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

 

[Eagle7]

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.

Sorry, I didn't realize LotusB was everyone. Isn't this supposed to be a reskinned Evora? Same engine and trans? It'll either be 6,800 or 7k for the final production model, but we're not going to know until it's released. Another fine example of Lotus comms in action.

 

[TXEMIRA]

Sorry, I didn't realize LotusB was everyone. Isn't this supposed to be a reskinned Evora? Same engine and trans? It'll either be 6,800 or 7k for the final production model, but we're not going to know until it's released. Another fine example of Lotus comms in action.

Quick question, other than math and “200”, what’s the difference?

Is it just like an even number or a number that matches the prior model (Evora) or is there something about those 200 RPM that is desired?

#ForRealQuestion

 

[Eagle7]

Quick question, other than math and “200”, what’s the difference?

Is it just like an even number or a number that matches the prior model (Evora) or is there something about those 200 RPM that is desired?

#ForRealQuestion

It would be the difference between 400 hp and reaching the 416 Matt said it would have, but that is a numbers game. How many people can tell the difference (other than sound) of 200 rpm at the top of the range, or another 16 hp at that moment? I doubt that I could, and I have 50 years of driving experience in performance cars.

 

[Lotustoronto]

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

Does anyone know if there is a way to "unlock" the 7,000 rpm limit? I would assume this is just software? I will say, even though Lotus has not deliberately held back this information, I find it very perplexing that they would give us a de-tuned evora engine from 5+ years ago. I know they are holding back to give it a "special" edition - but they should have done those with the I4's. I must admit that it makes me want to wait for the "proper" V6 Emira. I think the reviewers know this and when I watch the EVO review, I believe he is thinking the exact same thing. He knew lotus had done the Evora GT430 - and if that engine pkg. was presented (with the correct tires for track) in Emira form maybe he wouldn't have walked back to the Porsche at the end. He knew they were holding back and it disappointed him.

To go one further, this is where you must give the nod to Porsche. Even though we knew they always held back the 718 against the 911, when the time came for the final versions of the 718, out came the GT4RS, Spyder, GT4, GTS 4.0 - they gave it everything they could. This was Lotus' final go with ICE. When they would receive the most amount of press and they give us less of an engine then the previous car it replaced had in 2017. Objectively, I understand they need to leave some room for a "last edition" manual. Perhaps, they shouldn't have hindered the First Edition so much.

 

[TXEMIRA]

It would be the difference between 400 hp and reaching the 416 Matt said it would have, but that is a numbers game. How many people can tell the difference (other than sound) of 200 rpm at the top of the range, or another 16 hp at that moment? I doubt that I could, and I have 50 years of driving experience in performance cars.

Ah! Got it. So I’ll google some of this now but thank you for it.

Possible math:
6,800 = 400
7,000 = 416

Then there’s some % of people that could feel it, hear it, or both (and it is a low %) and it is for the a) clean 7k number and b) that “over 400hp” factor - than finally “doing what was said was going to be done”.

#ForTheOCD

 

[daniel heald]

As said previously this is a massive own goal by Lotus. 99% of Emira review videos online will be pre-production and we don't know what will or will not change.... So anyone using these videos in the future as part of their buying and decision-making process will be taking them as they are and using them to benchmark against other cars
There won't be another run of full production car reviews until the i4 hits and then will they even be full production. Will, there be a caveat about redlines, shift speed etc etc...
Anyway, I think it's a real shame they couldn't put their best foot forward here and capitalize on what should be a landmark occasion for the brand. Steering feel, brake feel, gearbox feel, and seating position should have been dialed in 100% by now.

Damned if you do and damned if you dont . Various suppliers are not delivering the parts to the factory.
Taking into account world events this is probably the best car Lotus could offer to Journos. May be even all the car Lotus could put together due to the circumstances. How would these pages be if Lotus had said, Sorry cant do first road tests until July/August.
No this is less than ideal and Lotus are doing there best to keep moving forward.

I found most interesting HM checked in with Lotus when he had a concern. JB did not. To me his concern on the front end on Sport/Goodyears being sub optimal was worth a call to Lotus.

Over all I am glad I am a some ways down the delivery date here in Canada. I continue to be happy with my intended purchase of an Emira.

I just get so irritated when the jounos cross shop first edition with a base 918 4lt GTS and then give it to the 918 mentioning price as a key point in 918 favour. Could they at least compare base to base car. Or price the options in to make the spec of the two cars the same. Sloppy un-professional work.

My beefs
Perhaps the cup holders are better now in the 918. Mine were quite frankly charlie romeo alfa papa. I had two choices. Use them and break them or keep them for decoration as it is a majot trim item in front of the passenger. Were they on a Lotus they would be panned was my take.


Adjustable dampers are a lovely toy on a new car. But with time they raelly show their weaknesses. My local private Porsche shop sees Bistien adjustables on Porsches as a very poor cheap option for suspension on 911s. They much prefer the tuned shock to spring for ride, comfort and handling. Not sure how journos miss this. May be it is the luxury of a new loaner car every week and not having to actually bear the cost or running costs.

 

[ksegg]

Wow thank you to @digilotus for putting this together!

 

[kbhoz]

I have watched all the reviews and thought they were better than my expectations. Perhaps that just me. I went into this purchase knowing this was the first version of a new car, same engine and transmission etc as Exige/Evora - and I know the Emira is heavier because of all those luxury items included such as 12 way seats, speakers galore, 20" wheels, extra noise suppression to mention a few. I expected a car to be 4.3s to 100km/h but we all know real life numbers will differ. I have the same engine in my V6 Exige with the auto trans. I hear some say its crazy to not go manual with the Emira but for myself the auto is perfect - so the auto is the correct decision for me and its my money on the table. I recognise its a personal decision and we are all right because its what we want to purchase.

The Emira will be slower than my Exige 350S (Max. power: 345 hp (350 PS; 257 kW) at 7,000 rpm Max. torque: 400 N⋅m (295 lb⋅ft) at 4,500 rpm). Based on published figures it will be 0.3 second slower to 100km/h - that's about right with the weight and power difference.

When I launch from the lights at full throttle it is unlikely that my wife will say " I miss that 0.3 difference in reaching 100km/h" as she will be too busy changing the temperature on her heated seats. I think we get better opinions from real owners.

I will post once my car is delivered - in about 10 weeks.

In summary I still consider my money well spent.

 

[digilotus]

Wow thank you to @digilotus for putting this together!

You're very welcome!

 

[GetawayDriving]

Damned if you do and damned if you dont . Various suppliers are not delivering the parts to the factory.
Taking into account world events this is probably the best car Lotus could offer to Journos. May be even all the car Lotus could put together due to the circumstances. How would these pages be if Lotus had said, Sorry cant do first road tests until July/August.
No this is less than ideal and Lotus are doing there best to keep moving forward.

I found most interesting HM checked in with Lotus when he had a concern. JB did not. To me his concern on the front end on Sport/Goodyears being sub optimal was worth a call to Lotus.

Over all I am glad I am a some ways down the delivery date here in Canada. I continue to be happy with my intended purchase of an Emira.

I just get so irritated when the jounos cross shop first edition with a base 918 4lt GTS and then give it to the 918 mentioning price as a key point in 918 favour. Could they at least compare base to base car. Or price the options in to make the spec of the two cars the same. Sloppy un-professional work.

My beefs
Perhaps the cup holders are better now in the 918. Mine were quite frankly charlie romeo alfa papa. I had two choices. Use them and break them or keep them for decoration as it is a majot trim item in front of the passenger. Were they on a Lotus they would be panned was my take.


Adjustable dampers are a lovely toy on a new car. But with time they raelly show their weaknesses. My local private Porsche shop sees Bistien adjustables on Porsches as a very poor cheap option for suspension on 911s. They much prefer the tuned shock to spring for ride, comfort and handling. Not sure how journos miss this. May be it is the luxury of a new loaner car every week and not having to actually bear the cost or running costs.

718

918 is a $1 million hypercar. Would be an unfair comparison indeed.

 

[Greenblood]

A couple of observations.

Harry is a car enthusiast , look at his collection, and reviews as an enthusiast……..he says the steering and touring suspension is great, completely at odds with some professional reviewers (who need to earn a salary). He doesn’t deny some realities, like the weight,, but revels in how the car handles and how the engine delivers.

I’ve just sold a GT4 , an engaging car in many ways with a glorious flat 6 engine but the rear suspension was harsh and sometimes knocked the car offline. The ride quality stopped me touring in it because the passenger would complain ( it was tiringly bumpy on a days drive )

Be interesting to get Catchpole and Harris’s take.

 

[Greenblood]

Pistonheads mentions more space in the footwell for the 4 cylinder....how?

 

[TomE]

The 6800 vs 7000 rev limit was mentioned a long time ago by me when I described the different Drive modes (link below). That write up was based on me having sight of the Emira product spec, an internal Lotus document covering all the attributes of the car. I wasn't allowed to take a copy but know what's in my write up is what Lotus had specified for the car - at least as it was in Sept/Oct last year.

I'm surprised we've seen several driving reviews where the car stays with a 6800 limit despite being switched into Sport or Track. I have no explanation and am as puzzled as everyone else.

Drive Modes explained and Lotus Dynamic Performance Management

A few questions have come up about traction control, sport mode versus sports suspension and what the Track mode in the Drivers Pack does. Here's an overview and links to more details. First, to clear up one area of confusion. The Emira has two suspension options, Touring and Sports. There...

www.emiraforum.com

 

[TomE]

Pistonheads mentions more space in the footwell for the 4 cylinder....how?

Only two pedals as it's DCT only.

 

[TomE]

Lotus debuting the Emira with the same engine as the Evoras but with less power is absolutely atrocious. Every single Evora owner has publically (or secretly) wished their car has more power. 450HP would have been very acceptable in 2022.. 500 even would have been amazing! 400, detuned down from 416/430, is a slap in the face. Every review is going to knock it for that. And now we're watching reviews talking about body roll and an underwhelming transmission? Ugh... So disappointing.

Well I'm happy with the 345hp in my Evora. And it means the 400hp in the Emira will feel like a huge increase

This is just regurgitating the old "it needs more power" debate, which has a whole thread we can go and pick through again. We have also been told why Lotus had to go with 400 not 416. The hotter version will come later.

Not every review is going to knock it for the power, several have said it's the sweet spot of usable power for fun, engaging, legal/safe road driving. But it won't win any traffic light grands prix or pub bragging rights. Nor will the power of a Cayman 4.0 GTS, but how may reviews are describing that as hopelessly underpowered?

 

[TomE]

Anyone got any idea when we might see an i4 review?

September from what I heard.

 

[TomE]

by the way.WHY WHY would you give EVO knowing they are going on track, and you must know they would do it, a car without track tyres.... insane.... and yes, a GT4 is a bad comparison, but I agree, you want to see how it stacks up anyway.... we now know, I think we knew anyway.

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

I heard EVO asked Lotus for a press car for a road trip review and requested the Sports suspension, so Lotus gave them a Sports + Goodyear car - the sensible tyre option for a road trip with Sports. Then EVO took it to Anglesey and happened to have a GT4 there at the same time so decided to do a head to head track test...

Top Gear requested a car for a track test. Let's see what spec car they got and what the Harris review says.

 

[CarGuy07]

I will reserve final judgement and purchase decision til after test drive, whenever demos arrive at dealers. I think with all the promo videos we have seen with Lotus being on various tracks/courses, a lot of us expected high performance coupled with good looks. Based on reviews so far, they seem mixed. Performance reviews leave something to be desired. I noticed quite a bit of road noise in various videos so not sure about quality/insulation as a GT car.

We can make excuses for Lotus and whatever else, but IMO we expected a lot from the Emira as a $100K+ car ($96.5K for V6 auto + 11% for tax, title, and license in California). For reviews to be anything less than stellar, for a last hurrah ICE car, is a fail in my mind. They have had the investment, the time, etc. to get this right. I do wonder if Lotus got all these reviews before and have been busy fixing things. That would help explain the delays. There is a possibility that the production cars will be amazing, but that’s probably unlikely as VP07 cars should be pretty close to final production ones. One will need to be a bit more patient and wait for additional data points along with test drives.

 

[Lotustoronto]

Well I'm happy with the 345hp in my Evora. And it means the 400hp in the Emira will feel like a huge increase

This is just regurgitating the old "it needs more power" debate, which has a whole thread we can go and pick through again. We have also been told why Lotus had to go with 400 not 416. The hotter version will come later.

Not every review is going to knock it for the power, several have said it's the sweet spot of usable power for fun, engaging, legal/safe road driving. But it won't win any traffic light grands prix or pub bragging rights. Nor will the power of a Cayman 4.0 GTS, but how may reviews are describing that as hopelessly underpowered?

I agree Tom that 400HP is plenty. I suppose my only gripe is I don't think I have ever seen any automotive company release a new vehicle to replace an older model and re-use the exact engine and then de-tune it. Literally backwards a bit. Aside from that, I think the Emira is fantastic.

 

[digilotus]

I heard EVO asked Lotus for a press car for a road trip review and requested the Sports suspension, so Lotus gave them a Sports + Goodyear car - the sensible tyre option for a road trip with Sports. Then EVO took it to Anglesey and happened to have a GT4 there at the same time so decided to do a head to head track test...

Top Gear requested a car for a track test. Let's see what spec car they got and what the Harris review says.

Other manufacturers (like Porsche) have very strict rules around what journalists can/cannot do during reviews, especially for non-production cars. They also have a bunch of engineers onsite to resolve issues and deal with any questions. It seems Lotus was quite liberal in allowing reviewers to do what they wanted with pre-production cars which might have come back to bite.

If Lotus were better organised, they would have had two car setups (track and sport) available to each reviewer, ability to do tyre swaps (e.g. sports + goodyear or sport + cup2) with engineers directly on hand. Reviewers like EVO / Jethro could then complain directly to the engineers and either get explanations, a different car or tyre setup and maybe some more design detail over a lunch and learn event.