Emira Review Index [V6 FE]

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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

 
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OMG I feel for them with the build quality issues. What's that? Your shifter came apart? Your half shaft snapped? All in a day's driving?

The road feel and driving is (at least on the track) amazing but still.
 
Before BMW or Porsche gives a car to the press it goes through a thorough "stress test" by a factory driver. Lotus on the other hand said, "here...take this one".

That said, to break a 1/2 shaft....OMG! What the hell? Beyond abuse. Seems to me M/T was TRYING to break the car, perpetuate the stereotype and "report" on the failure.
 
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Before BMW or Porsche gives a car to the press it goes through a thorough "stress test" by a factory driver. Lotus on the other hand said, "here...take this one".

That said, to break a 1/2 shaft....OMG! What the hell? Beyond abuse. Seems to me M/T was TRYING to break the car, perpetuate the stereotype and "report" on the failure.
I've never heard of anybody repeatedly doing high rpm clutch dumps to a sports car like that. I'm guessing they were literally forcibly slamming the gear shift lever from gear to gear too. This is abuse even for a muscle car. I've seen muscle cars snap halfshafts or blow out differentials doing that, but on a mid-engine sports car??

I think you're absolutely right. They did this on purpose so they could have a sensational headline for clicks and views. After reading this review, whatever respect I had for Motortrend just snapped along with the Lotus.
 
I dunno about it being click bait. They tested the car to get its 4.2 sec 0-60 time. How else could they have got it? They specifically said every car they test goes through the exact same procedure and the Lotus broke more often than most. Unless you think they are lying...
 
I dunno about it being click bait. They tested the car to get its 4.2 sec 0-60 time. How else could they have got it? They specifically said every car they test goes through the exact same procedure and the Lotus broke more often than most. Unless you think they are lying...
If they do actually do that to every car they test then they're stupid. No sensible person is going to treat their car that way, so those numbers they're claiming are not realistic of the performance you'd actually get driving normally. If that isn't click-bait, it's certainly hanging out around the edges. What it DOES do is disqualify their reports of reliability as being trustworthy or representative of the actual real-world reliability of whatever they're reporting on.
 
If they do actually do that to every car they test then they're stupid. No sensible person is going to treat their car that way, so those numbers they're claiming are not realistic of the performance you'd actually get driving normally. If that isn't click-bait, it's certainly hanging out around the edges. What it DOES do is disqualify their reports of reliability as being trustworthy or representative of the actual real-world reliability of whatever they're reporting on.
I agree that there is a difference between reliability testing and performance testing. A car that is heavily abused / tracked is going to break a lot quicker than a car that is driven normally / spirited driving. But to Motortrend's defence, it was an all out performance testing and bringing the car to its absolute maximum levels in acceleration, grip etc. This requires being rough with the car. If Lotus claims a 4.2 sec 0-60 time, how else can you achieve it without being aggressive with it. Any other "performance" manufacturer i.e. Porsche, Ferrari etc. (which Lotus has clearly said it wants to compete with Porsche) - sends out a team to ensure the car is running optimal during performance testing, especially for big magazine reviewers. In fact Lotus does do this, just not with ICE. Evija testing always has a Lotus team, as did the Eletre or Emeya testing from what I have seen. They have huge factory support for the EV testing and reviews. Emira, not so much. It seems they really want to be rid of it and get the EV sports car out and running. I am sure those reviews will be set up very differently.
 
Before BMW or Porsche gives a car to the press it goes through a thorough "stress test" by a factory driver. Lotus on the other hand said, "here...take this one".

That said, to break a 1/2 shaft....OMG! What the hell? Beyond abuse. Seems to me M/T was TRYING to break the car, perpetuate the stereotype and "report" on the failure.
It seems like there were other issues with the car that weren't related to the stress the performance testing was putting on the car. The gear linkage broke, which caused the first car they tested to be stuck in fourth gear, and perhaps most concerning, they couldn't get the second car to the 6,800 RPM redline (it wouldn't go past 6,000). For a car that starts with a relatively low redline, that supposedly shouldn't have serious powertrain issues on account of using a Toyota engine, that may be the most concerning thing I've read as a potential buyer.
 
Dumping the clutch at 5500rpm is a recipe for disaster imo, but hey it‘s a stupid press car, so what. 🤔

Motortrend and other quality media showing from their best side…
 
I agree that there is a difference between reliability testing and performance testing. A car that is heavily abused / tracked is going to break a lot quicker than a car that is driven normally / spirited driving. But to Motortrend's defence, it was an all out performance testing and bringing the car to its absolute maximum levels in acceleration, grip etc. This requires being rough with the car. If Lotus claims a 4.2 sec 0-60 time, how else can you achieve it without being aggressive with it. Any other "performance" manufacturer i.e. Porsche, Ferrari etc. (which Lotus has clearly said it wants to compete with Porsche) - sends out a team to ensure the car is running optimal during performance testing, especially for big magazine reviewers. In fact Lotus does do this, just not with ICE. Evija testing always has a Lotus team, as did the Eletre or Emeya testing from what I have seen. They have huge factory support for the EV testing and reviews. Emira, not so much. It seems they really want to be rid of it and get the EV sports car out and running. I am sure those reviews will be set up very differently.
But this is exactly the problem and why this is unrealistic. How many of us have a factory team with us to make sure our cars are still functioning after being abused like this? If they want to do real world testing, they need to test a car like you or I can buy, the way we would have it and use it, instead of abusing it to such a degree that the factory has to send a team out to try and keep the car running.
 
But this is exactly the problem and why this is unrealistic. How many of us have a factory team with us to make sure our cars are still functioning after being abused like this? If they want to do real world testing, they need to test a car like you or I can buy, the way we would have it and use it, instead of abusing it to such a degree that the factory has to send a team out to try and keep the car running.
That's the point - it's performance testing. Not real world. Hence why every other manufacturer sends out a team.

I agree with you that they abused the car to an extreme degree to max out every once of potential. That is why other manufacturers send out a team to ensure it works properly under extreme conditions. This wasn't a test drive. All I am saying is that every other manufacturer does this for a reason.
 
You’d have to be extraordinarily gullible to think that there aren’t more “clicks” to be had on a review where something dramatic happens compared to “everything was fine”.

These drivetrains have been around for literally decades, and in previous iterations have handled more hp.
How many owners have experienced this supposed problem in the real world?

Making a large personal purchasing decision based on this kind of internet stuff is, frankly, idiotic.

It’s a bit like saying, “I was going to buy a 458 until I saw that a couple went up in flames so then I cancelled”…

What a great decision that would have been. Not.
 
Motor trend is full of 💩.

Overstated the "quality" issues they caused and understated the phenomenonal driving dynamics and design.
 
Before BMW or Porsche gives a car to the press it goes through a thorough "stress test" by a factory driver. Lotus on the other hand said, "here...take this one".

That said, to break a 1/2 shaft....OMG! What the hell? Beyond abuse. Seems to me M/T was TRYING to break the car, perpetuate the stereotype and "report" on the failure.
A travesty, but not surprised. I was interviewed years ago by a local newspaper and it was obvious they had already decided what the story would be about despite the fact that what I was telling them was the opposite. Then they proceeded to pick bits of the interview out of context to support their predetermined storyline. Lost all respect for the media at that point.
 
I think this review is one of the most accurate I've seen, the pros and the cons are spot on and mirror my 11 month ownership experience. Its a shame the car broke when they were doing the 0-60 tests but you can definitely tell they were frustrated that the gearbox and rpm limit were hampering their efforts to get near the Lotus stated figures. Bottom line though is the car shouldn't break.
 
The breaks are unfortunate for sure. But, whether you drive it that way or not, the car should be able to hit its listed 0-60 time. It should also be able to hit that time (reliably) again and again.
 

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