marc1adrien
Well-known member
She's here. It's definitely a "she."
Wanted a Lotus since I was eight. Grew up in the world of manual sports cars, and never have owned anything this focused. I have had two NA Miatas, an RX-8, two Civics Si and an Integra, all manual.
Last year I test drove an Emira when they came to town with the demonstrator. I had two criteria: I wanted to make sure I could fold my 6'3 self (long torso and shorter legs) into a tolerable driving position, and I wanted to make sure that it was fun at low speeds (so many hugely capable cars don't really wake up until you're in get-me-in-trouble speeds). Ticked both boxes and placed order.
And here we are. Summarizing impressions below:
Order and delivery:
- pretty smooth. 11 months from deposit to car showing up
- they got the spec exactly right, in spite of the very odd double-negative on the privacy glass
- car is Nimbus / Tan / leather wheel / silver wheels / yellow calipers
- dealer delivery was solid, and no surprises on invoice or anything like that
- went for the Lotus PPF as they would do it and paint correction before the car was on the road and also guarantee it 10 years
First impressions
- pretty well built. Panel gaps better than I expected; trunk gap bigger on one side than the other but not a big deal. PLenty of premium cars from big manufacturers are like that or worse
- doors can look higher than the fender line from some angles, but it's an illusion. Basically the mirror faring is black and tucks in at the front of the A pillar, exposing the painted door underneath. If it ends up bothering me I'll likely put a little electrical tape on it.
- theres a small wave in the leather on one door card. It's one of those things that I think asking them to fix will make something worse. Haven't decided yet
- the ppf seems very good. only one spot where it's got a tiny bubble on an edge but apparently it happens and they will correct at service
- Nimbus is about six different colours. Extraordinary. Car looks different as you walk around it.
- Very pleased with spec choices. Looks very classy and slightly low-key, but really shows off the sculpting well
Drive
- seating took a while. Oddly I feel better in it if I lower the seat all the way and then tip the front slightly up. I also sit much further forward than I expected given my height. With that said, I can easily drive for hours and forget about the seating, so it's fine. I fit.
- love the steering wheel. Dind't think I would.
- I thought it would bother me to have to use the touch screen for so much. It doesn't. It's a great interface and it's to-hand; with my hand perched on the shifter in third I can just extend the fingers to the screen.
- clutch and shifter feel very nice to me. Clutch higher than a Honda / Mazda, and shifter needs a deliberate hand.
- once or twice reverse has been recalcitrant. Clutching again and it's good to go. This is no different from any other manual I've had
- absolutely alive on the road. Like a terrier chasing a thrown ball. If anything it feels even more playful than a Miata and it's perfectly fun at legal speeds
- steering sublime. Very alive yet tracks really well
- ride is mostly very good, but can get chattery on concrete especially (touring and Goodyears). You can really feel how stiff the chassis is.
- brakes are incredible. Stronger than anything I've driven. Very dusty so I will coat the wheels.
- love the wheeze from the supercharger under more throttle especially at 2500-4k. I'm sure it'll be even more when i can wind it out
Other notes
- reactions -- I've never known a car to draw universally positive reactions before. I've had bus drivers open their doors to complement it, kids taking pictures, thumbs up etc. I had two seperate people cross into traffic when I was waiting at a light to tell me they loved it.
- heat -- the front radiator placement blows a lot of heat back over the windshield and the sides (through the Voldemort nostrils). If you like to drive with open windows it'll get warm in the summer, but closing them half-way does the trick. PLus it'll be nice when it's colder out!
- very pleased to discover you can display music on center display, and when you do you can use the right arrow to the next track
- the speed limiter is a very nice feature. It will behave like there's less throttle available as you approach the speed. It's a nice soft pre-limit and I've used it a lot
Issues and mods
- beyond the build stuff above (which is really a stretch), the water incursion TSB for the AC hasn't been done yet, so I'm being careful washing it and exposing it to too much rain. Dealer has the new seal on order and I'll do it when it goes in.
- i put in the trim next to the seat, though it didn't feel like the edge was all that sharp to me.
- I found a great magnetic phone mount which clips into the vent; perfect for my uses
- I have modified myself (not easy!) to drinking only canned drinks in the car, which fit the cupholder perfectly without interfering
...so far so good. It's a lovely thing and I can't believe it's in my hands. It does a decent job at being a car and a truly fantastic job at being a fun plaything.
Wanted a Lotus since I was eight. Grew up in the world of manual sports cars, and never have owned anything this focused. I have had two NA Miatas, an RX-8, two Civics Si and an Integra, all manual.
Last year I test drove an Emira when they came to town with the demonstrator. I had two criteria: I wanted to make sure I could fold my 6'3 self (long torso and shorter legs) into a tolerable driving position, and I wanted to make sure that it was fun at low speeds (so many hugely capable cars don't really wake up until you're in get-me-in-trouble speeds). Ticked both boxes and placed order.
And here we are. Summarizing impressions below:
Order and delivery:
- pretty smooth. 11 months from deposit to car showing up
- they got the spec exactly right, in spite of the very odd double-negative on the privacy glass
- car is Nimbus / Tan / leather wheel / silver wheels / yellow calipers
- dealer delivery was solid, and no surprises on invoice or anything like that
- went for the Lotus PPF as they would do it and paint correction before the car was on the road and also guarantee it 10 years
First impressions
- pretty well built. Panel gaps better than I expected; trunk gap bigger on one side than the other but not a big deal. PLenty of premium cars from big manufacturers are like that or worse
- doors can look higher than the fender line from some angles, but it's an illusion. Basically the mirror faring is black and tucks in at the front of the A pillar, exposing the painted door underneath. If it ends up bothering me I'll likely put a little electrical tape on it.
- theres a small wave in the leather on one door card. It's one of those things that I think asking them to fix will make something worse. Haven't decided yet
- the ppf seems very good. only one spot where it's got a tiny bubble on an edge but apparently it happens and they will correct at service
- Nimbus is about six different colours. Extraordinary. Car looks different as you walk around it.
- Very pleased with spec choices. Looks very classy and slightly low-key, but really shows off the sculpting well
Drive
- seating took a while. Oddly I feel better in it if I lower the seat all the way and then tip the front slightly up. I also sit much further forward than I expected given my height. With that said, I can easily drive for hours and forget about the seating, so it's fine. I fit.
- love the steering wheel. Dind't think I would.
- I thought it would bother me to have to use the touch screen for so much. It doesn't. It's a great interface and it's to-hand; with my hand perched on the shifter in third I can just extend the fingers to the screen.
- clutch and shifter feel very nice to me. Clutch higher than a Honda / Mazda, and shifter needs a deliberate hand.
- once or twice reverse has been recalcitrant. Clutching again and it's good to go. This is no different from any other manual I've had
- absolutely alive on the road. Like a terrier chasing a thrown ball. If anything it feels even more playful than a Miata and it's perfectly fun at legal speeds
- steering sublime. Very alive yet tracks really well
- ride is mostly very good, but can get chattery on concrete especially (touring and Goodyears). You can really feel how stiff the chassis is.
- brakes are incredible. Stronger than anything I've driven. Very dusty so I will coat the wheels.
- love the wheeze from the supercharger under more throttle especially at 2500-4k. I'm sure it'll be even more when i can wind it out
Other notes
- reactions -- I've never known a car to draw universally positive reactions before. I've had bus drivers open their doors to complement it, kids taking pictures, thumbs up etc. I had two seperate people cross into traffic when I was waiting at a light to tell me they loved it.
- heat -- the front radiator placement blows a lot of heat back over the windshield and the sides (through the Voldemort nostrils). If you like to drive with open windows it'll get warm in the summer, but closing them half-way does the trick. PLus it'll be nice when it's colder out!
- very pleased to discover you can display music on center display, and when you do you can use the right arrow to the next track
- the speed limiter is a very nice feature. It will behave like there's less throttle available as you approach the speed. It's a nice soft pre-limit and I've used it a lot
Issues and mods
- beyond the build stuff above (which is really a stretch), the water incursion TSB for the AC hasn't been done yet, so I'm being careful washing it and exposing it to too much rain. Dealer has the new seal on order and I'll do it when it goes in.
- i put in the trim next to the seat, though it didn't feel like the edge was all that sharp to me.
- I found a great magnetic phone mount which clips into the vent; perfect for my uses
- I have modified myself (not easy!) to drinking only canned drinks in the car, which fit the cupholder perfectly without interfering
...so far so good. It's a lovely thing and I can't believe it's in my hands. It does a decent job at being a car and a truly fantastic job at being a fun plaything.
