So I got to take a test drive.... :)

[alvitdk]

Well, first post on here and why not start with my own experience? Have a deposit down and made my way up to Dallas from New Braunfels, 4 hours each way for a 20 min test drive. I was so looking forward to it, especially after visiting the factory last month to get the tour, I wasn't able to drive in the UK but at least I could take a seat.

Anyway, just some history, my current car is a Porsche 981 Cayman, and as we know it is a bit underpowered unless you get above 5k rev, and it is a blast to drive down here in the twist Hill Country. Having had several Porsche in the past 20 years, it was a no-brainer looking at my next and I have an order for the 718 GTS 4.0 with them, or rather had, until my current PDK threw a sensor error in the transmission at 75k miles, and I am being told Porsche only replaces the pdk and does not repair, a $20k+ service which is just outrageous. In short, I try getting it fixed by an indie Porsche specialist with an aftermarket sensor at a 1/4 of the price, but not happy with Porsche decided to look elsewhere and my next "Toy".

I came back from the test drive amazed and happy, having zero regrets about putting my order in. Not in any way the most powerful car, but the delivery is smooth and constant, especially in 3rd it just keeps moving. HP certainly does not tell the whole story and I have never driven a Lotus. The handling and how planted it sits on the street felt even better than the Caymen, not as refined but with such great steering and road feedback, I was impressed. Certainly a bit too quiet in the cabin but I am sure aftermarket exhausts will come shortly available. The seating position was excellent, but it did take me a couple minuted to square up my body to the off-set pedals, but nothing concerning at all. Switching from Touring to Sport mode did bring everything to life, from throttle response to the exhaust note, it changed the whole experience in the second round. The seats are very comfy and I did ask if those are the final version and he confirmed. Space for luggage is quite a bit less than in the Cayman, but for me as a weekend fun car, not an issue. I did not test the stereo or other features as I was just looking at getting the most time to actually drive it. The Supercharger noise is something I really enjoyed though, generally speaking, it is difficult to get anything better than the Porsche flat-6 screaming noise on any car in the price range, but I think the Supercharger has a very unique sound profile, it was certainly fun to hear it directly behind you.

Anyway, no regrets, canceled my Porsche order and certainly looking forward to taking delivery (in probably 12 more months).

 

[Eagle7]

Well, first post on here and why not start with my own experience? Have a deposit down and made my way up to Dallas from New Braunfels, 4 hours each way for a 20 min test drive. I was so looking forward to it, especially after visiting the factory last month to get the tour, I wasn't able to drive in the UK but at least I could take a set.

Anyway, just some history, my current car is a Porsche 981 Cayman, and as we know it is a bit underpowered unless you get above 5k rev, and it is a blast to drive down here in the twist Hill Country. Having had several Porsche in the past 20 years, it was a no-brainer looking at my next and I have an order for the 718 GTS 4.0 with them, or rather had, until my current PDK threw a sensor error in the transmission at 75k miles, and I am being told Porsche only replaces the pdk and does not repair, a $20k+ service which is just outrageous. In short, I try getting it fixed by an indie Porsche specialist with an aftermarket sensor at a 1/4 of the price, but not happy with Porsche decided to look elsewhere and my next "Toy".

I came back from the test drive amazed and happy, having zero regrets about putting my order in. Not in any way the most powerful car, but the delivery is smooth and constant, especially in 3rd it just keeps moving. HP certainly does not tell the whole story and I have never driven a Lotus. The handling and how planted it sits on the street felt even better than the Caymen, not as refined but with such great steering and road feedback, I was impressed. Certainly a bit too quiet in the cabin but I am sure aftermarket exhausts will come shortly available. The seating position was excellent, but it did take me a couple minuted to square up my body to the off-set pedals, but nothing concerning at all. Switching from Touring to Sport mode did bring everything to life, from throttle response to the exhaust note, it changed the whole experience in the second round. The seats are very comfy and I did ask if those are the final version and he confirmed. Space for luggage is quite a bit less than in the Cayman, but for me as a weekend fun car, not an issue. I did not test the stereo or other features as I was just looking at getting the most time to actually drive it. The Supercharger noise is something I really enjoyed though, generally speaking, it is difficult to get anything better than the Porsche flat-6 screaming noise on any car in the price range, but I think the Supercharger has a very unique sound profile, it was certainly fun to hear it directly behind you.

Anyway, no regrets, canceled my Porsche order and certainly looking forward to taking delivery (in probably 12 more months).

Nice write up, and welcome to the forum!

 

[Shyatic]

Well, first post on here and why not start with my own experience? Have a deposit down and made my way up to Dallas from New Braunfels, 4 hours each way for a 20 min test drive. I was so looking forward to it, especially after visiting the factory last month to get the tour, I wasn't able to drive in the UK but at least I could take a set.

Anyway, just some history, my current car is a Porsche 981 Cayman, and as we know it is a bit underpowered unless you get above 5k rev, and it is a blast to drive down here in the twist Hill Country. Having had several Porsche in the past 20 years, it was a no-brainer looking at my next and I have an order for the 718 GTS 4.0 with them, or rather had, until my current PDK threw a sensor error in the transmission at 75k miles, and I am being told Porsche only replaces the pdk and does not repair, a $20k+ service which is just outrageous. In short, I try getting it fixed by an indie Porsche specialist with an aftermarket sensor at a 1/4 of the price, but not happy with Porsche decided to look elsewhere and my next "Toy".

I came back from the test drive amazed and happy, having zero regrets about putting my order in. Not in any way the most powerful car, but the delivery is smooth and constant, especially in 3rd it just keeps moving. HP certainly does not tell the whole story and I have never driven a Lotus. The handling and how planted it sits on the street felt even better than the Caymen, not as refined but with such great steering and road feedback, I was impressed. Certainly a bit too quiet in the cabin but I am sure aftermarket exhausts will come shortly available. The seating position was excellent, but it did take me a couple minuted to square up my body to the off-set pedals, but nothing concerning at all. Switching from Touring to Sport mode did bring everything to life, from throttle response to the exhaust note, it changed the whole experience in the second round. The seats are very comfy and I did ask if those are the final version and he confirmed. Space for luggage is quite a bit less than in the Cayman, but for me as a weekend fun car, not an issue. I did not test the stereo or other features as I was just looking at getting the most time to actually drive it. The Supercharger noise is something I really enjoyed though, generally speaking, it is difficult to get anything better than the Porsche flat-6 screaming noise on any car in the price range, but I think the Supercharger has a very unique sound profile, it was certainly fun to hear it directly behind you.

Anyway, no regrets, canceled my Porsche order and certainly looking forward to taking delivery (in probably 12 more months).

Phenomenal that my take on the car aligns to somebody else! I am not a Porsche owner (and I never liked the look of them in fairness), so I'm glad I'm not going to miss *too* much in going for the Lotus. Most of the pain points have been noticed and I felt as well, but those are quite minor to the feedback, driving position, and handling of the car.

I obviously wish I got more time with it, but the smile on my face after has yet to go away several days later.

 

[First Lotus]

Well, first post on here and why not start with my own experience? Have a deposit down and made my way up to Dallas from New Braunfels, 4 hours each way for a 20 min test drive. I was so looking forward to it, especially after visiting the factory last month to get the tour, I wasn't able to drive in the UK but at least I could take a set.

Anyway, just some history, my current car is a Porsche 981 Cayman, and as we know it is a bit underpowered unless you get above 5k rev, and it is a blast to drive down here in the twist Hill Country. Having had several Porsche in the past 20 years, it was a no-brainer looking at my next and I have an order for the 718 GTS 4.0 with them, or rather had, until my current PDK threw a sensor error in the transmission at 75k miles, and I am being told Porsche only replaces the pdk and does not repair, a $20k+ service which is just outrageous. In short, I try getting it fixed by an indie Porsche specialist with an aftermarket sensor at a 1/4 of the price, but not happy with Porsche decided to look elsewhere and my next "Toy".

I came back from the test drive amazed and happy, having zero regrets about putting my order in. Not in any way the most powerful car, but the delivery is smooth and constant, especially in 3rd it just keeps moving. HP certainly does not tell the whole story and I have never driven a Lotus. The handling and how planted it sits on the street felt even better than the Caymen, not as refined but with such great steering and road feedback, I was impressed. Certainly a bit too quiet in the cabin but I am sure aftermarket exhausts will come shortly available. The seating position was excellent, but it did take me a couple minuted to square up my body to the off-set pedals, but nothing concerning at all. Switching from Touring to Sport mode did bring everything to life, from throttle response to the exhaust note, it changed the whole experience in the second round. The seats are very comfy and I did ask if those are the final version and he confirmed. Space for luggage is quite a bit less than in the Cayman, but for me as a weekend fun car, not an issue. I did not test the stereo or other features as I was just looking at getting the most time to actually drive it. The Supercharger noise is something I really enjoyed though, generally speaking, it is difficult to get anything better than the Porsche flat-6 screaming noise on any car in the price range, but I think the Supercharger has a very unique sound profile, it was certainly fun to hear it directly behind you.

Anyway, no regrets, canceled my Porsche order and certainly looking forward to taking delivery (in probably 12 more months).

We've been starting to get a few real person reviews now which have all perked my excitement once again.
This one I think tops them all! And hopefully has helped quite a few (maybe even our resident porsche fan @Leonard ). To hear that someone with extensive P experience rates the car as much as you did, is very pleasing to hear.
I've driven a few 911's and my dad had a boxster so many years ago that I didn't get to drive it! I've always been super impressed by the P car but my wife doesn't want me to get one due to the volume of them on the road.
To know they compete well on the driving experience is great to hear as for me, the Lotus wins everywhere else that's important to me.

 

[Lotustoronto]

Well, first post on here and why not start with my own experience? Have a deposit down and made my way up to Dallas from New Braunfels, 4 hours each way for a 20 min test drive. I was so looking forward to it, especially after visiting the factory last month to get the tour, I wasn't able to drive in the UK but at least I could take a set.

Anyway, just some history, my current car is a Porsche 981 Cayman, and as we know it is a bit underpowered unless you get above 5k rev, and it is a blast to drive down here in the twist Hill Country. Having had several Porsche in the past 20 years, it was a no-brainer looking at my next and I have an order for the 718 GTS 4.0 with them, or rather had, until my current PDK threw a sensor error in the transmission at 75k miles, and I am being told Porsche only replaces the pdk and does not repair, a $20k+ service which is just outrageous. In short, I try getting it fixed by an indie Porsche specialist with an aftermarket sensor at a 1/4 of the price, but not happy with Porsche decided to look elsewhere and my next "Toy".

I came back from the test drive amazed and happy, having zero regrets about putting my order in. Not in any way the most powerful car, but the delivery is smooth and constant, especially in 3rd it just keeps moving. HP certainly does not tell the whole story and I have never driven a Lotus. The handling and how planted it sits on the street felt even better than the Caymen, not as refined but with such great steering and road feedback, I was impressed. Certainly a bit too quiet in the cabin but I am sure aftermarket exhausts will come shortly available. The seating position was excellent, but it did take me a couple minuted to square up my body to the off-set pedals, but nothing concerning at all. Switching from Touring to Sport mode did bring everything to life, from throttle response to the exhaust note, it changed the whole experience in the second round. The seats are very comfy and I did ask if those are the final version and he confirmed. Space for luggage is quite a bit less than in the Cayman, but for me as a weekend fun car, not an issue. I did not test the stereo or other features as I was just looking at getting the most time to actually drive it. The Supercharger noise is something I really enjoyed though, generally speaking, it is difficult to get anything better than the Porsche flat-6 screaming noise on any car in the price range, but I think the Supercharger has a very unique sound profile, it was certainly fun to hear it directly behind you.

Anyway, no regrets, canceled my Porsche order and certainly looking forward to taking delivery (in probably 12 more months).

Great first post... question for you... Your 981 Cayman did it come with SPASM or regular suspension? And, how did you compare the suspension feel from the Cayman to the Emira? Which felt more stiff or jarring, if at all in your opinion?

Thanks!! and Welcome!

 

[ADC]

Your 981 Cayman did it come with SPASM or regular suspension?

Was this an involountary typo, or is that a real thing?

 

[Lotustoronto]

Was this an involountary typo, or is that a real thing?

Porsche Active Suspension Management.... PASM... SPASM is the sport version. It's a real thing.

 

[alvitdk]

Great first post... question for you... Your 981 Cayman did it come with SPASM or regular suspension? And, how did you compare the suspension feel from the Cayman to the Emira? Which felt more stiff or jarring, if at all in your opinion?

Thanks!! and Welcome!

Your 981 Cayman did it come with SPASM or regular suspension?

Was this an involuntary typo, or is that a real thing?

Ha-ha, it is actually a real thing (Porsche Active Suspension Management).

To answer the question, no I do not have the active suspension on my Caymen. I have just standard suspension with H&R lowering springs and the Porsche X73 swaybar in the rear.
I was actually impressed with the sport suspension on the test drive, given the back roads in Dallas are a good test road to see if your teeth stay in place. Wasn't bad at all, but I will stick with my ordered Touring suspension as I am not much into taking it to the track, and it will be fine for the backroads. Talking to the Global Sales Director at the following open house in Dallas, the difference between the sports and touring is only 10% of dampening and rebound, so it's not a huge difference. It certainly felt just as compliant as my Cayman.

 

[ADC]

Porsche Active Suspension Management.... PASM... SPASM is the sport version. It's a real thing.

Note to self: subtle homour is lost on people across the pond

(i keed, i keed, i joke, i joke)

 

[alvitdk]

One more thing to add, when visiting the factory, the color bringing out the most details of all contours and shapes was actually the Nimbus Grey. Normally not my color at all, but all the dark colors made the car's shapes disappear.
At 54 Years, I like the yellow but was told by the misses I should have thought about a yellow car in my twenties, not going clubbing anymore. I'm pretty sure my car will not be the 1st edition, so there will be other colors to choose from, and likely 'White" with full black and yellow calipers will be the final choice.

 

[Cachaco131]

One more thing to add, when visiting the factory, the color bringing out the most details of all contours and shapes was actually the Nimbus Grey. Normally not my color at all, but all the dark colors made the car's shapes disappear.
At 54 Years, I like the yellow but was told by the misses I should have thought about a yellow car in my twenties, not going clubbing anymore. I'm pretty sure my car will not be the 1st edition, so there will be other colors to choose from, and likely 'White" with full black and yellow calipers will be the final choice.

50s is the new 20s - get that yellow! I do agree that Nimbus looks great.

 

[EspritGuy]

Porsche Active Suspension Management.... PASM... SPASM is the sport version. It's a real thing.

That would equate to some of the spastic driving I've seen.

 

[Porter]

@Shyatic did they tell you anything about the dealer tour situation?

 

[Pops68]

We've been starting to get a few real person reviews now which have all perked my excitement once again.
This one I think tops them all! And hopefully has helped quite a few (maybe even our resident porsche fan @Leonard ). To hear that someone with extensive P experience rates the car as much as you did, is very pleasing to hear.
I've driven a few 911's and my dad had a boxster so many years ago that I didn't get to drive it! I've always been super impressed by the P car but my wife doesn't want me to get one due to the volume of them on the road.
To know they compete well on the driving experience is great to hear as for me, the Lotus wins everywhere else that's important to me.

Ha that's the same reaction my wife had with the Porsche. She thought I was crazy to look at a car that is so common here in So. Calif. Needless to say she was more than ok with the Emira when she saw it! I think she is almost as excited as I am...

 

[Pops68]

50s is the new 20s - get that yellow! I do agree that Nimbus looks great.

Sure glad to hear that! I'm happy to be back in my 30's again...

 

[Shyatic]

@Shyatic did they tell you anything about the dealer tour situation?

Austin next, presumably Houston after that. Beyond that... not sure.

 

[fatjase]

I guess I like performance and dynamics first and foremost and everything else is secondary. Weight is also a driver and partly why the M2 disappointed.
I rarely do track days but I'm a firm believer that cars designed to operate at ten tenths reward and encourage you to keep pushing up to the limit. I don't want to keep pushing only to find the car is lacking before I am.
Saying all of that if it is not my main performance car I can find excitement and thrills in almost anything! Definitely something to be said for extracting the most performance out of something not designed to perform in any way
I also think the engine and gearbox should be the main focus and everything else built around that (again M2 disappointed)
In hindsight the Emira probably wasn't for me, but I thought Lotus were building their equivalent of Toyotas GR Yaris and I didn't realise this was not the case until late in the day
So I'm invested now awaiting a test drive. I'm also willing to break my 10 year old rule not to modify any of my new cars, if it will give me the Emira that I want and think it should be.
Yes you are right GT4 be a great car for me, but I'd go for the Spyder as it looks better and the open top would tick yet another box of nice to haves. Plus its a slightly softer chassis so better on UK roads. Otherwise I'd get a 991.2 T, 991.2 GTS or 991.1 GT3 but don't really want an auto yet so GT3 is out..
That waffled on a bit, bet your glad you asked now But thanks for asking

My friend had a factory order 718 GT4 for 3 weeks and sold it back to Porsche and bought a 991.1 GT3 from them. Having driven both it was a good decision in my view, the GT3 is so much more alive and rewarding than the 718 GT4 was albeit the GT4 was the easier car to drive fast. He has a 718 Spyder on order but he is pretty certain that will just be getting sold as it will no doubt suffer the same foibles as the GT4.

 

[alvitdk]

@Shyatic did they tell you anything about the dealer tour situation?

Austin for two days and then off to Houston for two days. Not sure where it goes afterwards.

 

[Pegasi]

likely 'White" with full black and yellow calipers will be the final choice.

 

[kratedisease]

The two people who actually drove and had seat time in the EMIRA both said power was just adequate

Initially I was put off by their impressions until I did some research for comparison.

I had a 2014 corvette previously (traded that in for a 2016 Z06 640hp corvette) and I noticed that the 0-60 times for the previous 2014 corvette that I had was tested to be 0-60 in 3.8 sec. That is a car that weighs 3400 pounds and has 440hp.

That 2014 corvette I had was stupid fast. Take that from me. It was way more than adequate.

There is no way that 400hp EMIRA weighing 3100-3200 pounds is just adequate in power.

I am a bit confused with the reviewers impressions of power. Who knows.... possibly they were not allowed to pop that car open. If the EMIRA is around the same 0-60 of 3.8 sec as it should be then that is fast.

I never felt the 2014 corvette I had was just adequate, that car was fast no joke. I traded it for the 650hp Z06 version and obviously the Z06 is even faster. But the base 2014 was no slug.

I think that if the two who drove the EMIRA were able to open up on a closed road they would better understand that the 400hp In 3100-3200 pound car is very very fast.

Just IMO