Super excited - transmission quandry!

[Barfly]

Hi!

I live in a rural area of N California (w. Sonoma county) and told myself that after our road is asphalt paved I would buy another sports car. The old road required 4WD.. I’ve never had anything like a Lotus, a couple old Porsches many years ago, 914 & 356B, and a Mitsubishi Eclipse. A good friend is a Lotus enthusiast and it rubbed off. I have a deposit on a V6 Emira.

I need to specify my build and having trouble deciding between auto and manual transmission. My friend says the auto is completely wrong for a Lotus and you give up half the fun of driving the car! I like the idea of being lazy with the automatic and paddle shifters sound OK. But I also think he might be right.

Any thoughts about which transmission?

Thanks!
Josh

 

[KAR120C]

Hi!

I live in a rural area of N California (w. Sonoma county) and told myself that after our road is asphalt paved I would buy another sports car. The old road required 4WD.. I’ve never had anything like a Lotus, a couple old Porsches many years ago, 914 & 356B, and a Mitsubishi Eclipse. A good friend is a Lotus enthusiast and it rubbed off. I have a deposit on a V6 Emira.

I need to specify my build and having trouble deciding between auto and manual transmission. My friend says the auto is completely wrong for a Lotus and you give up half the fun of driving the car! I like the idea of being lazy with the automatic and paddle shifters sound OK. But I also think he might be right.

Any thoughts about which transmission?

Thanks!
Josh

Your former sports cars might indicate you'd like the manual better! Everybody will have an opinion, but I wouldn't purchase a sports car without a manual. It's just part of the experience for me. BTW, was your 356B a T5 or T6? Love those cars!

 

[Aero]

If you decide to go auto I wouldnt go with the v6 auto. If you can wait get the AMG dual clutch auto.

 

[JasonR]

Manual. Nuff said

 

[dgrace]

Any thoughts about which transmission?

Manual, of course. They aren't making many more of them.

 

[kbhoz]

I have been driving a V6 Exige Auto for 7 years. Daily drive with over 100,000Km travelled. Had no trouble. Ordered Emira with Auto. Each to their own - I love it. Bullit proof. Cant speak for the AMG unit.

 

[morphious]

Manual, IMHO. Paddles just can't give the same feel.

 

[MPD]

I would rather have DCT v6 but not an option. Most on here will say manual and I have two manuals right now as well that I really enjoy. I've talked to two people that have auto Evora and they really do enjoy driving it. Some people don't really care for the level of engagement with a manual and just want to enjoy driving around in a cool car. The young me would say blasphemy but the older me is like whatever makes you happy and don't worry what anyone else thinks.

The good news is that you will have a long wait until you have to actually finalize your spec. By then, there should be enough FEs around that you can drive both versions before making the final decision.

 

[Concept24]

I'm somewhat in the same boat. If I had my druthers, I'd have an LC500h convertible and a manual Emira V6. I already have a manual MX5 PRHT but whenever I had to do a lot of rush hour traffic-driving, I'd take my automatic sedan. This morning I had to drive at 8:00 AM and am I glad I took the automatic car.
So I am tempted to keep the MX5 and get an auto Emira V6. I drove an auto Evora, a few weeks ago, and it was fine for cruising in intermittent traffic.
But the Lotus manual trans is one of the best in the world. Decisions, decisions!

 

[Silver Storm]

I’m taking a wild guess here, so I could be wrong…if everyone is going to spec manual, auto will be very rare especially when it comes to future resale. An auto tranny may command a slightly higher premium because of its rarity.

 

[Concept24]

Evoras with auto trans typically sell for approximately 10% less than those with manual. My guess is that as EVs become more popular, cars with manual transmissions will retain their value better.

 

[Cachaco131]

Manual of course. Because it's trendy too!
https://www.wsj.com/articles/manual-transmission-stick-shift-cars-929dc155?reflink=integratedwebview_share

 

[richbrown]

I have been driving a V6 Exige Auto for 7 years. Daily drive with over 100,000Km travelled. Had no trouble. Ordered Emira with Auto. Each to their own - I love it. Bullit proof. Cant speak for the AMG unit.

Auto V6 for me also and lovely aluminium paddles. As a daily driver I know manual would personally be a pain

 

[Barfly]

Your former sports cars might indicate you'd like the manual better! Everybody will have an opinion, but I wouldn't purchase a sports car without a manual. It's just part of the experience for me. BTW, was your 356B a T5 or T6? Love those cars!

Long time ago, but it was a ‘62 so I think it would have been a T6. It had some serious rust problems which prior owner had botched repairs. I enjoyed driving it for awhile then decided not to tackle the restoration and sold it. Big mistake!

 

[Barfly]

Thanks for the feedback! It really sounds like they’re both good choices. I think I’ll go with the manual. My 17 year old daughter says I should get it so she can “learn stick”. I said “seriously you think you’re gonna drive my Lotus? Funny!” Fact is, she scares me a little so I’ll have to let her LOL.

Other considerations, with the world going to EV, not sure how long any car like this will be offered with manual. It’s a toy, I don’t expect it to be a daily driver. Even so, I’d guess half my commuting in the last 20 years has been with a manual and it never really bothered me. Unless I was trying to eat while driving

Now back to picking a color.. thought I had settled on Nimbus Grey. Just saw a red one in a video that looked amazing. Problem is they all look great.

 

[pancho]

Grazie per il feedback! Sembra davvero che siano entrambe buone scelte. Penso che andrò con il manuale. Mia figlia di 17 anni dice che dovrei prenderlo in modo che possa "imparare a restare". Ho detto “seriamente pensi di guidare la mia Lotus? Divertente!" Il fatto è che mi spaventa un po' quindi dovrò lasciarla LOL.

Altre considerazioni, con il mondo che passa ai veicoli elettrici, non sono sicuro per quanto tempo un'auto come questa sarà offerta con il manuale. è un giocattolo, non mi aspetto che sia un guidatore quotidiano. Anche così, immagino che metà del mio tragitto giornaliero negli ultimi 20 anni sia stato con un manuale e non mi ha mai infastidito davvero. A meno che non stessi cercando di mangiare mentre guidavo

Ora torniamo a scegliere un colore... pensavo di aver optato per Nimbus Grey. Ne ho appena visto uno rosso in un video che sembrava fantastico. Il problema è che sembrano tutti fantastici.

That's true, all the colors are amazing..I am waiting x a dark verdant v6 auto and interiors than

 

[Tonygcar]

Automatic it’s a road car now if it’s a rally car then manual.

 

[DJS]

For me it's an Auto as the car is for daily use especially for me living in London with a lot of painful traffic.

If I lived out in the sticks and my Emira was my second car or just a weekend toy then it has to be the manual.

 

[Snakes]

I have the same "problem" as the OP.

I placed my order for a V6 manual in January 2023 so I have a long wait (Lotus advised me that, currently, the build is scheduled for Q3 2024 - we'll see!). To fund the purchase I would need to sell my daily drive (BMW 435d X Drive cabriolet auto) and my fun car (TVR T350C manual - obvs). So it has the difficult, if not impossible, task of having to fulfil an acceptable chunk of each of the roles they manage to do. I realise it will not be as raw or as fast as the TVR nor as cossetting as the BMW. So the decision to go through with it is going to be how well it can achieve, for me, an acceptable balance.

Now for the transmission decision part of this post.

However, I have now taken 2 test drives and have to say that, surprisingly, given all the great reviews (especially by Harry Metcalfe who I rate - and who copied the spec' I ordered!), it has not quite gelled with me. I have found the manual box a bit clunky and not particularly easy or intuitive to heel and toe. The sales guy said that I had to appreciate that all the test drive cars are early (he called them pre-production) cars. And I do recall some YouTube reviewers criticising the gearbox of the initial versions so maybe the current ones are improved?

The brakes are very grabby, as others have found, but I would, no doubt, get used to that. I understand the accepted view is that you must get the manual version for full emersion and had I found it a nicer box to use I would probably go that route but now I am not so sure.

I find that the test drive scenario, being accompanied by a stranger, is not the ideal scenario to allow me to relax and really fully acclimatise to the car and analyse the pros and cons of the driving experience. I can't really explain why.

So, my current view is to hang on until I have to commit to the spec' (Lotus reckoned that if I switch to the i4 it would probably delay the build by 3 months) and then consider:-

reviews of the i4 with the DCT auto gearbox
reviews of the V6 with the auto gearbox
feedback to this post on whether anyone's experience of later built cars have far nicer transmissions than the early test drive cars.

 

[JohnHoward]

reviews of the V6 with the auto gearbox

I had an Evora 410 Sport auto (now sold ready for a V6 auto Emira) and I was delighted with it. Despite what some have said about the auto box, I found it very responsive in both full auto and paddle mode. In Sports mode it sounds epic on downshifts. If you are that way inclined you learn how to drive it in sports and paddle mode to get the best out of it in terms of sound, it doesn't just sound good, it really is epic, even @Evotion (the forum bad boy who engages "Twat Mode" on his recent video) would approve!

I am getting an auto mainly for medical reasons, I could have got a manual, but having the auto Evora spoiled me. My driving skills would never achieve the sound you can get on downshifts every time on the auto with no effort.

There has been criticism of the shift speed of the auto, but I am just a regular driver and it seemed very good to me. Perhaps if you are track demon, it may be different.

Although this is not a review of the Emira as it is all the same 'gubbins' with fancy seats, a better radio and a fat suit (see JayEmm video), I have my expectations firmly set for more of the same - bring it on!