Speed limiter, cruise control and ADAS

[VL3X]

It’s not required stateside. Though, I wish it was.

https://www.kbb.com/car-advice/blind-spot-monitors/

No big deal. Just another feature my $30k car has that my $100 one lacks!

 

[denk0815]

Definitely.
Especially as there are certainly many people like me who are deciding between two (or more) cars and ADAS is an important factor for many who want to use the Emira as a daily.

The only thing that keeps me, as a brand newcomer, interested is the fantastic driving experience that the community and tests attribute to the Evora and the hope that Lotus manages to transfer this to the Emira without screwing up the rest.

 

[Andrew]

ADAS I can live without... but that blind spot monitoring system should come as standard for a 2022 car! : /
Wierd decissions from Lotus

 

[digilotus]

ADAS I can live without... but that blind spot monitoring system should come as standard for a 2022 car! : /
Wierd decissions from Lotus

Has this been confirmed?

 

[Andrew]

In previous posts it was stated that FE cars won't have blind spot monitoring. I don't know if that's 100% official.

 

[digilotus]

I will be seriously pissed off it it doesn't have blind spot monitoring.

 

[TomE]

It’s not listed in the V6 FE specification document.

 

[xen]

ADAS I can live without... but that blind spot monitoring system should come as standard for a 2022 car! : /
Wierd decissions from Lotus

Agreed.

 

[EM33RA]

I will be seriously pissed off it it doesn't have blind spot monitoring.

It definitely won’t have it

 

[Lankan]

Good to hear what one can consider to be a definitive update on ADAS - thanks for sharing.

The FE's configuration is perfect for my needs, including manual speed limiter/cruise control, which I use on stretches of road with average speed cameras and, sometimes, in 30-50 mph zones. Blind spot monitoring would have been a 'nice to have', but not essential.

 

[TomE]

In all the miles of driving the Evora I’ve never thought I was missing blind spot alert. The mirrors give very good coverage. I know many hours have gone into the design of the Emira mirror coverage.

I appreciate some people see this kind of thing as “must have” these days, and see it on cars costing considerably less.

I assume there’s a thought process behind it at Lotus, maybe that it’s seen as a feature to bundle into a pack with ADAS.

 

[xen]

In all the miles of driving the Evora I’ve never thought I was missing blind spot alert. The mirrors give very good coverage. I know many hours have gone into the design of the Emira mirror coverage.

I appreciate some people see this kind of thing as “must have” these days, and see it on cars costing considerably less.

I assume there’s a thought process behind it at Lotus, maybe that it’s seen as a feature to bundle into a pack with ADAS.

Thing is it depends on where you drive. In Dubai at least it’s a fairly important safety feature. You have lane merges and exists on 8 lane highways at acute angles and fairly high speeds. These roads form the main transport arteries through the city. Oh and did I mention…quite a few people drive like knobs.

I don’t understand why this we omitted.

 

[VL3X]

It's 2022 - If $20k economy cars have it, so should a $100k exotic sportscar. These tech features don't add any real weight to the car and are nice to have. Just look at the Eletra interior! Lotus and Geely clearly have the money and ability to integrate some really cool tech in their vehicles. I think the Emira's interior is pretty slick, yet minimal. It'd just be nice to have blind spot monitors, cuztomizable gauges on the digital display, and user defined ambient lighting. Maybe future versions will add these.

 

[xen]

I’ve been fairly critical of the Emira on some fronts. Having seen the Eletra launch it’s seems more and more to me like the Emira was a passion project for Lotus.

It’s like that side project the team pleaded with Geely to manufacture so they could demonstrate just what they could do given the right resources and backing. Geely probably (maybe even reluctantly) agreed but with a strict budget they had to work to. Against this backdrop a few of their decisions start to make sense and you can almost forgive some of the more glaring issues.

In my opinion the Emira really is the last Lotus. The Evija, Eletra and other cars coming are based on shared platforms using largely Geely technology with a bit of Lotus magic and the badge to differentiate them from the inevitable Volvo / Geely renditions.

 

[TomE]

I think there's a lot of truth in that. With the Evora having steadily increased in price over the years as they added power and other (not many) features, it got further out of line with the main competitors from a price perspective. I suspect Geely were very clear to Lotus about the price points and hence budgets they had to work within for Emira.

I assume the increased demand and adding a second shift has given a few scale economies. They've also found some improvements to build time, so labour per car is down and cars per week is up. That will have helped mitigate the inflation impacts.

Part of the approach to the Emira was to make it more appealing as an everyday driving car. Lots of features never seen before on a Lotus have been added, but there are still some perceived shortfalls versus some customer expectations. We've had auto-blip mentioned several times too.

I haven't had blind spot alert on any of my cars, so it's not an issue for me but I can see its omission is annoying for others. For me 12-way electric seats are a major upgrade on a Lotus! My Exige doesn't have aircon. Times change and expectations change too I guess.

 

[VL3X]

I suppose we should just be happy there is a reverse cam and Android Auto/Apple Carplay integration.

 

[Eagle7]

For me the 4 big things are a car that looks like this, sounds like this, and drives like this with a manual transmission. I don't particularly care what $30k cars have that this one doesn't, because they don't have what this car has. If the Emira didn't have the big 4, it wouldn't matter if it had all the other gadgets; I wouldn't be buying one.

 

[Lots_Of_Trouble]

I think there's a lot of truth in that. With the Evora having steadily increased in price over the years as they added power and other (not many) features, it got further out of line with the main competitors from a price perspective. I suspect Geely were very clear to Lotus about the price points and hence budgets they had to work within for Emira.

I assume the increased demand and adding a second shift has given a few scale economies. They've also found some improvements to build time, so labour per car is down and cars per week is up. That will have helped mitigate the inflation impacts.

Part of the approach to the Emira was to make it more appealing as an everyday driving car. Lots of features never seen before on a Lotus have been added, but there are still some perceived shortfalls versus some customer expectations. We've had auto-blip mentioned several times too.

I haven't had blind spot alert on any of my cars, so it's not an issue for me but I can see its omission is annoying for others. For me 12-way electric seats are a major upgrade on a Lotus! My Exige doesn't have aircon. Times change and expectations change too I guess.

Horses for courses I guess,but I think the addition of features like blind spot whilst helpful,are also another measure to take our minds off of driving with more care and awareness just slightly,as you start to rely on this modern features rather than double check for yourself.

Yes I realise the irony in saying that,as it does help,but if we know if helps,we are more reluctant to take a second check in our mirrors/windows,what if the tech is ever wrong?

For me it's the same reason I stay with a manual,you have to be in control of the car and its surroundings,you're more "analog" rather than automated ,too near pilot mode.

For me,if you want these features as a must,maybe try a German car,if you want one last raw(not as raw as exige,I know...)Lotus bit of fun,get the Emira ....

 

[Lots_Of_Trouble]

I suppose we should just be happy there is a reverse cam and Android Auto/Apple Carplay integration.

Agreed, swings and round abouts.
Carplay as standard is a bonus,and the rear cam,on FE.
I was also pleasantly surprised that the air con came as standard(even on base) for a Lotus.

There will be alternative options out there without these features as standard which may have things that others want on the Emira.

All I'm,I think what comes with the car is spot on.

 

[eclat2emira]

T

For me the 4 big things are a car that looks like this, sounds like this, and drives like this with a manual transmission. I don't particularly care what $30k cars have that this one doesn't, because they don't have what this car has. If the Emira didn't have the big 4, it wouldn't matter if it had all the other gadgets; I wouldn't be buying one.

Totally agree @Eagle7, and the waiting list suggests a lot of other folks think the same. With any major purchase it's all about the essential attributes first, the "must haves" only if they are all present do the "nice to haves" only come into play. Of course, paying a certain premium for the FE means you want the bells and whistles included as advertised, that's part of what you are entitled to for your money.

While I am going for the V6 FE (due mainly to impatience) it was the £60k i4 base that really caught my eye - that is one heck of a compelling value proposition!