I'm Doing My Due Diligence This Weekend

[RoryBellows]

I currently have a deposit in for an Emira but its still basically on hold because I haven't told them my spec yet. I think I finally have that figured out but before I really make it official I lined up a test drive for what is really the Emira's main competition. I found a 2022 Cayman GTS 4.0 with a manual at a local dealership. My gut tells me I'm going to walk away and submit my spec to the Lotus dealer after but everyone just gushes about Porsches and that I should try one out so I'm not second guessing forever. The last German car I drove that everyone loves is the GTI and to be honest I found it dull and ended up buying a Chevy SS Sedan. With the price hikes on FE2.0 an Emira is only 6k cheaper than I would spec the Cayman GTS.

 

[bluemyself]

Let us know what you decide! I suspect you'll go with the Emira

 

[KCMO68_510]

If you don't choose the Emira then you are... making an informed decision based on your personal preferences and risk tolerances and should be applauded for making a choice that is best for you and your family...

 

[evoxide]

Check this out too.

 

[Lowtush]

I've driven both, and you can't go wrong. It just depends what you really want a sports car for.

The GTS is a fantastic machine and drives very tightly. It's prim and proper and precise. It's a safe choice, but it just feels less special.

The Emira is a bit rougher around the edges. It's less refined, it's got a more antiquated powertrain, but it also just has more character.

I have had--and frankly continue to have--the same conundrum as you (albeit with different vehicles of interest) but always land on the Emira being the most "special" car for the money by a long shot.

Good luck!

 

[Barcino2012]

I have a 718 Spyder and the Manual Emira FE, still in the Break in period on the Emira, so can not make a full performance comparison, but I agree you can not go wrong with either choice. I think you get more reliability and less depretiation with the GTS, however from a handling, styling and wow factor the Emira wins against the GTS, even the GT4. I think the Spyder has the same wow effect as the Emira, as it looks like a speedster, and turns a lot of heads.
Being new to a supercharged sports car, I can say that the whine is addictive, and just an awesome contrast to the guttural NA Spyder. I am a keeper of both, so I can fully endorse either way you go. Do not let the $ make the decision, it will matter what feels right, 5he $6k or difference in depreciation does only matter if you do not enjoy the car, and wan to sell, IMHO…..

 

[netsinah]

I currently have a deposit in for an Emira but its still basically on hold because I haven't told them my spec yet. I think I finally have that figured out but before I really make it official I lined up a test drive for what is really the Emira's main competition. I found a 2022 Cayman GTS 4.0 with a manual at a local dealership. My gut tells me I'm going to walk away and submit my spec to the Lotus dealer after but everyone just gushes about Porsches and that I should try one out so I'm not second guessing forever. The last German car I drove that everyone loves is the GTI and to be honest I found it dull and ended up buying a Chevy SS Sedan. With the price hikes on FE2.0 an Emira is only 6k cheaper than I would spec the Cayman GTS.

My question is whether you've already test driven an Emira, to truly compare it to the Cayman GTS. Good luck making your selection!

 

[Speedy Emira]

I drove the 2023 Cayman GTS and overall thought it was a great car and for good reason people struggle to say which one is a better drive. For me the deciding factor was looks as I felt the Cayman was looking dated and the Emira looks like a supercar.
What I have noticed owning the Emira is everywhere I go people come over and look at it because it’s looks so good and is rare compared to the tons of Caymans and 911s in my area.
There is no wrong choice if you are happy with your choice.
My advice is buy both

 

[Cwolf]

I looked at the Cayman GTS and GT4 as well. I had a '17 911 S and found it a little mundane. Excellent quality though. The problem with the six cylinder Caymans is the gearing. Too tall. When I went to get my Emira yesterday I talked to a guy at the dealer who had the GTS and he brought up the gearing. Said he is going 80 in second gear and it's not fun about town. To me, that was the deal killer a couple years ago and still is. I want to have fun in the car. Good luck!

 

[Green]

I looked at the Cayman GTS and GT4 as well. I had a '17 911 S and found it a little mundane. Excellent quality though. The problem with the six cylinder Caymans is the gearing. Too tall. When I went to get my Emira yesterday I talked to a guy at the dealer who had the GTS and he brought up the gearing. Said he is going 80 in second gear and it's not fun about town. To me, that was the deal killer a couple years ago and still is. I want to have fun in the car. Good luck!

The deal killer was not fun around town? Everyone uses their car differently but I do not drive a sports car for fun in town. Everyone said that same line about the GT3. Could not be farther from the truth. The GT3 has torque and power all over and is a blast in every gear. Cars are so subjective. I drive my GT3 in sports mode and the ride is not harsh at all to me. Other people say it is harsh. Luckily poster is driving both and does not have to rely on the subjective feedback.

 

[Enut]

Surely the comparison is between the Emira V6 and the Porshe GTS, not the Emira i4?
Anyway, make your own decision, they are both brilliant cars. I went Emira V6 as looks wise it is streets ahead of the Porsche and a lot rarer. I don't regret that decision.

 

[Cwolf]

The deal killer was not fun around town? Everyone uses their car differently but I do not drive a sports car for fun in town. Everyone said that same line about the GT3. Could not be farther from the truth. The GT3 has torque and power all over and is a blast in every gear. Cars are so subjective. I drive my GT3 in sports mode and the ride is not harsh at all to me. Other people say it is harsh. Luckily poster is driving both and does not have to rely on the subjective feedback.

Deal killer being you can row the gears in the Emira in many more situations than the Cayman

 

[Speedy Emira]

I drove the 2023 Cayman GTS and overall thought it was a great car and for good reason people struggle to say which one is a better drive. For me the deciding factor was looks as I felt the Cayman was looking dated and the Emira looks like a supercar.
What I have noticed owning the Emira is everywhere I go people come over and look at it because it’s looks so good and is rare compared to the tons of Caymans and 911s in my area.
There is no wrong choice if you are happy with your choice.
My advice is buy both

 

[Subw00er]

You can read all of the reviews.. the decision you really need to make is if you want form over function, that is, character over convenience. I owned a ‘16 boxster S and it was fantastic after I installed the heavier gt4 rear sway bar. neutral, enough power, nice sound from the valved exhaust, but it never excited me, and it never needed me as the cornering ability is so high you could be a total moron and not have an issue mid corner. Storage was great, wife liked driving it.. has classic turn in feel that makes copilots feel secure. My emira comes next week and I can elaborate on differences.

After you own a bunch of sports cars, the ones you think about after theyre gone are not the great cars that do everything well like the boxster/cayman, theyre the ones that made you feel a special way, they speak to you, they need you, theyre a little messy… Thats Character and its what sells a car for me now.

For reference , Ive owned nearly all the decent sports cars under $100k in my time (s2000, 350z, sti hatch, all the m3’s, z4, audi TT, 981s, c5z06 and stingray vette..). My daily is a 650hp ‘17 ZL1..

You buy the lotus when youve had all the others and still havent found that one car that will speak to you, well, thats my hope at least, we will see!

 

[RoryBellows]

So they sold the Cayman on Saturday so I didn't get to drive it but they did have a 2021 Boxster GTS 4.0 25th anniversary package I could drive. From the minute I sat down I could tell the fit and finish was significantly better than Lotus. This particular car had red leather and the 25th package makes it so it had leather everywhere. It even had the leather trimmed steering column. The interior while dated visually was really awesome and the switches and buttons were the clickiest most satisfying things I've ever pressed. It had real gauges in white and the matching white chrono package with some added gold accents from the package. Overall everything felt like top quality.

On the road I found it to drive great. It just kinda does whatever you want. l obviously didn't get to test handling limits but it seemed competent and the fact its available as a convertible is great. I did find some flaws in it driving though. It sounded good but not Emira good. I feel like the Emira has a much more connected mechanical feel to everything. The Porsche also has a gear box that kinda does all the work for you. I made the comment to the salesman that I didn't think I was learning the shift points because it kept doing all the blipping and matching every mistake I made. The car still needed me to physically press the clutch and shift but it really did the rest. I wanted more of a skill threshold. The other thing with the transmission is that the gears are way too tall. The thing has an 8k rev limiter and the only time I ever hit it was the onramp I redlined 1st on. Redlining 2nd requires a highway with no one around. I don't really know why its setup like that. For a car with so many details engineered to the 10s I'm not quite sure why the manual was so overlooked.

I now understand why people love Porsches so much. They really are fantastic but at this point and time and for this purchase I think I'm going to stick with the Emira and turn in my build this week. I have no intention of daily driving the car and want more of a sense of occasion when I drive it. I don't think we'll have too many ICE option left and want to go out with a bigger bang so to speak. The Porsche dealer told me they expect the 2025s to utilize electrification and have shut down new Boxster and Cayman orders. The Emira may just be the last manual mid engine car in America.

 

[Porter]

You nailed it. The Porsche is just so refined and perfected at this point that it lacks any sort of drama, it needs very little from the driver other than pointing it through corners, and it flatters everything.

The Emira on the other hand does need driver engagement and skill to work properly, it rewards the driver when you do the right things and it doesn't when you hamfist it. It is more work to drive quickly, but a bit more honest in what it asks of the driver and I think therefore more rewarding overall, if it's the driving experience itself that motivates you.

I'm loving mine! 3 days in and I'm extremely impressed with it dynamically. And it makes great noises.

 

[Subw00er]

The Emira may just be the last manual mid engine car in America.

And this is what will make the Emira hold value. Anyone who researches what's out there will soon find out this is the last of a breed. Its a totally shame

I feel bad for kids ignorance today in not sharing in the excitement of being one with a car.. a flappy paddle just doesn't give that to you IMO. But I suppose I never experienced the connection of controlling a horse and buggy either, so what do I know.

 

[Green]

You nailed it. The Porsche is just so refined and perfected at this point that it lacks any sort of drama, it needs very little from the driver other than pointing it through corners, and it flatters everything.

The Emira on the other hand does need driver engagement and skill to work properly, it rewards the driver when you do the right things and it doesn't when you hamfist it. It is more work to drive quickly, but a bit more honest in what it asks of the driver and I think therefore more rewarding overall, if it's the driving experience itself that motivates you.

I'm loving mine! 3 days in and I'm extremely impressed with it dynamically. And it makes great noises.

Not discounting the Emira in anyway but I strongly disagree. Clearly you have never experienced a GT3. It is like driving a monster and has drama for days. The Emira compared to driving a GT3 is childs play. Sorry its the truth.

 

[FlyNavy01]

Not discounting the Emira in anyway but I strongly disagree. Clearly you have never experienced a GT3. It is like driving a monster and has drama for days. The Emira compared to driving a GT3 is childs play. Sorry its the truth.

I think they were comparing it to a Cayman GTS 4.0, and in that sense I'd agree the Emira has more character and occasion. I would also agree that your 911 GT3 provides much more drama; it's geared better than a Cayman, revs to 9k, and is an entirely different chassis which leads to a much different driving experience.

I personally think the Emira provides maybe 80% the drama of a GT3 for 50% (or less) of the cost. Others will disagree, but I find it a decent value. Subjectively better looking too!

 

[Subw00er]

I think they were comparing it to a Cayman GTS 4.0, and in that sense I'd agree the Emira has more character and occasion. I would also agree that your 911 GT3 provides much more drama; it's geared better than a Cayman, revs to 9k, and is an entirely different chassis which leads to a much different driving experience.

I personally think the Emira provides maybe 80% the drama of a GT3 for 50% (or less) of the cost. Others will disagree, but I find it a decent value. Subjectively better looking too!

I agree too. Green, we need to compare apples to apples.. the gt3 is realistically what, 2x as much?! This care is compared to the boxster/cayman platform and thats the Porsche he was referring to.