Proud new Emira owner here in the USA. As my name implies, I am a bit of a Porsche fanboy, current Porsche fleet are a 2021 Cayman GTS and a 2023 911 Turbo S.
I've always admired Lotus since I drove an Elise in the 1990s, and am thrilled they've made a car that I (6' 3") can more readily fit in. I acknowledge now having been to a Lotus dealer that I actually fit in the Evora as well.
I thought worthwhile giving my impressions, with some embedded questions. In bulletpoint format:
- I'm only 400 miles in
- Touring spec
- The pedals! Despite driving manuals for the last 35 years of my life, I often struggle to get off the line in lazy driving. The clutch has a very small grab window. And it feels like the throttle mapping also seems to be tight (at least in Sport mode which is where I've been defaulting to). I have NOT stalled it yet, but I have definitely had it at 2k rpm while not moving, and have had the car nearly stall. The Cayman's clutch and throttle are a breeze, much more intuitive. I suppose I'll get used to modulating the clutch and throttle better, but would have thought after 400 miles I'd be comfortable. Oddly, I don't have any issues after a cold start. It sort of makes me wonder if the car is idling too low when at temp. And I have been experimenting and it does feel like Tour mode gives me much less issues.
- More pedals! The brakes. Yet again, the grab window on the brakes is tiny. The irony here, and I haven't figured this out yet - is that at higher speeds I swear the breaks are a tad mushy. But then, sometimes I'll be pulling up to a red light or a parking spot and the brakes are twitchy. I suppose I'm not used to the modulation required.
- Pedal spacing. There were lots of concerns about the spacing of the pedals, but am glad to report I don't notice any issues
- Throttle Blip - The Caymans throttle blip is just so enjoyable for downshifting. I wish the Emira had it. But I get it, this is a Lotus... man up!
- Proximity unlock/entry -I have to physically take my key out of my pocket and hit the Unlock button to get into my car. I understand the benefits with theft prevention etc, but I thought the days of touching a key were over. And yes, for many recent generations of Porsche, this was an expensive cost-option.
- The build quality - when I picked it up there was a badly loose fiber on a seat, and a piece of plastic in the trunk that I'm still not convinced is aligned properly... but I was told "yeah its hand built".. whatever, its a Lotus and I guess this is part of the charm. Otherwise, things are holding up.
- Not a fan of the steering wheel "buttons", I think I've pressed them accidentally, and they're not terribly easy to use. The Cayman's wheel buttons are better and yes they are optional, at a cost.
- Steering feel is indeed great. And love the shifter. Very different from the 718, perhaps more in a go-cart way? It certainly reminds me of my time in the Elise. Much more notchy than the Cayman.
- There is definitely a "sense of occasion" driving the car. I liken it to driving a 1980's sports car, which is what I've envied about Lotus.
- The sound. I do put it in Sport mode most often to hear the exhaust. And I tend to roll down the windows in summer with this car. I've never owned a supercharged car before, and to be honest when I see/hear cars like the Dodge Hellcat (or whatever similar supercharged cars), I really do not like that sound. But its kind of grown on me in the Emira. Undecided on this one, but the sound is nothing like the GTS.
- I've had no mechanical issues. I was indeed concerned about various problems I had seen on forums. The car starts, goes, no gremlins so far.
- I can readily (intentionally) get the back end of the Cayman out in lazy/fun driving, I am yet to do that with the Lotus. Perhaps because I'm not driving it as hard yet. But I fear its because of nannies. But that would not make sense.. so gonna hold my opinion on this, other than say the Cayman is such a fun car to drive. When I get past 1,000 mile breakin, I'll push it a tad more.
- Interior - Quite pleased with the quality and simplicity of it all. I had thought the climate controls (some of which are in the screen, like heated seat) might be a pain, but its quick to navigate and not embedded in a menu.
- Android Auto occasionally fails. I suspect I might be hitting a button on the steering wheel to cause this. However, its a pretty quick series of 2 buttons on the screen to get it to re-connect.
- This car attracts attention. I've had many sports cars for the last 10 years, and in that time, I might have gotten a handful of "cool car bro" comments. I would say that nearly every time I have driven the Lotus, someone will comment on it when I get in or out.
Overall, really enjoying the car, with the only "issue" being the clutch & throttle engagement. I've scoured the forums and have only seen a few threads and comments on the clutch and throttle, so I will just assume I am the moron and will try to get used to it.
I've always admired Lotus since I drove an Elise in the 1990s, and am thrilled they've made a car that I (6' 3") can more readily fit in. I acknowledge now having been to a Lotus dealer that I actually fit in the Evora as well.
I thought worthwhile giving my impressions, with some embedded questions. In bulletpoint format:
- I'm only 400 miles in
- Touring spec
- The pedals! Despite driving manuals for the last 35 years of my life, I often struggle to get off the line in lazy driving. The clutch has a very small grab window. And it feels like the throttle mapping also seems to be tight (at least in Sport mode which is where I've been defaulting to). I have NOT stalled it yet, but I have definitely had it at 2k rpm while not moving, and have had the car nearly stall. The Cayman's clutch and throttle are a breeze, much more intuitive. I suppose I'll get used to modulating the clutch and throttle better, but would have thought after 400 miles I'd be comfortable. Oddly, I don't have any issues after a cold start. It sort of makes me wonder if the car is idling too low when at temp. And I have been experimenting and it does feel like Tour mode gives me much less issues.
- More pedals! The brakes. Yet again, the grab window on the brakes is tiny. The irony here, and I haven't figured this out yet - is that at higher speeds I swear the breaks are a tad mushy. But then, sometimes I'll be pulling up to a red light or a parking spot and the brakes are twitchy. I suppose I'm not used to the modulation required.
- Pedal spacing. There were lots of concerns about the spacing of the pedals, but am glad to report I don't notice any issues
- Throttle Blip - The Caymans throttle blip is just so enjoyable for downshifting. I wish the Emira had it. But I get it, this is a Lotus... man up!
- Proximity unlock/entry -I have to physically take my key out of my pocket and hit the Unlock button to get into my car. I understand the benefits with theft prevention etc, but I thought the days of touching a key were over. And yes, for many recent generations of Porsche, this was an expensive cost-option.
- The build quality - when I picked it up there was a badly loose fiber on a seat, and a piece of plastic in the trunk that I'm still not convinced is aligned properly... but I was told "yeah its hand built".. whatever, its a Lotus and I guess this is part of the charm. Otherwise, things are holding up.
- Not a fan of the steering wheel "buttons", I think I've pressed them accidentally, and they're not terribly easy to use. The Cayman's wheel buttons are better and yes they are optional, at a cost.
- Steering feel is indeed great. And love the shifter. Very different from the 718, perhaps more in a go-cart way? It certainly reminds me of my time in the Elise. Much more notchy than the Cayman.
- There is definitely a "sense of occasion" driving the car. I liken it to driving a 1980's sports car, which is what I've envied about Lotus.
- The sound. I do put it in Sport mode most often to hear the exhaust. And I tend to roll down the windows in summer with this car. I've never owned a supercharged car before, and to be honest when I see/hear cars like the Dodge Hellcat (or whatever similar supercharged cars), I really do not like that sound. But its kind of grown on me in the Emira. Undecided on this one, but the sound is nothing like the GTS.
- I've had no mechanical issues. I was indeed concerned about various problems I had seen on forums. The car starts, goes, no gremlins so far.
- I can readily (intentionally) get the back end of the Cayman out in lazy/fun driving, I am yet to do that with the Lotus. Perhaps because I'm not driving it as hard yet. But I fear its because of nannies. But that would not make sense.. so gonna hold my opinion on this, other than say the Cayman is such a fun car to drive. When I get past 1,000 mile breakin, I'll push it a tad more.
- Interior - Quite pleased with the quality and simplicity of it all. I had thought the climate controls (some of which are in the screen, like heated seat) might be a pain, but its quick to navigate and not embedded in a menu.
- Android Auto occasionally fails. I suspect I might be hitting a button on the steering wheel to cause this. However, its a pretty quick series of 2 buttons on the screen to get it to re-connect.
- This car attracts attention. I've had many sports cars for the last 10 years, and in that time, I might have gotten a handful of "cool car bro" comments. I would say that nearly every time I have driven the Lotus, someone will comment on it when I get in or out.
Overall, really enjoying the car, with the only "issue" being the clutch & throttle engagement. I've scoured the forums and have only seen a few threads and comments on the clutch and throttle, so I will just assume I am the moron and will try to get used to it.
