So as a V8 Esprit and V6 Emira owner, my take:
1. because its a 4 cylinder, the V6 is the premium in the range according to Lotus pricing
2. because its a 4 cylinder
3. True but the on road performance of the i4 comes from its gearbox shift speed benefit rather than BHP, however I personally feel the 400bhp V6 is enough for the road and the Emira - however it could be tuned by Lotus for more as per Evora/Exige model range i.e. 410GT etc if they want to add more to the range in the future
4. Wrong there is a strong aftermarket based around the V6 as well, there are already 460 and 500bhp aftermarket solutions for this engine (plus a 550bhp build in an Exige). I have found that the 4 cylinder has been tuned to 550bhp but being a 4 Cylinder Turbo its far more strained at these increased powers = more failures and also a more expensive build to prevent those failures
5. But as a drivers car the option needs to be there for those of us who can use a clutch and manual gearbox


, its more involving and one less ECU controlled item/thing to go wrong!! because its a LOTUS!
Nellie