real, direct talk into a camera about what the challenges are with this company, all these reviews are different forms of fluff that aren't particularly relevant to the ownership experience.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not canceling my order, but at the same time I have basically no expectation that Lotus will be able to competently service or repair the car if and when I do have a problem, and so I'm fully planning to take on that responsibility myself. Think about how absurd it is that I would even need to think about that in the year 2023.
 
I think people are just sick and tired of the disingenuity of the review format. Many of these videos reviews have presenters that act like they are playing to a broadcast television camera, when in reality they are posting a video on the internet. The content should be as frank as any Reddit post, but it isn't, it's sanitized and excessively careful and polite.

The thing that I suspect many people would like to see, myself included, is for a respected reviewer to look directly into the camera and say out loud that Lotus is delivering cars to owners that should never have left the factory. Look in the camera and say that from reports from the ownership community, Lotus are utterly dropping the ball in dozens of different ways, from product quality to service response to communication, and that someone in leadership needs to get their act together and take management responsibility. Preferably in a way that places the customer as the most important stakeholder.

In the absence of some real, direct talk into a camera about what the challenges are with this company, all these reviews are different forms of fluff that aren't particularly relevant to the ownership experience.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not canceling my order, but at the same time I have basically no expectation that Lotus will be able to competently service or repair the car if and when I do have a problem, and so I'm fully planning to take on that responsibility myself. Think about how absurd it is that I would even need to think about that in the year 2023.

Respected reviewers are respected because they‘ve been doing this for a while. The only way to keep doing this for a while is to maintain relationships with automakers. The review you describe would burn those bridges, and could sink that reviewer’s ability to access future cars. I’m not saying Lotus does this, but I know that some manufacturers do and journalists will always assume it’s a possibility.

This is why you hear careful politeness. The journalists are “surviving to write another day”.
 
The most disingenuous thing about EVERY SINGLE REVIEW is that there's zero mention of the sh!t show of problems discussed on this forum. Leno gets a pass, he's in it for the fun. But every single automotive journalist that hasn't mentioned the concerns on here is a fraud.

If they didn't do their research and look at what the Emira community is saying they are a fraud.
If they did do their research, saw this forum and didn't report on it, they're a fraud.

I'm like most of you on here. When there's a new review, I drop everything and watch. It usually sucks me in and makes me second guess what I'm debating, but then reality hits when I log back on here and read the thread of the day like today's: "NZ new delivery.......not a great start".

Actual owner experiences should be worth much more to us than a reviewer talking for 20 minutes about how well the car handles on a windy road. Like...duh.

I just want some honesty.
you gotta remember that there is far more negativity on forms than real life. people are way more likely to post something that went bad then post something that went well.

you see it in every form/subreddit/fan group in existence. if you have some statistics thats different, but if you glance at the new threads on an emira form and think "yeah this car is a mess" thats just illogical. statistically (probably) a vast majority of Emira owners are loving their car and ownership

all that being said... I will admit from my point of view it sure seems like this roll out is worse than average when it comes to QA too. ignoring the delays for a sec which are certainly worse than average. but this is also the first roll out of a car iv ever paid attention to. its also the first form for a car iv ever read, so idk, sample size too small. in the mean time ill keep telling myself about the negative bias to cope about my perchance decision
 
Last edited:
Respected reviewers are respected because they‘ve been doing this for a while. The only way to keep doing this for a while is to maintain relationships with automakers. The review you describe would burn those bridges, and could sink that reviewer’s ability to access future cars. I’m not saying Lotus does this, but I know that some manufacturers do and journalists will always assume it’s a possibility.

This is why you hear careful politeness. The journalists are “surviving to write another day”.
I agree with you completely.

That doesn't bode well for an honest review from anyone, ever.
 
I agree with you completely.

That doesn't bode well for an honest review from anyone, ever.
You might desire a Consumer Reports feature or JD Powers rating. But the best reviewers are users (Yelp, anyone?), and this Forum is as candid as it gets.
I think the sentiment involves 'acknowledging publicly what customers contend with' in order to hold the manufacturer accountable.
Even then it will be written off as first year teething issues. And summarily Let the buyer beware.
Here's your headline: The love/hate relationship with Lotus.
And tag line: it's not for everyone.
#Forthespecialfew
 

Create an account or login to comment

Join now to leave a comment enjoy browsing the site ad-free!

Create account

Create an account on our community. It's easy!

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Back
Top