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 1,050 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

 

[Leonard]

But at least we have been allowed to see the colours!

Apart from blooming Nimbus... ️

 

[frazzer]

Apart from blooming Nimbus... ️

and DV

 

[Eagle7]

These are all new cars off the line, so they may be limited to 6,800 until the break-in period is completed. This is also something that needs to be taken into consideration with regards to shifter feel. Brand new cars off the line are always somewhat stiff until they wear in a bit.

I always get the engine, trans and diff fluids changed after the first 500 miles of a new car, to get rid of the fine wear-in particles that are in the fluids. Every dealer always looks at me like I'm crazy; "You don't need to change these fluids for 50,000 miles", but if you see what comes out of the trans and especially the diff, you realize how important it is to not have that grinding away in there for the next 50,000 miles.

I don't have trans or diff problems in my cars, and I don't exactly baby them when driving. To me, the few hundred it costs to change out all the fluids is cheap insurance for the longevity and overall performance.

 

[LotusB]

These are all new cars off the line, so they may be limited to 6,800 until the break-in period is completed. This is also something that needs to be taken into consideration with regards to shifter feel. Brand new cars off the line are always somewhat stiff until they wear in a bit.

I always get the engine, trans and diff fluids changed after the first 500 miles of a new car, to get rid of the fine wear-in particles that are in the fluids. Every dealer always looks at me like I'm crazy; "You don't need to change these fluids for 50,000 miles", but if you see what comes out of the trans and especially the diff, you realize how important it is to not have that grinding away in there for the next 50,000 miles.

I don't have trans or diff problems in my cars, and I don't exactly baby them when driving. To me, the few hundred it costs to change out all the fluids is cheap insurance for the longevity and overall performance.

More wishful thinking. Yes, there are break-in periods, but those periods don't unlock 200 RPM. Also, every new car is "stiff" until it wears in... that's no excuse, it's not like every Porsche being reviewed has been pre-broken-in. C'mon!

Let's stick to facts, not wishful thinking.

 

[Eagle7]

More wishful thinking. Yes, there are break-in periods, but those periods don't unlock 200 RPM. Also, every new car is "stiff" until it wears in... that's no excuse, it's not like every Porsche being reviewed has been pre-broken-in. C'mon!

Let's stick to facts, not wishful thinking.

? What are you talking about? The engine performance is controlled by the ECU, so they absolutely can put a limit on it until it's reached the designated break-in mileage. Fact.

Being stiff as a new car isn't an excuse, it's reality, and as you acknowledge: "every new car is stiff". Fact.

As you put miles on it, every new car starts to settle in and loosen up somewhat. There isn't anything wishful there at all, it's just part of driving a brand new car.

 

[Weyland]

These aren't going to be box fresh Emira's. They surely would have had shakedown mileage and running in service before handing over to review?!

 

[TRX250EX]

? What are you talking about? The engine performance is controlled by the ECU, so they absolutely can put a limit on it until it's reached the designated break-in mileage. Fact.

Being stiff as a new car isn't an excuse, it's reality, and as you acknowledge: "every new car is stiff". Fact.

As you put miles on it, every new car starts to settle in and loosen up somewhat. There isn't anything wishful there at all, it's just part of driving a brand new car.

Man you taking it way too far, it's not an excuse for it, infact if it was they would have said "we will fix it on road cars" but the only thing they said they will from reviews is screen brightness/glare

 

[TRX250EX]

These aren't going to be box fresh Emira's. They surely would have had shakedown mileage and running in service before handing over to review?!

Yup infact review cars sometimes comes overpowered like C8 example with Motortrend + alignment changes, so saying a review (production) car worse than customer cars performance is stupid

 

[LotusB]

? What are you talking about? The engine performance is controlled by the ECU, so they absolutely can put a limit on it until it's reached the designated break-in mileage. Fact.

Being stiff as a new car isn't an excuse, it's reality, and as you acknowledge: "every new car is stiff". Fact.

As you put miles on it, every new car starts to settle in and loosen up somewhat. There isn't anything wishful there at all, it's just part of driving a brand new car.

Of course it can, just like Lotus can give us a car with 416hp and yet they don't. Plenty of cars limit initial revs until a certain mileage or service, but they unlock thousands of RPM, not 200. That seems so trivial. If that were in fact what Lotus were doing they'd advertise it, we'd hear about it by now.

No, I'd rather stay in reality and know that my car will be forever capped at 6,800 RPM without tuning.

Same with the "stiff" excuse... why is it that Porsche doesn't need these asterisks and exceptions? Somehow their transmission just works and doesn't need excuses.

C'mon now...

EDIT:
Here you go, stop with speculations/wishful thinking...

Emira - Lotus Cars Media Site

media.lotuscars.com

 

[Eagle7]

These aren't going to be box fresh Emira's. They surely would have had shakedown mileage and running in service before handing over to review?!

Why not and why would they? Lotus wanted them to have the latest status builds. How and when would each of them been properly run in for their first 1,000 miles? They're probably all destined for the crusher anyways, as they're not sellable. This the same company that gave reviewers an ADAS test prototype with missing parts for their first driving experience of the Emira.

 

[TRX250EX]

Come on guys why so much negativity here regarding Emira? It's obviously not track focused car hence I got tour package, doesn't have crazy downforce infact if I'm not mistaken Eletre generate more downforce..... But Emira will shine on the roads, it's just enough power (ideal), sounds good at low rpm (ideal), looks good (ideal), comfortable for long rides (ideal), provides more road feel (ideal).... These are ideal things I want from a road car not a 0-60 time or 10K RPM which can only be reached in track.....

When it's track focused car using Radford 650hp motor high revving + DCT combo with massive downforce, that's where I will say ok now it's track focused, or just get Exige

 

[First Lotus]

As someone who specced sport suspension and Dunlop’s this is really frustrating. I simply wanted tyres that would simply be usable all year round in the U.K., not to be “compromised”and a combination that visibly upset Jethro on a perfect surface.

Do you know when he said this? I suspect sometime after we had to cough up £5k and lock in our specs.

6.8k Rev limit ain’t making me feel any better either!

It was a long time ago. When the touring/sports debate started in earnest!

 

[VL3X]

I agree.

Everything is at the lowest end of expectations. I used to bounce off the 6.8k Rev limiter regularly and the extra 400 rpm helped a lot in my Exige when I put it in Sport mode and took it to 7.2k.

I agree.

Everything is at the lowest end of expectations. I used to bounce off the 6.8k Rev limiter regularly and the extra 400 rpm helped a lot in my Exige when I put it in Sport mode and took it above 7k. And that’s just on B road driving. Power is the same as the 2015 Evora.

Generally not impressed by the fact we had to wait this long for reviews and they’re pre-prod cars and they still leave questions re: suspension/tyre choices, seat position, Rev limit, brake pedal setting.

But at least we have been allowed to see the colours!

Still haven't seen Nimbus or DV in action.

 

[Wizardwings]

So far only UK reviewers have had their hands on it, when will the US publications/videos be released?

 

[daniel heald]

Jethro had Sport + GYs, according to Gavan K. this is the most compromised setup - can't understand why Lotus would have given him this setup

It was raining, there are publishing deadlines and the report would be more damaging if Pilot2 tyred car had gone cross country so to speak. Poor journalism by Evo not too highlight this. For example Harry Metcalf had a question, on the tour/sport choice, Lotus answered it.
So not the best for Lotus and neither the best by EVO.

 

[Eagle7]

Of course it can, just like Lotus can give us a car with 416hp and yet they don't. Plenty of cars limit initial revs until a certain mileage or service, but they unlock thousands of RPM, not 200. That seems so trivial. If that were in fact what Lotus were doing they'd advertise it, we'd hear about it by now.

No, I'd rather stay in reality and know that my car will be forever capped at 6,800 RPM without tuning.

Same with the "stiff" excuse... why is it that Porsche doesn't need these asterisks and exceptions? Somehow their transmission just works and doesn't need excuses.

C'mon now...

Alrighty then, you go ahead and stay in your reality. The rest of us will enjoy 7k in race mode, you know, the way Gavan says it will be when we get final production cars that are up to full spec. You stay in your reality, we'll stay in Gavan's reality.

Porsches don't need anything because in your reality they are perfect, and of course EVO didn't use one that was already broken in because they've been out for awhile. They had Porsche deliver them a brand new one off the line to compare with the Emira.

And in addition, as you well know, Lotus has been absolutely fabulous about telling us everything that's going on. There hasn't been any surprises or unannounced 'features' or behaviors.

C'mon indeed.

 

[kitkat]

Not questioning you directly, but I have heard this 7000 rpm or more mentioned and hoped for, but where did this come from? Did the Evora in the 400/410 guise have a red line above 6800? curious.... it certainly looks like we are 6800 for now...

Yes, I believe the Evora S, 400, 410, GT410 Sport, GT and GT430 Sport all had a 7000 rpm redline.

 

[LotusB]

Alrighty then, you go ahead and stay in your reality. The rest of us will enjoy 7k in race mode, you know, the way Gavan says it will be when we get final production cars that are up to full spec. You stay in your reality, we'll stay in Gavan's reality.

Porsches don't need anything because in your reality they are perfect, and of course EVO didn't use one that was already broken in because they've been out for awhile. They had Porsche deliver them a brand new on off the line to compare with the Emira.

And in addition, as you well know, Lotus has been absolutely fabulous about telling us everything that's going on. There hasn't been any surprises or unannounced 'features' or behaviors.

C'mon indeed.

In this case, Lotus has actually been absolutely fabulous in telling us what's going on (see below). Right there in black and white. I know, it contradicts what Gavan said. It also contradicts what Matt said (416hp), it also contradicts what I was told in person (that the engine will make over 400hp and not be detuned) and what others have been told. And yet... there it is in black and white and we've yet to hear any deviation or indication that the specs below aren't accurate, despite almost a year of hoping....

Emira - Lotus Cars Media Site

media.lotuscars.com

 

[kitkat]

For reference: ESP modes on the Evora:

Tour - 6,600 rpm
Sport - 7,000 rpm
Race - 7,000 rpm
ESP Off - 7,000 rpm

This whole talk of "realities" is silly. This is just Eagle7 getting into internet arguments with everyone again. Lotus is saying 6,800 rpm in literature, lotus is communicating 6,800 rpm to professional reviewers, and the reviews show 6,800 rpm in effect. I'm not sure how much more definitive this needs to get outside of daddy Gavan and Matt reading us the numbers.

 

[Eagle7]

In this case, Lotus has actually been absolutely fabulous in telling us what's going on (see below). Right there in black and white. I know, it contradicts what Gavan said. It also contradicts what Matt said (416hp), it also contradicts what I was told in person (that the engine will make over 400hp and not be detuned) and what others have been told. And yet... there it is in black and white and we've yet to hear any deviation or indication that the specs below aren't accurate, despite almost a year of hoping....

View attachment 6304

Emira - Lotus Cars Media Site

media.lotuscars.com

Exactly. And as you state, it's contradictory, except that we (and you personally) HAVE heard indications that the specs you show that are on the website aren't accurate. There seems to be a notable disconnect between the media group and everybody else at the company. It puts all of us in the position of having to wait for final production cars, and measured road tests to find out exactly what the real numbers are going to be. Not a good showing by Lotus in that regard. They could have and should have fixed this by now, but they're choosing not to; it's not like they don't know about it. Perhaps they're planning on under-promising and over-delivering. Only they know what their reasoning is, and they aren't telling us what that is.

However, this isn't a numbers car which is what's causing some people some grief right now, because that's all they have to look at until they can do a test drive, or see what the final production car tests reveal. If you only go by the numbers, the Porsche wins. If you go by emotion and engagement, the Lotus wins. Depends on what you want your reality to be.

I'm not obsessed with the numbers. I'm having what Harry's having; miles of smiles and good fun.