Emira VS My Past Cars

[AK16]

@AK16 monster post. really enjoyed your reviews, well done! nice selection of cars AND nicely modified. seems like you did well overall on trading cars at good values. I never concern myself with getting the absolute top of the market. A win is a win I say and if you do that consistently, you're doing alright.

I feel like the 4c is kind of the lotus proposition on steroids except that the pros don't outweigh the cons as well. Too many excuses for not enough return.

your takes on the Porsches make a lot of sense. I do think a car can be too perfect and like the R8 I do think a car can have too much power to not feel anything at sensible speeds. I imagine the Elise SC is the opposite of those experiences.

To that end I feel like the s2000 is strangely missing from your list. All the Miatas and the type R. You’ve driven so many similar platforms but I feel that it still comes together in a magical way in the S. Drive it top down on full tilt and enjoy ALL the sensations and feedback.

Btw, what do you think about the newer Type Rs? I was in the canyons and they were definitely outpacing me. They could move. I was not comfortable at those speeds.

I had no idea I could talk to my car to set the temp! will be trying that later today.

I’ll write up a piece about the Type R as well. I can comfortably and confidently say that the FL5 Type R is a very close second to the Emira in my list of cars. More on that shortly.

 

[AK16]

Thank you for taking the time to do this. Very enjoyable reading!

Would you mind doing a write up for either or both of the GT350R / GT350? I feel like that car is a kindred spirit to the Emira in a strange way.

Ford Mustang Shelby GT350/R
Pros
The motor… oh my! Linear power, revs forever, flat-plane crank coupled with careful exhaust tuning from Ford gives it a signature sound unlink any others. Sure the C8 Z06 has a flat-plane crank motor and sure other Mustangs and GM products have the good ol’ America V8 rumble but the blending of those two creates a distinctly different noise… and I love it! Also, love how it makes power all the way to redline and it’s a bit underrated too. Clearly makes more than the stated numbers.

The magnetorheological dampers in the suspension are tremendous! Calm and supple when needed but can be racetrack firm at the push of a button! Steering feel is very good but you always feel the fact that a big V8 is sitting on the front axles. No hiding that! It does a great job in staying sharp despite that weight but it’s always there. Coupling the weight with MONSTROUS 295 width front tires… yes… FRONT tires… (305 in the GT350R), tram lining is a real problem. The car will dart and chase every road surface undulation and rut. You better be prepared and aware at all times!

The shifter… I don’t know. I can’t really knock it because it does the job well. I could shift fast, I could hustle it pretty easily but it’s not a fantastic gear box. I’m spoiled by some Porsche boxes, and the Miata’s and the Type R’s so that certainly plays a part in my lack of excitement about the shifter. But it’s just good… that’s all. The shifter could just as easily fit in the “Cons” category as it can the “Pros”.

The brakes… excellent stock brakes. No ceramics, no shenanigans. Just fade-resistant, consistently strong brakes everytime. The technology is great. CarPlay and Android Auto, heated and ventilated seats (if you get the non-Recaro lazyboy sofa seats), adjustable dampers, valved exhaust, good sound system. For a $50-$70K car with such track pedigree, there is quite a lot of bells and whistles here. The exterior design is good. Eye-catching in good colors with the racing stripes. Muscular bulges, great factory wheel/tire fitment and features lend to a very aggressive stance.

The GT350R ups the ante in all these departments. The subtle steering tweaks help hide the weight. The lighter unsprung weight from the carbon fiber wheels make the car feel lighter on its feet and transition better. The carbon wheels and bigger rear wing add to the sex appeal of the car. The lack of a central resonator in the “R” model also uncorks that banshee scream from that motor. The “R” is a perfect set of chances that enhance all elements of the car!

Cons
Heel-toe downshifting (since there is no auto rev-match feature) finds itself on the con list but only for street driving. At the race track, you’ll find yourself brakes VERY hard from high rates of speed as you approach a turn. But on the street, you are moving along at anywhere from 4/10ths to 8/10ths most of the time. In those instances, the brakes are entirely TOO touchy and aggressive. Trying to apply braking pressure while jabbing the throttle results in a massive decrease in speed to where you’ve really missed the rpm’s of the gear you were trying to go down to. Despite great pedal placement, a quick-revving motor and a good-enough shifter, heel-toe shifting became a chore on the street.

The weight… can’t get away from the weight. At race track pace, it hides the weight very well. If I were to purely track these cars, I would adore this car but, when getting back on the road and off the track, the weight comes right back into focus. The seating position and relatively high hood just add more difficulting in street driving these cars. It just always felt difficult to drive on the street.

Regarding the GT350R model, again, those positives mentioned above have immediate drawbacks on the street. Sure, the carbon fiber wheels reduce unsprung weight but they are STUPID expensive. Curbing ONE of these wheels will set you back the price of a good SET of forged wheels from a premium brand. I had a slow leak in one of the tires and NO ONE would touch them because of the risk in damaging the carbon fiber. Not even Ford themselves would investigate without me waiving all rights in the event of damage. Further, the resonator delete means that the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the car (being able to quiet down with valves closed) is less impactful and dramatic. Also, the interior is ugly. That’s all. Just plain unattractive with poor materials.

Summary
I know I sound like I am bashing the GT350/R but I genuinely loved this (these) car(s). I bought a 2016, then upgraded to a 2017 GT350R and later, purchased a 2019 GT350. I kept thinking and feeling that I would be able to modify the areas of disappointment and make it be a perfect sports car but always would come back to the same problem. It’s just too heavy! And no, I don’t think 3700lbs is too heavy. It’s that THIS particular car doesn’t feel 3700lbs despite what scales say. It feels easily 500lbs over that on backroads. No amount of tweaks and mods could hide that so I gave up on the platform.

 

[sendmeows]

Love your perspective as you’ve had experience with many of the greatest hits. What’s in your current garage?

 

[AK16]

The S2000 was one of those I forgot. I had a silverstone gray with red seats AP1. I’ll write up a piece on that as well. You’ll see why I wasn’t as keen on that car as, well, EVERYONE else.

2000 Honda S2000 (AP1)
Pros
A 4-cylinder naturally aspirated motor that makes 240hp and revs to 9000rpm with seductive motor and induction noise. Sounds like a recipe for a dream motor, right? Yes, it definitely is. Sure, it makes less torque than a riding lawn mower when below 6000rpm. Sure, it isn’t actually fast. Yes, the fuel economy is not great for a 4-cylinder. But none of that matters when “VTEC kicks in, yo” and you surge to 9000rpm. That never gets old.

The shifter… what a great piece of hardware. It’s sensational. Shift action, feel, engagement, all the elements of a good shifter are here. Just fantastic! 2700lbs but feels lighter. Gorgeous timeless design with that long nose, wedge profile, clean lines that have not aged at all. An interior that was rattle free due to Honda using as few pieces as possible in the dash. Clean, simple, driver-focused cabin that looks minimalistic by hiding all the non-driver tech stuff. The focus is on the key touch points… the steering wheel, the pedals and the shifter. Everything else falls to the wayside.

Cons
Sadly, that’s kinda where the pros end for me. The steering should be amazing. Light car, small, narrow front tires… recipe for sublime steering, right? Sadly, no. It felt like there was a barrier or delay between input and action. Maybe it was just because it was an early electronic power steering system. Maybe I just never got the alignment right. But I tried everything and every tweak to no avail. The steering felt oddly abysmal. Future hurting its case, as the car was pushed harder, it got noticeably worse. That’s never a good thing for an enthusiast-focused performance car.

The brakes had great feel and solid stopping power until they got hot. Fade came in really early. Suspension damping was good enough but not great. Bumps would horribly upset the chassis mid-turn. Snap oversteer was constantly on my mind, too. The back end seemed to come out whenever it felt like. And with the poor steering feel, the front end didn’t help predict what the back end might do moments later. This led to a complete lack of confidence in the car. What a shame.

Another con is that the interior is unexplainably narrow. The car isn’t that narrow… but the wide door panels/cards encroach on cabin space and end up making the interior feel cramped and crowded. Coupling that feeling with the absolutely tiny amount of trunk space and storage in the cabin kills any practicality one might want.

Summary
I owned this S2000 a LONG time ago, nearly two decades ago. A few years ago, I felt that I must have been wrong about my feelings about the S2000. I began searching for another one to reevaluate the car. I found a gorgeous 2003 AP1 model, also finished in Silverstone with red interior. This one was completely bone stock with only 27K miles in Kansas City. I took a flight there with cash in hand to buy it and drive it home. However, I got there, took a test drive and ALL of this negative memories and sentiments flooded back in. That is just what the S2000 is. Flawed steering, nervous grip, peaky motor, cramped cabin. What a shame. I hear the AP2 models resolve a lot of these issues but you lose the 9000rpm magic. Sure, 8000rpm is still great but… it’s not 9000rpm.

 

[AK16]

Love your perspective as you’ve had experience with many of the greatest hits. What’s in your current garage?

Thank you! Currently, I have tried to keep it simple. Wifey (and sons) drive a 2023 Hyundai Palisade. I daily a 2024 Tesla Model Y Performance and drive me 2024 Lotus Emira for pure bliss and joy!

 

[GrahamClark_60-68]

2024 Lotus Emira First Edition
Spec
Seneca Blue with full black pack, Ice Gray interior, manual transmission, V6 with yellow calipers

Pros
The Emira takes the Evora GT’s formula, sands out some rough edges, slaps on a dollop of refinement and technology, sprinkles in some reliability fears and shaves away a tiny bit of the raw and focused nature. The Evora GT is a better performing car and is more enjoyable to drive. It has a clear, focused and direct mission. The luxuries all take a back seat so the driver experience takes center stage. The Emira says “hey, maybe you want some tech and polish”.

The pure aesthetic appeal of the Emira has me smitten. It is stunningly beautiful. I turn on my garage Nest camera regularly just so I can sneak a peak at the Emira as it sleeps soundly in the garage. I can’t walk away without taking a look back at the purposefully designed contours. It is gorgeous! The interior layout, ergonomics and design are also wonderful. Everything falls to hand nicely, controls are where you expect them to be and the materials seem great (for a Lotus!).

The steering feels just like the Evora GT. I know some say there are significant differences but I can’t sense them, at least not in my driving style. Very communicative, very direct, great on-center feel. Can’t really ask for more. The shifter action feels great. The cliche rifle-bolt feel is there. It all feels very mechanical, very engaging. You actually feel like you are doing something rather than the gearbox sliding into gear almost telepathically in some modern high end gearboxes (like Porsche, Civic Type-R, etc). The noise is great. It doesn’t sound exotic. It doesn’t scream to a 9000 rpm redline. It just has a great note and tone and I find myself smiling at the rumble, roar, whine, overrun crackles and more. Tons of character in the sound. The touring suspension does a commendable job of playing the role of a Porsche 911. It’s supple, soaks up imperfections, removes nervous bump-steer dynamics, and tightens up nicely as the pace increases. Lotus gets suspension damping and steering feel right… always. The Emira is no exception.

The tech is a great change. The Wireless CarPlay has worked flawlessly. The Lotus voice control works a treat. I love being able to press the voice control button and say “set temp to 76 degrees and turn on heated seats” knowing it will happen without having to fiddle with the knob or screen or buttons. The silly voice saying “I’m here” in a digital British accent adds a touch of charm and quirkiness that I enjoy. Speaking of heated seats… they work very well! Toasting my buns on a cold New England fall morning amply. Also, love the little touches like the sprinkles of single-color ambient lighting everywhere, the LED bulbs throughout the interior, steering wheel controls, and power seats. Do they add weight? Yes. Do I care? Not at all. I drive long distances to get to the types of roads I want to drive. As a result, on those long stretches of monotonous driving, I want those creature comforts. Great interior storage space too! Oh, and great cupholders!

Cons
The KEF audio system had me very excited… and then extremely let down. It’s just not very good. I tried all the tricks I heard in the forums about resetting audio settings and such. None of it helped. The bass is just bad, the staging isn’t great and the worst part of it is that the bass sounds like it is coming from the car behind you while the music stage is all in front. There is this strong disconnect that I just can’t unhear. I’m spoiled by the Burmester in the 718 Spyder, I’m sure, but this is MUCH worse than even the Bose in my 2023 Type-R. Not a fan.

The few other niggles that bother me all have solutions on the way. I don’t enjoy the touch sensitive buttons on the wheel. GRP to the rescue with the physical buttons mod. I feel the exhaust is a bit muffled. GRP 3rd Cat delete fixes that! I don’t like the valve control logic. Milltek valve control for the win! Wheel fitment isn’t ideal, needs to be pushed out a tiny bit… GRP 12mm spacers handles that like a champ! Supercharger whine is a little underwhelming. Eventuri intake on the way! The leaves just a couple of little things… I wish it had keyless entry so the fob can stay in my pocket at all times. I wish it had ventilated seats. I wish it had adaptive cruise control on the V6 Manual… heck it has the distance control buttons on the wheel that just do nothing… I wish that worked. That’s it, though!

Summary
The Emira takes all the elements I loved about my 911 Carrera S and my Evora GT and blends them into a drop-dead gorgeous package. I am only 2 weeks into ownership so I will refrain from getting too far ahead of myself but, as it stands now and after 1500 miles of blissful driving, it is by far the best car I have owned. Is it perfect? Heck no. But the lack of perfection gives it the character and charm that just heighten my love for the machine.

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"I turn on my garage Nest camera regularly just so I can sneak a peak at the Emira as it sleeps soundly in the garage". That's hilarious! So hilarious, I do the same thing from time to time!

 

[AK16]

"I turn on my garage Nest camera regularly just so I can sneak a peak at the Emira as it sleeps soundly in the garage". That's hilarious! So hilarious, I do the same thing from time to time!

Haha! True love.

 

[seriously]

@AK16 great reviews again. You are not wrong about the s2000. It really is a canyon carver and not setup out of the box for the track. Brakes, need a wing, etc. However many of the issues except perhaps the steering are addressed by the AP2. Controversial but I think the AP2 is better than the AP1. All the small tweaks add up to a better sorted car.

I should add I think the s2000 is just the best “for fun” car. The threshold is low enough to where you can easily explore the limits like backend traction but the performance is high enough to where it feels snappy enough. And all the control points are excellent. Heel toeing all the time is a joy. I love how the chassis shifts weight and moves under you. I have a contrarian view on the steering. I really enjoy the fast steering and off center feel- it’s a bit twitchy in a good way. it only suffers from lack of feedback but it’s electric so

I have heard the GT350R. Wow. The ground literally shook as the car revved. And the sound was not just loud but exotic sounding. Another American performance bargain.

 

[1stLotus]

Great reviews! I particularly found your perspective on the R8 and GT350/R interesting.

Btw, as a beginner audiophile, I feel the sound system is pretty decent. I think you need to break in the speakers as you would with a new pair of headphones. I have 3600 miles, owned it for 4 months and it’s gotten significantly better (still not the best though).

 

[TomAce]

@AK16:
Great reviews of the cars you owned, it is so much more worth ho hear your experience form an owner's point of view as to hear or read the tenth review of car journalist who almost all seem to write the same.

I'd also like to read something about the TTRS and the M340i.

 

[AK16]

@AK16:
Great reviews of the cars you owned, it is so much more worth ho hear your experience form an owner's point of view as to hear or read the tenth review of car journalist who almost all seem to write the same.

I'd also like to read something about the TTRS and the M340i.

You got it! I’ll put that together this week!